| Sunday's Service - April 26, 2020 | Join us this Sunday for Worship - 10:30am Spend Sunday morning online with us as Pastor Mike delivers his sermon. Use the Facebook link Connecting Life and let's learn together. Remember that while we are apart, we can still pray and Worship as a church family.
AND, send in your prayer requests for our Joys & Concerns email that will go out on Mondays! About Pastor Mike's new sermon series that began last Sunday: "When our world is shaken, it’s easy for fear to spread. But God promises to be with us no matter what comes our way. In times
of uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to trust who God is and how He says we can live -
Not Afraid." | Bible Studies Our in-person Bible studies are currently paused. The ladies have been keeping in touch by email and managed a Google Duo meeting yesterday. Let us know if you want to join in! Do you have any favorite verses, an uplifting devotion, or a prayer request? Please send them in and share with your church family! | We've Got Weeds - Do You Have Time? Take some time now while we aren't running in a hundred directions to spend some moments in nature here at CGCC. You can enjoy the outdoors, get out of the house, and help your church all at the same time! A true 3-for-1-deal! Since we are not operating as usual, Rachel is down lots of helpers. And, sadly, the weeds do not take a break during quarantine. If you can help, you will find buckets and a wheelbarrow under the front awning. You will find weeds in the gravel all around the raised beds in the front garden, in the beds out front beyond the fence and in front of the greenhouse, behind the Sanctuary where the new steps went in, behind the pastor's office and along under the kitchen windows, and in the flower bed made out of railroad ties by the back greenhouse (pictured to the right). Weeds can be dumped in the marked weed bin inside the back fence behind the back greenhouse. All weeding efforts will be greatly appreciated!!! So would pictures of your weeding adventures! | Reach Out & Stay in Touch One of the easiest ways to stay in touch right now is through social media. If you don't have an account, now may be the perfect time to sign up for Facebook and Instagram. We post at CGCC on Facebook and CGCC on Instagram frequently. We would love to be able to connect more with you through these online platforms. They are excellent at helping us to share thoughts and stick together through this difficult time. Beyond social media, using the website, email, text, and "snail" mail are also great options! Staff are in and out of the building throughout the week, so we will receive any mail you might want to send. We miss you and look forward to being able to gather together again! | Take Part in the Church Family Photo Challenge We miss your faces! We miss worshiping together! We miss chatting in the Great Room! We miss seeing the kids run through the building playing hide-and-seek! We miss Sunday morning Bible Study and Wednesday morning ladies Bible Study! So, we invite you to cheer us up with FAMILY PHOTOS! Make us all smile by emailing or texting a photo to Jen Lynch, to be shared in the Scoop and/or on social media. Or, share your photo on the Common Ground Facebook page directly. Take a picture while you do online church on Sunday. Take a picture cooking or eating together. Reading the Bible together? Take a picture! Working on a community project like mask making or sidewalk chalking a message? Take a picture! Going on a Bear Hunt? You get the idea...take a picture! While we cannot be physically together, we can still connect with each other and share what we have going on in our lives. And, isn't that what family is all about?!?! | Our First Family Photo Challenge Participant! Thanks Vignon/Ashby bunch for your beautiful photos! Let's check in with these CGCC family members and see how the stay at home days are going for them, through a chat with Rachel: What are you doing with everyone at home? "We are playing games (mostly rummy), fixing things around the house
(like the driveway), and watching movies." What is your favorite thing about this lockdown? "Playing rummy with the kids because they like it." What do you miss most about being at church? "I miss seeing everybody and getting hugs every week.
I really miss the hugs." | Who's ready to share a photo and tell us how thing are going at your house? We would love to hear from YOU! | Missing Our Garden/Sprout/Nursery Kids! While we are apart, try some Bible learning at home. This week's featured lesson from Ministry-To-Children reminds us that God’s big plans will come through. Head on over to that lesson right here: Road to Emmaus | The Youth Group has been remaining in touch through texting and through snail mail. This week they are supposed to be mailing a note or card to Eileen Kappler to help celebrate her birthday. They also have another YG Quarantine Challenge just sent this morning (deadline, Friday 10pm) to complete that will keep them digging into the Bible as they seek to answer some questions throughout the Books of Law. | Youth Group Quarantine Challenge Explained Youth Group members will continue to receive a series of challenges over the next few weeks. Participants who complete a challenge and text their answer to Jen by each deadline will earn points...to be translated into prizes when we can meet again. These challenges will have them searching the Word to find specific topics, verses, or answers to questions. We may not be able to meet in person to take a look into the Bible like we normally do, but we can still spend some time seeking answers in the Good Book - and hopefully learn some lessons along the way! The challenge sent out last Wednesday had them using their Bible, or Google, to find a Bible verse about faith that either brought them comfort or showed them something about faith. We had some great responses, shown below. It is very interesting that each YG member who responded focused on different verses. Caitlin ~ "Faith can move mountains." Matthew 17:20 &
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 Colin ~ "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 Chris ~ "He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes.
He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see." John 9:11 | Prayer For whom are you praying today?
