Wed PM small groups CANCELLED

Weather is too crazy – - stay home & stay warm!

Prayer Requests

This weekend is shaping up to be a big one at Catalyst – new worship location, new Catalyst KIDS set-up, 10,000 invites hitting mailboxes…  All so that we might reach more individuals and families with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Life-change is our goal.

Catalyst is also getting press requests – the Akron Beacon-Journal is sending a reporter & photographer to cover Catalyst this Sunday, February 1st.  The Daily Kent Stater is covering our Tuesday night Financial Peace classes at the125.

With all the details being fleshed out, we would covet your daily prayers this week.  We can work like it depends on us, but truly we need to be praying as a church community as it ALL depends on God.  Here are specific prayer requests:

• Pray for Josh and the Band as they seek to usher us into God’s presence on Sunday morning
• Pray for our set-up team who will arrive at 8am and navigate new environments
• Pray for our 1st Impressions team as they welcome newcomers and point people to the correct auditoriums for Catalyst KIDS and adult worship
• Pray for Jonathan as he seeks to teach accurately from God’s Word
• Pray for our new relationship with the Regal Cinemas staff – that our words and actions might reflect our love for God and His Kingdom
• Pray for these 10,000 invite cards – for the hearts of the recipients in Stow/Hudson/Kent, for open schedules on Sunday mornings, for the Spirit of God to overcome any hurdle keeping someone far from God from trying out Catalyst.

Partnership Class :: Feb 11th

New Year.
New Location.
New way to partner with Catalyst…

We’re revamping our newcomers luncheons & core membership process by rolling them into one new evening: Partnership Class at the Catalyst Offices on Wed, Feb 11th from 7-8:30pm.

Imagine a totally relaxed atmosphere complete with drinks and grub, hear about Catalyst’s history, where we’re going and how you can partner with us…  sound good?  Register for Partnership Class here.

Congrats to Weirs

Sean Weir & Jennifer LaDroga were united in marriage Friday, January 23rd.  Engaged during Catalyst’s Bringing Sexy Back relationship series last fall, the Weirs are excited to begin their life together in marriage along with their little one, Annabelle.

What does church at the movies look like?

We’re certainly not the first church start-up to host our Sunday morning worship gatherings in a movie theater. To help understand & envision what to expect in February, here are helpful links:

Popcorn in the Pews – Current edition of Christianity Today magazine explores the new trend toward movie theater church plants.

Calvary Fellowship – Launched in 2002, our church planting friends in Miami, FL share photos of their worship services at the movies.

Church at the Mall – Washington Post article from 2003 explaining the paradigm shift of orthodox worship in unorthodox locations.

Church at the Movies on Feb 1st!

That’s right – the big news announced yesterday at Catalyst is that we’re moving to the REGAL CINEMAS in Stow. While we had hoped to make the move beginning Jan 25th, due to a paperwork snafu, it’s going to be Sunday, February 1st that we hold our first service at Regal Cinemas.

This means we will be at The Kent Stage one more time – this Sunday, Jan 25th. Everyone who calls Catalyst home will be personally receiving a phone call shortly with this update.

This Sunday, Jan 25th, we’ll have a chance to say goodbye to The Kent Stage, we’ll have new invite cards pointing people to Regal and our new teaching series on Feb 1st, our 10,000 postcards inviting area families to Catalyst will go out in time for Feb 1, and allows us more time to get our ducks in a row for the move.

As a portable church, meeting at Regal Cinemas will be a huge advantage:
- professionally cleaned
- complete climate control
- on-site Catalyst KIDS
- shoveled/salted parking
- engaging environment

Additionally, the125 will remain Catalyst’s permanent home for Offices (we have a new photocopier – rock on!), Education (Financial Peace begins Tuesday night!), and Gallery Space (new art outreaches in the works for ‘09!).

We’re all excited about how God is opening doors for us to impact Summit & Portage counties as a regionally-diverse church start-up! See you at the Kent Stage one last time on Jan 25th, and then church at the movies on Feb 1st!

Membership Kits have arrived!

Every family unit participating in Catalyst’s Financial Peace University is getting one of these babies, chock full of strategic personal resources to put into practice these next 12 weeks! There’s still time to register…

Vintage Jesus

The early Christ-followers had a simple spiritual rhythm of:
Celebrate Sunday mornings in a large corporate setting,
Connect during the week in small home groups, and
Contribute hours and dollars toward the mission of the church.

Your opportunity to connect in authentic biblical community begins next week as new small groups launch on Monday & Wednesday night. Centered on sharing food together, prayer, and journeying through the Vintage Jesus 12 week teaching series taught by Mark Driscoll on DVD, connecting with other Catalyst folk has never been easier.

Vintage Jesus is focused on timeless answers to timely questions. Whether you’re a new Christ-follower or a seasoned believer, the depth and breadth of this series will challenge all. Week One asks, “Is Jesus the only God?” while Week Two asks, “How human was Jesus?”

For more info on joining a new group next week, email Ben at sealsb1@gmail.com.

Be sure to also grab a Vintage Jesus Study Guide at the Resource Table on Sunday for $5 or anytime during the week at the Catalyst Offices.

Financial Peace at Catalyst

In October, a small group of Catalyst attenders quietly began trying out Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace with their personal finances.  Here’s what one family thinks so far:

“The biggest goal that we are working on right now is to be out of debt by the end of 2009.  We started working on this goal the last quarter of 2008.  To date we have paid off a personal loan, two of our student loans, and an entire credit card! We can’t tell you how good it felt to cut up that credit card and have that stress off our backs!

At the end of 2009 we want to know that we don’t have to rely on credit to get by.  We’re really excited about working on and achieving these goals.  It may not sound like an exciting topic, but it has become one for us!”
– Chris & Andrea Durfee, Cuyahoga Falls

In 2009, imagine what the people of God could do
for the Kingdom of God if only we were all debt-free.

Let’s do something about it. Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace classes are coming to the125 beginning next Tuesday, January 20th from 7-8:30pm.

Each family unit receives course materials including:

Financial Peace University Workbook
All 13 lessons on CD
Dave Ramsey’s bestselling book, Financial Peace Revisited
FPU Envelope System
Budgeting Forms
2 Debit Card Holders
Tip Cards
and complete access to online Membership Resource Center

Every family unit registration is $93 – - Catalyst can help you with the registration cost by breaking it up into 3 monthly payments if need be.

* * More info on our website…

Spotted on Facebook this week…

“I came, saw, and conquered (well, not really conquered) The Catalyst.

I’m still praying to make sure this is where I’m going, but there is something about how the church just started that makes my heart beat a little quicker and a flame come into my heart…

I feel like I’ve been on hold for so long from the Lord and I’m ready to serve.  It just feels like a flame just rekindled in me and something is yearning to break loose…”