Common Ground

Camp Outreach - A Success!

2011-07-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

We just completed our 2011 Camp Outreach Indiana. 85 volunteers from 10 states converged on Indianapolis the week of July 11-16 to put authentic Christian values into practice. Our work had three main thrusts: projects that help rehab houses where there was a legitimate need for widows, the elderly, orphans, fatherless and the poor; teach Jesus Christ to children in the neighborhood and lives and put our Christian faith into practice.

While the numbers don't begin to tell the whole story, they do reveal a little about how hard everyone worked. In the projects side we worked on 12 properties. In one house where a widow was taking care of her widowed mother, had a child with cerebral palsy and was raising three other children we:

Replaced her kitchen cabinets, countertops, rewired two kitchen lights and painted;
Repaired her bathtub, tiled her bathroom floor, brought in a new vanity, installed a new door and casing, painted the bathroom and reset her wobbly toilet;
Installed four bedroom doors and two closet doors. (There were no bedroom doors before);
Installed wainscotting to protect the sheet rock walls from damage by the wheel chairs;
Repainted the entire interior of the house;
Replaced all the outlets and switches and repaired electrical circuits. (We found there had been a bad short in one of the outlets that coud have caused a catastrophic fire);
Hauled away all the debris.

There were 11 more projects sites, including repainting the interior of a woman who is raising three young boys by herself; tearing out a crumbling porch and pouring 5 yards of concrete to fix the porch, the steps and the steps to another home; repairing gutters; purchased and spread 10 tons of dirt to cover a yard where lead in the soil was causing the child to test at dangerous lead levels; helped a woman who has multiple family members living with her while they search for work to sheet rock walls plaster walls that had air blowing through them; cut down the head-high grass and weeds on an abandoned property; filled a trench that had been left in a yard; tore off and roofed part of a house where there was a severe water leak and tore out dead bushes and scraped and painted a garage for an older couple suffering from COPD.

As good as the projects were, the children's program was equally a success. We had 70-75 children each day in our vacation Bible school based on the "Hometown Nazareth" program. Last year we had 30-60 each day and the previoius year was 22-35 each day. One lady pushed a stroller and walked with her young children a mile and a half each way to make sure her kids were part of the First Outreach program.

We also fed breakfast and lunch to all the children, some of their parents and to all 85 of our workers. Bob and Brenda Howard and the kitchen crew had a busy and appreciated ministry!

The "Hometown Nazareth" program was an enormous help. The children were divided into 8 tribes - each named after one of the tribes of Israel. Stephanie Smith played the role of Mary and told a story each day about Jesus when he was a boy. The story would relate to the children and everything was Biblically sound. (Even the story of the birth of Jesus had the kings coming later - as the Bible actually teaches.) When we talked about the name of Jesus we showed the children what their names meant. That was an eye opening event for many of them. When we talked about Jesus having a home we related it to them having a home ... it was very effective.

Jeanie Hinds would lead them in singing some rousing songs. Then the "tribes" would go to the market place which was located at the Common Ground Ministry House just a block away. There some of our volunteers played the role of capenters, bread bakers, synagogue leaders, quarry men, bead makers, etc. Some were believers in Jesus, some had doubts. (Remember what was said about Jesus not performing may miracles in Nazareth because of their lack of belief? Matthew 13:57-58)

My wife, Jennifer, played "Eunice." Eunice was a busy body who didn't believe that Jesus was what Mary thought. I wasn't sure how the children would react to someone play acting that they had doubts. Jennifer must have been a good actress - one little girl came up repeatedly and tried to assure Jennifer that Jesus really was the son of God. Toward the end of the week Eunice became more convinced that Mary was right.

In the tribe "huddles" they would discuss Jesus and what some of the doubting neighbors or Nazareth shopkeepers said or those who had open minds. In defending their faith, even the younger children seemed to become more convicted of their beliefs. I am reminded of a youth congress we had years ago. I found that young perople were examining and defending their faith in school at a much earlier age than I imagined.

It was very successful. The dramatic increase in attendance attested to the popularity of the program. Of course, not every child was there every day. We are still going through our attendance lists - 120 young people were registered and we estimate that about 100 or more children attended at least one day of the vacation Bible school.

People ask, "Why do we do this?" I am sure every volunteer has their own reasons. We do it for four reasons:

We want to follow what Jesus taught and what Jesus did. Feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, caring for the poor, teaching the ways of life that turn us into a blessing to others and breaking the bondage and curses that come from sin are important to Jesus. Because they are important to him, they are important to us.
We want to follow the leading of the Spirit of God and this is what we think we should be doing.
We really, deeply, enjoy helping our neighbors and their children. Make no mistake - while there are many loveable neighbors, there are some that are not so loveable. But learning how to show them love in practical ways changes us. Showing them that God and Jesus are interested in their lives can help change them.
We want to learn how to become more effective in evangelism. Evangelism to us means connecting people to the real, authentic Jesus and our Father in heaven. If we are going to talk about the love of God, we think we should be showing the love of God. Camp Outreach has become a learning tool for us locally and for congregations across the country.

Thanks to all the volunteers and donors who helped make this year's Camp Outreach a success. With our growth, we feel that next year we plan to make changes. We've outgrown our local resources to manage everything that is being done so we are going to ask for help. With so many young people coming, we want to ask adults to do more in mentoring job skills (like how to paint properly, tape drywall, etc.), mentoring in life skills and in the faith, and jobsite management.

If you have comments or are interested in being a part of this effort, give me a call or shoot me an email.

Until later,

Guy

Guy Swenson
Common Ground Christian Ministries
gswenson@7words.com
317-707-5029

Camp Outreach Indianapolis Starts July 10 - 16!

2011-05-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

Update: July 3rd WISH TV Interview in "Religion In The News" about Camp Outreach and Common Ground Christian Ministries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goMH6ryOdw4

Six years ago my wife, Jennifer, overheard discussion about that year's church camp. One young person complained about not having air conditioning in their dorm. Another didn't like the games and activities - and so the conversation went.

