This is a great series to invite your friends to: skeptics, people who have been disappointed in God, people who have walked away from the Christian faith and people who are hanging on by a thread. We can't promise we'll resolve every issue but we can promise we'll engage the subject honestly, truthfully and in a way that helps share what God's word says about why God says no.

This series kicks off this weekend in Barrie and next weekend in Orillia.

SPRING FORWARD this weekend! Dont forget to switch your clocks ahead!

Barrie

Why God Says No | Part One: If God Would Only...
We all have ideas about what should happen in life. Most of us can call a flawless post game analysis. And we've all done that to God. We would handle things differently if we were in charge. So why doesn’t God do things our way? Why can’t he see things the way we see them and do what simply seems best? The answer might surprise you.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia

Bigger Than You
We all want to live a life of purpose, but trying to find a purpose that's actually fulfilling can be difficult. So we acquire - we acquire a career, possessions, hobbies, experiences, faith and even friends and family. Jesus taught that ultimate satisfaction doesn't come from acquiring all we want or need - but from something much bigger than that.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.

If you have missed iMarriage, you won't want to miss the last part of it this weekend in Orillia. Andy Stanley is at his best as he talks about how to make practical progress in your most important human relationship: your marriage. If you missed any part of the series, you can catch up here. Don't miss 8:30 and 10:00 in Orillia this weekend.

In Barrie, we're back with a message called "Bigger Than You". This is a great message to invite anyone you know who still hasn't quite found what they're looking for. Some awesome music and some fun food are lined up for the weekend as we celebrate together.

Join us in Barrie or Orillia this weekend as we do everything we can to create a church that people who don't go to church love to attend and where everyone can take the next step in a growing relationship with Christ!

Barrie

Bigger Than You
We all want to live a life of purpose, but trying to find a purpose that's actually fulfilling can be difficult. So we acquire - we acquire a career, possessions, hobbies, experiences, faith and even friends and family. Jesus taught that ultimate satisfaction doesn't come from acquiring all we want or need - but from something much bigger than that.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia

iMarriage | Part Three: It Takes Three
As long as you continue to place expectations on your spouse you have a debt/debtor relationship that will crowd out love and intimacy. In order to experience marriage as God designed it you must transform your expectations.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.

Barrie Campus

iMarriage | Part Two: Putting Your "I" Out

Expectations in marriage create a debt/debtor relationship that resembles more of a contract between two parties than a covenant between two people. The result of this is that your spouse feels like they never measure up.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia Campus

iMarriage | Part One - Keeping My "I" On You

Marriage. Everybody's is different. Every marriage contains a unique blend of personalities, a unique history, a unique set of circumstances, a unique set of problems, and a unique set of joys.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.

Barrie Campus

iMarriage | Part One - Keeping My "I" On You
Marriage. Everybody's is different. Every marriage contains a unique blend of personalities, a unique history, a unique set of circumstances, a unique set of problems, and a unique set of joys.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia Campus

180 | Part Six: Formal to Personal
Does anyone actually feel comfortable with people they only have a 'formal' relationship with? The boss? A colleague? A head of state? It's hard to feel at home with people we barely know or are afraid to get to know. The same is true spiritually. As long as your relationship with God stays formal, it will never be personal. This week we'll explore how to move your relationship with God to a much more personal level embrace the personal.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.

Last weekend in Barrie and this weekend in Orillia, we're hosting a service that HAS to be experienced in person. While hundreds of people watch our podcasts every week, this one won't translate that well. Make sure you are in the house in Orillia this weekend (and we think Barrie will be pretty cool to). God is doing something these days in our midst.

Finally, thanks to everyone who came out to our Volunteer Luau last night. We LOVE our volunteers. We had great food, fun, worship and even communion together. Plus we did it all with a Hawaiian theme. Fun times!

Here's what's up this weekend. Please please please, bring a friend with you!

Barrie

180 | Part Six: Formal to Personal
Does anyone actually feel comfortable with people they only have a 'formal' relationship with? The boss? A colleague? A head of state? It's hard to feel at home with people we barely know or are afraid to get to know. The same is true spiritually. As long as your relationship with God stays formal, it will never be personal. This week we'll explore how to move your relationship with God to a much more personal level embrace the personal.

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia

180 | Part Five: Indifference to Compassion
What happens when you've grown callous to certain situations or people? What happens when you know you're supposed to care, but deep down, you don't? Why do we get that way? Can compassion be recaptured? How do you become passionate and compassionate about the things that matter most?

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.
 

Don't forget Group Link is in Orillia this weekend on Sunday night from 7:00 - 9:00pm. It will be held at the Mariposa Inn/Best Western on Memorial Dr in Orillia. This is a chance for anyone attending our Orillia campus, that isn’t already in a community group, to plug into one. Last weekend at our Barrie Campus, we helped 25 people make their way into a community group! What a wonderful night it was. Don't miss Orillia's this weekend.

Volunteers - Tie on your Grass Skirt button up those Hawaiian Shirts and get ready to Limbo! We are hosting a Volunteer Luau Friday, Feb 5th from 6:30 – 10:30 pm at Fendley Banquet Hall (565 Bryne Drive just up from the Connexus office).We’ll have dinner together. Pot Luck Style. Please bring your favourite Salad, Main Course or Dessert to share. Connexus supplies the drinks! Get your Hula on & come party with us!

