Come to The Murat! Please join us for a Unity Gathering this Sunday, September 28 at 10:30 am at the Egyptian Room of The Murat Centre in downtown Indianapolis. This Unity Gathering is an opportunity to celebrate what God is doing in our church, and to remind us about the bigger picture and how we fit into it.

 

Services at our Midtown and West locations will not be held Sunday so that we can all gather together in one place. Since we'll be celebrating in a different venue, there are a few items to note. First, children’s ministry will be provided for infants through age 2, and parents are required to provide a photo ID when they drop off their child. Secondly, offering baskets will be located by each entrance to the Egyptian Room. Finally, street parking is available around the theatre and The Murat Centre lot will also be open for parking. Where possible, please consider carpooling with others as CGCC will be charged for each car parked in the Murat lot.

 

The Murat Centre is located at 502 N. New Jersey Street, Indianapolis, 46204. For more information about the venue, please visit their website.

We are pleased to announce that Common Ground has received a $200,000 grant for the renovations done to our Midtown building. The grant was provide by a Christian non-profit for the purpose of helping churches offset their building expenses, allowing them to focus more money toward other ministries.

 

The grant proposal was developed and submitted by the Common Ground staff, and the grant money was applied to the renovations. $175,000 was applied directly to the principal of the mortgage and $25,000 was retained in the bank to pay for some of the last renovations that were done.

 

With this contribution, the outstanding mortgage on the building at 4550 N. Illinois Street is now $900,000. The monthly mortgage payment is $5857, which represents only 5.9% of our current 2008 operating budget.

 

While there is value in the property that we own, we desire to pay off our mortgage as soon as possible to allow more of our operating budget to be funneled to other ministries. If you are interested in making a financial gift above your regular tithe and offering to help pay down the mortgage, please contact Doug.

It’s hard to believe it has been 7 months since we moved into our new Midtown location! Having 2 sites has decreased our parking need at Midtown. In addition, the availability of more on-street parking has helped too. However, we have received more than one communication from neighbors during the past week expressing concerns and frustrations they have experienced since our move to the neighborhood.

 

We’re glad to have more open communication with our neighbors, and ask that everyone exercise caution and respect when parking in the neighborhood of the Midtown location. When parking, please do your part to avoid the following:

 

The simple things we do in life can have a significant impact on our representation of Christ. In this case, we can be good neighbors by always erring on the side of caution when parking. This may mean parking further away and walking to avoid potential problems, and we appreciate your willingness to put our neighbors first. Let us act in a manner worthy of Christ – including how and where we park our cars!

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Doug.

In Deuteronomy chapter 11, we learn that we must fix the words of the Lord on our hearts and minds and “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Sounds easy, right?

 

We know that instructing your children in the ways of the Lord can be a challenge. As a church, Common Ground desires to be an instrument to help you raise your children to be faithful Christians. One way we aim to help you accomplish this goal is by providing a monthly parent page. These pages are age appropriate and provide a great way to incorporate the Lord into your family’s daily life. They provide an overarching topic that guides the month’s weekly themes, Bible verses, discussion topics and activities.

 

A new parent page is available every month. Be sure to check out the September pages today!

Are you a house church leader?
Serve on a ministry team?
Then this announcement is for you!
Common Ground will hold our Leader’s Conference for all those serving the body on Saturday, November 8 from 9 am until 1 pm. Breakfast items and snacks will be provided.

More information is coming…stay tuned!

 

Revive - Friday, October 3 at 6:30 pm

Mark your calendars for the next Revive – An Evening of Prayer and Worship. This quarterly gathering is a unique opportunity to corporately worship and pray about the purpose and direction of our church. We invite you to come and engage in prayer with us as we seek Him. The deadline to register for childcare was September 21. Please click here to join the waiting list for childcare. Questions about Revive? Please contact Nate.

 

The next Quarterly Training and Equipping is October 4 from 9 am to 3 pm at Midtown (4550 N Illinois St). There is no cost to register and snacks and a light lunch will be provided for all adults. While registration for childcare has closed, you are welcome to join the waiting list for children age 0 through 12. To learn more about the available tracks and to register, please visit our online registration form. Have questions? Please contact Nate.

Help Our Children Reach a Little Higher!
The children's ministry is in need of several gently used or new stepping stools. If you’d like to donate one, please drop it in the Information Center at Midtown or at the Information Table at CGCC-West and we’ll make sure it get to the right place. Questions? Please contact Martina.