Sunday's Service - January 17, 2021 | The featured Scripture is: Ephesians 6:15; Romans 5:1 for Mike's message: The Armor of God Part 3: The Shoes of the Gospel. Join us Sunday ~ In-Person & Online ~ Worship at 11am Connecting Life Church Facebook Page Come Grow With Us! | Worshiping Together Spend Sunday morning with us ~ online or in-person at 11:00am. Use the Facebook link Connecting Life and let's grow together! We can continue to join together in Worship and Praise and Prayer, whether in the Sanctuary or on Facebook. Please send your prayer requests in for our Joys & Concerns email that will go out on Monday morning! The CGCC website has a Contact/Prayer Request page, you can email Jen Lynch directly, or use commonground.secretary@gmail.com. ~~~ | Bulletins and Outlines Now on Our Website To make participating in Worship even easier, we have added a new page to our CGCC website: Weekly Bulletins & Sermon Outlines. By visiting this page, you will be able to download a copy of the Sunday bulletin as well as the sermon outline. We will still send them out by email, so if you like the convenience of having the info in your inbox, that won't go away. This new page will just give us another convenient way to stay connected! ~~~ | Bible Studies & Ministries | We will be following the health and safety directives during small group meetings and events as well as Worship. Masks and social distancing are required anytime you are in our building, as we try our best to stay healthy together. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation! | Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30am in the Activity Room ~ Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Ladies Bible Study ~ Friday, at 9am in the Activity Room The Armor of God, Bible Study Book Starting this week. Let us know if you would like to join in! | Wednesday Morning Prayer Group 10am, participate via Zoom ~ Personal Meeting ID: 6936117456, Password: prayer | LifeGroups Designed to help adults grow as Christ followers: * Taylor LifeGroup: Sundays, 6pm at the Taylor house * Weimer LifeGroup: Every other Tuesday through February, 10am on Zoom, next meeting January 19 | Children's Ministries Sign Up We are excited to announce we are planning to launch Sunday morning Childcare as well as Collide Kids Wednesdays soon! We want to do this as safely and securely as possible, to protect kids and volunteers. Not only will we continue to follow CDC health guideline requirements within these ministries, (mask wearing, social distancing, cleaning, etc.) but all volunteers must complete a background check (performed by CLC) and a Statement of Faith. Sign up sheets will be available. Please consider how you can serve your church family! | Children's Ministry Collide Kids Online ~ What is faith? Faith is the most important thing, when it's placed in the right place! When we place our faith in Jesus, the rewards are out of this world! Grab your kid(s) and spend 25 minutes together singing, dancing, laughing, and learning! We would love for you to also have your child(ren) memorize this week's scripture verse and motions and upload a video of them in the comment section under the video on the CLC Facebook page! Have a great week, Collide Kids! | Youth Group We are still being cautious due to the pandemic. We hope to begin to plan a return to meetings as soon as possible. | CLC 2020 Giving Statements Please contact Monica Guy via email at ConnectingLife.clc@gmail.com if you would like a 2020 year end giving statement. | Prayer For whom are you praying today? How can we pray for you? We are here to pray with and for you, anytime! Prayer needs sent by early Monday morning will be included in the weekly Joys & Concerns email. We are also glad to send out prayer requests and praise reports anytime throughout the week! | Encouragement Thank you to Marcia Kreps for sharing and Darla Smith for writing these weekly bits of encouragement. "I pray you are all well and enjoying God’s goodness. His mercies are new to us each day! I am so thankful we are His and He is ours! Our hope and glory." "God is always on time. I got my word for this week last night. Just in time, always on time. “DEPOSIT” is our word for this week. How have our “deposits” been? Being after Christmas, possibly our accounts may be running a little low. Spiritually speaking, hopefully we are keeping our “deposits” full and running over. Have we made good “deposits” into our friends and family lately? We need to “deposit” love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, joy, and encouragement into each other. Let every “deposit” we make be the kind God would be proud of. Let the Holy Spirit check our “deposit” before it goes anywhere. I want the Holy Spirit to rule and reign over any “deposit” we make into someone else. God put His Holy Spirit in us as a “deposit” of what we have to look forward to - a grand reunion with our Savior and our loved ones! I can tell you I am ready! But until that day, let us keep our “deposits” flowing with God’s love! I pray your week will be fantastic. Dwell daily in God’s presence." Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV) | January Worship ~ Online & In-Person Pastor Mike Hileman ~ Sundays at 11:00am Join us at church or online via Facebook Live: Connecting Life We will continue to be guided by the health and safety guidelines set forth by the governor and the health department, so we require masks to be worn in our building. We're excited to welcome you to Worship, in church and online! ~~~ | www.goodnessgrows4all.org Our Mission Statement: To cultivate personal, social, and community growth through gardening, education, and opportunity for people of all abilities. ~~~ | News of the Week We have exciting news to share this week! We are welcoming back Samantha Finn-Keshock, longtime friend to GG. Sam has been a GG intern in the past and she is rejoining our GG family to work part-time with our crew. We are so glad to have you back, Sam! This winter (so far) is providing many good outside days and we are very grateful. This week, we have spent time outside cleaning up items that are still left over from Mellinger's Garden Center (Yes, over 14 years after our purchase of the property, we are still finding shopping carts, mugs, unidentified scrap, and more. It's like a very strange treasure hunt!) and time inside cleaning and disinfecting the Nursery and Sprouts Room. We also have been working on processing herbs from last summer. Next week will be a four day week, as GG will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther king, Jr. holiday. | CSA Info is Here! Click this GG Link to learn about our 2021 Community Supported Agriculture Program. | Jungle Jam & Juicy Jam Goodness Grows Jungle Jam and Juicy Jam available at Reach for the STARS online: Shop Local. They even provide curbside pickup in Salem to encourage social distancing. We are also glad to arrange a jam pick up here at GG. Check out our jam table in the Great Room. Currently, we have the following types of Jungle Jam available: Blueberry Jalapeno, Cranberry Jalapeno, Hot (Jalapeno Habanero), and Pineapple Habanero. We also have one Juicy Jam flavor available: Cranberry Orange. | OUTREACH and MISSION OPPORTUNITIES | Goodness Grows The non-profit ministry of Common Ground Church Community, Goodness Grows is always busy on our property. GG works with students and adults with disabilities, providing vocational habilitation training in a fun and hands-on way. The GG crew also maintains the grounds and cleans the church building. There are many ways to support GG, including: * Online Shopping ~ Just use Amazon Smile - choose Goodness Grows as your charity of choice. * Volunteering ~ Give of your time and get back lots of love & smiles! * Donating Items ~ We are always in need of items like basic jam making supplies such as regular 8oz. canning jars, lids, sugar, and white vinegar. * Purchasing Our Products ~ Proceeds from jam & crafts go right back to our programs. * Charitable Giving ~ As a small non-profit, Goodness Grows depends upon generous supporters who give monetary support. A contribution to Goodness Grows is tax-deductible, to the extent allowed by law. Your donations help us to continue our mission of working with people of all abilities. | Rock Kidz Uganda, Inc. Their mission is to Advocate, Advise, Advance the ministries of Divine Soccer in Masaka, Uganda for the benefit of the children of the community. Sponsorships can be made to Rock Kidz Uganda, Inc., 1814 E. 3rd St., Salem, OH 44460 or via Pay Pal at rockkidzuganda@gmail.com. Learn more on Facebook at: Rock Kidz Uganda or on their website: www.rockkidzuganda.org. Handmade jewelry available at front desk. All proceeds go to construction of Divine Junior School. Check out the January newsletter here: Newsletter. Want to join the next mission trip? Dates for a 2021 trip are set for July 18-July 31. Click