One Church Family in Two Illinois Towns
The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois is a two-campus congregation rooted in the Vineyard movement, with its main campus at 1500 N. Lincoln Avenue in Urbana and a second campus at 1805 S Hamilton in Sullivan. Together the Urbana and Sullivan campuses share one staff, one budget, and one set of values, while adapting ministries to fit the rhythm of their distinct communities. The church is known across Champaign County for its warm, charismatic worship, its multi-generational ministries, and a steady stream of practical outreach through the Hope Center food pantry and a weekly Healing on the Streets prayer team that sets up in downtown Champaign.
Whether someone walks in on a Sunday morning or logs in from anywhere in the world, the welcome is the same. The church's framing line, "One moment with Jesus can change everything," sits at the top of its main page, and the team describes an environment that is casual, friendly, and family-like. Free coffee is offered, hugs are optional, and seating is open. Services last about an hour and a half and follow the same three-fold rhythm each weekend: Encountering the Love of Jesus, Experiencing Transformation, and Extending the Miraculous.
Weekend Services at Urbana and Sullivan
The Urbana Campus holds two Sunday services each week at 9:15 AM and 11:15 AM. The Sullivan Campus meets at 8:45 AM and 10:30 AM. Both service times at Urbana are also broadcast online through a live stream so that people across Central Illinois and beyond can worship along. A typical service includes extended contemporary worship led by a full band, a Bible-based message, and time to connect with others. Most regulars wear casual or business-casual clothing, and first-time guests are told simply to wear what they are comfortable in.
Children at both campuses attend Kingdom Kids at the same time their parents are in service, and the children's wing is staffed by background-checked volunteers.
Kingdom Kids at Both Campuses
Kingdom Kids is the children's ministry that runs in parallel with adult services at every gathering. Each week children are placed in age-appropriate groups where they worship together, hear a Bible message, and meet in small groups for crafts and discussion. The Urbana program runs at 9:15 and 11:15 AM and is led by Kingdom Kids Pastor Taylor Daniel, with Latia Vadbunker serving as Kingdom Kids Specialist. In Sullivan the children's program runs at 8:45 and 10:30 AM and is led by Kingdom Kids Pastor Karen Goss, with outreach coordinator Jane Williams also serving as a Kingdom Kids Specialist there.
The ministry's stated goal is to grow healthy families, invest in children, and partner with parents to raise kids who know and love Jesus. New families can register through a New Families form, current parents have access to a Parent Resources folder, and older students who want to serve can sign up as Kingdom Kids volunteers during one service and attend their own youth service during the other.
Youth: 6th Through 12th Grade
TVC YTH is built around three words: Encounter, Experience, Extend. The Urbana youth ministry meets on Sunday mornings with Junior High students gathering from 9:15 to 10:30 AM in the Youth Auditorium and High School students gathering from 11:15 AM to 12:30 PM in the front right section of the Main Auditorium. Sunday nights are the main youth gathering of the week, with doors opening at 5:00 PM, dinner served at 5:30 PM, and the night wrapping up at 7:30 PM. The Sullivan youth ministry meets on Wednesday nights at 6:30 PM.
Curtis Plank serves as Youth Pastor at the Sullivan Campus. Students are invited not only to attend but to lead, and the ministry is designed to release young people as world-changers in their schools, teams, friendships, and homes.
College and Young Adults
Given the church's proximity to the University of Illinois, the College and Young Adult ministry is one of the larger expressions of the church. The weekly gathering happens on Thursday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Urbana Campus and brings everyone together for worship, a teaching, ministry time, and community. Small groups then meet throughout the semester for full-time students ages 18 to 22, for non-students ages 18 to 28, and for grad students.
Two pastors share the ministry: Jon Hutchison and Dayle Schneider serve as College and Young Adult Pastors, and Justin Boeckenstedt serves as the Equipping and College and Young Adult Director. The ministry also runs seasonal getaways at nearby Christian camps.
Adults at Every Life Stage
The Adults ministry is organized around the seasons and interests of the adults who make up the church. Kingdom Finance is a free e-course that walks through budgeting, the debt-snowball method, and a biblical view of money and generosity. Marriage Ministry equips married couples through ongoing events and gatherings; Cassie Shaffer leads it at Urbana and Jamie Crosier leads it at Sullivan. Women's Ministry connects women of all ages through events such as Women of Purpose, a Saturday Morning Book Club, Women's Night Out, hikes, Mom's Morning Out, Brave and Beautiful, and Bible studies both online and in person, with Jana Chaffin directing the Urbana side and Doris Schrock supporting the Sullivan side. 50 Plus gathers adults 50 and older to encourage one another and serve together, led by Jane Smith in Urbana and Doris Schrock in Sullivan.
A Mandarin Chinese Ministry provides a worshiping community for Chinese Christians and anyone exploring Jesus. Led by Mandarin Fellowship Director Wayne Chang, the group gathers regularly for worship, fellowship, Bible reading, and outings. Services in Mandarin are offered as a recognized expression within the church.
