More than 170 backpacks were sponsored this year for our annual Back to School Blast. If you sponsored an empty bag, please be sure to return it to the Information Center at Midtown or the Information Table at West this Sunday, August 1.  

 

Bags will be distributed to School 43 and School 96. Volunteers are needed to help distribute the bags at School 43 on Tuesday, August 10 from 3 pm until 5 pm. If you are interested,  sign up in the Information Center at Midtown or send us an email.

Did you know that 2nd and 3rd graders are a ton of fun? They are discovering that their minds work in amazing ways. They are uncovering mountains of new concepts in school in math, science, literature and relationships. They are determining their filters for the way they view the activities and people in the world around them. They learn quickly and want to use all of their senses while interacting with others. They want to have fun while uncovering truths about God and His world. Most importantly, they want to belong somewhere – and we want it to be in the family of God!

 

Our children need adults who will love them and help them grow in the most important thing in their lives, their relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are interested in helping 2nd and 3rd graders belong to God and His community, grow in the image of Christ, and respond to the Holy Spirit, please consider joining our 2nd and 3rd grade teaching team. Additional information and volunteer applications are available online. If you have questions, please contact Martina.

One of our primary values at Common Ground is to follow the way of Jesus and to equip disciples for kingdom living. In the past, this was expressed in quarterly one-day training sessions. At the beginning of 2010, Training and Equipping (T&E) was restructured in order to cultivate deeper growth. Below are a few Q&A's that address the changes.

 

What changes happened to T&E?

There are two different approaches to T&E in 2010: the usual one-day sessions and a new multi-week option. A single one-day session was held in February and the first multi-week was held in March and April. The schedule for the remainder of the year is as follows:

• September/December - multi-week
• November 13 - single day

On August 29, we will host our second Children’s Ministry Open House in conjunction with graduation Sunday. If you have a child who participates in the children’s ministry, please plan to arrive in their classroom 15 minutes before service on August 29. You and your child will have the chance to meet all the class teachers, view their classroom, and receive additional information about the class and the spiritual formation of children.

 

Over the past year, we’ve been working hard to continue building a positive faith community for our children. We are excited to begin the upcoming school year and pursuing what it looks like to include children in the life and work of the church so they can encounter Jesus. For more information about our children’s ministry, please check out our children’s ministry page.

 

We hope that you can join us on August 29. Questions about the Open House or graduation Sunday? Please contact our Director of Children’s Ministry, Martina Gaughan.

Join us as we travel to Bihar, India to expand our vision and understanding of God’s heart for India. We will assist with projects at their new facilities and love the children at ServLife children’s home, including providing them with a basic photography class. For full details, please visit the India Vision Trip page. If you've never been on a vision trip, or would like more general details, feel free to download our Vision Trip FAQs. Still have questions? Send us an email.

 

As the number of children in our children's ministry on Sunday grows, we are working to better utilize our classroom space to increase our capacity. In order to do that, we need your help! Please consider joining the Nursery teaching team at Midtown. Click here for additional information and to download a volunteer application. If you have questions, please contact Martina.

Intro to Common Ground

 

Nehemiah Night

Our next monthly prayer gathering, known as Nehemiah Night, is on Wednesday, August 4 at 6:30 pm at Midtown. Please join us as we engage in prayer and conversation about what God is doing among us and seek to grow relationships across our house church network. Volunteers are needed to provide limited childcare during Nehemiah Night. To sign up for your month(s) to serve, please click here. 

 

To learn more, please see the article above or click on the link provided.