Connexus Community Church

Brian Hughes' Anticipation

Hey, it's me, the facility guy at Trinity, part of the future staff leadership team of Connexus.

Can you recall a time in your life when you were really pumped about something that was dawning on the horizon of your calendar?  Some event in your life or in the life of your family that you were really looking forward to?  Maybe it was your first day of high school, college or university (or maybe your last day of high school, college or university).  Maybe it was your wedding or the birth of your child.

I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.  As the launch of Connexus Community Church draws closer, the anticipation is growing.  Are you feeling it too? 

Of course at this point along with the anticipation are a few unanswered questions, like whether or not we will remain in our current facility.  Which has prompted many of you to ask the question "So what happens to the facility guy if we have to leave?"

First of all, I want to say a sincere and heart felt thank you for your concern.  I want to let you know that regardless of what happens with the building, I have employment with Connexus, so I'll be on the staff team moving forward! There will be lots to do, and so I'll definitely be part of the Connexus team.  I also want to get past myself for a moment to say I'm genuinely happy to be a part of of it all.  This ministry is close to my heart because so many folks out there don't yet know Jesus, and we know more sites will create more opportunity to introduce people to Him.  That gets me pumped!

Brian Hughes

Barrie and Orillia Locations

We should know in 15 days if Connexus will be able to purchase the facility currently used by Trinity.  But if not, the big question is, where will we meet?

You already know we'll be moving to two campuses in that scenario, one in Barrie and the other in Orillia. We're happy to announce that the Sunday morning home of Connexus will be at the Galaxy Cinemas in each city --  on Commerce Park Drive in South Barrie and at West Ridge Place in Orillia. 

It was so cool to move through these cinemas last week with our staff, elders and some consultants who specialize in portable church.  Rich Birch and Nadine Russell, two of our staffers, have incredible passion and imagination when it comes to creating irresistible environments, and as they walked around with the consultants, the theatre became transformed in our minds' eye into environments which actually are as good or better than our current facility (see the quotes at the bottom of this post).  It's hard to describe all the things you can do with the right resources and the right people on the job.  I wish you all could have been there, and quite possibly, in 7 weeks, you might be!  Best yet, we can grow to an attendance of over 1000 people in each location each Sunday. 

Some of you remember our days at Guthrie Public School when load in and load out for a much smaller church took a while.  No more.  Rich Birch has a long relationship with PCI (Portable Church Industries) and we would engage them in these environments so we can completely construct our Sunday environments (tech, kids, foyer and more) in about 75 minutes and tear them down far less time.  Watch this video  to see what that process will be like.  It's amazing.  Our e-team will be in charge (that stands for environment team).  If you want to be part of one, email us at eteam@connexuscommunity.com.

Midweek, we're still looking for space for environments like KidStuf, student ministry and Christmas eve, not to mention office space.  We're ready for the staff to hang out at my place for November if need be. :)  But those spaces are much easier to find than weekend space, so that should come together shortly.

Financially, believe it or not, it's a wash whether we stay here or hit the road.  It will cost us about $500,000 to buy our current facility (plus upgrades), while the cost of launching Barrie and Orillia will be $250,000 each for all the equipment, including our video stuff.  The rent for our environments will end up costing a little less that what we currently pay for heat, water, hydro and interest payments on the mortgage at Line 7.  Although the costs are about the same we are adding around 50% more capacity to invite people to church!  (People have kept asking . . . you'll be able to contribute early in October.)

Imagine having premium environments in two major cities where you can invite your friends.  How cool would that be? Plus, people associate going to the movies with good times, unlike schools (not everybody liked/likes school) or other facilities we might have rented.  Just about everybody knows where the theaters are, too, so that just makes an easier invite. 

Right now, we're absolutely laying it all before God, but it's good to know we've got some places to go that we're very excited about no matter how this turns out. 

