What if. . . you were known and loved just as you are?
What if. . . one hour in worship changed your whole week?
What if. . . you could make a real difference in this world?
What if. . . God has been waiting for you to say "yes"?
At 9am we have our Classic Worship with hymns, and at 11am the music features our Praise Band. Bible Study for adults is 10am. Our Children's Worship will be available during the 11am worship service.
We are located at 4241 Tanglewood Ln., just north of 42nd St.
We celebrate who you are: male or female, single or married, gay or straight, brown, black, or white, Democrat or Republican, churchy or not churchy, Red Raider, Longhorn, or Horned Frog- welcome!
To be crystal clear: We believe John 3:17, which says God didn't send Jesus to judge to the world, but to save it. Ain't nobody got time to judge when we're just trying to love. Men and women serve equally in all capacities in our church. LGBT people too. Habla español or ingles. Whatever your family looks like- yes! If you aren't sure you believe yet- yes! Come on and test our welcome.
We believe that following Jesus is what being a Christian is all about. You will find a lot of diversity in our churches regarding doctrine, interpretation of Scripture, and current issues. Our common ground is we are all seeking to put Jesus first in our lives as we respect the conscience of each person to determine how best to follow him.
We study Scripture in Sunday school for all ages on Sunday mornings at 10am, and in Bible studies during the week. But don't expect everyone to agree! Do expect to be respected for what you think, and to be encouraged to grow in your faith.
Our church sends missionaries globally and supports our national denomination. Yet it's our passion to make a difference locally. We think if a church isn't transforming its community, then why exist? So we are hip-deep in the muck and the beauty that is Odessa, Texas.
We really wanted to put our money where our mouth was on serving the community so we dedicated 15000 sq ft of our new location to local non-profits. We are very blessed to be in partnership with Centers Counseling, Big Brothers/Sisters, and others who use the space for offices or events. It's God's church after all, not ours. It's #forOdessa.
So, we believe in eating together. A lot. And we believe in feeding other people, too, as much as possible. Jesus made it pretty clear this is what his people are supposed to be about: sharing the feast of life. So we take communion every time we are together. You are invited to share in taking the bread and cup whether you're a first-timer or an old-timer. But to us, that's just the beginning.
Jesus' table expands into the community, whether we are meeting at Homemade Wines for Bible study or bringing a meal to the families at the Crisis Center. Hope you'll eat with us soon and often.
Here's some of the ways God is at work opening our hands and hearts:
Sometimes God calls you to do something bold. And sometimes, you summon the courage to say yes. That's our story. After 111 years of dedication to sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ with the people of Odessa, God called us to do a new thing. We were led to sell our historic building and set out on a new adventure. We bought and remodeled a new building, changed our name from "First" to "Connection" to reflect our heart for Odessa, and committed to reach out with the radically inclusive gospel more broadly than ever before. We moved into our new location on Tanglewood in March of 2019.)
Maybe you've been sensing God nudging you to live more freely, to love more boldly, and to reach more widely in your life. Then we hope you'll join our story of saying "yes" to God together!
We are a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), known as a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. Disciples, as we're called, are about holding faith and reason together while embracing all people (and all means all, y'all) in God's love. Check out more at The Disciples of Christ Website.
Dawn and Joe Weaks came to Odessa in 2014 because they fell in love with the warm, wide open spaces, not just of the land, but in the heart of this church. The idea of a church where the same welcome mat is rolled out for all people connected with their passion for ministry. Joe is a New Testament scholar who loves to help people dig in to Scripture. Dawn lives to connect community and church to see what synthesis happens. They've been married for 20 years and have two teens that totally keep them on their toes. They would love to be in touch with you.
