Connections Christmas Offering

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" —which means, "God with us."

~ Matthew 1:23

What do we long for at Christmas? To be with the ones we love. It’s the Christmas wish of every child far from home, and every parent whose child is far away.

“God with us” is heart of the Christmas message. Through Jesus, the God who loves us is now with us. Because God is with us through Jesus, our world, and our lives, will never be the same again.

Connections is coming upon our second anniversary. We have gathered publicly in worship, now twice each Sunday. We have gathered in homes throughout the city. We have gone out to our community, and our world, in service and witness. We’ve forged new ministries and partnerships with businesses, schools and local service agencies. What is most exciting is that we’ve seen lives changed- people have committed and re-committed their lives to Jesus.

We’ve done all this without a place to call home. This has been part of the plan for our church. In a world where many people associate “the church” with a building, we’ve wanted to show that the church is really the people of God.

But all along we’ve known that the time would come when our ministry would be limited without a place to call home. A place where we can “be with” our community. A place where we can invite the community to “be with” us. A place for our people to “be with” one another.

We have come to a place where we believe our ministry is now limited by not having a place to call home. We can now picture a place for volunteers to do the work of the church; a place for groups to meet as they grow beyond a small gathering of friends; a place for our musicians to practice; a place to hold classes and meetings; a place to store and distribute our donated products.

Therefore we believe it's time to make plans for opening a Ministry Centre. What sets our plan apart is our vision of creating a "Net-Zero Ministry Centre."

"How will that work?" The goal is to reduce or eliminate the expense of having a Centre by sharing costs. Our plan is to purchase or rent a large space to create a Connections office and a number of personal office spaces for self-employed persons to "cost-share" with us. Depending on the space available and the number of interested persons, we should be able to off-set or even eliminate overhead expenses and our lease.

For example, if Connections assumes responsibility for a $2,500 lease or mortgage, then partners with 4 individuals for $250/month, a very reasonable cost for an office, the monthly cost to the church is only $1,500 a month. This becomes a mutually beneficial relationship with the church and individuals who desire a dedicated office space and who want to work in a definitively Christian environment.

"What will the Centre look like?" It depends on what space is available, and where it is available. If it’s in a high traffic area, we’ll make it very open to the public, maybe even start up a Connections Coffee shop! If it’s off the beaten path, we’ll focus more on our sub-letting and planned gatherings.

And if you're wondering what this means for our worship services, Connections has no intention of leaving the theatre or hall. We have no intention of ending Connection Home Groups. A Ministry Centre becomes a “third space” for Connections to be present in London, and may provide opportunities for additional gatherings.

We are inviting your prayers, blessing, and support. We believe the Centre can open with an initial investment of $15,000. Let us be clear on a few points:

• We are asking that you make this gift IN ADDITION to your regular offering.
• If you have not been a regular giver to Connections, we encourage you to consider the importance of this spiritual disciple in 2010. This Christmas Offering is a great way to get started.
• We have not budgeted for this $15,000 as this is a one-time expense for our church.
• Yes, our monthly offerings will have to increase in 2010 to operate a Ministry Centre.
• If you know of property options or individuals who might be interested in renting one of our office suites, please pass that information to us.

Finally, we invite you to give generously. Make Connections your special cause this Christmas. You can donate online or make cheques payable to “Connections Community Church” and write “Christmas Offering” in the memo. Your gifts can be received at a worship service or sent to "Connections Community Church 531 Talbot St. London, Ontario N6A 2S5"

All special gifts, in addition to your regular offering, are tax deductible.

Thank you for your partnership in this mission,

The Stewardship Team
Dan Hoftyzer, Steve Pye, George Saylor and Mike Talsma