Together,

Carey Nieuwhof
Lead Pastor
Connexus Community Church

P.S. Here are some quotes from some of our team who have toured the theatres that we would use:

“I think that it would be an incredible opportunity to go where no church in this area has gone before in an effort to reach people who otherwise have no other chance.  The theaters are not a step down, and in fact may very well be more effective in reaching those who don't like church.”- Pat Dryburgh

“The Galaxy theatre facilities will definitely open up an incredible range of possibilities.  It will mean a new venue of course, but it will also provide exciting points of connection with people who have long lost interest or trust in ‘church’.  We have found the Cineplex management team very helpful, and looking for ways to help maximize our experience.  This is shaping up to be an amazing partnership.  I believe that embracing a ‘portable church’ model will initiate a new era in team building among our staff and volunteers.  We will develop a greater sense of shared investment, and really get to know and depend on each other in a whole new way.  I’m excited about the future that God is forging for us both in terms of extending our reach and intensifying our sense of community. Connexus will bring a courageous and relevant ministry to both the Barrie and Orillia regions.  I have no doubt that it’s going to capture your imaginations.”  - Patrick Voo

“When I told my granddaughter that she might be doing church in a theatre, she thought that would be great and so would the popcorn, sometimes when you see things through the eyes of a child it puts everything in prospective.”   - John Atkinson

“I didn’t think that movie theatres would be able to host our Sunday environments because I wasn’t sure that we’d be able to transform them fully into UpStreet, Waumba and Xtreme.  But after looking at them much closer, I am so excited for this potential future for our church.  I think these locations will help us create irresistible environments for our friends and family!”   - Rich Birch

A look at our working timeline . . . (Part 2 of 2)

Time flies. It’s up to you to navigate. - Robert Orben

I was with a new friend today and he asked "Do you really think that we won't be able to 'keep' the building on Line 7?'  My reply was that I didn't know.  The ministry that we are building here in many ways transcends bricks and mortar.  We aren't inviting people into a building but into an active and vibrant faith in Jesus.  In other tangible ways the physical environments we craft are important tools for us as we invite people into this relationship.  There is no doubt that there would be some great strategic reasons for us to remain in the building and continue to use it as a great tool.  I have confidence whether we end up in or out of the building that God will continue to use this community of people to reach out to individuals all around us from a wide variety of spiritual backgrounds!

Today we are going to look at what the transition timeline could look like if we are able to indeed secure the Line 7 building.  Again - this is your fair warning - lots of details ahead!

Option B - Staying at Line 7

LATE BREAKING! - Monday October 1st            
Meeting with Interim Moderator. The PCC has called a meeting for Monday night for those people who people who want to remain in a Presbyterian Church in Oro after October 31st.  We encourage you to attend this event if you believe that this option would be the best thing for your spiritual growth.  You can read more about this meeting on the Trinity website. 

Tuesday October 2nd            
Meeting with Presbytery Leadership. This meeting of a smaller subteam is an important step as it helps us to continue the open and positive conversation that we have had with our local leadership in the Presbyterian Church of Canada.

Tuesday October 9th
Full Presbytery Meeting. We're looking forward to what the entire local body has to say this evening.  So many of the people on this team are serving with good hearts. We anticipate hearing about our next steps as a community coming out of this meeting.

Saturday October 20th
Barrie Information Meeting | 10 am | Barrie Galaxy Cineplex.  Even if we are able to purchase the building back from the PCC we are still going to be hosting these information meetings off site.  At that point the building will still belong to the PCC and we don't believe that hosting a meeting about this new ministry at the Line 7 facility is the right thing to do.

Saturday October 27th
Orillia Information Meeting | 10 am | Orillia Galaxy Cineplex.  We won't be able to host children's programming at these information meetings.  We are simply renting one of the theatres as a space to meet in.  Ahh the smell of popcorn in the air!

Sunday October 28th
Final Service as Trinity Community Church.  Our Service Programming Team has already begun pulling together some special elements for this Sunday.  This promises to be a fantastic Sunday.

November 1st - 15th
Volunteer "Thank You" Parties.  Have you taken time to thank the people who make your church reality?  We don't think we've done enough of this.  So we want to start out the new ministry by saying "thank you" to those people who have come with us to help build the kind of church we can invite our friends to.

November 1st - 25th
Facility Retrofitting and Renovation. We are going to be doing a series of renovations at Line 7.  These will include things like improving some of children's environments, reworking our foyer to make it a little more welcoming, and a few other great surprises.  There will be an opportunity for you to drop by and help with the renovations - it will be an "all hands on deck" couple weeks.

Sunday November 4th
Open House Sunday.  We won't be hosting public services this Sunday but we'll be encouraging our Community Groups to meet instead. Some of the groups will be "open" that Sunday for you to drop in on. This will be a chance for people who aren't in a Community Group to get a taste of what a Community Group experience is like!

