| Sunday's Service - May 17, 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! *Since Connecting Life Church has a public Facebook page, you can follow the above link and watch church service. You don't even need to have a Facebook account. | Bible Studies Our in-person Bible studies are currently paused. The ladies have been keeping in touch by email and meeting via Google Duo. Let us know if you want to join in! We'd love to have you study and chat with us! We continue to connect and to learn a lot. Do you have any favorite verses, an uplifting devotion, or a prayer request? Please send them in and share with your church family! | Wednesday Words of Encouragement Even though it isn't Wednesday now, these are definitely encouraging and uplifting words! Take a couple minutes to watch and ponder...what are you thankful for today?
Philippians 4:4-8. From the Hilemans! | 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! | 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, while we cannot see Jesus, He promised to always be with us. Head on over to that lesson right here: Jesus Gives Us Comfort | Youth Group Quarantine Challenge Continues 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.
Later today the first round of a non-Bible Challenge will be sent out. Remember, when the next Bible Search Challenge arrives, this is an excellent resource to access a ton of different Bible translations: Bible Gateway. | 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! | Encouragement One of the daily devotionals I have recently been drawn to is focusing on the theme of community. Seems like a good fit for a church with "Community" in our name! This reading, from May 13, by Bret Lamsma, gives us quite a lot to think about and pray about. (This is the website that the passage below comes from: Devotionals.) Community Is . . . Unity There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28 One of the things that struck Hannah about a recent mission trip she was on was meeting and getting to know all of the children that her team interacted with. At first she was hesitant about meeting so many new people who were so different from her and lived in unfamiliar surroundings. But as she saw the joy on the children’s faces and realized that so many of them wanted to be friends, Hannah’s fears faded. What amazed her even more was how easily she could talk about faith and life with these children. The differences didn’t matter because they found a unity in Christ that transcended the differences. All too often we let differences divide us. We tend to be afraid of other people or new situations, and we don’t take the time to see each other as children of God who are created in his image. The apostle Paul wanted his readers to know that their differences didn’t matter either. What really matters is Christ Jesus. As we believe in him, we are all one, no matter our ethnic background or our gender or our economic or social status. We belong to him as God’s children. That’s an important thing to remember in a world that seeks to divide and frighten us. We find our unity in Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Prayer: Father, help us to remember all that unites us, and help us to seek unity as we broaden our community in you. Amen. | May Worship Pastor Mike Hileman ~ Sundays at 10:30am online via Facebook Live: Connecting Life We remain online for now. We will keep you posted as we see how it goes as the state begins to reopen. Session has agreed that now is not the time to return to meeting in person but we are looking to the future to be ready when we can! | www.goodnessgrows4all.org Our Mission Statement: To cultivate personal, social, and community growth through gardening, education, and opportunity for people of all abilities. ~~~ | They're Back!!! Our clients are back! Summer interns Darius and Cameron are back! It is a very exciting week! We will have one client per day for now as we work out all the details. The GG board is meeting next week to plan our next steps. We will be thrilled to keep you posted on all the details! |  Dustin Showing Off His Card | | Almost CSA Time! Order/payment deadline is May 29. | Jam For Sale Check out Reach for the STARS online to get your Goodness Grows Jungle Jam and Juicy Jam. Here is the link to their website: Shop Local. They even provide curbside pickup in Salem to encourage social distancing. Tonight from 6-6:30, they will be on Facebook Live, featuring home decor items made by local artisans and Ohio-based companies - Home Goods | | 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 outside of the Southern Park Mall's food court daily between the hours of 12-5pm. Scheduled now through June 5. 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! | Lunchtime With The Cleveland Orchestra A new week of concerts, every weekday at noon online & on the radio with WCLV 104.9 ideastream.
Full concert list --> HERE. | Storytime at Museum of the Bible Bring your family to Facebook at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday May 19 and 26 for Museum of the Bible Storytime. Facebook Page | Explore the Oceans Immerse yourself in the ocean and your national marine sanctuaries without getting wet! These virtual reality voyages use 360-degree images to highlight the amazing habitats, animals, and cultural resources you can find in each national marine sanctuary. Dive in! Virtual Dives | CELEBRATE! May 15 - International Day of Families
May 16 - National Armed Forces Day
May 19 - National Endangered Species Day
May 17-23 - National EMS Week If we don't have your special days, please let us know! | ON THE CG CALENDAR May 14-20, 2020 . . . Sunday, 10:30am - Online Worship
Weekdays, 9am-2pm - GG at Work
Tuesday, 2:15pm - GG Board Meeting 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. | |
