Join us for a Toronto vision trip informational meeting next Sunday, May 31 following the 11 am service in the Conference Room at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street). Dates of the trip are August 6-10. For more information, visit our website or send us an email.

 

Greetings from Eugene, Oregon! It is hard to believe that our church plant team has been here together for nearly six months. It seems like just yesterday that we were saying goodbye to friends and family and gearing up for the 4-day drive across the country. The newness of Eugene is wearing off now and I think all of us have begun to really grasp that this is our new home.

 

Although it’s difficult at times being away from friends and family, we continue to believe that we are exactly where God has called us to be. We have fallen in love with the city and its people and are thankful that God has invited us to be a part of His mission here in Eugene.

 

We are excited to announce that we have named our church Awakening Church. This reflects the vision of our church to foster awakening to God’s redemptive story both here in Eugene and throughout the world.

 

There is much to be thankful for over the past few months. For one, we have formed very close relationships with our neighbors, work colleagues and other friends we’ve met in the community. Living in a city where anywhere from 92% - 96% are unchurched, we were not sure how people would react when they found out we moved here to “start a church.” The fact that many people have welcomed us into their circles has encouraged our faith that God has already been preparing the soil long before we arrived.

 

Secondly, we have recently begun to partner with a local Christian organization that serves the poor and homeless of Eugene. I think we were all shocked by a larger than expected population of people who are poor, homeless or living in virtual poverty. This organization has opened their arms to us and we have enjoyed learning about the needs of this population of people who are now our neighbors. We seem to be learning much about the Kingdom of God through our shared time with them.

 

Lastly, everyone on our church plant team has a job. I know that may seem minimal, but in Lane County where the unemployment rate is nearly 12%, that is something to praise God about.

 

The reality of the task set before us is becoming more apparent. You could classify the people at large here as very ‘spiritual.’ By that, I mean they would believe there are many pathways to God and it is each person’s responsibility to find which path works for them. It is very pragmatic. You simply pick and chose from a variety of religions, philosophies and belief systems. To many, Jesus is just one of many religious leaders of whom we can pick and chose what we want to accept and reject. Needless to say, this makes for some interesting conversations and presents a definite challenge to planting a local faith community. But we are confident that God has gone before us and we are striving to be faithful to Him. We would covet your specific prayers over the following topics:

We are so thankful for Common Ground Christian Church and we wish you all the best. Feel free to check out our blog site.

 

The next baby dedication for both our Midtown and West locations is Sunday, July 5, 2009. If your child is between the ages of 0 and 18 months and you would like to participate, please download our information sheet for full details and registration instructions. The deadline to register is June 26.

 

At Common Ground we view the House Church as a primary place where “church” happens. In the HC venue we gather with others seeking to follow Jesus; the Scriptures talk about this as a new kind of community. In this new community we gather together to worship God, learn from the Scriptures and Holy Spirit, ask questions, discover and use our spiritual gifts and serve one another and the world around us. We believe that having a consistent community for encouragement, discovery, prayer and laughter is an essential aspect of our spiritual journey.

 

Because of the size of our HC network and the different seasons each HC may be in, we have found it necessary to improve the way we assimilate people into a HC. To this end, we now have an online HC Request Form for people who are interested in a HC to complete. A pastoral placement team will look at this information every couple of weeks to determine the best HC “fit” for each person.

 

 

If you are not in a HC but desire to join one, please let us know by completing this online form.

 

GRACE (God's Real Acceptance Compassion and Encouragement) is a post abortion Bible study for women who have experienced the pain of abortion and are in need of learning God's way of love, healing and forgiveness. A retreat is planned for June 5-7. For details, contact Jennifer.

 

As we enter into our summer series, we would like to remind you of our summer vision trips. One purpose of these vision trips is to give us a perspective, locally and globally, of the brokenness around us and to remind us that God has invited us to be participants in the wholeness He is bringing. Click here to check out our complete list of trips, deadlines and application. Have additional questions? Send us an email.

 

Do you like to have fun?

If so, consider joining a teaching team! Opportunities are available in the toddler class at Midtown and in the preschool class at CGCC-West. If you are interested, please contact Martina.

 

To learn more, please click on the event name.