Sunday November 18th & 25th
Soft Launch Sundays. We will have preview services planned for two Sundays in November.  The building will still have some work being done on it but we'll be able to invite people back for "normal" services.  (Is anything really ever "normal" around here?)  However, we will still have some of the work that won't be completed so we're asking you to no invite your friends until we officially "relaunch" in December.

Sunday December 2nd
Grand Opening of Connexus Community Church on Line 7! This is the Sunday to invite your friends to!  "Firsts only happen once."  We will be back open to the public with all of our Sunday morning environments opening.  Carey has a fantastic series that he has done some initial work on - we're sure you're going to want to invite your friends to kick off of this series.  Let's being thinking about who we can invite even now!  We do anticipate also doing some marketing around the launch of the new ministry that will help to reintroduce us to the communities that we serve.

Monday December 24th
Christmas Eve Services. Don't forget to come to our special Christmas Eve services.  You know to that these are a real highlight in our calendar year.  We would host a series of evening services on Christmas Eve to accommodate our friends and family. 

Sunday January 5th
KidStuf Relaunch. Our KidStuf crew will be back at their usual craziness with the relaunch of our KidStuf environment for families of kids in grade one through five.  We'll be back into the "first Saturday of the month" routine once we relaunch this environment.

So there it is . . . either timeline has lots of room for each of us to jump and get involved!  This fall is going to require each and everyone of us to invest our heart into building a church that our friends would love to come to. 

I love Paul's encouragement to the group of believers in the ancient city of Corinth: "My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Cor. 15:58)  We are indeed heading into one of those seasons as a church where we need to work diligently because we believe that crafting a church that helps people grow closer to God, in deeper relationship with other Christ followers and cares for people who don't follow Jesus is the sort of work that God honours.  I really don't think either Option A or Option B represents an "easier path".  They both are going to require us putting the needs of others ahead of our own needs.  Both options are going to require us to give our best and let God do the rest.  I am excited to see where the next few months take us all - it's going to be a great adventure together!

Do you have questions about the timeline?  What can we attempt to clarify for you?

Rich Birch
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

A look at our working timeline . . . (Part 1 of 2)

God has given me this day to use it as I will. I can waste it - or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! - Heartsill Wilson

The next few days are going to bring some fantastic news to this blog.  We're going to be talking about potential locations that we may end up in if we aren't able to purchase back the Line 7 facility.  We're going to talk about some of the values that are important for us as we make this transition into Connexus.  We're going to be hearing from people who's lives are being impacted by this ministry. Lot's a great news coming your way!  (Now I'm starting to write like a slick radio sales guy!)

You can now have the blog entries delivered directly to your email inbox . . . simply fill in your email address on the right hand side.

Enough of the announcements . . . let's jump into the meat of today's post!

We want to talk about the timelines that we are working on for the transition that our church is about to go through.  We've broken this up into two blog posts to make them a little bit easier to understand and so you can ask questions in the comment section specific to that timeline.   WARNING:  There is a lot of detail ahead - don't get lost in it all.  Remember that we're in this transition because we want to continue to build the kind of church that we can invite our friends to.  Sure we're talking about a lot of dates and times here but at the end of it all this transition is about becoming more of the church that we believe God is calling us to.  Now on with the laundry list!

Option A - Moving out of Line 7
Tuesday October 2nd            
Meeting with Presbytery Leadership. Our next conversation with the core leadership from our local governing body with the Presbyterian Church of Canada (PCC for short).

Tuesday October 9th
Full Presbytery Meeting. This is the date that the full local governing body meets.  They will be discussing our desire to purchase the Line 7 facility upon our exit from PCC on October 31st.

Saturday October 20th
Barrie Information Meeting | 10 am | Barrie Galaxy Cineplex.  If you live closer to Barrie than Orillia than join us for a public information meeting about our next steps as a community.  We're going to be talking about our future and about how you can get involved through volunteering and giving.  A don't miss event!

Saturday October 27th
Orillia Information Meeting | 10 am | Orillia Galaxy Cineplex.  This meeting will present the same information as the week before.  Book these dates now as these will be important "next steps" for our community.

Sunday October 28th
Final Service as Trinity Community Church.  Our Service Programming Team has already begun pulling together some special elements for this Sunday.  This promises to be a fantastic Sunday.

November 1st - 15th
Volunteer "Thank You" Parties.  We want to start off our next phase in our history with a party to thank those people who have stepped up to make it all happen.  We'll be hosting a series of fun events over these two weeks as a chance to say "thank you" for all that you've done and are doing to make this ministry a reality!