Finally, a heads up. We love seeing the growth of our online ministry. Some Sundays more people 'attend' Connexus online than in our largest service. That's awesome, but I'm just telling you that for Part 5 on Indifference to Compassion, you'll want to be in the room. Some things just don't translate. This weekend in Barrie and next weekend in Orillia do all you can to get to a service. The service itself will be powerful live. That's all we're saying.

Barrie Campus

180 | Part Five: Indifference to Compassion
What happens when you've grown callous to certain situations or people? What happens when you know you're supposed to care, but deep down, you don't? Why do we get that way? Can compassion be recaptured? How do you become passionate and compassionate about the things that matter most?

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia Campus

180 | Part Four: Guilt to Gratitude
Guilt is a powerful motivator. Some of us do more things out of guilt than any other motivation. Is there another way to live? What would happen if your guilt was replaced by gratitude? How would that fuel your relationships? How would that change your relationship with God and your relationships with people?

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.

See you Sunday. Love being in this with you!

Carey
 

You ready?  You have away over $8,000 worth of gifts during Christmas 09 to those in need.  Thank you so much for giving up your want to help meet someone else's need.  Here's what you gave:

- You gave the Barrie Food Bank hundreds of dollars (their online donations were not traceable to Connexus families) and lots of food.  

- Orillia, you gave $2100 to the Lighthouse Christian Men's Shelter. Way to go!

- You purchased 45 wheelchairs for Guatemala (that's over $3200 in wheelchairs!)

- Your donations of over $2500 to ReACT Kenya means 10 children have fully sponsored school years in Kenya.

- And finally, Listen2Learn, an innovative ministry that gives MP3 players to church leaders in Africa received over $400 in donations.

In a small but real way, the world is a better place because of your generosity last month Connexus.  Thank you!

- Carey

TOTAL: $8,380.00

During the childhood years there are a couple of significant spiritual milestones we often have the opportunity to celebrate before a child leaves our children’s environments.

One of these milestones is Dedication. What is dedication? We recognize dedication as a promise parents make in front of family, friends and church leaders to do their best to put God first in their home and partner with the church as they raise their child. Typically parents choose to do this shortly after the birth of a new baby. But Dedication doesn't need to be limited to newborns. As parents recognize how a family that puts God first can be transformed, they may choose to make this promise public for their children who are older.

The second milestone is the baptism of kid's who have decided that they want to follow Christ for the rest of thier life and who choose to publicly tell others about by being baptized. If they do, we want to celebrate it too!

If you are a parent of an elementary aged child and want to have a meaningful conversation with your child about how they can begin personal relationship with Jesus you may want to check out this link!

Both of these exciting milestones are celebrated during an event we call the Family Birthday Celebration.

Our next Family Birthday Celebration is scheduled to take place on February 28th. For all the details on this exciting celebration click here. If you are interested in taking part in celebrating one of these milestones in your family's life we need to hear from you by February 1st. Let us know by emailing jenn.bailey@connexuscommunity.com

We love families and we love celebrating with them...so don't miss out if your thinking about taking part!

Cheers!
Jenn Bailey | Director of Children's Ministry

There's been a lot of buzz about our current series 180º, and it's a great one to bring friends to. Join us at 8:30 or 10:00 a.m. as we talk about blame v. responsibility in Orillia or guilt v. gratitude in Barrie. Remember to tell your friends about our children's ministry and student ministry too. We broke some past attendance marks last Sunday as more and more of you continue to invest in the lives of your friends and family.

Our goal when we started Connexus was simply to create the kind of environment you can bring your friends so all of us can be lead into a growing relationship with Jesus.

Don't forget that the Barrie Group Link happens Sunday night at the Georgian Banquet Facility (52 Morrow Rd) in Barrie from 7:00 – 9:00pm and Orillia's is just a week away.

Here are the details for Sunday!

Barrie Campus

180 | Part Four: Guilt to Gratitude
Guilt is a powerful motivator. Some of us do more things out of guilt than any other motivation. Is there another way to live? What would happen if your guilt was replaced by gratitude? How would that fuel your relationships? How would that change your relationship with God and your relationships with people?

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Barrie 72 Commerce Park Dr.

Orillia Campus

180 | Part Three: Blame to Responsibility
Blame. It damages marriages, destroys partnerships, harms teams and twists relationships. None of us like to get blamed, but somehow most of us still find ways to blame others. Why do we do that? What would life be like if we stopped blaming others? What would it do to your faith, your friendships, your family? How would you get there?

Service Times: 8:30-9:40 am & 10:00-11:10 am | Galaxy Theaters Orillia 865 West Ridge Blvd.

See you Sunday!

Love Moves is an environment where students choose not just to talk about their faith but put it into action. Love Moves involves serving our Connexus community on Sunday mornings, our local community, and around the world. We believe that people become more like Jesus on the inside when they serve like Jesus on the outside.

One component of Love Moves this year is a Compassion Trip to Guatemala over the March Break. 13 students and leaders are giving up their week to be love in action to the people they encounter as they serve alongside Youth With a Mission in Antigua, Guatemala. The team will be working with orphans, in hospitals, and in the villages running kid’s programs. They also hope to distribute some of the wheelchairs funded by people at Connexus over Christmas.

Over the next few weeks you’ll be hearing about individuals on the team here on the blog and on Sunday morning. We’re looking for people to support us with their prayer and finances. If you’re interested in prayer updates please email sarah.flemming@connexuscommunity.com. If you want to support the team financially cheques can be made payable to “Connexus Commmunity Church” with “Guatemala Compassion Trip” written on the memo-line.

We’re excited to have you journey with us along the way, on the blog, and on Sunday morning as we see what adventure God has for this team.

1 John 3:16-18