Tuesday, October 21st - Friday, October 24th
Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
2 CHRONICLES 7:14
From Repentance to Renewal: How God Moved at Sacred Homecoming
What's Next? Catch Jeff's Friday Night Message
Sacred Homecoming is a week we believe Jesus is calling us into as a church. As leaders, we sense him inviting us to return to him—to come home from both rebellion and self-reliance. We want to set aside these four days to truly seek the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we believe Jesus has something for you personally and something for us collectively. This is something we’ve never done before, but we feel God is calling us to set aside these four days as “sacred.” We believe the Holy Spirit wants to connect with you in a fresh way.
Three themes keep rising to the surface: Return. Repentance. Renewal.
Catch the Vision BehindSacred Homecoming
Latest Developments
In this special episode, Sydney Jackson sits down with Lead Pastor Jeff Brodie to unpack the latest developments for Sacred Homecoming. Jeff shares the journey that led to this moment, the inspiration from Luke 15 and Nehemiah, and how this time is about seeking God’s presence together as a community.
They talk candidly about what to expect, why this isn’t just another church event, and how Sacred Homecoming is an invitation for every person who calls Connexus Church home to draw near to God in a fresh way.
Whether you’re new to Connexus or have been around for years, this conversation will inspire you to prepare your heart and lean into what God might do in this powerful week.
Preparing for Sacred Homecoming
Sarah Piercy
Justin Piercy
Fola Ogunbiyi
Dan Brubacher
Terry-Lynn Martin
Jordan Mason
Carey Nieuwhof
Jenn Cameron
Laura Vaughan
Anton Lim
Toni Nieuwhof
Christine Birch
Joseph Swan
Jeff Brodie
Generally, we’ll be creating intentional opportunities for us to lean into the presence of God. We anticipate prayer, silence and waiting, scripture, communion, and music all being a part of these gatherings.
While we’ll plan for these gatherings, our greater expectation is to respond to how the Holy Spirit moves. These are not meant to be highly polished events, but sacred space where we can seek the presence of God. Where Jesus can meet us. We want to come ready, open, and expectant to what Jesus wants to do in us.
Begin now by praying that the Holy Spirit would speak clearly to you and to our whole church community. Come with urgency. Come with expectancy. Come with an open heart ready to be changed. Consider setting aside time to read Scripture, pray, and even fast as we prepare, because we believe Jesus is preparing to meet you in a personal and powerful way. We’ll be providing 15 days of readings leading up to it.
If something new like this makes you a bit nervous, that’s completely normal. We want you to know you won’t be pressured at any of these gatherings.
If the presence of God makes you a bit apprehensive, that’s totally understandable. In fact, this is sometimes a normal response to the love and holiness that come with the presence of God. But remember, God is a loving father who wants good things for you. We really do believe that Jesus has something to say to you during this week.
These gatherings will be taking place from Tuesday, October 21st to Friday, October 24th. We will begin the week of gatherings on the evening of the 21st, and conclude on the evening of the 24th.
We’ll gather on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning for prayer at 6 a.m. at 4 King St. in Orillia and 20 Mills Rd. in Barrie. We want to start each day in prayer and seek God’s presence. Acoustic music, prayer, silence, etc. will be part of the morning gatherings. Join us to start your day.
We’ll also end each day seeking God’s presence as we all gather at 20 Mills Rd. We’ll have a larger team leading these evenings starting at 7:00 p.m. with childcare provided up to grade 4. Music, a chance to hear more about what God is saying to us, prayer, communion, silence, response, etc. will all be a part of our time together.
All of these gatherings will have a soft end time, so you’ll be able to leave when you feel it’s best but there will be an end time on child care. We recommend you bring a Bible or have the Bible App on your phone when you come to any gathering.
During the day, we will have the auditorium at both our locations open for prayer from 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. if you are looking for a quiet space to come and pray.
We’re putting together a special 15-day series of readings and reflections to prepare you for these four days of seeking God. The 15-day plan will be digital and available on our website in blog format. Different people will write a reflection each day on a prayerfully-considered passage to help you prepare to meet with God.
This page and Jeff’s email list will be the best places to stay informed about what’s happening. If you aren’t currently on Jeff’s regular email list, you can sign up here.
This journey and these gatherings are designed for anyone who wants to join us in dedicating these four days as something sacred and an opportunity to lean into the love of God and what Jesus might want to say to them by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you’re looking for something fresh, something new, something different than you’ve experienced before in your relationship with Jesus, come expectant.
Our Sunday services are designed to include your friends—those who are new to church and new to faith. These gatherings will feel different. They’ll be more informal, responsive, and focused on creating space for God to move. There won’t be formal kids ministry (though childcare will be provided up to grade 4), and students are warmly invited to join the adults.
We don’t expect everything to run smoothly; it may even feel a little simpler than normal. But that’s the beauty of it—we’re not after polish, we’re after presence. And we believe Jesus will meet us there. We are praying that He will move in fresh, personal, and powerful ways—and that these days will mark a turning point for us as individuals and as a church.
These gatherings will not be available online. If you are within driving distance of our locations, we would strongly encourage you to make the arrangements needed to be present in the room with us.