Imagine children who are exposed to the history and rhythms of the church year, the experience of worship and community, and the stories of God’s redemptive work in the world and God’s specific work in our lives.

 

Imagine children who are encouraged to explore their faith in God, whose questions are taken seriously and answered thoughtfully, who are presented with flexible-yet-safe, caring boundaries.

 

Imagine children who are told they are a part of the church family and treated as such – invited into the life of the church, valued as full members of the community, given opportunities to lead in the community and loved as Jesus calls us to love each other as a sign of God’s love for the world.

 

These are some of the images that surfaced during the Spiritual Formation Conference that Common Ground hosted on May 8 and 9.

 

To help us better understand spiritual formation for children, Ivy Beckwith, author of “Post Modern Children’s Ministry,” spoke to the conference attendees about three topics:

In addition to Ivy speaking, several members of the Common Ground body shared some of their ideas about spiritual formation for children, while others shared their successes and failures as they relate to the spiritual formation of their own children. Additionally, conference attendees participated in small group discussion about many of the thoughts and ideas shared at the conference.

 

While Ivy and other conference attendees offered a few great suggestions, even more so the conference gave us a lot to think about. For example, “How do we welcome children into our faith community?” and “What can we do to facilitate formational experiences for our children in the church building, in our house churches, and in our homes?”

 

We’d like to continue thinking about these questions and many more by creating a task force to specifically address the spiritual formation of our children. If you are interested in finding out how you can be involved, please join us for a dessert meeting on Monday, June 8 at 7 pm in the Community Room of our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street). Please let Martina know if you’re able to attend.

Join us as we partner with International Justice Mission (IJM) and Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for a vision trip to Chennai, India August 14-22.

 

Our team will help provide medical treatment to orphaned children infected with HIV, minister at a battered women's shelter, and serve at YWAM's leprosy colony and Fisherman's Village medical camp. In addition, we will participate in an IJM orientation to get a glimpse of their work in southern India to combat slavery and forced prostitution, and bring freedom and restoration to victims while ensuring that perpetrators are prosecuted for their crimes. Click here to read more about IJM's work in India.

 

The estimated trip cost is $2500. We encourage our house churches to participate in vision trips in part by including a house church missions fund in our budget. House church missions funds are still available and you can download the request form here.

 

Interested in learning more? Attend the informational meeting Sunday, June 14 following the 11 am service in the Conference Room at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street). The trip is limited to 8 participants and at least 2 doctors are needed. Nurses, pharmacists and dentists are also desired. However, you do not need to have a medical background to participate. For details, send us an email.

Considering the unceasing demands and pressures associated with ministry, the Common Ground elders decided a few years back to provide intentional seasons of prolonged reflection, rest, refreshment, recharging and refocus for pastoral staff. It is expected that these periods will enhance the spiritual, mental, physical and professional health of the pastoral staff and ultimately benefit the church body that receives from their ministry. We view this intentional season of rest and refreshment a “sabbatical” of sorts and have decided to provide a paid six-week leave to each pastoral staff member during each seventh year of full-time service.

 

Adam Nevins, Pastor of Worship and Arts, has faithfully served the body of Common Ground for seven years and is preparing for his sabbatical, extending from early-June to mid-July. During the first part of his sabbatical, Adam will devote time to personal reflection, meditation, and introspection. Please be praying that God would speak to Adam and renew his spirit and mind. Later in his sabbatical, Adam and his family will enjoy some rest and refreshment away from Indianapolis and the demands of ministry life. Please pray that the Nevins family would experience God’s peace as they travel and visit various destinations, friends, and family. Lastly, Adam will be devoting time to prayer, asking God to give him a renewed vision for ministry. Please pray that God would reveal His purposes for Adam and that Adam would be given eyes to see God’s Kingdom in a fresh, new way.

 

Adam and his family have been a tremendous blessing to Common Ground and it is an honor to have them as part of our staff. With his passion for worship, justice, and missions, Adam brings a unique giftedness and perspective to the staff. We sincerely appreciate his contributions and look forward to seeing how God will work in and through him at Common Ground to expand His Kingdom.

 

During Adam’s absence, Clint Reed will serve as Worship Intern at Common Ground. Clint will oversee the worship bands and lead a few times at both Midtown and CGCC-West. Have questions? Please contact Nate.

Randall and Mia were both very involved in music from the time they were children. Mia, a vocal performance major, participated in Campus Crusade in college. On another campus, Randall led worship for the weekly Campus Crusade meetings. Following graduation, each followed their passion for music and ministry by embarking on one-year internships with Keynote.

