Connexus Community Church

"Orange you glad" for Church leaders!

Hey friends,

It's been good to be down here in Atlanta for the Orange Conference.  I had the privilege of talking with literally hundreds of church leaders about the stuff I've learned over the last number of years being portable and doing this whole multisite thing.  I'm glad for Connexus' value of working to serve other church leaders.  It's always great to talk with so leaders about what God is doing in their context.  Here a couple things that stuck out with me from the conference . . .

Small Groups Leaders are doing a Huge Job! 
To put it simply . . . Small Group Leaders are the backbone of effective local churches.  Whether they are serving the smallest kids in Waumbaland or leading an adult group through multiplication.  This picture was my favourite moment of the conference.  These fine gentleman (ages 14-25) are being interviewed by Reggie Joiner (The Orange King) about the impact that small group leaders have had on their life.  Each story was profound as they talked about the effect that each of their small group leaders had on them.  Only after they told their stories did we learn that they were talking about the same small group leader!  Then Reggie called their leader to the stage to give him an "Orange" award.  As there SGL took the stage the entire crowd stood on their feet for a standing ovation for this small group leader.  It was a fantastic moment.  Small Group Leaders are the heart beat of what we are doing.  I wish everyone of our SGL's could have been there to see this moment.  Thank you for what you do!

God is a big God up to Big Stuff!
I know it might come as a surprise to you . . . but I usually just think about our church.  I know that God is doing stuff in other churches but I don't spend much time thinking about it.  It's not that I am not interested in knowing what God is doing in other places . . . there is just so much right in front of us at Connexus that I don't have much bandwidth to consider it.  It was great to hear many great stories of churches doing all kinds of really cool stuff.  A couple stories that serve as examples of the sort of stories I kept hearing . . . the good guys at Sagebrush Community Church in New Mexico.  They were portable for years and growing quickly.  The moved into their building and have gone from 1500 people to something like 4500 people in a very short period of time.  They are are setting out to open another campus to reach more people in another part of Albuquerque.  Fantastic!    Or Tim DuBois in Clearwater, FLA and this really cool monthly event he is doing for teens and parents together.  Imagine that!  Teens and Parents attending something together and talking about spirituality!  Amazing!

Christian Leadership Community
It's great to bump into so many leaders within the broader Christian community.  It was nice to reconnect with people from my past from various parts of our broader faith family.  It's always good to catch up with people you haven't seen in a couple years.  It's also very good to be challenged by new people that you've never met before but have this unspoken "family" relationship as a part of the world wide family of Jesus.

I'm sure there is other stuff that I could write about . . . but I wanted to capture a couple of my initial thoughts on being at Orange 2008.  As a parting idea I was glad to see so many people respecting Carey.  He's a little bit of a rock star in these circles.  It was fun to see people lining up to talk with him after sessions.  In so many ways we are privileged to have him leading Connexus.  I know that might sound kinda weird because I think we live in a culture that doesn't like speaking well of leaders.  But Carey is a smart dude, a clear thinker and a great communicator.  It's great to have him leading this team!  Give him a huge when you seem him next - I'm sure he'd love a couple hundred people hugging him when he gets home from ATL!

Have a great night!  They are boarding my flight . . . I should get going!  I'm missing my community group tonight . . . bummer . . . but maybe there will be people still hanging around when I get there . . . I think people left close to midnight last week!

Rich Birch
rich.birch@connexuscommunity.com
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

Kids are amazing . . .

It's been great to be at Orange this week.  Ministry to families is so important to us.  It's been a great shot in the arm to be reminded how vitally important it is for us to work with parents to see an impact on children and students.  This video reminds me what a precious gift all "our" kids are to us . . . and what a great privilege it is for us to serve them and their parents every week!

Rich Birch
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church
rich.birch@connexuscommunity.com

Sunday Brain Dump

Hey friends!

It's Sunday Brain Dump time again . . . a couple things I noticed as I spent time with our community.

It started on Saturday night... We hosted another successful GroupLink.  If you don't know what GroupLink is . . . you've been living under a rock!  It's our best "next step" into community at Connexus!  It was so energizing to sit back and see dozens of people get plugged into Community Groups again.  Our Groups Leadership team did a bang up job.  If you aren't in a Community Group - you aren't really experiencing Connexus.  Keep your eyes peeled for the next GroupLink - it's just around the corner.

