Our History & Building
We are a church birthed by the grace of God in 1982; blessed with a historic building that has served Long Island for over 100 years.
A rich legacy of ministry
In 1982 God gave young pastors Lance and Cheryl Pittluck a vision for a new kind of ministry on Long Island. Two years later, after having trained under the tutelage of Vineyard movement founder John Wimber, they left the staff of Vineyard Ministries International in Anaheim, CA, to come to New York and plant a church.
The vision was for a church that could help people meet God without the barriers that sometimes come with religion. It was for a church that helps people become ‘disciples’ of Jesus through worship, thoughtful & practical approach to the Bible, healing, caring for the poor, building community & relationships, reaching out to the world around us, and launching other churches around the metro area that would do the same.
Our building & care of the least
By 1989 we had begun looking for a more permanent space to meet. Lance strongly felt the Lord say “provide a home for the poor & I’ll provide you a home”. By 1990 we had purchased a residential home in Freeport for single mothers called the Parish House where dozens of single moms and their kids were ministered to over the years in the most practical of ways.
Shortly after, God kept his word to provide us a “home” and our current building at 251 Merrick Road became a reality. An old Baptist church had built and occupied the building for nearly 50 years, but their membership were aging and were unable to care for the property. We were able to partner with them and continue the rich legacy of ministry that happened in this space.
40 years of faithful ministry
In July of 1997 Lance was asked by John Wimber to assume leadership of the Anaheim Vineyard. In October of that year Lance handed the leadership of The Vineyard Church here in Rockville Centre over to Randy and Pat Larson. Then in 2015, Randy and Pat retired after 50 years of ministry and handed over leadership of The Vineyard Church to Ray and Julie Longwood.
Over the last 40 years, we have seen God change the course of lives and be a beacon of hope in Rockville Centre and beyond. We’re so excited to see what the next 40 years will bring!