It struck her that the "church camps" being discussed focused on a selfish experience. What would happen if we had a church camp that focused on serving others? From that perspective, Camp Outreach was born. It is a great place for young people to meet others who share a common faith in an environment of service.

Camp Outreach focuses on four things:

1. Putting faith into practice through service to the poor, the hungry, the widows, the fatherless and the elderly. Whether it is putting a new roof on a house, painting, repairing bathrooms, yard cleanup - we help those who have a legitimate physical need. Donations to Camp Outreach pay for the materials and the labor is volunteer, so we can offer these services without cost to those whom we serve.

2. It is a family experience. In addition to the Christian "family" experience of working together with other believers, Camp Outreach is organized so individuals or an entire family can participate. One family last year year saw the grandmother sewing costumes for the children's drama, dad oversaw a work project, mom helped in the kitchen and the kids worked on service projects. Parents with small children helped out in "First Outreach" and their kids were with them through the entire camp experience.

3. We teach people about God our Father and Jesus Christ. Our "First Outreach" program is essentially a Vacation Bible School for young people ages 4 - 12. In the poor neighborhood we serve, many children don't go to a church and know little about God and His love for them. Last year we served more than 60 children in the neighborhood and had more than 100 people from the neighborhood come to an outdoor Sabbath service on the last day of camp. We also teach appropriate ways to share your faith with people in the neighborhood, as the opportunity arises.

4. We have fun. While working together in service to others is fun, so is talking with others over dinner, playing cards, going swimming on our activity afternoon or enjoying lively discussion about faith and our purpose. Sometimes "religion" can be divisive - serving others in loving atmosphere is enjoyable, uniting and creates great relationships and memories.

Applications for Camp Outreach and the 2011 Indianapolis Camp Outreach Brochure are available at www.NTEvangelism.org under "Camp Outreach." The application deadline is June 15, 2011. Can't come, but would like to donate? See the "Donate" tab to the left. We appreciate your prayers and your support?

Hope to see you there!

Guy

Guy Swenson
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org
317-707-5026

Ministry News and a New Feast of Tabernacles Site!

2011-03-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

This Sabbath, March 19, at the Common Ground Ministry House, 331 Lynn Street, Indianapolis, there will be a breakfast and Bible Study at 8:30 AM.

Afterwards, Jennifer and I will travel to Terre Haute, where I will give the sermon at 2:30 PM at the Church of God, Terre Haute, 14th and Poplar.

We are so grateful to all of you for your love and support during the recent illness and death of Jennifer's brother, Jeff. It meant so much!

We also thought you might appreciate a little update about Common Ground Ministries and our activities, of late.

First Outreach for March was a big success, with 32 local children (plus a few of our own) participating. The children loved learning to “walk by faith” in the “A-mazing Faith” maze. Thanks to Brian Smith for teaching the lesson in Stephanie’s absence.

Creating Jobs: Activities in the neighborhood are putting us in touch with neighbors daily. Steve Durham has been hired by my company and is leading a daily work crew, making sure the men living in the Ministry House, as well as a few others, have work, training in values and work ethic. One member of his crew has just landed a full-time job, so the program is really working!

Discipling: Each Sabbath, neighbors have been gathering for a Bible Study. This week we began a regular Monday night Bible Study. Tuesdays Jennifer and I teach English as a Second Language, and at least one Tuesday night a month is a neighborhood association meeting. Thursday nights, Steve and I conduct a Bible-based recovery group for neighbors. These studies all emphasize basic truths that are really making a difference for those who are attending.

Camp Outreach: We’re also beginning to plan for Camp Outreach 2011. The First Outreach program this year will give the children a taste of what life was like during the time of Christ. We’re using a Vacation Bible School program called “Hometown Nazareth.” Working with the neighborhood children was a huge success last year.

New Feast Site: On another note, we’re excited to announce the Common Faith Network Feast of Tabernacles in Sandestin, Florida. Plans are for a doctrinally unified, family friendly, fellowship oriented, and spiritually rejuvenating festival environment for the Church of God. Learn more about it at the website:

http://www.commonfaithnetwork.com/

Common Faith Network is just that - a network of ministries, churches and individual Christians who share our common Christian faith and want to work together where pooling our efforts and resources makes good sense.

Our love to you all,

Guy and Jennifer Swenson
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org
317-707-5029

Blessings or Cursings?

2011-01-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

I am surprised at how many people do not understand the principle of cause and affect as it relates to what happens to them in their lives.

For them, really bad things happened all the time in their lives and they have no idea why. Bad things like angry blowups with a spouse, being fired from jobs, problems with neighbors, bills piling up, sicknesses and constant drama with their children seem to come out of the blue and sucker punch their happiness and drain them of joy.

Without understanding the impact of cause and effect, one might conclude that everything bad in life just happens randomly or that God is mad at you and was actively cursing your life. That feeling of helplessness or being a victim robs us of hope and the belief that we can do something that will make our lives better. Our hope for change is reduced to dumb luck - and how often does anyone win the lottery?

I wonder how much of this "cause and effect" deficiency stems from the common idea saying some behaviors are "right" and other behaviors are "wrong" means we are improperly judging the behavior of others. In a world of political correctness, one has to say "This is what works for me." One cannot say "This is what YOU should do."

In our neighborhood Bible Study last Sabbath we explored the idea that not everything that happens to us is the result of random time and chance. We covered four key concepts that turn us from victims in life without any control over our current and future circumstances into active participants in life whose actions can make a difference - and bring hope for positive changes in our lives.

First, we discussed the concept that some decisions we make bring curses to our neighbors and ourselves. For example, stealing someones stuff creates anger, distrust, frustration, fear and discouragement. When one doesn't have extra money to replace something essential that was stolen, hope is lost.

The actions of a thief make him a curse to others. The thief also suffers from a curse - with guilt, self-loathing, fear and anxiety at being caught or betrayed.

