our story
The Story of VCF Albany
After serving on the staff of the VCF Anaheim under the leadership of John Wimber for eleven years, Rick and his wife Brenda felt called to visit the Capital Region. They are both native New Yorkers, with Brenda having gone to high school in the Capital Region and Rick growing up in rural central New York.
They moved to California in 1986 with two small children and returned with four children and a desire to see an evangelistic church with contemporary ministry birthed in this Region.
In the summer of 1997 the family moved back to New York, not knowing anyone in this area, but with a firm conviction that God was going to lead them, and that a new church would be birthed.
In the fall of 1998 the first public meeting was held in the lobby of the Alpha Pregnancy Care Center. Two years later, on Easter Sunday, the Church moved into its present location. A second Sunday morning service was started in the Fall of 2004.
The Story of Our Senior Pastor
Rick Colquhoun (pronounced call-hoon) was raised in a practicing Roman Catholic family in central New York, but did not receive Christ until he was 18 years old. When his sister was killed in a car accident just before he started high school, his anger toward God was directed toward the church and all authority. His rebellion and anger were no match, however, for the genuine love and acceptance he felt from the pastor of a small country church near his home.
The pastor was Rev. E.A. Frink, a Bible school teacher and later leader of Elim Fellowship in Lima, New York. Rick eventually went to Elim Bible Institute in 1978, where he met Brenda. While in school he helped start Christ Community Church in Clyde NY, where he and Brenda served after they were married in 1980.
Later they moved to Rochester for 5 years, where he graduated from Roberts Wesleyan College before joining the staff of Grace Covenant Church and leading their Christian school for 3 years. In 1986, he heard John Wimber at the annual Elim pastors's conference and they moved to California that summer to attend Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Mission. After finishing an MA in Cross-Cultural Studies and Leadership Development, he joined the pastoral staff of the 3000 member Anaheim Vineyard.
While on staff there, Rick started several ministries. These included their Christian school, Home School and Pre-School programs, Compassionate Life Ministry, Pastoral Internship program, and Student Training Program. He also directed their large children's ministry. But it was while working with Association of Vineyard Churches and their California task force for new church development that Rick felt called to leave the staff position he held in Anaheim to be sent out from there as a church planter in NY.
Rick and Brenda were married in 1980 and have four wonderful children: Rachel, Joe, Anna and Stephen. Brenda works for the Schenectady County Health Department as a nurse in their maternal/child program called Healthy Families.
The Story of the Association of Vineyard Churches
In 1982, John Wimber, who had been a pastor and church consultant, was asked to serve as the leader of a newly-formed association of about nine churches (all in Southern California) that called themselves Vineyard. As the leader of this new movement, known as the Association of Vineyard Churches, John pastored the pastors and trained and encouraged the planting of churches internationally.
John died in November 1997. We miss him greatly. Worldwide, Vineyard churches have been planted in many nations including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Russia, Turkey, throughout the European continent, Africa, Southeast Asia, and in Australia. God has shown us, however, that His desire is not just to build the Vineyard, but that we should promote His Kingdom, and encourage, build, and love the whole church. There are curerently around 600 Vineyards in the USA and 800 in other countries.
Our Pastor, Rick Colquhoun, served on the Church Planting Task Force for the Western and later Eastern Regions of the Association of Vineyard Churches. He now serves as the Area Pastoral Care Leader for the Hudson Valley/CT Area (8 churches).
Phil Strout of Lewsiton ME is our Regional Overseer for the Eastern Region of the AVC (around 75 churches). John Elmer of the Syracuse Vineyard is the Church Planting Coordinator for our Region. See the AVC website for more information.
Vineyard USA: National Site