| Sunday's Service - June 7, 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! We would love to see and pray for the prayer needs of everyone from Common Ground and Connecting Life as well as anyone else in need of the power of prayer! *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. | Working Together On Wednesday evening Connecting Life Church, joined by Rachel and Jill, moved their music equipment into the Sanctuary. This was done in preparation for this week's Worship and Praise here at CGCC. While we will still worship together online, the Pastor and the praise team will record it together at church. We are in the process of gathering information and responses to make the decision about Sunday, June 14th being our first Sunday back to worshiping together at Common Ground. Thank you to everyone who has sent in their reply to our email. Everyone's voice is appreciated and we would love to hear from all of you! We will announce the in-person worship decision soon. | Plans for Safe Worship Whether we gather on June 14th or not, the leadership has been working on a plan to keep everyone as safe as possible. When we do reopen, we will continue to use Facebook Live. If you decide you are not ready to return to a large group gathering yet, we will still be able to worship together thanks to technology! We encourage everyone to do what they feel is right for themselves and their families. If we are here or online, we are still the church together! In order to gather together as safely as we can, we will follow certain guidelines:
* Please stay home when feeling unwell.
* Temperatures will be taken at the door.
* Social distancing - 6 feet apart is safest.
* Hold off on hugs and handshakes.
* Masks are strongly recommended but not required.
* Seating will be spaced out in the Sanctuary & offered in Great Room & Cafe if needed.
* Families will sit together, with kids remaining in worship.
* Hand sanitizing stations will be available & hand washing encouraged.
* Number of rooms used will be limited & kept at 50% capacity.
* Communion & offering bowls will not be passed through congregation.
* Coffee & cookies will not be available.
* High-use areas will be disinfected frequently. While church won't look like "normal" for a period of time, this won't last forever. We all just need to do our best, think of others, and offer everyone plenty of grace as we chart this new territory.
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 Need a refresher on the CDC recommendations about COVID-19? Here's How to Protect Yourself & Others. | Bible Studies Our Sunday morning Bible study is currently paused.
The ladies Bible study has been keeping in touch by email and meeting via Google Duo throughout the stay at home time. We are meeting in person tomorrow morning (Friday) at 9am at the church to finish chapter 8 of our book "Parables" by John MacArthur. We'd love to have you study and chat with us! Do you have a favorite Scripture or an uplifting devotion that has helped you get through
the last few months? Please send them in and share with your church family! | 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 is based on Matthew 28:16-20, where Jesus commissions his followers to go and make more disciples. Head on over to that lesson right here: Go Make Disciples | Youth Group Quarantine Challenge Continues Youth Group members continue to receive a variety of challenges. 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. The next Bible Search Challenge will go out soon. 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. We are also glad to send out prayer requests and praise reports anytime throughout the week! Connecting Life Church folks, we would love to hear your prayer needs as well! Thank you! | First, I want you to pray for all people. Ask God to help and bless them.
Give thanks for them.
1 Timothy 2:1
~~~ | Encouragement Another inspiring devotional about community. Bret Lamsma's reading from May 31st contains much wisdom for us all to remember. We are truly lucky to be a part of a community of believers right here in North Lima, Ohio! This is the website that the passage below comes from: Today. Community Is . . . For You “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 The message of the gospel is for each and every one of us. Jesus points out in the gospel of Matthew that even a good earthly father gives his children what they need. How much more, then, will our heavenly Father show his love for us when we ask, seek, and knock? God the Father’s perfect love is available to us all the time! As Christ’s representatives here on this earth, we are called to share God’s love with everyone we meet. We are called to invite others into community with us and with God, our heavenly Father who loves us more than we can possibly imagine. If you are part of a Christian community, you are called to invite others in and to share the love that you are a part of with others. Christian community is never full and is never closed. It is always open and expanding to share God’s love with others. Though our love may have limits, God’s love never is never limited! If you haven’t found a Christian community to be a part of, please search for one. Seek one that is loving and caring and has the characteristics we have described here this month. Ask God to have someone show up in your life to offer all of these things to you in Jesus’ name. Knock on the door of someone you know who is a Christian, and ask them to love you too. Father, move us to seek community in all of its positive forms, and gather around each one of us