Here to learn how you can get involved! ~~~ | Coat & Clothing & More Giveaway 2021 Please tell your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers that we collect items year-round! We are happy to take clothes for all ages and sizes, along with coats, hats, bags, purses, shoes, housewares, books, school supplies, stuffed animals, puzzles, toys... anything clean and useful! The donation barrel and storage space is ready. | For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. .....When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me. Matthew 25: 35-36, 40 ~ What can YOU do? | LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWS/EVENTS | If you know of any interesting news or events, please let us know, so that we can pass it on to others! ~~~ | Keeping Kids Warm Giveaway to Anyone In Need | Art at Home With the Akron Art Museum With this season’s Creativity Care Kit, you can make your own party-inspired masterpiece! Each kit comes stocked with supplies for all types of celebratory creations. Use your care kit to get creative on your own, or follow along with Museum videos that provide step-by-step instructions to using the supplies. Although programs are happening virtually, care kits give us all the opportunity to connect through our art experiences. Creativity Care Kits are available for free. Kits must be ordered online through the Museum’s Shopify page and picked up any Wednesday or Friday between 10 am and 4 pm (care kits cannot be shipped). Order your Creativity Care Kit today! | What's that Bird? - Online Event Friday, January 15 at 6pm Event by Prince Gallitzin State Park Winter is a fantastic time to put out bird feeders to draw in our feathered friends - but do you know who they all are? Join us for a virtual presentation to learn the common birds that can be currently found in your backyard. You'll discover how to tell them about from look-alikes and pick up some tips for attracting them to your home. To register, visit: What's that Bird? Free Registration. | Free Painting Tutorial | Street Light Available Online, January 16 at 3pm - January 23 at 12am Event by Jesse Robertson & Keep It Colourful Paint Nights This class is pre-recorded in HD so you can sit back, pause, relax and paint at your own pace in your own space. Ages 14+ recommended HOW TO WATCH: 1) Visit website: jesserobertson.com. 2) Hit the "Watch Free Tutorials" button. 3) You will need to register for a free account to watch this class. COST: This event is free and there is no need to sign up however tips of any size are always appreciated SUGGESTED MATERIALS are provided below - but feel free to get creative and use whatever you have at home: PAINT (Acrylic): Red, Orange, Warm/medium yellow, green, phthalo blue, dioxazine purple, Titanium White, Black CANVAS: We are using 16 x20 but any canvas size will do BRUSHES: #12 flat #6 bright, #6 round, #1 round, #8 filbert - container with water - Paper towels - graphite pencil - hair dryer - Apron (or clothes you don’t mind potentially getting messy in! | See the Northern Lights Next Thursday, January 21, 7pm Event by Delta College Planetarium, Online Facebook Live A live visual presentation about the Aurora Borealis! Mike Murray, Astronomer and Planetarium Manager, will explore what causes the phenomenon and how to observe them. NOTE - this event is hosted only here on the Delta College Planetarium FB page. | CELEBRATE! January 16 - Rachel Vignon January 18 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 18 - National Winnie the Pooh Day January 19 - Janine Landis January is National Mentoring Month. If we don't have your special days, please let us know! | ON OUR CALENDAR January 14-20, 2021 . . . Weekdays, 9am-2pm - GG at Work Tonight, 6:30pm - Praise Team Practice Friday, 9am - Ladies Bible Study Sunday, 9:30am - Sunday Morning Class Sunday, 11am - In-Person & Online Worship Monday - Office & GG Closed for MLK Day Tuesday, 10am - Weimer LifeGroup Wednesday, 10am - Prayer Group via Zoom Wednesday, 12pm - Collide Kids Online | Seeking to reflect the unconditional love of God, our mission is to help people connect - to God, to one another, and to God's purpose for the world. | Come grow with us! Common Ground Church Community Connecting Life Church 2310 West South Range Road North Lima, Ohio 44452 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For more information, call 330-549-9408 or contact us by email at commonground.secretary@gmail.com. | |