I took a couple photos as I wandered around our Barrie Campus.  Come see what I saw . . .

 

As a special treat today in Barrie (and last week in Orillia) our Eteams have been greeted by Steel Drum Hu greeting them with the warm sounds of the islands!  We also gave them some little presents as thank-you to these teams.  Thanks Hu!  And thank you Eteams!  (BTW if you are looking for a steel drum player for an event contact Hu - he goes to Connexus and is a really great guy!)

Ok . . . So What is this photo of?  It's a couple baby dolls, and a small rabbit waiting for kids to arrive in Waumbaland.  It's also a fun shot of our floor that our volunteers lay every Sunday.  We lay hundreds of square feet of this cool "hardwood" floor every week to make sure our little ones feel great about Connexus!

Speaking of floors . . . here is a couple of our guys from our Eteams setting up the stage in the adult theatre.   I love these guys.  They work hard making sure that this is hauled in from the trailers and that it's set up . . . and the follow through to the final placing of set pieces and carpet to make sure it all looks just perfect.   Thanks friends!

This shot shows a couple of our video team members at work during the 8:30 am service.  Because of this group of a half a dozen or so volunteers every Sunday we are able to export our teaching to Orillia and to the Internet.  Thanks guys!

It was another great morning at Connexus!  Thanks for allowing me to be apart of it.  It was also great to have the chance to speak - if you have any feedback on it please pass it my way.  I had a couple people ask me about some of the stories I shared from Africa.  Here are a couple links to my personal vlog from last June from Africa during the trip if you want to see a little bit more about those experiences:
After spending a night in the community.
At church in Zambia . . . incredible.
In the community I talked about with the plastic bag soccer ball . . .
Proof that white people can't dance . . . dancing with kids in South Africa.

Rich Birch
rich.birch@connexuscommunity.com
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

The most common answer . . .

Over the years that I've been a pastor I've bumped into question after question that people have that we believe have a single answer.  In the last couple weeks it seems like I've bumped into a number of people again with questions in a wide variety of forms that this single answer is the right direction for them.  As leaders, we want to keep people focused on this aspect of our ministry approach and ensure that everyone has a chance to experience this single environment.

What is this most common answer that I end up telling people?  Community Group.

• I want to go deep in my faith with Jesus.  How do I do that at Connexus?
  
  • Get into a Community Group and start applying what you know.  Community has a way of helping you see what your next step in your own spiritual journey is.  It also provides the great challenge of relating to people a wide variety of spiritual backgrounds.
• If stuff comes up in a my life and I need someone to talk to about it - who do I talk to?
  • You're Community Group! We believe that the best way for you to be cared for in a time of crisis in your life is other friends who can help you through those times.  We really don't plan on having a robust "pastoral support" system outside of Community Groups.  Get into a Community Group today.  Life happens - it's good to have community around you when it does.
• How do a I get plugged into Connexus? I don't feel like I know anyone.
  • Get into a Community Group and meet some people!  Sociologists believe that when a group gets to the size of about 200 people it's nearly impossible to feel like you know anyone.  I've got some news for you . . . we're passed that on Sunday morning at both of our Campuses.  If you are looking for Sunday morning to be the place to feel a sense of community . . . you are doing to be disappointed.  Get into a Community Group.

We really do believe that Community Groups is where it is at at Connexus.  To put it plainly . . . if you are at Connexus and not in a Community Group - you are missing out.  Your experience is going to incomplete.  It's always going to feel like it's missing something.  What it's "missing" is a Community Group experience!

How do a I get connected to a Community Group?  Great Question!  (Ok . . . so I think I may be going overboard on answering my own questions.) This Saturday we are hosting an event called GroupLink.  GroupLink is a two-hour event where you will connect with others and form a community group. Community Groups are small groups of eight to twelve people that meet weekly in someone's home for fellowship, Bible study, and prayer.  The next GroupLink is Saturday, April 26th from 7 - 9 p.m. - Georgian Manor Banquet Hall. 52 Morrow Road Barrie, Ontario  This is an all-campus event that will be hosted in Barrie.

We still have some space available at GroupLink.  Email groupsadmin@connexuscommunity.com right now to register!

Rich Birch
rich.birch@connexuscommunity.com
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

How Has Your Life Been Impacted?

Something really cool is happening next month.  Connexus is turning six!  Six months old that is, and we are going to party!

