August 3, 2007

1.	What is multi-site and how did we get here?
2.	Prayer Team
3.	West Site Update
4.	Renovations at 46th and Illinois
5.	Capital Campaign
6.	Quick Updates

Who We Are

House Churches

In 2005, we began raising funds for the purpose of expanding our seating capacity. Initially we thought that meant purchasing a bigger building that would seat more people. Our highest desire is to know God and make Him known, and we believe this happens primarily in the context of relationships. As we further considered moving the entire church to one large building we believed that in some cases this could potentially work against fostering deep relationships and ministry on the local (neighborhood) level.

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And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18

Intercessory prayer. Intercessors. Have you ever wondered what it means to be an intercessor? We hear this term frequently in the church today and picture the ultra-spiritual 70 year old woman, kneeling at the altar and crying out to God on behalf of the saints. While that can be a picture of an intercessor, it’s also not the only one. To intercede is to plead with someone in authority on behalf of another person, especially someone facing punishment. So when we as believers go to pray for another, we are pleading with God on their behalf.

Common Ground’s prayer team is actually no more complicated than this—we are believers coming to the One who has all authority over life, each person’s journey, and even over the enemy. We come to plead on behalf of the church, our mission partners, the needs of the body and one another. We’re simply trying to be obedient to Paul’s command in Ephesians to keep praying for the saints. Would you join us? We meet at our Midtown location in Broad Ripple each Monday (with the exception of Nehemiah Gathering) at 7 pm. If you have any questions, feel free to email pray@cground.org. God has some exciting things on the horizon for Common Ground. Please join us in this foundational ministry as we cry out for more of Him.

The launch of CGCC-West at Eagle Creek Elementary School is rapidly approaching. The church gathered on July 1 for our first Nehemiah Gathering and prayed for the work God is doing in this area of the city. More than 140 adults and 25 kids participated in this time of worship and prayer. Our next Nehemiah Gathering at CGCC-West is set for August 5 at 10 am and we plan to cast vision for the west side and pray together for God’s hand to move.

On August 19, we’ll launch our corporate worship gathering at ECES. Service will start at 11 am and will include all of the components of a “typical” CGCC worship service – childcare, communion, worship, etc. There are several ministry areas where volunteers are needed. Two areas of critical need are highlighted below:

Childcare - CGCC-West needs Childcare Teachers across various age groups in order to oversee HC volunteers and help provide a safe, secure loving environment in which children can engage and where parents feel comfortable leaving their child.

Site Prep – CGCC-West needs Site Prep Coordinators to oversee the efforts of HC volunteers to help ensure that setup/teardown activities run smoothly.

If you would like additional information about CGCC-West or desire to get involved in one of the aforementioned ministry areas, contact Nate Smith, CGCC-West site pastor, at nate@cground.org.

As you likely know by now, we have started renovating the new building at 46th & Illinois Street. We have removed old fixtures, torn out carpet, disassembled the old ceiling grids, and hauled a lot of debris to dumpsters. Through the combination of volunteer workdays and paid labor the demolition is already complete.

Training and Equipping Weekend - August 10-11

All house church members and shepherds are invited to participate in our quarterly Training and Equipping weekend August 10-11. Below are details for the weekend:

When: August 10, 6 pm to 8:30 pm; August 11, 9 am to 1 pm
Where: Midtown building and an offsite to be determined
What: 5 tracks to choose from
Childcare: The deadline to request childcare for infants through age 6 has passed, however, we have a waiting list in case there are any cancellations.
Meals: Snacks will be provided. No meals will be served.
Cost: Free

Several tracks are available for you to choose from - click here to learn more about them.
It's not too late to register! All you need to do is complete the online registration form.

Ok, so what's so new about www.cground.org?
What's new is that we have a lot of resources available for you to access 24 hours a day! Looking for the house church childcare or custodial/site-prep rotations? They're on the site. Want to know the policies for having a wedding, the deadline for the next baby dedication, or how you can access your house church mission funds? Check the site. The site changes almost daily, so bookmark it, or set it as your homepage - whatever it takes to get you there. Visit www.cground.org and click on Member Site to see what you've been missing!