How can we pray for you? Whenever you have a prayer request, please don't hesitate to send it in! We are all still here to pray with and for you. If you want to share your prayers and praises like we do in church for "Joys & Concerns," please take a minute to send them in by early Monday mornings for inclusion in the weekly Joys & Concerns email. Thank you! | Happy Birthday, Eileen! This Sunday is Eileen Kappler's birthday. Let us celebrate our oldest church family member, quarantine style! Please mail cards, notes, pictures, and your best birthday wishes to her house to help brighten up her special day. Now, even more than ever, we need to spread love and joy wherever we can so let's spread it through snail mail to our very own Eileen! If you need her mailing address, please contact Jen L. at jlynch02@gmail.com or call the church at 330-549-9408. You could even mail your birthday greetings to Eileen c/o Common Ground at 2310 W. South Range Rd., North Lima, OH 44452 and we will make sure to get them to her. Thanks for your help in making this a birthday full of love! | April Worship Pastor Mike Hileman ~ Sundays at 10:30am online via Facebook Live: Connecting Life | www.goodnessgrows4all.org Our Mission Statement: To cultivate personal, social, and community growth through gardening, education, and opportunity for people of all abilities. ~~~ | Fresh Produce Coming Soon! As of TODAY, there are only three (3) shares in our Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA) are still available! Time is running out to get your share. We thank those folks who have already subscribed! April 30 is the payment deadline to get the Early Bird price on a Weekly Share. The final payment deadline to subscribe is May 29. If you have questions, want to learn more, or want to subscribe, we'd love to talk to you about it! Please spread the word to your friends and family that GG will still be continuing this program. | | OUTREACH and MISSION OPPORTUNITIES | Coat & Clothing & More Giveaway ~ October 10 Keep saving all your clothing and outerwear items for our fall giveaway. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers that we will accept donations all year! Hanging out at home provides a tremendous opportunity to sort out all the items you no longer need/use!!! Clothes for all ages and sizes needed, along with coats, bags, purses, shoes, housewares, books, stuffed animals, toys...whatever clean and useable items you think might help someone in need. Bags and boxes for people to carry their "new" items home with them are also needed! Drop items off under the front awning by the glass doors facing the road, stash them away until we meet again, or contact Rachel, Jill, or Jen to see if we are available to accept a drop off. | | Donation Drop-Off Benefiting The Salvation Army | The Salvation Army is seeking donations of nonperishable food items, water/water bottles, laundry soap, toilet paper, and toiletries. Make your donation in Boardman outside of Southern Park Mall's food court daily, through the month of April, between the hours of 12-5pm. Thank you for your donation! | 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! | | Pay It Forward Day ~ April 28th | Pay It Forward Day is a worldwide celebration of kindness that takes place every year on April 28th. Not associated with any organization or foundation and free to participate in, Pay It Forward Day exists to encourage people to stand for kindness out of the goodness of their hearts! Their mission is to inspire acts of kindness on this day in hopes that the ripple of good will continue throughout the entire year. Kindness is contagious! | Share your heart! ❤️ Let the world know you stand for kindness by sharing a photo with a heart on your hand. Encourage everyone you know to do intentional acts of kindness for Pay It Forward Day on 4/28. Let’s flood the internet with reminders of how much good there is in the world. Pass it on! #PayItForwardDay #StandForKindness Pay It Forward Day
Instagram & Facebook | | Acts of Kindness Ideas ~ For Pay It Forward Day & Every Day! | We need to distance ourselves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other. During difficult times, we often see the most beautiful acts of kindness. If you’re home and looking for things to do to keep busy, scroll down for a list of resources to help! We will get through this sooner if we take care of ourselves and each other (without risking contagion). Kindness is a powerful tool - let’s use it!
Check out some great ideas and projects here: Random Acts of Kindness Resources | Unique Virtual Opportunities
Plenty of ways to help here: Soldiers' Angels - with projects to make masks, cards of support,
para-cord bracelets, and no-sew blankets. | Virtual Volunteerism with Operation Gratitude
"Our response to COVID-19 is a call to action for Virtual Volunteerism, and we are providing ways for individuals, groups and businesses to give back from your own home." See how you can help here: Operation Gratitude and learn about the letter writing campaign here: Letters for the Frontlines of the Pandemic. | Virtual Adventures KidsOutandAbout.com is an online guide to everything for kids, teens, and families! There are links on this website that will take you to fun and interesting content for all ages - virtual history tours, science experiments, museum trips, dance lessons, zoo experiences, and much more. Just because we need to remain home and physically distant from others doesn't mean we can't learn new things and visit new places! Check it out here:
Virtual Events | Online Workout Free live workouts for you and your family with guest instructors for all fitness levels using Facebook Live at: American Heart Association. Recorded workouts and info available at their website: Move More Together. | CELEBRATE! TODAY - National Picnic Day & World Book Day
April 24 - National Arbor Day
April 26 - Eileen Kappler
April 28 - National Superhero Day & Pay It Forward Day
April 29 - Andrew Passmore
April - Stress Awareness Month If we don't have your special days, please let us know! | ON THE CG CALENDAR April 23-29, 2020 . . . CGCC staff and leadership are still here and we are still working to be YOUR church! We still must bring in the mail, pay the bills, plan for the future, and reach out to others while GG keeps on working for the growing season...the work continues, both on W. South Range Rd. and as we work from home. We are available if you need us and we cannot wait to gather with you in person! Hope to see you "at church" on Facebook Live! | 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
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. | |
