Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Elliott.
Zach, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE THAT? We’ve heard it all and we like to leave it open-ended. VU VI VO is an acronym, when decoded, illuminates the vision, journey and ministry of Jesus to mature spirituality and the promise of shalom.
VU = Vision up (Adoration as creatures to a Creator)
VI = Vision in (Transformation and contemplation)
VO = Vision out (Love, Outpouring and self-emptying love)
VU VI VO Ministries was birthed with joy around an outdoor table in the red hills of Oregon’s wine country by a small group of friends and pioneers longing for a day when all shall be well. With a shared vision of Jesus and commitment to share the life & beauty of the gospel with the world, we simply began in the direction of our hope.
In 2015 faithfulness, obedience and opportunity uprooted our Oregon-based ministry and we followed the mandate to take the good news to the ends of the earth (quite literally). For our context that was Tampa, Florida. As with any new beginning, we had to recalibrate, pray, adapt, relinquish and embrace. Life is lived forward in hope and understood backward in still moments. Each day the call gains clarity; we see, we hope and we participate in the future.
Participation in the future is our vocation and movement towards wholeness, flourishing and shalom. We believe there is nothing that cannot be mended and made new. This is where the thread we are stitching meets the thread He is stitching.
In 2020 we began our Life And Beauty (LAB) Initiative in order to care for culture by identifying and investing in one initiative for the common good. In 2020 the LAB Initiative contributed $50,000.00 to fight human trafficking and care for survivors.
In 2021 our goal is to continue this work by contributing $100,000.00 toward survivor care, demand reduction, enforcement, and early intervention efforts.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Every good adventure carries you into the wild where terrain and conditions can test and challenge you. This has certainly been the case for us along the way. Our work involves drawing from the deep well and traditions of the Christian faith while inviting people to engage with fresh imagination. It’s been said that you can go fast alone or far together. We are committed to enjoying a long journey together but that means learning to walk rather than run, which is not always easy.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
If there were two things I would never have imagined doing one would be serving as a pastor and the other would be authoring a book. Well, I’ve spent the last 17 years of my life learning what it means to serve as a pastor and two years ago, I published my first book, Now I See.
Both of these experiences have been incredible opportunities to grow and to enjoy life together with remarkable people along the way. I truly love people and at the end of my story, I hope that is what people remember most.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My dad’s family had a cabin at Diamond Lake out in Oregon and my favorite childhood memories all flow from this place. Maybe the most magical were the dusty walks from the cabin to the lake watching the sunlight dance across the lake.
Contact Info:
- Email: zach@vuvivo.com,
- Website: www.vuvivo.com, zachjelliott.com
- Instagram: @vuvivo_v3, @zachjelliott
- Facebook: @vuvivo_.v3, @zachjelliott
