A lot of times, churches want people to join them," said Kevin Greene, lead pastor of ConnectUs Church, "but my heart is for the church to join the person. Instead of forcing a person to take specific steps, we've created environments to come along with what we believe God is already doing in their life to help them."

That's a major goal for the church as it settles into its new home at 732 W. Main St. in Mount Joy. "We started this church for people that don't normally attend church," Greene shared. "Everything we do is with the anxious, unsure, don't-know-if-I'm-going-to-be-welcome person in mind."

ConnectUs Church opened in January of 2021, using Reel Cinemas in Lancaster as its worship space. Although the space worked well to get started, Greene was searching for a permanent home.

"I think there's something special about being a portable church," he said. "That's a unique season for a new church, but you need a building."

The church moved into its Mount Joy location in October. The space had previously housed a grocery store and a seafood business, among other tenants. Signs from the businesses are still in the basement, Greene said, and he plans to display them in the children's area of the church.

Renovations on the building included creating a lobby for personal connection and transforming an auditorium used by a previous church into a modern worship space.

Greene, who was born in Canada but grew up in Delaware, came to central Pennsylvania to attend Lebanon Valley College. He served as associate pastor of North Annville Bible Church for five years before focusing on church planting.

"I learned about how God uses new churches, and I started the journey of pursuing what that would look like for me and the vision God gave for this new church," he shared. "New churches seem to connect with new people. ... Our mission is to connect you with God's next step for your life. And I like to say the 'you' word is a very intentional word. We're not connecting a geographic region per se; it's the person that's in your life who is sitting across the table from you, connected with you at work or maybe a neighbor. We try to be very relational. One of our values is developing authentic relationships."

He strives to be sure everyone who walks in the door is met where he or she is currently in life.

"If they are new to faith or exploring faith, there's a group for them," he said. "If you want to grow in your faith and meet some new people, there's a group for you. If you want to discover your purpose and gifts and make a difference, there's a group for you. If you've done all that, and you're like, 'What's next?' there's a group for helping you influence others to follow Jesus."

Youth programming is available for children from birth through fifth grade, and small-group instruction is offered for adults.

Although ConnectUs Church is part of a church planting network called Converge, it is a nondenominational church, and everyone is welcome.

"I think that God uses all different kinds of churches to reach all different kinds of people," Greene stated. "There is a place for everyone. It's just a matter of finding that right place that you can connect with or that wants to connect with you."

He noted that the church has grown steadily over the years, despite launching in the midst of the pandemic. The congregation currently numbers about 120 people, most of whom continued to attend in Mount Joy when the church opened its building. Greene is helped in his duties by associate pastor Dustin Forbes.

"We are a very diverse, unique group of people," Greene said. "There are all kinds of people here that you would not expect to be together."

ConnectUs Church holds a worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays, with Sunday school for children held during the service.

On Christmas Eve, the church will hold services at 3:15 and 5 p.m.

Greene encourages everyone to try ConnectUs Church, urging people to embrace the idea of connection in a world that emphasizes isolation.

"We like to say, 'Content doesn't care,'" he said, referencing the influence of social media. "You can consume as much content as you want in this world, watch things online, read, listen online, but it doesn't care about you. That's our role, our job. We care."

For more information on ConnectUs Church, visit http://www.connectuschurch.org.