Second, we discussed the idea that God has given "short cuts" in the Bible to understand what makes us either a curse or a blessing to ourselves and our neighbors. Without this special revealed knowledge we are reduced to experimentation to discern what decisions work well and what work badly. Unfortunately, it is often hard to discern what decision is a good decision because a good choice can be smothered by curses brought by bad choices.

Without God's "shortcuts" to understanding, how can anyone know for certain what life choices work and which ones don't? Rather than stumbling on something that works, God wants us to be fully aware of how we can be a blessing to others. He also wants us to know what makes us a curse to our family, our neighbor and our community.

Third, we talked about what defines "cursed" life choices and what defines "blessed" life choices. Curses come from us sinning. But what is sin? Rather than some nebulous definition of "sin" like "something that hurts others" we explored the three definitions of sin in the New Testament:

1. Knowing to do good but not acting on it: James 4:17 "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

2. Acting against our conscience: Romans 14:23 "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

3. Breaking God's Laws: 1 John 3:4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

It is good that we can understand what actions make us a blessing to others (obedience to God and Jesus and doing what they say) and what actions make us a curse to ourselves and others (disobeying God, violating our conscience and not loving our neighbor.) With that understanding comes insight into why many curses come into our lives and how we can become a blessing to others.

Finally, we talked about one of the roles that Jesus plays in our lives - that of removing the curses that come from our disobedience. In Galatians 3:13 the apostle Paul says of Jesus: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” Our willingness to believe and repent of our sins and rebellion opens the door for Jesus to die and absorb the curse in our stead.

Jesus has taken the role of redeemer in the lives of those who enter into a new covenant with Him. We who were slaves to all manner of sin can be freed from the curse of our disobedience and fashioned into a new person by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Those in whom the Holy Spirit of God lives and who exercise their faith through obedience become a blessing to others just as Jesus is a blessing to us. This new outlook on life is different from a self-centered, selfish and greedy way of living.

Rather than seeking to be blessed as our goal, we seek to become a blessing to others as we have opportunity, ability and understanding. A community of believers who focus on being a blessing to each other and their neighbors, who look out for each other and "have each other's back" is something of great worth and value. One of our goals in Common Ground is to foster the creation of many of those communities.

Our community of believers has a breakfast Bible Study at our Ministry House on Sabbath, January 22 at 8:30 AM. The address is 331 Lynn Street, Indianapolis, IN 46222. You are welcome to attend! Dress is casual and breakfast will be served.

Guy

Guy Swenson
317-707-5029
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

First Neighborhood Bible Study Results

2010-10-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

So we had 11 people come for our first neighborhood Bible Study on Sabbath. Two people who had never attended from the neighborhood came as well as three who visited from other congregations for the first time. We covered the parable of the "prodigal son" - with an emphasis on both sons. (Luke 15) We used some concepts from the book, "The Prodigal God."

We explored how the sensually oriented younger son wanted control over his own destiny, even at the expense of others. After hitting rock bottom, he was also convinced the father could not accept him back. It was like he didn't think his father could forgive him for all the bad tings he had done with his life. He grossly misjudged his father's reaction - like some of us who think God could never forgive us either.

On the other hand, the morally compliant elder brother was cold, judgmental of his little brother and thought the father even owed him something for his years of service. Funny how he saw his life as "slaving" for his father (NIV - vs 29.)

He didn't see what was missing and his idea that his righteousness was established by being rigidly controlled by a sense of obligation. That attitude robbed him of his father's loving heart. He could not accept the father's judgment either - but from a very different perspective.

One can only imagine the arguing that must have gone on between those two boys when they were growing up. In the story, it was obvious that the elder brother still resented his "sinner" sibling.

It was also as though the younger son expected is father to treat him like the older brother wanted him treated. One wonders if the morally compliant elder brother expected the younger brother to "earn" his way back into the family.

In the first two verses of Luke 15 you see who the audience was: The sensually-oriented tax collectors and "sinners" and the morally "compliant" religious leaders (the Pharisees and teachers of the law.) In a real sense, both brothers had lost their way, though by very different means. Both needed to repent before they could go in and join the celebration.

Interesting how those polar opposite attitudes are still around today - churches, families, political parties - pretty much everywhere. It isn't so much an issue of "balance" between the two extremes. Rather, there is a "wholeness" that integrates both being "real" with God and accepting the moral obligations that come with forming a Christian covenant with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

God knows how bad we can be - and still loves us. He knows how easy it is to judge others and exalt ourselves - and still loves us too.

God understands how easy it is to become extreme - and wants us to be whole, complete and fulfilled as His sons and daughters. Both brothers needed to see a different side of their lives that was hidden to them by the sins of sensuality or self-righteousness. The better we understand and embrace the fundamentals of our relationship with God, the more mature, sound-minded and filled with a sense of purpose we become.

Until next time,

Guy Swenson
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

Camp Outreach a Success!

2010-07-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Twice as many volunteers as last year helped Camp Outreach - Indianapolis reach out to people in the Stringtown neighborhood. "Stringtown" is the first neighborhood west of downtown Indianapolis. The 1,200 households include a large number of young families and senior citizens who are wrestling with the impact of a very high unemployment rate, the pervasive use of drugs and a struggle to overcome years of neglect.

This year we painted homes, rehabbed two bathrooms, (one in an orphanage), rebuilt a porch, edged & cleaned out gutters, landscaped, repaired the foundation of a home, replaced screens and window glass and did flooring projects. We partnered with the Stringtown Neighborhood Association to collect junk that had been thrown into alleys and streets. The City of Indianapolis came and collected a huge amount of debris.

On Friday there was a event that caused concern - one of our young men was walking from a job site back to Ana's House (the local food pantry that has supported our efforts) and came upon two men beating and kicking a woman. He ran up to them yelling. As the attackers were backing into their car to get away, one of them leveled a gun at him. Our young man backed off as other neighbors came running out of their homes, one swinging a golf club. The attackers fled in their car. An ambulance and police came and attended to the woman.

