Our mission is to bring the love of Christ to Raleigh and the Triangle area. Raleigh is a unique place. It’s the largest city in the Triangle, which also includes the cities of Durham and Chapel Hill. It is home to a large and growing number of what sociologists are calling “postmodern” young people. This group is smart, skeptical, and socially aware. For many, the perception of a “church” has become that of an outdated, irrelevant, or judgmental organization that refuses to interact with those who do not share their standards and beliefs.
At Vintage21 we have a passion for this group of people and are committed to making the church not only a place that worships God based on biblical principles, Spirit and truth, but that takes the message of His grace to people in a manner and language they will understand and relate to. Vintage21 was started in the heart of Raleigh as a small church of 37 people who decided they wanted to impact the Triangle and bring the love of Christ to it in a relevant, radical way.
The church was launched downtown at 515 W. Hargett Street in November of 2002. Soon enough, Vintage21 began to reach out by opening our doors to the community and providing space for art shows and concerts. Gradually the Vintage21 community began to grow as we began meeting in home groups across the Triangle.
As God grew Vintage21, the church moved to the larger space of 209 Oberlin Road, which we were blessed to call our home for nearly four years. Our time on Oberlin Road was one of amazing blessings and growth, and we responded by spreading our mission even more. We began a kids’ ministry, called V21Kids, to reach out to the growing number of parents in our church. We served breakfast to our neighbors at Labor Ready twice a week as they provide opportunities for those experiencing homelessness and unemployment in Raleigh. And we continued to support local artists by actively participating in First Friday, a monthly event where organizations all across Raleigh open their doors to allow artists and musicians to showcase their work. Gradually our growth necessitated four separate services and, eventually, we outgrew our meeting space again.
Vintage21 moved into the current Raleigh West campus in July 2007 and was able to call downtown Raleigh home once again. In January 2009, we opened our first multi-site location in downtown Durham at 208 Rigsbee Avenue where we hope to continue to share the gospel with another community in a way that fits their culture. We have since opened a third campus just East of downtown Raleigh, 110 South East Street, Raleigh, NC 27601. We are now one church in many locations.
We hope that our growth into multiple campuses means only one thing: that we can better serve God. In our respective campuses, we will strive to become strong members of the communities where our hearts are, and to move it, as well as the rest of the Triangle, closer to Christ.
