On Sept 9, 2001, a small group began to meet at the Morris’s home to worship and pray for God’s direction. To their surprise, within 6 months the group had doubled in size. Within a year they began to seriously wonder if God would have them start a new ministry in Wellsboro. In July 2002, after numerous meetings and encouragement from Vineyard Church leaders, and after much prayer and fasting, Bob and Debbie felt called to “plant” a Vineyard church in the Wellsboro area. This began a two-year educational process for Bob through the Vineyard Leadership Institute. In May of 2004, following completion of his training, Bob was approved to be a Pastor through the Association of Vineyard Churches, and their home church was released to be a Vineyard Church.
Bob Morris | Founding Pastor
“Nearly 2/3 of the people in Tioga County have no church affiliation. It has been said that loving deeds done by unassuming Christians convince more people of the love of God than all the words in the world! One of the important ministries of our church is connecting with this un-churched population in practical and relevant ways.”
From the time it was released as a Vineyard Church, that small group of people began to grow steadily and consistently. Throughout the next eight years, the church moved from the Morris’s living room to their basement. When that became too small, the church would move to the fellowship hall at the First Presbyterian Church of Wellsboro on Sunday evenings. Then, it would move again to the sanctuary. Due to the growth of the church, Brett Kennedy was brought on staff as the Associate Pastor for the church.
In 2015, due to Debbie Morris’s health, Bob Morris announced his retirement as Senior Pastor of the Vineyard Church of Wellsboro. On November 1, 2015, Brett Kennedy was commissioned into the role of Senior Pastor to continue the ministry of the church. In early 2016, we were once again faced with a shortage of space. This time in the children’s ministry area. The church demographic was nearly 50% adults to 50% children. Not quite at a point to purchase or build our own building, the church relocated its services to the Deane Center for the Performing Arts in December 2016.
In 2021, after several years of looking for a suitable permanent facility, the Vineyard purchased a property at 45 Charleston Street in Wellsboro. The property--the former Wellsboro Building Supply--was renovated in 2022, and the Vineyard officially relocated to its new location in September 2022.
Brett Kennedy | Senior Pastor
“We are blessed to have experienced God at work in our community over the last two decades and anxiously anticipate His future works in the decades come.”
The Vineyard is a God-initiated, global movement of churches (of which VUSA is a part) with the kingdom of God as its theological center. The Bible is our rule of faith and practice. Our desire is to know the Bible, do what it says, and experience the way of living it describes. We embrace a full range of Kingdom practices, from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, to healing and deliverance, to ministry with the poor.
For additional information about the Vineyard Movement, visit www.vineyardusa.org
“It’s not just about being biblically literate, we must also become biblically obedient.”
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