Time to Take a Step

This is not really a "blog post," whatever that is.
It's a plea.

For 5 months now, all of 2010, a few of us have been looking at properties for a ministry centre for Connections. Not a new worship site.  We love the theatre.
We're looking for a place to hang out hats, be in the community, run some existing programs, start a bunch of new ones, and call home.  A few offices, a small group meeting room, a medium size space for some events, a nursery for all the babies, maybe some extra space to sub-lease to independently employed persons who want to partner with us.

I don't think I am under any delusions that a ministry centre will suddenly make our church explode with growth and solve all our issues of limitations.

But it will certain help, as we are feeling very limited.

• Our band needs a place to call their own and rehearse as often as they wish.
• Our youth could really benefit from a neutral meeting place to form their own identity.
• Our volunteer teams need a better space to train and prepare.
• Our administration has no central place of operation.
• We have an open door to create a partnership with the Children's Aid Society to provide education and support for families in North London.

 Until this year I really did not want an "office."
I wanted Connections to meet in the public square for worship,
home for fellowship,
and then to get out into the community to "be the church."

I felt that having a ministry centre too soon would simply be a drain on resources, a drain on our vision to live missionally among our neighbours, and would reinforce the misunderstanding that the church is the people of God, not the building that we use.

But now that I want it, I really want it.

So this is my plea:
Pray that if this is the time for this step in the mission of Connections, that God will open a door in the northwest corner of London.  Somewhere accessible, but it doesn't have to be in a high cost prime real estate area.
I'm not asking that someone knock on my door and hand me the keys to a building.
(But I wouldn't say no if someone did!)
I am asking, after a lot of prayer, a lot looking, to look at a space and get that "feeling."
That gut feeling of the Spirit when you have to confidence to say, "This is it."