Sunday November 4th
Open House Sunday.  We won't be hosting public services this Sunday but we'll be encouraging our Community Groups to meet instead.  Some of the groups will be "open" that Sunday for you to drop in on.  This will be a chance for people who aren't in a Community Group to get a taste of what a Community Group experience is like!

Sunday November 11th
Tech Training Sunday.  Our tech teams are going to be having a special Sunday morning training experience where they'll be able to learn a little more in preparation for our launches!

Saturday & Sunday November 17th & 18th
Barrie Soft Launch Weekend. This is going to be a full weekend - it's our opportunity to prepare for the grand opening which will just be a few weeks away!  On Saturday morning our environment set up, audio/video, music, host, children's and youth teams will get a chance to run through transforming our rented facility into a great environment for our friends.  On Saturday evening we'll be asking our Community Groups to host a series of special prayer events - where we can pray for the future of our church.  On Sunday morning we are going to host  "dress rehearsal" services . . . don't invite your friends to this. . . it's our opportunity to ensure we get all the potential bugs out before our "grand opening." 

Saturday & Sunday November 24th & 25th
Orillia Soft Launch Weekend. We will be hosting the same sort of weekend but with our Orillia leadership team.  Although there is a lot going on during these weekends they will be the sort of thing that you will look back on in the future and be so glad that you were apart of it!  Keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to volunteer in one of our two new potential locations!

Sunday November 25th
Inside Out Relaunch. After taking a few weeks off our Sunday evening high school environment will be back up and running!  Keep your eyes peeled for some a great changes on this front if we end up being out of the Line 7 facility.

Sunday November 25th
Barrie Second "Dress Rehearsal" Service. Again - don't invite your friends to this service - we want one more time to ensure that we have everything ready to go for Grand Opening.

Sunday December 2nd
Barrie Grand Opening! This is the Sunday to invite your friends to!  "Firsts only happen once."  Don't miss the opportunity to be at the launch of this location and to bring along some friends and family with you.  We are going to be supporting the launch of both potential locations with a significant marketing effort that will include direct mail pieces, radio, internet and a few other surprises.  Although we'll be doing some of that marketing to let the community we're launching each of us need to take the effort to invite our friends directly.  Just ask!

Sunday December 2nd
Orillia Second "Dress Rehearsal" Service. We're going to ask our Orillia folks to resist the urge to come to the Barrie launch and help us host a second "dress rehearsal".  By being in Orillia on this Sunday you are helping us get prepared to host a great experience for your friends in the weeks to come!

Sunday December 9th
Orillia Grand Opening! One of the things that we're working on in securing rental facilities (more on this tomorrow) is that we're planning on having more "empty seats" for our friends.  We want to make room for you to invite as many people as you can to the launch of Connexus.  Who can you be thinking about inviting even now for this launch weekend?

Sunday December 24th
Combined Christmas Eve Service. We're going to be all back together in one location for our Christmas eve service.  These services have been a highlight every year and we're looking forward to this opportunity to gather together again.

Sunday January 5th
KidStuf Relaunch. Our KidStuf crew will be back at their usual craziness with the relaunch of our KidStuf environment for families of kids in grade one through five.  We're going to be hosting KidStuf in a single location for both campuses.  We'll be back into the "first Saturday of the month" routine once we relaunch this environment.

So there it is . . . I warned you . . . lots of details.   Does it make sense?  What can I clarify to help you get your head around what this option might look like?  Tomorrow we'll post what the schedule will look like if we are able to purchase back the Line 7 facility from the Presbytery. 

I've been thinking about the Old Testament story of David and Goliath over these last couple days.  In some ways the challenges that are head of us could be seen as large as Goliath was in comparison to David.   I am bolstered by David's faith when he simply toke his five stones and did what he knew what to do to and in the end God was glorified.   The choice is ours . . . Do we trust God, take what we have and use it or do we hold onto what we have out of fear and stay on the sidelines?  As a community let's step up this challenge and see it not as too huge to overcome to too big to miss!  Each of us have talents and abilities that can be used to build the kind of church that we believe God is calling us to build.  What are your "five stones" that you can offer into the mix?

Thanks for dropping by.  We look forward to more conversation as we continue to move forward!  Have a great day!  Don't forget to leave your comments.

