Holy Week (April 6-10) is the last week of Lent, the week immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is a time to commemorate and enact the suffering and death of Jesus through various services of worship. In observing this truth, we are able to draw a parable of our own lives and faith journey. Holy Week observations can be a powerful proclamation of the transformative power of the Gospel, and God at work in the lives of people.

 

We invite you on a Holy Week journey by participating in the following:

Holy Week calls us to move behind the joyful celebrations of Palm Sunday and Easter, and focus on the suffering, humiliation and death that is part of Holy Week. It is important to place the hope of the Resurrection, the promise of newness and life, against the background of death and endings. It is only in walking through the shadows and darkness of Holy Week and Good Friday, only in realizing the horror and magnitude of sin and its consequences in the world, only in contemplating the ending and despair that the disciples felt, that we can truly understand the light and hope of Easter Sunday morning.

 

To learn more about the major days during Holy Week, please click here.

 

Easter services will be held at 9 am and 11 am at Midtown and 10 am at CGCC-West on Sunday, April 12. There will not be a 7 pm service at Midtown on Easter.

Interested in leading a study for the women in your house church? Common Ground has study materials that are available for check out to the women in our house churches. Each study includes DVD’s and a leader’s guide (facilitators may wish to purchase their own leader's guide since you are asked not to write in the loaned copy). Below is a list and brief description of the studies available:

 

For Women Only: The Bible Study by Shaunti Feldhahn is a seven week study that grew out of Feldhahn’s popular book, For Women Only. Intended for both married and single women, this study will help women support their men (husbands, fathers, boyfriends and brothers) as they become all that God intends them to be. This study can be presented weekly, or as the focus of a retreat.

 

 

 

 

Breaking Free: Making Liberty in Christ a Reality in Life by Beth Moore is an 11 week study about the transforming power of Christian freedom and how to remove the obstacles that hinder our relationship with God. This study includes both weekly group discussions and personal assignments.

 

 

 

 

 

Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit by Beth Moore is a 10 week study on the fruit of the Spirit as presented in Galatians 5:22-23. This study encourages women to explore the fruits and what it means to grow and experience the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

 

 

 

 

 

The Patriarchs by Beth Moore is a study based mainly on chapters 12-15 of Genesis and explores God’s pursuit of relationship as well as the concepts of blessing, covenant and promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To reserve study materials, please contact Marissa.

 

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 conference will focus on the spiritual formation of children. As Common Ground continues to grow, we have a great calling to “train up our children” in the ways of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). To assist us in this calling, we have asked Ivy Beckwith to speak to us about the spiritual formation of children at home and in the church community. Jim Matthies, our pastor of spiritual formation, was influenced by Ivy’s book, "Postmodern Children’s Ministry" and believes her perspective will be a great first step in understanding how to become a community that reflects the biblical vision of children’s spiritual formation. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9, Psalm 78:1-8). Below is a brief profile of Ivy’s background.

 

Meet Ivy Beckwith . . .

 

Ivy grew up in Guilford, CT and graduated in 1976 from Gordon College in Wenham, MA with a degree in English. She received her Masters in Religious Education from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1981. Ivy earned a Ph.D. in Education in 1991 from Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL and was ordained as a Congregational minister in November, 2000.

 

Ivy brings over 20 years of experience in Christian education. From 1978-1994 she served as Director of Christian Education at churches in New England and the Midwest. She then worked as a Christian education representative for Gospel Light Publications, consulting with Midwestern churches about their educational ministries and later joined Group Publishing, where she was Senior Editor for Curriculum. In 2000, Ivy returned to church ministry at Colonial Church in Edina, Minnesota, where she served as Minister to Children and Families through 2004. In 2006, Ivy moved back to the East coast to serve The Congregational Church of New Canaan, CT as the Minister to Children and Families.

 

In addition to her church ministry, Ivy has been a sought after speaker and trainer in the areas of Children’s Ministry and church educational ministry. She has authored several publications including her 2004 book, "Postmodern Children’s Ministry: Ministry to Children in the 21st Century" and her 2007 release, "The Ultimate Survival Guide for Children's Ministry Workers."

 

We hope to see you at the conference! Registration is required 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.

In Issue 41 of the e-news, we introduced Heritage Place – an organization that provides a variety of in-home and center based activities for older adults. Heritage Place is housed at our Midtown location and serves hundreds of people living in our neighborhood. Constance is just one of the many participants who feel that her life has been changed by Heritage Place. Below is her story:

 

It all started five years ago, when a few of Constance’s friends invited her to join Heritage Place. After watching a performance of the Line Dance Class, she was excited to see what else Heritage Place had to offer. Being an avid lover of dance, she joined the Line Dance Class and the Middle Eastern Dance Class. Her involvement with the Line Dance Class has allowed her to perform at churches, birthday celebrations, Indiana Black Expo, the Indiana State Fair, meetings and various other community events.

 

In addition to performing and making friends, these classes have also improved Constance’s overall health. For many years, Constance visited her physical therapist twice a week for her severe arthritis. After becoming an active member of Heritage Place fitness classes, the frequency of visits to her therapist declined. Now, Constance no longer has to go to physical therapy. Her improved heath and active lifestyle are just a few reasons Constance enjoys Heritage Place.

 

“Heritage Place allows for seniors to connect with other seniors and to share common issues amongst one another. The convenient location, the caring members and the involvement of everyone in the Heritage Place community makes Heritage Place a wonderful organization,” shares Constance.

 

To learn more about Heritage Place, or to get involved, please contact Ruth Ann Schroeder at 283.6662 or heritageplaceindy@gmail.com.

 

Nicaragua Vision Trip - Family Friendly

Join us for a Nicaragua Vision Trip informational meeting Sunday, April 5 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 June 13-21. For more information, email or check out the list of 2009 Vision Trips. 

 

We are currently in need of two teachers in the Nursery at our Midtown location and one teacher in the Nursery at CGCC-West. 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.

 

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.

 

To learn more, please click on the event name.