About
Us (How Connection Church Began):
1. The Church isn’t our idea, it’s
God’s.
Connection Church didn’t get its start from
someone’s grand
idea, it began when a team of people decided to respond to a plan that
God had in store for a long, long time. The challenge was to
start a church from scratch in the greater Aberdeen area in Grays
Harbor County, WA. After researching location and
studying
church history in the area, it became clear that we needed to put an
emphasis on the City of Cosmopolis.
Cosmopolis is a wonderful close-knit city just south of Aberdeen that
values family, friends, and community. It also is unique in
that
it has not had a new church since 1940. It seemed to us that
it
was a great time to start. So, how do you go about starting a
church in an area where so few people attend church at all?
How
do you begin when there is no building, no equipment, and no
members?
2. The Church isn’t the building, it’s
the people.
The first thing we have to realize is that the church isn’t
about
an organization, a label, a style, or a building. A church is
people that connect with God and each other in the context of
relationships and community. You don’t begin a
church with
a building, you begin it with people. Through small home
groups
(the first connection groups), dinner parties, friendships, community
events, and conversations, the vision for connection church
spread.
It quickly became evident that many had sensed a need for a new church
in our community. Response to the plan and the dream was
overwhelmingly positive. Our work was cut out for
us.
3. The Church functions best through a team approach.
Even Jesus Christ Himself thought it best to involve a team of people
in nearly everything He did. Why would we try to operate any
other way? Not one leader or person is capable of making
every
decision or doing it all. We had to believe from the start
that
God would assemble a team to make it all happen. God did just
that. Throughout the first year of planning and pioneering
Connection Church, more than a dozen key leaders stepped up.
Many
of our leaders picked up and moved to Cosmopolis/Aberdeen to
help. In July of 2006 more than 25 team members, friends, and
neighbors were a part of leading the church’s very first
event.
There were many others, outside the area who rose to the challenge and
helped with the many details and expenses involved in the
setup.
Dozens of other churches from around the state and locally supported us
financially, gave equipment, or sent help. Another team (The
Northwest Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God) aided us with
incorporation, nonprofit organization, licensing, and helped with all
the legal issues associated with starting a church in Washington
State. They provided training, education, and grants that
helped
us get off the ground. Still more individuals gave of their
time
and their money to help us purchase all the necessary equipment we
needed. Many of these people have never been to Cosmopolis
and
yet they gave to help start a church here. The story of
Connection Church is one of miraculous provision.