Rich Birch
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

p.s. Are you coming to "involved" on Saturday?  I sure hope so.  It's from 9am - 1pm.  Between 12noon and 1pm there is going to be a "light refreshments reception thingy."  (That is the technical term!)  There is going to be some leadership types that will be around at that point to answer your questions around transitions issues . . . if you have any!  :o)

 

So You Want to Help...

Many of you have asked how you can help us get Connexus going.  Man, I love questions like that.  At the end of this post you'll see that we're coming to your region next month to talk with you directly about how you can contribute to the launch of Connexus.

Trust me, there will be plenty to do. Right now, our core team is getting all the logistics done to actually create Connexus and find space for us to meet.  Plus, we all have day jobs where we are putting in 40+ hours a week at Trinity until October 31st. 

November will be a month of transition for everyone wanting to make the move to Connexus.  If we are able to secure the current Trinity facility, the transition will be a littler simpler.  If we're moving, it will be all hands on deck. Regardless, it will be a time to pitch in like never before.  We'll be training tech crews, more fully staffing our family ministry environments, training new worship leaders and more since, even if we stay in our facility, the launch of Bracebridge will be, God willing, only 10 months away. So stay tuned...there will be plenty to do.

Some of you are asking about helping financially!  Great question. We, uh, need to, uh, tell you that we'll only be in a position to receive those gifts in a week or two.  We'll share more on that in the next week when we get our bank account set up.  (In the meantime, we continue to urge you to keep you giving to the current ministry at Trinity the full 10% tithe until October 31st.)  We are also planning on setting up on-line givings to Connexus in the next 20 days.  So stay tuned for that.

There will be a couple of general information meetings on how you can get directly involved with the launch of Connexus on Saturday October 20th and Saturday October 27th in your region. Look for a card like this to come to a mailbox near you soon. And while you're at it, mark the date now! 

Final thing you can do in the meantime is stay engaged and pray.  We don't mean to be cliche in any way, but you have no idea how important your prayers for this work are.  Remember, none of us can change lives -- only God can.  So ask, and pray for us and our community as we pray for you.  Thanks!

Carey Nieuwhof
Lead Pastor
Connexus Community Church

Is two really better than one?

Rob Ward asked the following question in a previous post and we thought that it deserved a reply in the main section of the blog: 

"Rich: Not that I understand much about this but, regarding the tech issues, wouldn't it be easier to start out in one location and then branch out to multiple sites?"

Great question Rob!   I think you've hit on a key issue that we need to talk a little bit about.  In some ways adding a location in Barrie and Orillia is twice as much work . . . setting up two of every volunteer teams.  In other ways setting up the two locations is exponentially more work . . . adding new functionality like the ability to produce video in Barrie that would be sent to Orillia the following week.  Are two sites really better than one? It's a totally legitimate question!

First of all, we meet in the largest building in Oro.  If we end up moving out of the facility on Line 7 it's going to mean a move in some direction.  We're faced with the reality that finding a home for our community means that people are going to have to change their driving patterns on a Sunday morning.

Our church is privileged to have people from all over Central Ontario that attend.  When most of our people are inviting their friends to church they have to explain that it is a 20+ minute drive out to Line 7 to attend a Sunday service.  The incredible part of this reality is that people are willing to make this drive and keep doing so every week.  Because there isn't a viable option for us to continue meeting in Oro we are forced to explore facilities in both Barrie and Orillia as great next steps.

If we were to choose one location over the other we are turning that twenty minute drive into a forty minute drive for the friends of a large percentage of our community.  So . . . we've been working on finding a solution that would allow us to bring the church closer to the majority of our people making it easier for us to invite our friends.   Another key factor is that we want to position ourselves well to launch more locations down the road.  The reason behind the transition we find ourselves in is because of wanting to move into being a multisite church in the future.  We don't want to alienate those people in Muskoka and the north end of the GTA that travel to church currently.

We are exploring the option of opening two locations because it allows us to move the ministry into the heart of more densely populated areas which we believe will give us the ability to engage more people with incredible story of Jesus.   This move would also allow us to serve the people that are currently apart of our community better!

So Rob, to answer you question directly . . . yes . . . it would be easier to launch in one location to start and then branch out in the future.  But the elders and leadership believe that the stretch of launching two locations is worth the cost to reach more people.  Does that make sense?  What do you think?

Rich Birch
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

p.s. We were in some of the facilities that we are evaluating as potential locations in Barrie and Orillia this week . . .  I am pumped to talk with everyone about these potential meeting spaces.  I think they would serve us VERY well.  The excitement with the people who were touring the facilities was electric!  (More about this stuff in future posts!)