 

Keynote is the music and creative arts ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Their vision is to bring the message of Jesus to non-Christians, those who might never set foot in a church or Bible study. Keynote shares the Gospel in unique ways: through music, the creative arts, film and technology. These tools not only reach people in the places they spend most of their time, but also reach them in a way that opens their hearts. Their events take place in partnership with local ministries on college campuses, military bases, prisons and more.

 

Mia and Randall met through Keynote and began their involvement with Common Ground when they moved here in 2002. The couple married in 2004 and joined the Keynote staff full-time the following year. In 2008, they welcomed their son Elik Randall Pahl. Their family has had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with tens-of-thousands of people all over the U.S. and in many other countries including Brazil, India, New Zealand and most of Western Europe. This fall the band they are currently with, blue sky nine, will be traveling to Mongolia and South Korea.

 

To connect with Randall and Mia, and to learn more about opportunities to support them financially and with prayer, send them an email. You can also learn more about Keynote by visiting these websites: www.keynote.org and www.keynotefuel.com.

In a world of self-actualization, self-indulgence and self-entitlement…a world of consumerism and “me”ism there is another way, a way marked by a passion for God and a compassion for His creation. It is the way of Christ and the Kingdom and He invites us to drop our agendas and follow Him. While the chattering chorus calls us to care for image and self God calls us to imagine…to imagine His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Break away from the chorus and follow the whisper of God…

 

Common Ground’s Kingdom Living Training School provides an opportunity for you to spend 9 months of intentional pilgrimage into the way of Jesus. The nature of this year will be a journey into the core of God's desire for us to embrace His Kingdom here on earth. It will be a blending of theory and praxis, intellectual searching and experiential discovery.

 

The Training School will run from July 27, 2009 through May 6, 2010. In the summer, the Training School will be more experiential meeting one night a week plus a week long trip to Toronto August 18-24. Starting in September, classes will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 9 am until 1 pm. Training School students are expected to attend all classes, trips, conferences/seminars, and outreach activities.

 

The cost is $3,200. A 10% deposit of $320 will be required by July 20; $960 by August 10; $960 by December 1; and $960 by February 1.

 

Students can expect roughly 15-20 hours per week of class time, studying and Training School related activities outside of class. It is also expected that students will participate in a house church. Additionally, students are expected to maintain a part-time job to pay for living expenses—food, housing (subsidized housing is for male students), insurance, transportation, personal amenities. We expect students to live at a lower standard of living than they might otherwise live…this is part of the preparation process for being on a church planting team.

 

To learn more, download a flyer and the application. The deadline to register is July 5. Have questions? Please contact Larry Mitchell.

Heritage Place, housed at our Midtown location greatly impacts the lives of seniors in our area. Jacque Cain (pictured in the center of the front row) is member of Heritage Place, and below is her story.

 

I would like to share with you some of the benefits that I have received from being a member of Heritage Place and being a participant in the Heritage Place Line Dancers. I would like to focus on four aspects of how line dancing has contributed to my total health. The four aspects are physical, mental, emotional and social.

 

First, the physical aspect includes the dance rehearsals, dance classes and dance performances. They all help keep me active and physically healthy.

 

Second, the mental aspect includes remembering the steps to all of the different dances. They are definitely a challenge mentally and that contributes to my thinking and mental activity and overall mental health.

 

Third, the emotional aspect includes the people for whom we perform. Their show of appreciation and enjoyment makes me happy and joyful - especially the reception we receive from the people in the rehabilitation facilities.

 

Last, but not least, is the social aspect. The social benefits are many. Our line dance group consists of 16 dynamic women and one dynamic man who have fun and enjoy being together. We attend activities, celebrate birthdays and travel together. In fact, some of us, along with our dance instructor, will be cruising to Alaska in July. There are other activities in which our members are involved. To name a few, there are Chair Aerobics, Middle Eastern Dance Classes, Water Aerobics, Computer and Bridge Classes and many other activities. They all contribute to our social health.

 

As you can see, many people benefit from being involved with Heritage Place!

 

You can catch the Heritage Place Line Dancers at events such as the Indiana State Fair and the Indiana Black Expo. To learn more about Heritage Place, or to get involved as a participant or volunteer, please email Ruth Ann Schroeder or call 317.283.6662.

If you are interested in participating in the Toronto vision trip (August 6-10), submit your completed application and deposit to the church office by the end of the day on Monday, June 15. 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 2nd-4th grade and toddler classes 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.