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 We live in a world today where there is enough. Enough clothes, medicine, food, clean water and hope. Hope is a word that implies things will be better tomorrow than they were today, and the reality is that for the majority of the world, tomorrow will not be any better than today.
We want to invite you to join us on this journey of redistribution. Redistribution is the opportunity to not add to your budget or expenses, but rather to reassign your resources. God is freeing the world from consumerism and poverty at the same time. Let us participate in that freedom that Christ desires to bring.
The kingdom of God always looks like Jesus and those who follow Jesus believe in the hope of freedom for the captives and justice for the oppressed. We can make a difference no matter how small or insignificant it may appear. We are inviting you to be a part of this good news this Christmas season.
The Redistribute catalog is designed as a launching place for redistribution. What you’ll find inside are five Common Ground partners who are making a local and global impact. We invite you to join them in this journey of redistribution. As you begin your gift buying and giving, consider committing some of your resources to engage the injustices of our day and to distribute some Gospel hope in a very tangible way.
Redistribute catalogs will be available at all services this Sunday, November 8.
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Sometimes being missional means serving your brothers and sisters in Christ. The Dunbar house church does just that with a monthly babysitting event for the parents at CGCC-West. The event gives parents the opportunity for an evening out while house church members get to know the kids.
Each month, the house church sends out an email announcing the event. Parents can drop their children off at the determined location from 4 pm until 8 pm. There is a small fee for participating, and many parents choose to make an additional donation. The last event was filled within four hours of sending out the email announcement. Obviously, the event is a huge success with both the house church and the parents!
For the Dunbar house church, the event goes a step beyond just service to those at our West site. The funds from babysitting are added to their house church’s benevolence box. The intent of the box is to provide the house church with a fund that can be used for agreed upon missional and benevolence opportunities. They’ve been able to open a checking account for these funds and are considering ways to put them to good use.
While they want to be generous with ministries such as Love 146, they also hope to keep funds available in case there is a need in their small community. They work hard to be mindful of that balance and will continue to pray and seek the Lord's guidance for opportunities to share our good fortune with the Kingdom. Back to Top
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 If you haven’t had a chance to visit our new website, please take a few minutes to check it out. As we mentioned in the last e-news, we launched the new cground.org at the end of October. The re-design sought to make the website easier to navigate, easier to find what you’re looking for, and provide an overall more positive experience.
The best part is that you’ll find a number of new features on the site, including:
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An online form where you can update your personal contact information with the staff
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A Stories page where you can read about what God is doing in and through our community
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A House Church Placement page that provides you with a geographical map of our current house churches. If you’re new, you can request to receive more information about one in your area
Thanks to everyone who volunteered their insight and opinions earlier this year via our online web survey. We appreciate the feedback and direction, and hope you enjoy our new site!
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Vision Nicaragua is a non-profit, multi-denominational Christian organization, whose purpose is to make known and serve the spiritual, physical and financial needs of the people of Nicaragua. During the summer, Ron Read (a member of Common Ground and missionary with Vision Nicaragua) was getting ready to leave Nicaragua when he was informed that the roof on the Block Company had blown completely off during a bad storm. Having just received new business for the company with Amigos for Christ, this was devastating as it was an unbudgeted expense for Vision Nicaragua.
Though unsure where the money would come from, the decision was made to move forward and rebuild the structure, so Ron stayed an extra week to make sure the project was launched well. Common Ground participated in this project by making a financial contribution to cover the materials needed for a new roof. Because of this, men are working and lives are being changed. To learn more about Vision Nicaragua, visit their website.
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 It was too soggy for a hayride on Friday, October 30, but we didn’t let a little rain wash away our fun! Our middle and high school youth, along with some of their friends, gathered at our Midtown location for an exciting video scavenger hunt.
Four teams traveled around town for an hour searching out specific scenarios and recorded them on video. Afterward, everyone gathered in the Conference Room at Midtown to watch their journeys and had a great time laughing at each team’s adventures. It was a great time of fun for all and we look forward to more of these activities in the future!
Interested in getting involved with our youth? Please send us an email.
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Purchased
Join us for Purchased on November 7 at 7 pm at our Midtown location (4550 N. Illinois Street) and find out how you can participate in the effort to protect, defend, restore and empower lives. Click here to learn more about Purchased.
Intro to Common Ground
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, December 1 at 6 pm. Attendance is limited and a light dinner and childcare are provided. Follow this link to register.
Through the Consuming Fire Conference
Join our friends at Englewood Christian Church on November 13-14 for their conference, Through the Consuming Fire: Economic Faithfulness in An Age of Consumerism. The early registration discount is still available if you put “Common Ground” in the referral box on the registration form. To learn more about the conference, and to register, please visit their website.
Mark Your Calendars...
To learn more, please click on the event name or see the article above.
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