As part of a special celebration Sunday, we would love to hear about how your life has been impacted by what God has been doing.  We would love to hear from everyone - people who are brand new, people who are a few months into the journey and those of you who made the transition with us.  What has God been doing in your life?

Rather than posting the stories here on the blog (and ruining the surprise), please email them to us at mystory@connexuscommunity.com.  We'll be collecting them and using them in a variety of ways in May and beyond.  Can you give us a few sentences, a paragraph or a story?

Some questions we'd love to hear you reflect on:

1. How has my life changed in the last six months?
2. How have I experienced God differently?
3. How has my family been impacted?
4. How has this ministry environment help me to share God with my friends?
5. What has moved me most deeply in the last six months?

Don't miss Sunday May 11th in Barrie and Sunday May 18th in Orillia when the birthday party comes to your campus!  We want to celebrate what God is doing.

- Carey Nieuwhof

This Weekend @ Connexus

So excited to see what God is doing over the last month here at Connexus.  I LOVE the dialogue that's developing among Connexus folk and our friends who are still curious about Jesus.  Some of it is spilling over to the blog, and much is happening in neighbourhoods and over coffee and lunch.  Thank you for investing in your friends.  Thanks for being passionate about Jesus.

Excited about this weekend. So grateful that we get to do this every seven days! Here's what's up:

Orillia Campus | April 20th 2008 |8:30 and 10:00 a.m.
Jesus the Guru: Part Four -- The Missing Peace
Of all the world religions, Christianity offers something that no other religion really offers: forgiveness, made possible not by human effort, but by divine grace.  Not karma, not reincarnation, but forgiveness. Why is that, and what does it mean? Join us for a discussion that we hope will go beyond enlightening and become life-changing.

Barrie Campus | 8:30 and 10:00 a.m.
Jesus the Guru: Part Five - Jesus the Guru
Jesus is an incredible teacher. But if you are attracted to His teachings, how do you integrate them into your life?  Why are so many people attracted to Jesus but fail to become like Him?  What do you need to do to get to know Jesus, and what do followers of Jesus need to change to have a better integration of their faith with life?  Join us this weekend as we explore these questions in detail.

Really looking forward to what God is going to accomplish in our lives.

Student Ministry: KAOS

Hey parents and students, I am pumped  about our second Kaos this year coming this Saturday (April 19th) at the East Bayfield Community Center in Barrie.   The night is called the Ultimate challenge...an evening of games, relays and Candy floss!   We have rented an inflatable jousting activity, an obstacle course and a spitzer to accompany our other games and activities.   It is going to be a fun filled, totally intense night that our students and their friends will not want to miss!  We start at 7:30pm and wrap up at 9:00pm!.   If you are a student, come on out and bring a friend!

Matt Fox
Director of Student Ministry

Parents, Get Connected Here

Our goal at Connexus is to partner with parents to help your children develop spiritually and morally.

Parent Connection is a new section of our Connexus web site that is designed to highlight what your kids/students are learning each week and to update you on any upcoming events.  We know that no one has more influence on your child than you do, and it's our hope that this site will be one more opportunity to partner with you to teach your kids about faith and character. We want you to be informed so that you can talk about it all week at home!

If you haven't checked it out,  go to our site and under Families & Singles you'll find Parent Connection. There is great information about what your kids are learning. This month in Waumba Land we're learning that "God Loves Me".  This month in UpStreet we're talking about Joy.

Family Fuel Packs - UpStreet Parents (Gr 1-5)
There is something brand new for UpStreet parents this month that we're really excited about.

We started handing out our new Family Fuel Pack in UpStreet on April 6th and we've had several positive comments on them already.  The packs contains several resources for the month to help partner with you in teaching your kids about faith and character and more specifically about their monthly virtue.  We also started a new incentive program with pitStop points. The kids are excited and motivated and love checking the red pitStop tool box so see what they can earn.   We're hearing that kids and parents are doing their God Time Cards, reading the meal times cards and listening to the CD's at home with their kids.  We are so excited to see parent and kids learning and discussing the monthly virtue. 

We would love to hear your comments about Parent Connection and the Family Fuel packs. Please give us your feedback here on the blog.

Nadine Russell
Executive Director of Family Ministry

Sunday Brain Dump

A great day at Connexus yesterday.  I'm loving the "Jesus the Guru" series . . . great stuff!  Fun to see so many new people coming to be a part of what's goin' on Connexus.  For my Sunday Brain Dump this week I took a series of photos with the trusty cel phone camera when something caught my eye.   Come and wander around with me!

