THE CONNECTOR THIS MONTH OCTOBER 2016 CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH JESUS AND THE NEW LIFE HE OFFERS

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1 THE CONNECTOR OCTOBER 2016 CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH JESUS AND THE NEW LIFE HE OFFERS Join us for a very special evening on Sunday, Oct. 16, and be entertained by various members of the Connection family! From dance to music to humor, this promises to be an unforgettable evening, and it s all for a good cause! There will be an offering to raise money to cover the cost of delivering hundreds of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to children around in the world! We will also have a silent auction for items created especially for this event by our many artists and artisans. Bring the whole family out for a very special evening, support Operation Christmas Child, and help connect children around the world with Jesus and the new life He offers! Doors open at 6pm. Chris Tomlin s WORSHIP NIGHT IN AMERICA: An Evening of Unity and Prayer for our Country will be simulcast at Cornerstone Church (tickets are $7) or Westown Movies (tickets are $12) on Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 7-9:10pm. Tickets are available online at ChrisTomlin.com. Join Chris Tomlin, authors/pastors Max Lucado and Louie Giglio along with many more national faith leaders and musical guests (Matt Redman, Phil Wickham, Tasha Cobbs, Matt Maher, & Kim Walker-Smith) for the movie presentation of WORSHIP NIGHT IN AMERICA: An Evening of Unity and Prayer For Our Country. This sold-out event was filmed at Madison Square Garden and is playing for one night only, Tuesday, Oct. 25. The presentation also includes exclusive back-stage footage and interviews that will inspire, challenge and encourage your family, church, and the MOT community. FREE FALL COAT FESTIVAL SATURDAY, NOV. 19, 10AM NOON Donate new or gently worn coats (especially children's coats) by Nov.r 18. Please wash or dry clean before dropping off. Sign up to sort Nov. 18 from 6:30-7:30pm or distribute Nov. 19 beginning at 9am until noon. FREE HOT CHOCOLATE GIVEAWAY SATURDAY, NOV. 26, 9-11AM Help us share God's love in a practical way with the community on Friday, Nov. 25, from 9-11am. We will be giving away free hot chocolate during the Middletown Christmas parade. Sign up in the Lobby to serve. THIS MONTH Building Team Update 2 Financial Update 6 Calendar 7 Youth Connection 4 Children 4 Student Arts Ministries 2 CONNECTION COMMUNITY CHURCH 100 W. Green St. Middletown, DE JustShowUp.Church connect@connectioncc.org

2 This is a challenging article to write. In so many ways, this whole process has been challenging. Why does it have to be so difficult? Is it because if it wasn t, we might start thinking we are doing it all ourselves and, gosh, how clever are we?! We are under no such delusions. All that will be accomplished is only through God and His omnipotent power. We know it was a God-thing when the 27 acres on Rt. 301 became available. We know it was all God who made the sale happen when the land was appraised at less than we were purchasing it for, so the seller reduced the price to the appraised value. And God showed up at the settlement when Connection was being asked to pay three years of interest rather than the two years we d been expecting and prepared to pay. The bank representative said Who am I to argue with God? and allowed the two years of interest. We re not going to argue with God either. How could it have been anyone but Him to put us in contact with Martin Dusbiber and Jack Pepper to design a building that meets our needs, while maintaining Connection s no-frills personality? Part of that relationship included ministering to Jack s family when he graduated to heaven. There are more signs of God s hand: Verizon moving the telephone poles for free and DelDOT removing the requirement that we relocate the gas lines. And we know the Holy Spirit was moving through Connection three years ago as we embarked on the NOW campaign. As of today, we at Connection have given $1.1 million of the committed $1.7 million to the building fund. Still, we ve come up short. We shared that in last month s newsletter article: the bids for the project came in higher than we anticipated and we find ourselves with a nearly $2 million shortfall. Some have asked why we didn t know this was going to happen. The answer isn t easy, but the best I can come up with is that there were too many unknowns for us. Even our architect was surprised at the final numbers. The cost of building has changed in the nearly decade that we ve been working on the plans materials cost more today, and as we ve come out of the recession, so does the labor. We did not know what county and state requirements, including road improvements and landscaping, we d need. We could not guess what financing we d qualify for and what would be prudent to commit to. Is this a stop sign? Or is it a moment to fully lean into God for His direction? Connection s lead team and building team are both prayerfully trying to discern the answer. We invited the congregation to a Building Brainstorming session on Tuesday, Sept. 13, to answer questions and hear what you have to say. No decisions were made that night but it was a good time to talk about where we are and where we want to be. Also this month, the building team has met with two of the general contractors who bid on our project to learn if there are any areas that we can cut costs, using their years of experience and wisdom in building. Both have generously given their time to help us, knowing that we aren t in a place to sign a contract now. Their value engineering ideas are giving us hope. We are exploring any and all options for the future home of Connection Community Church. That s where we are today. We are leaning into what we know: That God led us to the property and is working through Connection as we connect people with Jesus and the new life He offers. We know He has richly blessed us and we are certain He has a plan. We ask for your prayers as Connection discerns how to proceed. As always, if you have any questions about the building project, please contact any of the core building team and lead team members: Kari and Alan Jones, Lori Brown, Mike Rottina, Murray Drummond, Jason Faulkner, Nancy Johnston, Jen Eley, Bill Trench, Carlton Parker, Deb Hartwick, Kathy Reed, Sheldon Smith, and Barry Wiseman. BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING One Sunday each month, free blood pressure screening is offered after the 8:30 and 9:45am services. The next screening will be held on October 30. THE CONNECTOR - OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 2 of 7