We are both proud of this young man stepping up to defend a woman in need and sobered by the fact that evil is so rampant and with ministry, there can be some level of risk. I am reminded when Jesus talked of "the Good Samaritan" to describe what it means to love your neighbor in Luke 10, it was in the context of a robbery and a beating.

We also hosted a week long neighborhood vacation Bible school for kids - as many as 57 children came on a single day. That's twice what we had last year. We fed them (and other neighbors) breakfast and lunch. We had a Bible story, crafts, activities and they learned a song and a play about the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.

On Sabbath, we had a neighborhood celebration. More than 150 people - over a hundred from the neighborhood - came out in the heat and humidity for "church" outside. Common Ground's music team played worhship songs, we had special music, the children performed their play (with costumes!), sang their song and I gave a short message on being a "Covenant Christian."

Afterward we served hot dogs, nacho cheese, beans and drinks while the kids played games outside. It was a fun day celebrating the community-wide effort.

We have more than "adopted" the Stringtown neighborhood. We are a part of the community. Over the past 9 months we have been hired unemployed men from the neighborhood to rehab an old home in Stringtown to become a Common Ground Ministry House. It will serve as a meeting place and will host several men at a time who are looking to reboot their lives through honest labor in a drug and alcohol free and Christian environment.

Camp Outreach is about connecting people with the basics of ministry that we as Christians are taught do. Once again this year we saw the healing of the heart that takes place when Christians go out of their way to care for the sick, the hungry, the poor and those imprisoned and oppressed by sin.

Enjoy the pictures from the link below - they only tell a fraction of the good done by Christians sharing the love of God with their neighbors

Guy

Guy Swenson
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

Camp Outreach - Indianapolis 2010 Photos

Camp Outreach - a Mission in America

2010-06-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our first “Camp Outreach” of 2010 – a “mission” in America – is about a month away. As of today, 43 young people and families from all over the country are coming together to work in “Stringtown,” a very poor neighborhood on the near-west side of Indianapolis.

This year we have an abundance of work projects for widows, the elderly, the poor, the fatherless and orphans. We’re also working with the new local neighborhood association to engage people in the neighborhood to work alongside of us. Partly as a result of our efforts last year, there has been a huge growth in the willingness of the community to help each other.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Indianapolis Camp Outreach is our ministry to neighborhood children. We’ve been holding a monthly Sabbath “Kid’s Camp” in the neighborhood and have had as many as 40 local children attend with us. During Camp Outreach we will run an expanded version this activity from 9 AM to 2:45 PM where we teach children stories from the Bible, have crafts that relate to the values from the Bible stories, activities, music and food.

Food for the kids is important: we feed breakfast and lunch to neighborhood children during the summer because many of them rely on school breakfasts and lunches during the school year but have a skimpy diet during the summer. It is hard to believe that there are hungry children in America – but there are.

At the end of Camp Outreach, we are inviting the entire neighborhood for a Sabbath celebration of all the work accomplished. The neighborhood kids will perform a Bible-based play about “every day miracles,” the theme of the week. We will have worship music, some short messages and food.

For an undertaking of this size, we appreciate people and congregations to partner with us. Thank you for your prayers and support.

If you have people who want to come but have not sent in an application, go to www.CampOutreach.com and navigate to the form that is online. The deadline was June 1 – we can work some more in if we get the application right away.

If you want to sponsor someone or make a tax deductable donation, you can send it to Common Ground Christian Ministries, 7545 Rockville Road, Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46214.

Please keep praying for the success of our evangelism in Indianapolis – and for the change missions make in the people who minister to their neighbors in need.

Guy Swenson
Pastor, Common Ground Christian Ministries
317-707-5026
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

Moving Ahead

2010-05-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

It continues to amaze me how many opportunities there are for becoming more involved in our adopted neighborhood of "Stringtown."( Stringtown is the first of the near west Indianapolis neighborhoods just west of downtown and the zoo.)

Our April outreach to neighborhood children had about 30 kids. Every time we do this we connect with more kids and become better friends with others and their families. Some of the neighborhood mothers helped this time with the crafts. As more people from the community become involved it truly represents a neighborhood effort to connect children with God and Jesus.

We added something new: music. Haun Dau and I played our guitars and sang simple children's songs with the kids. Interestingly, many of our kids had never heard some of the most simple and common of Christian songs. Now they have and when we closed our little "service" together we all sang together. I know, you never knew that I could play the guitar. Remember, I said "simple" songs!

In April my wife, Jennifer, with Stephanie Smith, Jeff Parker, Haung Dau and I finished our first series of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for this year. We made some great friends and helping our Spanish-speaking neighbors learn English has been good for everyone. Now I need to learn SSL - Spanish as a Second Language! (Seriously, I need a good Web/computer Spanish language training package - anybody know a real good one?)

We're excited about Camp Outreach this year. At the Church of God (7th Day) ministerial conference I attended last week I was able to discuss what ministries their congregations were doing. Those congregations that were growing were heavily involved in ministries to the poor. With our friends at the Lord's Pantry and the new Stringtown Neighborhood Association we have more opportunities than ever in helping a poor neighborhood. In fact, I met the pastor of one of the Spanish-speaking COG7 congregations not too far from us and their young people may join us for Camp Outreach this summer. That may help us connect with a sizable part of the neighborhood in a much better way.

The Ministry House continues to progress. The plaster walls were all covered with sheet rock - now the big task is taping and mudding them in preparation for painting. What we have left is wall preparation, painting, putting in flooring (tile in the bathrooms and kitchen, laminate in the rest of the house), tiling one shower, kitchen cabinets, downstairs HVAC, the front porch, siding and landscaping. Sounds like a lot - and it is, but boy has there been a lot already done. It truly will be a great place for services, small group studies, education and helping a few neighborhood people at a time "reboot" their lives and get a fresh start.

Thanks to everyone who has been helping. If you'd like to get involved in our ministry or learn how to start an inner city ministry, join us for our "Camp Outreach." Some people can't get the whole week of July 11-17 off, so they are coming for a couple of days during the week or close to the weekend.