North Point Comes North

Many of you are asking, will Connexus be part of a denomination?  The answer is no...and yes.  Connexus will be an independent church in relationship with North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. North Point itself currently has three campuses and twelve strategic partners.  They're all excited for you and praying for us (check out this partner's blog).

Strategic partners are independent churches that share a mission, vision and strategy with North Point and have a relationship of accountability with the leadership of North Point.  We are so excited to be North Point's first strategic partner in Canada, and also humbled by the trust the leadership team at North Point has placed in our team to be the hub for North Point expansion into Canada.  Over time and as God leads, they'll equip us to create our own Connexus/North Point strategic partners across the country using the North Point model. Our team will be producing message content for the Canadian sites the same was Alpharetta's team of teachers, led by Andy Stanley, does for the U.S. (although we can use Andy's messages here in Canada too.)

What do we love about North Point?

1. Inspired, godly, humble leadership. The North Point team, from Andy on down, are the real deal:  humble, prayerful, godly leaders who are also unbelievable effective in what they do.
2. Bench strength.  Throughout its campuses, North Point has assembled an unbelievable quantity and quality of leaders.  At Connexus, that's a network we can tap into when we need anything from advice to staffing, and conversely, something over time we can contribute to.
3. A genuine heart for inspiring great leaders. North Point staff generously give of their time to build into leaders, and have invested so much already in our leadership team and volunteers.
4. A proven track record: they reach 20,000 people on their three Atlanta area campuses alone, many of whom had no church background prior to coming to North Point.
5. Protection for Connexus.  While we are entirely independent (owning our own assets etc.), in the event of a senior leadership vacancy, North Point would help us find new leadership and would coach us through the vacancy.

There are about a million other things I love about North Point.  They just get church, and they get how to do it for outsiders.  Plus I really believe this is a door God opened.  Three years ago, we didn't know any of these guys personally.  One day I'll tell you the story....

Rumours and the Real Story....

I heard a rumour yesterday that I bought the old Canadian Tire store in Orillia to start a church.  That's news to me.  I haven't got nearly enough Canadian Tire money for that.

You may have heard a few rumours flying around about what's happening at Trinity and what might or might not happen with Connexus, the church our team will be leading as of November 1st. I know many of you are asking this question: if Connexus can't buy Trinity's current facility, what will happen next?  Well, there is a plan. Want to hear it?

The plan is to launch a Barrie campus and Orillia campus in December (Unfortunately, we couldn't meet in Oro as our current facility is already the largest venue in Oro).  We are in the final stages of research on several stellar facilities in both Barrie and Orillia (we'll keep you updated). We would plan to hold our grand opening in south Barrie on Sunday December 2nd, 2007, and in Orillia on Sunday December 9th, 2007. 

Under this plan, Connexus would launch immediately as a multi-site church, with Bracebridge coming on-line in September 2008.  All sites would feature live music, lives hosts, stellar kids ministry and probably an "upgrade" to the experience we currently have.   The preaching would be done live at the Barrie site and video-cast to Orillia and, later, Bracebridge on a one week tape delay (the message from December 2nd in Barrie will be used in the other campuses one week later). The quality of the video we are planning will be top drawer. Obviously, with the week tape delay thing, special arrangements will be made for Christmas and Easter where a week delay doesn't make much sense. As for mid-week, staff would gather in rented space and community groups would, as always, be based in people's homes. Other environments would use space we would find elsewhere.  Renting is actually quite reasonable when you are used to paying a mortgage!

Our team is totally pumped about this option.  While we're doing our best to secure a deal for the current facility, there's a growing sense in which we feel that not getting the building is probably not the loss we all feared it might be.  It would be great to keep it, but God has a way of providing. While bringing relevant church to two nearby cities would mean a drive for the people of Oro (hey, we do that anyway!), it also means for the majority of people in this region, church would be much closer to their front door, which makes it so much easier to invite friends.

So...there you have it.  Contingency planning as it's happening in real time, and it has nothing to do with Canadian Tire.  Whatever you hear tomorrow, check back here for the real skinny.  In the meantime, keep praying that we stay closely tuned to what God is doing and that He uses whatever we offer Him in powerful ways. 

