"Sean and Christy have been in the Vineyard Movement since the beginning, back in 1977. Both of them came out of the Friends Church, a Quaker church here in Yorba Linda. People often think the Vineyard Movement came from a Calvary Chapel, when in fact, we are Quakers at the root of who we are, and Vineyard roots are Quaker roots."



I recently stumbled upon the website of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Yorba Linda, California John Wimber , who was the father figure of the Vineyard movement, was a pastor at the Yorba Linda Friends Church (Quaker) for several years before experiencing charismata and leaving in the late 70's to plant a new church that eventually became the Anaheim Vineyard. The Yorba Linda Vineyard church is only a couple of years old. Interestingly, it is co-pastored by Wimber's son and daughter-in-law, Sean and Christy Wimber.The Yorba Linda Vineyard seems (judging by the activities listed on their website) to be extremely missional in it's orientation. They are very involved in practical outreach to the community. Way cool.But I was particularly struck by the following statement in the "Who We Are" section of their website. It resonated with me because of my own journey from Vineyard to Quaker:I have often contemplated what a Vineyard/Quaker hybrid worship meeting might look like. It would be interesting if more Vineyards got in touch with their Quaker roots, and if more Quakers got in touch with the "Doin' the stuff" ethos of the Vineyard (which harkens back not only to John Wimber but to the dynamism of George Fox and the original Quakers).From what I can gather, the Yorba Linda Friends church is extremely Protestant/Evangelical in form and in most ways no longer resembles or a Quaker meeting. In fact, it is virtually impossible to tell from their website or sermons (viewable online) that they are Quakers. One gets the distinct sense that they are trying to distance themselves from Quakerism and that troublesome George Fox fellow.Wouldn't it be ironic if the Vineyard in Yorba Linda is more Quaker-like than the Quaker church?I hope someday I can visit both the Vineyard and the Friends Church in Yorba Linda and find out for myself.