For years I was taught to focus on the intellectual side of our Christian faith. I can tell you that adding the practical, physical "loving your neighbor" aspect of a hands-on ministry has given new life to my beliefs, greater depth to my faith and excitement to my life. I'm not saying this as an advocate of being selfish here. Rather, I want to give credit to God for opening my eyes to see another side of His will. It never ceases to amaze me how much better my life and the lives of those around me are when I am more obedient to God.

If you are involved in a healthy ministry you already know what I mean. If you aren't, "dip your toe in the water" and see what God has in store for you. If we can help, give me a call or drop me a line.

Sincerely,

Guy

Guy Swenson
Pastor, Common Ground Christian Ministries
317-707-5026
gswenson@NTEvangelism.Org

India Mission Report

2010-04-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

This Sabbath we will be hearing a message from Brian Smith who has just returned from a mission trip to India.

A number of years ago Brian made contact with several Christian groups in predominantly Hindu areas. It has been facinating to hear Brian tell the story how these Christian leaders have taken into their care widows who were abandoned by their families.

In parts of India there appears to be a very different perspective about widows. Rather than receiving support, when a woman becomes a widow she is ostracized by her family. These Christian leaders have reached out to those widows (who are also of the Untouchable class) and provided them with food, shelter and are trying to establish work opportunities.

Brian has created "Kardias Ministries" (http://www.kardias.com/) to broaden support for Christians in India. Kardias is led by Brian and his wife, Stephanie, as one of the ministries sponsored and supported by Common Ground Christian Ministries.

You are welcome to listen with us to Brian's report at our meeting this Sabbath at 2:30 PM in the multipurpose room at the MTC offices. 7545 Rockville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214. Contact Guy Swenson at 317-313-1544 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Guy

Guy Swenson
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

The Holy Days of Jesus

2010-03-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when the apostles of Jesus were leading the church, they taught the disciples to stop their work and their labor on seven days of the year for special days of celebrating their relationship with God. These seven days are called "Holy Days" or "Annual Sabbaths." Together with the Passover, each of these days emphasize a special part of God's relationship with mankind and show, step by step, God's plan of salvation.

Passover begins at sundown tonight and starts this year's cycle of these very special "Holy Days." For the Christian, Passover has two deep meainings. First, it looks back to the time of God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt that culminated with the sacrifice of a lamb to shield each household from the death angel because of the lamb's blood on the sides and top of the door.

Second, with the sacrificial death of Jesus on this very day of Passover almost two thousand years ago, the life's blood of Jesus shed in His death shields those who have made a covenant with God from the "wages of sin" which is death and opens up eternal life as a gift from God through Jesus. (Romans 6:23) Each year we gather with other believers and follow the instructions Jesus gave to His disciples in John 13 to wash each other's feet and share broken unleavened bread and wine that remind us of the covenant we made with Jesus. (1Corinthians 11:23-33 and elsewhere.)

The Days of Unleavened Bread immediately follow the day of Passover. The seven days of Unleavened Bread begin with a Holy day and end with a Holy Day, or annual Sabbath observance. During these days we take all the leavening (like yeast and baking soda) and leavened food products out of our homes and avoid eating them.

Why do such an unusual thing for a week? First, because the Bible tells Christians to do so. The apostle Paul taught the Gentile and Jewish Christians in Corinth, Greece to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread. In his instructions to them he emphasizes the spiritual lessons that the observance of the Days of Unleavened Bread remind us of each year.

Paul writes, "Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

Through our covenant with Jesus, His death and sacrifice on Passover so many years ago, He removes the penalty of death, atones for our sin and grants us righteousness through faith before God. In a real sense, the sacrifice of Jesus has "deleavened" us before God.

As our part of our covenant, we promise to repent of our sin which is rebellion before God and renounce sin. While the sacrifice of Jesus and God's grace covers all the sins we have or will commit, obedience to God is something we promise to Him. Putting leaven out of our homes and lives for seven days is also a physical reminder of the challenge we have taken upon ourselves to love God and our neighbors. Sinning against God, ourselves or our neighbors is not showing love, but rather selfishness, malice and wickedness.

As Christians, we are called to learn to do better and covenant, or promise to God, to work each day to put malice, wickedness and sin out of our lives. God knows how effective a physical reminder can be to teach those lessons and gives every Christian the opportunity to benefit by living for a week without leaven.

You are invited to join us in following what Jesus did, His disciples did and what the apostle Paul taught the New Testament church to do and put leaven out of your homes and avoid eating leavened food from Monday night, March 29 at sundown until sundown on Monday night, April 5th.

We will be meeting at our regular location on Tuesday afternoon for our Holy Day assembly and Sabbath services. The last Holy Day we will be combining with some of our friends in Cincinnati and celebrating these wonderful days of hope with them.

Guy

Guy Swenson
Common Ground Christian Ministries
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org
317-707-5026

43 Kids - What a Great Way to Spend the Sabbath

2010-03-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Good weather and Goliath sure brought the kids out to our monthly "Kid's Camp" at Anna's House in Indianapolis this past Sabbath. We've never had so many kids come and so many adults helping out. I am amazed how the kids just "eat up" the chance to hear basic stories and Godly lessons from the Bible.

The kid's crafts this time included painting styrofoam balls ("smooth stones"), a felt shepherd's pouch, a shield for their heart and trying to hit a Goliath picture with a little slingshot. (I know David didn't use a slingshot, but give me a break - can you imagine kids swinging a real shepherds sling in a closed room?)

We had several families bring their children for the first time. We're also starting to see kid's with disabilities come. It takes more staff to handle children with special needs, but boy do the kids enjoy their time together with others. For the past several months, Brian and Carrie O'Rourke have been driving 2 1/2 hours one-way to be with us. They and their four young adults have been a big help, as have Jeff and Julie Parker and their family and our local members.

We also were visited by the pastor and youth pastor from the Brownsburg/Chapel West Seventh Day Adventist congregations. Pastor Steve Manoukian is from Lebanon and he ran some children's ministries in Beirut. We have a number of common interests, including minstries and evangelism.

