March 13, 2009

1.	Spiritual Formation Conference – May 8-9
2.	From a pilgrim in the Kingdom Living Training School…
3.	Web survey
4.	Learning to Lead - Wednesday, March 25 and Saturday, March 28
5.	Good Friday Service - April 10
6.	Toronto Vision Trip Informational Meeting This Sunday
7.	Quick Updates

Who We Are

House Churches

Common Ground will host our first Spiritual Formation Conference May 8-9 at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street). The conference is 6:30 pm until 8 pm on Friday and 9 am until 3 pm on Saturday.

The goal of spiritual formation is to become more like Jesus. The question is, how? And not just individually; how do we do it as a community? Our hope is to explore these questions through our Spiritual Formation Conference.

There are two purposes for the Spiritual Formation Conference this year:

To help those who actively nurture children’s spiritual lives catch a more vibrant vision of spiritual formation for children.
To help the entire Common Ground community catch a vision for holistic spiritual formation across all age groups.

Spiritual formation is best understood through the lens of Deuteronomy 6. These verses describe the covenant life that Israel was to follow: the Lord is one, love the Lord your God, impress the commandments on the hearts of children, acknowledge God’s provision, do not follow idols, give account to future generations of God’s mighty deeds.

At the heart of these instructions was a vision for spiritual formation for the community of God. The Israelites knew that they were one generation away from extinction. Thus passing down the ways (commands) of God was of urgent concern.

We, too, feel this urgency and believe that a weekend conference would be a great catalyst for conversation and vision. In addition, it is also an avenue for us to live into our mission statement: To encourage people of all ages to be formed into the image of Jesus so we can love our neighbors in Indianapolis and around the world.

Spiritual formation is a call given to the entire community – no one is excluded and everybody is needed for its fulfillment. To that end, we are excited about this great opportunity to grow deeper in becoming more like Jesus.

Registration is required for the conference and lunch will be provided for adults. If you would like to request childcare, you must register by April 20. General registration closes April 27. To register, please follow this link.

Back to Top

Below is an excerpt from a letter written by a participant in the Training School to his friends and supporters. As he shares his experiences, we hope your eyes will be opened to some of the things God is doing among us:

So the past few months have been one of the most challenging and inspirational times of our lives. Our classroom time is very diverse and has included everything from great lecture time from our church staff and local pastors and leaders, to in-depth Bible study, to passionate discussion and debate within our group.

The class is basically broken down into two "semesters." We are coming out of the first, which was predominately a time of deconstruction. Deconstruction of our faith, our thoughts on church, on being a Christian, and everything that goes along with these topics. This next semester will be a time of reconstruction and beginning to build the foundation for what is on the horizon.

We have also had a few trips - a week in Toronto, a women's retreat to Florida, a mission trip to the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles (located on the infamous Skid Row) and an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, and a six day backpacking pilgrimage through the Paria Canyon in Utah. It's always amazing how God seems to be able to speak into our lives more clearly when we have been taken out of our comfort zones and daily routines.

I have just skimmed the surface of what the past few months have been like and would love to share in detail with you all that has transpired, but I wouldn't even know how to begin to do that in an email and do it justice.

Below are a few pictures taken during the last few months. If you’d like to learn more about the Kingdom Living Training School, please contact Larry.

Below is a link to a brief survey that we hope will give us a better understanding of our website as a communication tool and how you feel about its look and usefulness. We are considering making enhancements to our site, and we need your perspective. If you’d like, you can provide your name at the end as we may contact a few participants for additional insight. Thanks in advance for your participation!

Please click here to participate now.

Learning to Lead (LTL) is a new CG leadership resource that seeks to bring spiritual encouragement and further training to our existing house church leaders and provide an environment where potential new leaders can emerge. Attendance is open to anyone who is currently leading or curious about leadership.

LTL is offered on two different days and times each month so that you can attend the one that works best for you. The next LTLs are Wednesday, March 25 and Saturday, March 28. While you do not need to register to attend LTL, you do need to register for childcare by Monday, March 16. You can register for childcare by following this link.

A complete list of 2009 LTL dates is available on our online Calendar of Events. Questions? Please contact Jim.

Common Ground will hold a Good Friday Service on Friday, April 10 at 6:30 pm at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street). Please plan to join us for this full-length worship service.

Please join us for a Toronto Vision Trip informational meeting Sunday following the 11 am service at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street). The meeting will be held in the Conference Room.

Dates of the trip are May 21-25. For more information, email vision@cground.org. For a complete list of 2009 Vision Trips, visit our website.

Music Worship Team Try Outs - March 28

Interested in joining the Worship Team? Information and sign ups are in the Information Center at Midtown and at the Information Table at CGCC-West. Vocalists are scheduled from 10 am until 11 am and musicians from 11 am until Noon on Saturday, March 28 at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street).

Do You Love Babies?

We are currently in need of two teachers in the Nursery at our Midtown location. If you are interested in filling this role, please contact Martina.

Intro to Common Ground - April 7

Intro to Common Ground is an opportunity for those who are new to CG to learn about the vision, values and story of our community. The next gathering is Tuesday, April 7 at 6 pm. Attendance is limited and a light dinner and childcare are provided. Follow this link to register.

Are You Ready to File Your Taxes?

Contribution letters for 2008 were mailed in mid January. If you have questions or have not received your letter, please contact Stef immediately. Since our bookkeeper works one day per week, it will be very difficult to handle urgent last minute requests for contribution letters.