Worship and the Arts
Worship is central to the identity of the church. The Vineyard movement has long valued intimate, presence-focused worship, and TVCCI continues that stream with a contemporary band-led format that expects the Holy Spirit to move during the gathering. Kyle Howard serves as Worship and Experience Pastor at Urbana, supported by Worship and Production Director Ethan Robison and Experience Administrator Prayse Odomes. At Sullivan, Emily Gingerich serves as Worship Director.
The church is also producing its own music. A recent EP released by Kyle Howard captures the songs that have grown up inside the church's services, including a version of the classic Vineyard song Show Your Power that has become a TVC anthem. The team's stated goal is to release the worship that has risen out of their altars and hunger for God's presence, then send those songs beyond the church's walls.
The Hope Center and Practical Outreach
The Hope Center is the church's hub for community outreach in Urbana. Through its Food Pantry it provides practical support to neighbors who need a hand, and through its 1 to 1 Ministry it offers spiritual support. The center also partners with local non-profits to run social and spiritual programs throughout the year. Tracy Williams serves as Hope Center and Community Outreach Director; Juan Morales serves as Hope Center Operations Director; and Paula Barickman serves as Hope Center Food Pantry Specialist.
Beyond the Hope Center, the church partners with a wide network of community organizations. Listed partners include Convoy of Hope, Feeding Our Kids, C-U at Home, Restoration Urban Ministries, Cunningham Children's Home, Merci's Refuge and Living Alternatives, Carle Foundation Hospital, OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, Canaan Safehouse, DREAAM Academy, the Developmental Services Center, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and local schools.
Healing on the Streets
Every Saturday from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, the Healing on the Streets (HOTS) team sets up at the Illinois Terminal in downtown Champaign to pray for healing and encouragement for anyone who stops by, rain or shine. The ministry is led by Healing Ministries Director Joanna Machen and reflects the church's broader conviction that the supernatural is part of normal Christian life and ministry.
Building 1225 in Sullivan
In Sullivan the church operates Building 1225, a community venue with a large indoor playground and recreation space, a walk track, basketball, a climber, and a banquet hall that seats up to 350 people. The building hosts birthday parties, Christmas parties, wedding receptions, and other community gatherings, and is one of the most visible expressions of the Sullivan Campus in its surrounding region.
What the Church Believes
The Vineyard Church of Central Illinois affirms the Vineyard USA Statement of Faith. Its own doctrinal summary covers seven core areas:
- Baptism - water baptism as an important first step of obedience traced through the Gospels, Acts, and church history.
- Bible - the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments as the final, infallible rule of faith and practice, without error in the original manuscripts.
- Communion - the bread and cup as a symbolic remembrance of Jesus' body and blood given at the Cross, looking back to his death and forward to his return.
- Giving - tithing the first 10% of income to God through the local church as an act of generosity that opens the way to biblical provision.
- The Kingdom of God - the central mission and message of Jesus, the framework for understanding his teaching, miracles, parables, and prayer.
- New Birth - union with Christ in his death and resurrection, making believers new creations whose everyday lives are changed by that reality.
- Women - every area of leadership open to men and women whose calling and gifting have been recognized and affirmed by the church community.
Values That Shape Everything
Four values are woven through the church's messages, meetings, and methods: Supernatural Breakthrough, Family, Missional Leadership, and Excellence. Supernatural Breakthrough reflects the expectation that God still speaks, acts, and heals. Family is the conviction that the church functions as brothers, sisters, fathers, and mothers to one another and that no individual rises above the family. Missional Leadership holds that leadership begins with God depositing vision and purpose in a leader's heart, and that real leadership produces changed lives, not just managed programs. Excellence is the call to bring thoughtful, structured, creative work to every aspect of ministry and to model the excellence of God's Kingdom.
A Story That Starts in the Early Seventies
The church's story begins in the early 1970s, when Happy and Dianne Leman - both raised as preachers' children in the Apostolic Christian Church - became Christians while students at the University of Illinois. They went on to become the founding pastors of the church. In the fall of 2019, they entrusted the church to Mike and Julie Yoder, who now serve as Senior Pastors alongside their four children. The Lemans remain involved as Founding Pastors, and the senior pastors are quick to point to the larger staff and volunteer team as the family that carries the church day to day.
Getting Connected
First-time guests at either location are invited to fill out a Connect Card so the team can follow up. Small groups are the primary on-ramp into ongoing community life, with groups meeting around the region for every stage from college students to seniors. The School of Kingdom Ministry and Kingdom Equipping are two of the church's training streams for those who want to go deeper. Prayer is also central: a prayer team is available after every service, and a dedicated prayer ministry coordinates fasting and prayer across the church. Giving can be done online, and job openings across the ministry are posted as they become available.
From the lively children's wing at Urbana to the indoor playground at Building 1225 in Sullivan, from the Thursday night college gathering to the Saturday afternoon Healing on the Streets prayer team, the same family shows up week after week - Kingdom people who embrace their new identity in Jesus and look for ordinary ways to see the supernatural break through.