Finally, our Ministry House is coming along. We're redoing the porch. The old porch didn't have a good foundation and had bowed the wall of the house out. We're getting close to the final "buttoning up" of the inside, laying laminate flooring, putting in kitchen cabinets (to be donated from the Cabinet Barn in Shelbyville) and drywall taping/painting. We've also started raising funds for the siding. One of the neighbors has moved in to keep watch on the house - we appreciate people looking out for us in the neighborhood.

Enjoy the pictures from our Kid's Camp and the house updates.

Guy Swenson
Common Ground Christian Ministries
317-707-5026
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

Ministry House - a New Front Porch In Progress - There Will Be a Gabled End Built

English as a Second Language for the Neighborhood

2010-03-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Julie Malloy from the Lord's Pantry came upstairs and was crying. She wasn't mad or frustrated. She was hearing my wife Jennifer leading an ESL class and our Spanish speaking immigrant neighbors speaking English. It was a long time dream of hers that was happening.

Some months ago Julie had shared her desire with us to see English teaching offered to the immigrants in the neighborhood. Not knowing English was an obstacle to work, shopping and becoming a more integral part of the neighborhood. We had also seen the same need.

My wife, Jennifer has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in West Virginia and in Brownsburg, Indiana. There are now two ESL classes being taught in the neighborhood - an afternoon class of about 15 that Jennifer leads and a second class of about 21 led by a Butler University professor and his students on Thursday evening.

Stephanie Smith, Jeff Parker and I help out in Jennifer's class. We've gotten to know some wonderful people from the neighborhood who really appreciate someone helping them develop better English language skills. I'm including some pictures from the ESL classes.

Next Sabbath is our monthly "Kid's Camp" with the neighborhood children. We're looking forward to seeing the kids - "David and Goliath" is on tap!

Finally, we've gotten the last of the bulk orders from congregations for the booklet "If God So Loved the World, Why Are So Many People Going to Hell?" We will be sending it to the printer and look forward to distributing it.

Guy Swenson,

Common Ground Christian Ministries.

gswenson@NTEvangelism.org

317-707-5026

Burglars Break Into Common Ground Ministry House, But Maybe God Has a Sense of Humor

2010-02-26T18:22:00.000-08:00

I got a call Tuesday morning from Troy. The Common Ground ministry house our ministries are rehabbing was burglarized. The police had been called - I jumped into the van and drove downtown to see what had happened. Little did I know that this would turn into a funny morning.

It wasn't funny that the burglars had broken the kitchen window, crawled in and stole ladders, tools, some building supplies and did some vandalism. We lost $500-$600 worth of materials. I had been assembling the components for a burglar alarm - just didn't get it all together in time.

One of our neighbors had scared of some burglars from the house next door on Monday, so Troy took most of his tools out that evening. Saved us big time from having a much bigger loss.

The funny part was what happened to one of the burglars.

I went into the house, looked around and saw a bunch of insulation on the floor. Looking up, I saw this:

As part of the rehabbing we are leveling the floors upstairs. Part of the process is to pull the floor boards. We had put insulation between the joists - like this:

The burglars were going from room to room looking for things to steal - and stepped into this one, perhaps thinking there was a gray carpet. The first step was onto that piece of plywood, the second was to a floor joist - and then he slid off as one foot went to the right of the joist and the other went to the left of the joist.

One can only imagine the look on the burglar's face as he fell through the floor, only to be stopped by the floor joist between his legs. We think the third hole came as he was struggling to get out of his predicament.

We figure he got pretty mad and limped into the next room - and kicked what looked like a sheetrock wall. However, we had put sheetrock over a lath and plaster wall - a lot like kicking a concrete wall.

We aren't discouraged. There is a price to pay for anything that is worthwhile doing, including working in a poor neighborhood. We love the people, but there are some whose drug addictions and wickedness cause them to wreck havoc and prey on the poor. A few druggies can steal from so many people that they create a crime wave.

For those of you who are Christians, please pray for our success. We're buying new ladders and tools, fixing the damage and replacing the stolen building materials. So many of our new friends in the neighborhood have had things stolen from them - one of them joked with me saying "Welcome to the neighborhood!"

We're focusing on making something good out of this. The previous week we had our first meeting to begin a neighborhood association. During the meeting it was said that people in this neighborhood haven't established an effective neighborhood crime watch because they feel the police treat those reporting crimes as potential criminals themselves. I hope a neighborhood association can come together so we can begin breaking down some of those walls and start "community" policing practices.

We now can speak as a neighbor who has also suffered from thieves.

It still strikes me as funny when a burglar falls through a floor - and ends up straddling a floor joist. I don't know if God had any direct part of it, but there is humor when somebody stealing from a ministry house ends up paying an immediate price for his wicked action.

Let's see what happens next...

Guy Swenson
Pastor
gwenson@NTEvangelism.org
317-707-5026

PS: Services this week - same time, same place!

Mission Indianapolis

2010-02-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

I wish I could tell you all the neat things happening because of our mission to serve the poor, elderly, fatherless and widows in our own "back yard." I can't tell you everything because I want to respect the privacy of others.

But it is facinating to watch God's hand at work in people's lives. Spending time each week in the neighborhood has opened my eyes to see more need, more opportunity and more of how God is at work.

Our congregation is working in other ways too. This Sabbath we are hosting our monthly "Kids Camp" at Anna's House. We use this time to teach basic Bible stories to the kids and lessons that God wants us to learn. Last month it was Noah and obedience - this Sabbath it is faith and Joshua.

If you have wanted to become a better servant of God, consider how you can serve the poor. For us, we began by working with other groups that already had connections with the poor. From that beginning we have followed opportunities and looked for the leading of God's Holy Spirit.

You won't regret the time you spend and the things you will discover about God, your neighbors and yourself.

