The congregation at Connexions Church in Dexter has a new home and will showcase the facility to the public during an open house March 4.

The church is leasing space inside the Bluewater Development property, which is home to Morning Star Child Care. Previously, the congregation met weekly in available classrooms inside Mill Creek Middle School.

"The new location has really been a blessing," Pastor Ron Gelaude said. "People have been so excited now that we finally have a permanent location in Dexter. The place really comes alive on Sundays."

The congregation is celebrating its fifth year in the community and has come a long way from its founding in 2007.

"We are growing. We started with six people, and now we have 65 families," Gelaude said.

Members are part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a conglomerate of more than 700 Christian churches in the United States and Canada.

"Our mantra is to lead with compassion," Gelaude explained. "Our goal is to grow deeper in Christ through faith and mission. We believe these are inseparable."

In that vein, the church will hold a canned food drive for Faith in Action in conjunction with the open house.

"We reached out to the Faith in Action food pantry in Dexter and found out they are lacking several necessary items people need," Gelaude said.

Some of those items include cereal (Cheerios), juice, crackers, shampoo and conditioner, laundry soap in small jugs, facial tissues and toilet paper.

Gelaude said the church tries to hold a food drive twice a year. Last year, members parked a truck outside of Busch's and collected emergency donations for victims of the tornadoes in Joplin, MO. The church has also partnered with Alpha House, the Dexter Senior Center, Habitat for Humanity and the Veterans Affairs hospital in Ann Arbor.

"Sometimes our work is as easy as raising money, and other times, it's actually going out and doing mission work," he said.

The public is invited to tour the new church and talk with congregation members from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. March 4. Snacks will beverages will be provided.

"If it stays warm out, I'll even be outside grilling hot dogs," Gelaude said.

For more information, visit connexionscc.com.