First thing in the mornings I drop stuff at both of our campuses.  As I pulled into Barrie it was great to see our drivers again delivering all of our trailers.  Without these drivers Connexus would happen every Sunday.  Do you know someone who could help us with driving?  Email Brian today!

What's going on in this photo?  As I pulled into the Orillia parking lot to help to set up . . . I noticed again that our leaders parked their cars on the far side of the parking lot.  Leaving room for our guests.  It's a small thing.  But very important.

We've been tweaking our video in Orillia for the last couple weeks.  Noticed anything that's better?  I like the look that I just happen to catch on Carey's face while Hal and I were fiddling with settings.

Did you get a chance to see the good work that our Family Ministry department has been doing with the "Family Fuel" packs?  I know in our house it is serving to reinforce the virtue so far this month.  This is the "prize chest" where kids can cash in their "Family Fuel Points" for great stuff.

Our VIP Suite at our Orillia Campus.  If you don't volunteer with our teams you probably haven't seen this room.  A great place to hang out, eat some snacks and relax during the morning.  It's always a highlight for me to chat for a bit with people in our VIP Suites.

This is a shot of our band and video guys going through the final paces getting ready for the morning.  I am so thankful for our music teams.  We are so fortuned to have such a great community of artists.

Over the last couple weeks we've been giving away copies of Lee Strobel's book "The Case for Christ" to first time guest.  A part of the form that they have to fill out asks the question "What was the first thing that noticed today?"  So much of the feedback we are getting is directly related to a great job by our Host Team.  They are doing a bang up job making people feel welcome.  Thanks!

Here are our Orillia Hosts Rob & Rose on stage doin' their thang . . . I love these guys.  It's because of commitment of folks like the Meeder's that we are able to do what we need to do to make Connexus the kind of place we can invite our friend to.  Rose just gave birth to their their daughter less than two weeks ago!

This is a pretty dark picture ... but a neat time.  During the morning in Xtreme our music leader in there, Natalie, is up on stage leading. It was a quite song, a fire was projected on the screen behind here . . . felt like I was at camp!

This is a funny picture . . . those blurs on the stage are our a part of our large group communicators team in UpStreet.  Every week we host singing and dancing with these kids. . . it's a lot of fun.

I love this picture. . . This is Nadine (our family ministry executive director) sitting with a member of our tech team in UpStreet making sure that things go well.  Interested in helping in tech in Family Ministry?  Email Nadine today!

We have so much to be thankful for at Connexus.  A great community of volunteers!  Physical resources to do some pretty great stuff. And friends and family to invite to church! It was great to see so much of that in action yesterday in my travels.

So . . . what about you?  What did you notice yesterday?

Rich Birch
rich.birch@connexuscommunity.com
Executive Director of Operations
Connexus Community Church

This Weekend @ Connexus

Okay, I'm just plain excited by the season we're in right now.  I see more and more people beginning to invite their friends.  And I'm pretty deeply excited about the services lined up at both campuses this weekend. 

There's some unusual stuff in both services for both you and your friends, plus we're hitting on some core issues that I think everyone's engaged in.  I hope you'll make Sunday a priority this weekend so we can experience what God wants to do in our lives together.

Here's what's up:

Orillia Campus | 8:30 and 10:00 a.m.
Jesus the Guru - Part Three - What Can the East Learn from Jesus?
Eckhart Tolle, in his Oprah-endorsed best selling book A New Earth, claims the messengers of Buddha, Jesus and other prophets were humanity’s “early flowers” and that a higher consciousness is arising. Is that all Jesus was?  What else did Jesus bring that followers of eastern spirituality might benefit from or need to deal with?  This weekend, we’ll look square on at Jesus’ claims about truth.

Barrie Campus | 8:30 and 10:00 a.m.
Jesus the Guru: Part Four -- The Missing Peace
Of all the world religions, Christianity offers something that no other religion really offers: forgiveness, made possible not by human effort, but by divine grace.  Not karma, not reincarnation, but forgiveness. Why is that, and what does it mean? Join us for a discussion that we hope will go beyond enlightening and become life-changing.

Remember to tell your friends about our great kids environments too.  And finally, if you want to go for lunch with your friends who are exploring Christianity after church, gift cards toward lunch are still available at each campus during the Jesus the Guru series.

See you Sunday.

-Carey