One more thing: This past weekend we helped the Cincinnati Church of God by hosting the President's Day Young Adults Retreat. The setting was the Jameson Camp, located just minutes from the Indianapolis Airport.

About 70 people spent a great weekend together with social time, great food, church services, learning and sharing opportunities and just plain fun. We appreciate Jim O'Brien and the Cincinnati Church of God for their leadership in creating opportunities like this.

Guy Swenson
gswenson@NTEvangelism.org
317-707-5026

Funny How Focusing On Ministry Works Out

2010-02-05T23:05:00.000-08:00

Funny how focusing on ministry works out.

Common Ground is rehabbing an old home to be used as transitional housing and for church activities in a near-westide neighborhood in Indianapolis. On Thursday we got a helping hand from two companies. Pete Malloy from Jobsite Supply in Indianaapolis knew we've been doing a whole-house rehab on a shoe-string budget and contacted Tim Kenworthy from Fomo Products. Tim sent a team the 240 miles from Norton, OH to demonstrate the ability of their low-pressure foam system to seal a house from heat-robbing air infiltration for a weatherization class that was invited to observe.

It was a blessing to have the house sealed like this before we did the rest of the insulation. But things didn't work out the way I expected.

When I arrived at the house not all the prep work was done. Not a big problem - but my friend Troy, whose volunteer ministry helping the poor helped get us started in the neighborhood, wasn't focusing on getting it done.

Instead, a woman who was attending the weatherization class was talking to him and Troy was telling her about his throat cancer treatments, how his health crisis woke him up, he stopped being a drug dealer and what he was doing to help build up the neighborhood that he had been destroying. In my mind I was thinking "Troy, that is good but we've got to open up the floor downstairs so they can spray the foam on the joists and sill plates." I didn't say anything - I figured that we would lose a few minutes with Troy not focusing on the prep, but we would still get the final prep work downstairs finished while the upstairs was being sealed.

A few minutes later this woman came up to me and asked "Why did Troy tell me that story?" I mumbled something about, "Well, that is Troy." (I love Troy - he is completely upfront with people and under his crusty exterior he has a real gift of empathy.) Another few minutes and this lady dashes downstairs. Then Troy goes downstairs.

A few more minutes go by and the foam application demonstration upstairs is continuing. (They sealed the house up tight as a drum.) But I don't hear the sound of saws downstairs, so I go downstairs to see if there is a problem.

Troy is there with the woman and her husband. They've been crying together. Turns out the woman had had surgery in her neck for cancer. Troy talking about his cancer and how he is dealing with it caught her totally off guard and gave voice to deep-seated concerns she had. She wasn't sure how much to give to God and what she should be doing. Then they shared with me how they were supporting a 29 bed drug addiction rehabilitation home in Richmond, IN as a ministry and valued greatly what we were doing. We're looking forward to getting to know them better.

Then Tim from Fomo Products came to review the project and we talked. He loves ministry work. He had gone to New Orleans after Katrina to work on homes. We compared notes about Katrina relief - Common Ground had organized a Katrina relief project in Pascagoula, MS to help. Tim was thrilled that this project was helping a ministry.

While we were talking, the man applying the foam (also named Tim) pulled off his mask and told us about his best friend who lives south of Indianapolis and owns an appliance repair business. He said he was going to call his friend and see about getting some appliances donated.

When I am in my "driver" mode I focus on getting things done. Looking at the series of events on Thursday morning, for those familiar with the story in Luke 10, call me "Mr. Martha." You see, Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping serve the crowd at the house where Jesus was teaching. Jesus helped Martha realize that there was a higher set of priorities - and listening to Jesus was a higher priority.

Now friends, don't call Troy "Mr. Mary." He won't understand and will probably let you know in colorful terms where you might be heading in the afterlife. (As in "Go to ____") But a little later, Troy told me that talking to this woman about her needs was more important than getting the insulation done.

You know, Troy was right about what was important. That morning, I think Troy was listening to Jesus. As it turned out, it wasn't and either/or situation. We could listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and get the house sealed.

What was remarkable to me was that "by accident" I made 4 new friends who are interested in helping the poor, those imprisoned with addictions and sharing blessings with others.

It wasn't "by accident." When I focus on ministry - works of service - God connects me with more people in a different way. A few years ago I didn't know how to engage in this kind of ministry. Being open to opportunities and saying "yes" to some of them has given God the means to teach me.

It's kind of funny how focusing on ministry works out.

Guy

******

On a "Martha" note, this week we are having Sabbath services at 2:30 PM at the MTC office. Next week we are helping the Cincinnati Church of God host the President's Day Young Adults Retreat here in Indianapolis. Our services will be combined with the retreat. Call Common Ground at 317-707-5026 if you have any questions or interest.

Guy Swenson
guy@cg-cm.org

Kid's Camp, Our Next Sabbath and Did You See the Booklet?

2010-01-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

Ministry:
What a great day! We had 28 neighborhood kids plus 24 helpers and their kids for a total of 52 at our Kids Camp on Sabbath. Noah was the topic this time - a "super" hero of the Bible. You'll see kids having a good time in the pictures below.

This children's ministry focuses on helping young children to learn the basics about the Bible and to introduce them to God and Jesus Christ. We tell stories about the key people and events while relating values and life lessons.

Many of these kids are like little sponges. For some, it is the only place they learn about what it means to be a Christian.

Church Services:
Sabbath, January 23rd, we will be meeting at our normal location, the MTC office at 7545 Rockville Road - at 2:30 PM.

Booklet:
Did you notice the booklet link on the front page? "If God So Loved the World ... Why Are So Many People Going to Hell? It challenges some traditions and shares the story of the real hope that comes from understanding clear Bible teachings about God's plan of salvation.

Several congregations are pitching in together to order a bunch to be printed on February 1st. Read the download and if your congregation is interested in getting bulk copies for discipling or evangelism, email me or Jim O'Brien (jimobri@gmail.com) before then. The donation needed is $2.00 per booklet - if we get a big order and the costs per booklet are lower, your congregation will get more more copies for the donation made.

Have a great week!