3 BAPTISM CLASS TUESDAY, OCT. 11, 7pm If you are considering baptism or reaffirmation of baptism for yourself or your children, please attend this class. Baptism Sunday is Oct. 30. WORSHIP & PRAYER SERVICE SUNDAY, OCT. 30, AT 7PM Join us for worship, a message, and prayer as we invite God to move among us. Come thirsty for more of the Holy Spirit. MESSAGE FROM THE PASTORS If you find that, for any reason, you will be admitted to the hospital, please let them know during admission process (even if they don't ask) that you have a church affiliation with Connection Community Church. This information will be shared with the Chaplin s team who will then alert us of your stay, enabling us to better care for you on a spiritual level during this special time in your life. Thank you so much for your help! Alan, Kari, Lori MARK YOUR CALENDARS CHURCH-WIDE WORSHIP & CALL TO PRAYER Monday, Oct. 17 from 7-8pm HOPE & HEALING FOR THE HOLIDAYS SERVICE Monday, Nov. 21 at 7pm THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE Wednesday Nov. 23 at 7pm Discover your spiritual gifts and God-given passion for serving in the body of Christ. Registration fee is $18 which includes materials and continental breakfast. Sign up at Guest Services by Sunday, Nov. 6; however, we encourage you to sign up prior to that date. About an hour of pre-work from the Network Participant's Guide is necessary to make the workshop more productive and meaningful for you. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 8AM-NOON Network is required for Disciple-membership. Don't miss out on discovering the gifts God has blessed you with! CCC Network Serving Ministry Team Janell Snider, Diane Carpenter, and Sally Barlow THE OPEN TABLE LOCAL MISSION TEAM OPPORTUNITY MOVING FROM POVERTY TO COMMUNITY Can people in poverty heal us? Learn how CCC is joining a national movement that is teaching us how to have restorative relationships with one another. Our church is filled with people with years of life experience, education, and relational networks that could be shared with our neighbors living in poverty so they can use them to create change. Connection Church will be forming a local mission team who will come along side someone for a year and help that individual or family accomplish their dreams and goals. Be one of the people entering into a relationship with an individual or family in poverty, helping them to them to create change in their life. You will be changed too! For more information about this ministry, visit or contact the CCC's ministry coordinator Heather Hendee at Heather.Hendee@yahoo.com or by calling OPEN PRAYER TUESDAY MORNINGS Join us Tuesday mornings from 7-8am for a time of open prayer in the sanctuary. Everyone is welcome. THE CONNECTOR - OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 3 of 7