P.S. The articles of incorporation for Connexus (it will be a charitable, not for profit corporation in keeping with Canadian law for churches) were delivered this morning to Industry Canada, and we anticipate that Connexus will "exist" legally within three to four weeks.  We're thankful.

What's in a Name?

So how did we come up with Connexus Community Church? True stories are always far more embarrassing than fiction.

Our core team worked all summer on a name.  As the lead pastor, I was told I had a lot of say in what the church would be named.  I prayed about it, a lot.  I read the Bible. I couldn't think of anything good.  I feel sheepish about it. I just had no ideas.  Even the ideas I had I didn't like.  Enter the power of team.

Our team came up some very innovative ideas.  Connexus was actually a spin off of Patrick Voo's original idea for a church name: Kinexis.  Kinexis was a blend of kinetic, meaning motion, and nexus, meaning community.  We tested the name out with a whole bunch of unchurched people on a facebook survey and Kinexis came out on top.  But no one could remember how to spell it, so we came up with a more 'natural' spelling: Connexus. We got over the "Connexus isn't even a word" deal pretty quickly as we thought about other names that were "made up" but have now become household names: iPod, eBay, Kleenex, Xerox and more. 

We tested Connexus again in with a final bunch of alternate names in an on-line survey with unchurched people, and Connexus won out over other possibilities like Momentum Community Church, Georgian Community Church, The Pulse Church, Frequency Church and others.  People who didn't go to church loved Connexus more than any other name.  I should say that I am growing to really like it.  We added "community" to the name because unchurched people told us hands down it communicated accessibility to them and increased their likelihood of attending.  Hey, bottom line, all I want is a name that makes it easy for people to go to church.  A name that is a bridge, not a barrier.   Connexus more than any other name functioned that way.

Plus, the seed of the name -- a gathering of people in motion (with a mission) -- is compelling.  Isn't that what we need?  A place where people can meet.  Connexus will be a relational church where grow in intimacy with God, community with insider and influence with outsiders.  A place where people can meet God and each other.

So that's what's in a name...what do you think?

Carey Nieuwhof
Lead Pastor
Connexus Community Church

What's your riskiest move?

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” – Charles Dubois

This past summer a friend asked me what the greatest risk I had ever taken was.  I paused to think about it for a moment.  It wasn’t the time when I found the “Star Wars Deathstar” play set that my parents had hidden weeks before Christmas and took it out to play with anyways.  I don’t think it was the time that I got to fly a glider as a grade nine student.  I’m not sure that it even was the time that my safety gear came undone while hanging from a repelling platform.   I replied that the biggest risk that I had embarked on was to move my family to Orillia and start serving at this church.

Before joining the team here in Central Ontario I had the privilege to be a part of the management team of a church in the Toronto area called The Meeting House.   Over the years of leading there I had the opportunity to work with a team of incredible leaders and be involved in a highly innovative ministry context.  I am so thankful for those years.  Oddly - I have had many people since I left my role with The Meeting House ask why I would leave that and move onto anything else.   I thought I would take a moment in this post to let you in on some of the things that I see in this community that get me pumped serving here:

Gutsy Leadership – The story of three historical churches coming together is inspiring to me.  The fact that the leadership community would take that risk speaks volumes!  Many people talk about being willing to risk it all but few can point to a time in their history where they actually did take a “God sized” risk.

Other Centred – Connexus is a group of people that believe that we have the responsibility to craft irresistible environments for people to explore the teaching of Jesus regardless of their spiritual background.  The metamorphosis that we are going through is a living example of this value – being willing to risk it all for people we don’t know yet.

Jesus Focused – Imagine that – a church that’s really into Jesus!  Helping people to wrestle with the clear teaching of Jesus in their lives is a big hairy audacious goal.  The life that Jesus lived was passionate, loving, engaging and radical in so many ways.  I think we’ll spend a long time working on applying his approach to life but I am so honoured to be serving in a church that wants to ask those questions! 

I know there are more values that underpin our organization but these are ones that quickly jump out to me as real distinctives.  I look forward to seeing these values weaving through everything that we are as we move forward!

Have you read much from the book of Acts before?  It’s a book in New Testament that tells the story of the very early church.  It’s a wild ride watching the community keep with the expansion of the church as more people start following Jesus.  I feel like we are living a bit of that story in these days – looking to simply keep up with what God is already doing.  It’s a risky venture and I’m glad to along with you in it!

Rich Birch
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

p.s. What do you appreciate about the church?  What were your first impressions when you first got connected?  Submit your comment today!