Through the months of October and November, Common Ground collected filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. OCC, a program of Samaritan’s Purse, brings hope and the news of Jesus to children in need all over the world. This year, more than 90 shoe boxes were collected at Common Ground and taken to our local collection site at Heritage Christian School. The final day of collection in Indiana was Monday, November 19. All boxes have been transported to central processing centers to prepare them for distribution around the globe.

 

Do you have a filled shoe box that you’ve forgotten to bring to church? It’s not too late to impact a child! Boxes can be mailed year-round to the Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, NC. For instructions and shipping information, visit www.samaritanspurse.org. Thank you for your generosity and willingness to impact a child!

Interested in helping a local family this holiday season? Is your house church interested in practicing this idea of redistribution, but unsure of where to start? The church office has received many unsolicited letters from families requesting Christmas assistance. The letters vary greatly in family size and needs expressed, but they all have one thing in common – they are all Indianapolis families asking for help.

 

Adopting a family is easy. Simply contact Shawn in the church office and set up a time to come by and select a letter from a family. Then, contact the family and determine how you, or your house church, can best show this family love and consideration this Christmas season. Please keep in mind that these letters were sent to us unsolicited, so we are not able to provide you with additional information about a specific family or their circumstances. We can simply provide you with this information and opportunity to serve – the rest is up to you.

 

If you would like to review the letters, contact Shawn at 251.1494 or shawn@cground.org.

The church office will close for the Christmas holiday on Friday, December 21 and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2. While we will hold our Christmas Eve services at 5:30 pm and 7 pm at our Midtown location on Monday, December 24, the church office will not be open that day.

 

What does that mean for you? Volunteers scheduled to serve during that period, such as teachers, should plan ahead to ensure they have the materials they may need while the office is closed. House churches scheduled to clean should contact Shawn prior to the end of day on Friday, December 21 for their alarm codes and combination to the lock box if they do not already have that information.

 

Have questions about building access during the holidays? Please contact Shawn at 251.1494 or shawn@cground.org.

This Christmas season we are making a concerted effort to provide opportunities to serve and bless others. We’d like to highlight a few opportunities (some you’ve already read about in this e-news) where you can use your gift giving to truly bless those who might otherwise be forgotten. As you already know, CGCC collected more than 90 gift-filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Though what we would consider a pretty simple gesture, these boxes of personal hygiene products and toys are a very tangible opportunity for us to give to those in need throughout the world. While boxes are no longer being collected in Indiana, you can still change a life by shipping a box or making a donation. Visit www.samaritanspurse.org for full details.

 

In addition, on November 25, we made a catalog titled “redistribute” available. The idea is to get our eyes off of consumerism and explore some tangible opportunities for us to use our God given resources to impact others around the world for His glory. Opportunities exist with several of our ministry partners and we hope you’ll consider walking with us to redistribute some of what we have been given. Catalogs are available in the Welcome Center at our Midtown location and at the Information Table at CGCC-West. You may also download it here. 

 

Finally, in December, ServLife will sell products made by indigenous workers from third world countries. All of the proceeds from the products you purchase will be given to the people who made the products. Items will be available for sale before and after our worship services at both locations on December 9 and 16.

 

We know that God wants us to partner with him in the redemption of the world. Our simple act of redistribution of His resources to those in need is one way for us to participate with God. We encourage you to join with God in one of these exciting opportunities!

Christmas Services

Common Ground will hold regularly scheduled services on Sunday, December 23 at both our Midtown and West locations. In addition, we will hold Christmas Eve Services at our Midtown location (6151 N. Central Avenue) at 5:30 pm and 7 pm on Monday, December 24. While children’s ministry will not be provided, children of all ages are encouraged to participate in this shortened service. We hope you’ll make plans to join us on Christmas Eve.