4 Nursery: Jaime Bangston, Sharon Maerten, Amanda Smith Preschool: Kyle Mueller, Amy Novosel, Jan Wilder 252 Garage: Jane Parker and Tim Wilkins Children's Ministry Director: Kathy Reed HALLOWEEN OUTREACH OPPORTUNITY We are very excited! Trick or Treat Downtown Middletown has asked us to participate again this year! Similar to the Peach Festival, we will be hosting hundreds of families from the MOT area. Trick or Treating families from our community will be visiting our church on Thursday, October 27, from 5:30-7:30pm. What a great opportunity to give them a Garage experience they will always remember! We are in the planning stages for this FUN & MEMORABLE night and need more creative minds and hearts to connect our town with Jesus and the NEW life He offers. You can sign up in the Lobby, contact the church office at , or us at connect@connectioncc.org to join the team! We look forward to putting our heads together, pooling our talents, and rounding up resources to make this a memorable outreach experience for everyone! FIRST LOOK 252 GARAGE In September, our preschoolers dove into stories about Noah, Jonah and Naaman, learning that I can trust God. This month, it s all about one man and one GREAT adventure! Preschoolers will be talking about Moses and what he would have missed if he had said no to God s plan! We don t want your kids to miss out on one moment of the great adventure God has planned for them. This month s activities, stories, and music will help us all remember that God s way is perfect! Our 252 (K-5th) kids walked the high wire in September learning about trust. In October, we re going to discover what God says about courage being brave enough to do what you should do even when you re afraid. When fear is present, where do you find the courage to stand up, push through, or keep going? We look forward to exploring the many passages in the Bible that remind us that we can and should be strong and courageous. Many thanks for entrusting us with your precious children. It is truly a blessing to experience God s plan for our lives with them! October's Outreach Focus is Operation Christmas Child. Remember that it's 'more than a shoebox.' It's about sharing Jesus with children all over the world. The shoebox give-away will be on Oct. 2 at all three services. Please pick up your shoe box (or shoe boxes) that day. Packing information will be included with every shoebox. Return them to the church filled with love, prayed over, and your $7 donation check made out to Samaritan s Purse included no later than Nov. 13. If you are interested in tracking where your shoe box goes, make your $7 donation online at samaritanspurse.org and scroll down to $7 Shipping Label. OCC Packing Party - Oct. 30, 6-8:30pm Come right from work and enjoy a light supper before packing shoeboxes! This is the night when all of the items collected throughout the year are lovingly placed in shoeboxes to be a blessing for children all over the world. Keep up the good work of purchasing items for the packing party and drop them off in the red bin in the lobby. Pat Berlen - OCC Team Leader THE CONNECTOR - OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 4 of 7

5 Who are your children s Friends? Everyone wants friends. God designed us with the need to live in community with one another. Friends have a profound impact on our lives, particularly during the teen years. Youth Connection understands the importance and influence of friends. With this in mind, we are spending a few weeks in our High School Sunday School addressing that very subject. Teens will use a video-driven curriculum to look at a Biblical perspective on topics such as peer pressure and the dangers of comparing ourselves with others, along with looking at our God-given identity in Christ. These are serious issues that face our teens daily. Who is influencing your children? Where are they forming their circle of friends? While Youth Connection offers teens many opportunities to grow through prayer and Bible study, it is also a fantastic place to make friends. By supporting your child s regular participation in Youth Connection events, you are helping them establish a community of like-minded friends. Outside of the church, teens can feel lonely when trying to walk out their faith, but within the church they can see that they are not alone and there are others on the journey with them. The idea of helping your children find friends who share their faith is found in Scripture. 1 Corinthians 15:33 makes it clear that, Bad company corrupts good character, and Psalm 13 let us know that, Those who walk with the wise become wise. By encouraging your teen s participation in Youth Connection events, you are giving them a chance to walk with others who share their faith. JR. HIGH YOUTH GROUP 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month from noon-2pm (lunch provided) JR. & SR. HIGH SUNDAY SCHOOL Every Sunday at 11am SR. HIGH YOUTH GROUP 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month from 6-8pm. SR. HIGH SMALL GROUP 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month from 6-8pm THE CONNECTOR - OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 5 of 7

6 FINANCE TEAM UPDATE KEY FINANCIAL RESULTS AS OF AUGUST 31, 2016 AUTO-DEBIT AND ONLINE GIVING Set up a regular withdrawal from your bank account or give online. Auto-debit form and online giving available at justshowup.church/give THE CONNECTOR - OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 6 of 7

7 OCTOBER 2016 CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: MON. - THURS. 9AM-1PM, FRIDAY 9AM-12:30PM Access our online calendar anytime on our website at JustShowUp.church/whats-happening/#calendar THE CONNECTOR - OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 7 of 7