a community to belong to. For Jesus’ sake, Amen. | June Worship Pastor Mike Hileman ~ Sundays at 10:30am 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. When in-person Worship resumes, possibly on June 14th, we will continue to use the Facebook Live platform so that folks who prefer to remain at home will be able to continue worshiping with us. | 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 are all getting back into the swing of things, now that we have a more normal schedule. Much was accomplished this week, including jam making and starting on re-doing the butterfly garden. We also enjoyed some time in the woods as well as getting up close and personal with some of nature's critters. New friends are living in the greenhouse - frogs and tadpoles! Our crew is excited to care for them and watch them grow. | Almost CSA Time! CSA pick up begins June 25. We are so excited to announce that we filled all our spaces this year and have twelve subscribers! We so appreciate their support of Goodness Grows! | 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. | | 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! 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 or contact Rachel, Jill, or Jen to see if we are available to accept a drop off. Goodness Grows is here M-F from 9-2. | Donation Drop-Off Benefiting The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is still in need of 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! | | Rescue Mission Monthly Need | Weeders Always Welcome! You are always invited to spend some time enjoying the beauty of God's creation right here on our property. Take time to appreciate His handiwork while pulling some weeds in the flower beds! Goodness Grows works to try to keep the beds looking good but when the fields and gardens need attention, some things must wait. All help is appreciated! | 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! | Online Parent Cafe: Staying Connected Friday, June 5 from 10:30am-12:30pm
Hosted by Children's Advocacy Center of Lawrence County.
Join us online on ZOOM to our first Virtual Parent Cafe: Staying Connected During COVID-19. This is a free event available for anyone in a parenting role. Moms, dads, relatives, caregivers, foster parents, etc. are all welcome!. Parent Cafes are spaces where family members and caregivers have conversations about what keeps their family strong. You will grow stronger and more flexible as you share challenging personal events and reflect on the actions taken in response, what happened as a result, and what was learned. Listening to each other brings the realization that all families face difficulties and can survive them and become stronger as a result. To register contact Bob @ kalafutrj@upmc.edu. Click here for the Facebook Link. | Request from Andrea Andrusewicz Car Parade for Colin! ~ Saturday, June 6 at 5pm
"My cousin Colin Snyder's birthday is Saturday. He will be 15. Monday he had a bad accident and wrecked his bike. He spent all day in the ER and now ALL he wants for his birthday is a drive by car parade. If you have a nice car or go to car shows and enjoy cars, please drive by!!! 5:00pm on Columbiana-County Line Rd. in Columbiana!! Saturday June 6th. Please share!" | Virtual BioBlitz Family Fun Festival Sunday, June 7 from 9am-5pm
Hosted by Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
On Sun., June 7, our fifth annual BioBlitz festival will be moving virtual! Though we may be online, the day will still bring together families, students, local scientists and naturalists, teachers and community leaders for a day of celebrating the wonders of the outdoors. Throughout the day, we will be hosting scientists, naturalists, and educators online for you to meet and interact with! All ages will have fun exploring and discovering the region's unique plants, birds, trees, fish, mammals and more! And be sure to check back on this page for the day of BioBlitz as we will share a variety of videos and activities for the whole family! The festival will be held virtually, but don’t forget to check out the biodiversity in your own backyard! We want to hear from and have planned time in the day for you to share with all of us. The event is free to the public but requires advance registration. Learn more and register: BioBlitz | History of Ohio's Forest Online, Sunday, June 7, 7-7:30pm
Join Kathy Smith, Extension Program Director for the Ohio State University – Forestry School of Environment and Natural Resources, as she talks takes you on a walk though the history of Ohio's forests and the changes that impacted and still impact today's forests. Facebook Link | CELEBRATE! Today - National Cheese Day & National Hug Your Cat Day!
June 5 - World Environment Day
June 6 - Colin Snyder
June 7 - Trinity Sunday
June 8 - World Oceans Day
June 9 - Jack Snyder
June 10 - Isabella Henceroth
June 10-16 - National Men's Health Week If we don't have your special days, please let us know! | ON THE CG CALENDAR June 4-10, 2020 . . . Sunday, 10:30am - Online Worship
Weekdays, 9am-2pm - GG at Work 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. | |