Guy

Guy Swenson
317-707-5026
guy@cg-cm.org

Pictures from Kid's Camp:

Local Kids - and Haiti

2010-01-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

This is a good news/bad news message. The good news is that we have our monthly "Kid's Camp" for neighborhood kids at Ana's House this Sabbath. We're starting a "Super Hero's of the Bible" series. Noah is the first one. 25-39 kids come each time - it is a lot of fun. Jennifer and I helped serve dinner in "the neighborhood" this week. Both of us were encouraging the kids eating dinner to come. Most didn't need any encouragement. One little fellow kept giving me "high fives" - he was so excited about "Kid's Camp."

Now the bad news: Haiti. One family that helps us with Kid's Camp each month went to Haiti last year on a mission. One of the ladies on that mission (Karen Lydick) went back and is in Haiti now.

Let me copy a letter they passed on to us from the mission agency. It is touching and if you are looking for a place to send some financial help, this could be a good spot.

January 13, 2010

Dear Friends,

Gretchen sent us an update from Haiti early this morning:

Hi Everyone,

We did not get any sleep last night. We had a second quake that occurred about midnight and then tremors every 10 minutes all night long. Most of the women are afraid to sleep in the building so they brought mattresses and couches out and slept on the ground.

The grounds are packed with Haitian people and Pastor Rabrun came and got me about 1 a.m. because of a woman having a baby and I don't know anything about birthing babies so they sent for someone to help deliver her but then a man and woman came to me and said their little boy's arm was cut off in their home when the wall collapsed. He is 18 months old and all he had of a right arm was a stub above the elbow. I had to dress it and use duct tape for a pressure bandage as that is all we have and then I gave him some sleeping medicine I don't know how he is this morning. I hope he didn't die like the other one whose body is wrapped in a shroud and is laying in the hut! That precious little boy had his leg slit wide open and lost too much blood before he got here. The mother is here on the grounds somewhere.

We don't have supplies to treat all the people here...they are coming here in large numbers with broken limbs and severe wounds. The Grand Goave Hospital collapsed too.

If the U.N. or someone can drop us some supplies we can begin working in clinic but since we are not typically a critical or urgent care center we don't do much trauma work and have little supplies. So please see what you can do to get us some things.

We are going to try to get the school kitchen cleaned up and begin feeding the people of the community but many of our Haitian staff spent the night here last night due to damage of their homes and fear of them collapsing. Most of the school classrooms are gone! One truss has come down in the church. We have about 1 container full of KAH food here and 2 in customs. So we have to try to begin feeding people.

Peggy Wilson was able to walk out to the yard to sleep on a mattress because she didn't want to stay in the dining hall due to tremors. So she apparently is a bit better. But still needs care that we can't get for her since the roads are impassable.

A pipe broke in my bathroom here and it broke off right at the wall so we have no water in our mission house. And the water coming out of the pipes in the dorm is infiltrated and coming our brown so I don't know how long it will be before Bobby can track that down and get it fixed.

Erma, Christi, Karen Lydick and I slept in the 2004 red Ford cab last night because again, our house shakes really bad and many things broke in the quakes. We still have electric but as I said, no water right now.

We still don't have cell service so we can't do much to find out how the kids are at our orphanage and I can't contact Firmin to see if it's possible to send containers in and bypass the usual customs clearance process like we did in the fall of 2008. I'll let you know if we get news on this.

More later! And keep us in your prayers. (End of the letter)

Please continue to keep the Haitians, women's team, staff and situation in your prayers. Specifically, keep the Children's Home in your prayers. The Home, which cares for 90 children and adults, is located in Port au Prince and we have not been able to contact them.

We are continuing to assess the situation in Haiti and will keep you updated on how you can help. Please visit Lifeline's website - www.Lifeline.org - for updates and pictures from Gretchen.

Thank you and God bless,

Bob DeVoe
Lifeline Christian Mission
www.Lifeline.org
614-794-0108

Traveling Sabbath

2010-01-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

This Sabbath will be a traveling week for our congregation. Jennifer and I will be visiting with congregations in Brownsburg and Cincinnati. No local services will be held on January 9th.

Next Sabbath, January 16th, we will be conducting our children's ministry "Kid's Camp" at the Lord's Pantry at Ana's House. From 2:30 - 5:00 PM we will be sharing a story on a Bible "hero," crafts and a snack. This is the first chance some of these kids get to hear about God, Jesus and the good news in the Bible.

Guy

Guy Swenson
317-707-5026
guy@cg-cm.org

Including God In Our Plans For 2010

2009-12-31T10:10:00.000-08:00

Years ago I was told "If you fail to plan you plan to fail." From the perspective of getting something done successfully, planning is important. The bigger the project, the greater the task of planning.

But deciding what we are planning to do is perhaps more important. Some of the best advice I ever received was "Do the right thing." Now that advice covers a lot of "how" I should behave - it also touches on "what" I should do.

What are the "right things" that we should do in 2010?

There is a part of me that is a "driver." You know, "Lead, follow or get out of the way!" That part of me was from the old school of "There are those who make things happen, there are those who watch things happen and there are those who wonder what happened."

Notice that it sounds like a lot of "me" "making" "things happen?" That driver approach grates on others who wait for God to show them what things "He wants" to "happen." They have a point. The apostle James writes:

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."(James 4:13-17, NIV)

Probably there are some who go to the other extreme and sit on their hands unless God yells at them to do something. That has not usually been my problem. Three lessons for me from this passage of James are:

1. It works best when I am listening and looking for God's leading me to do what He wants done.

2. What God wants is sometimes revealed by just "doing the right thing" or as James said, "knows the good he ought to do." Funny, but the more I do the right thing, the more opportunities seem to emerge.

3. James doesn't diss those who are "drivers" or "planners" or, as some might view them, "control freaks" - as long as we are submitting to God, not just seeking our own wills or becoming proud and boastful about our plans and goals.

I used to work with a pastor who had a great sense of timing. I remember discussing with him a problem that was emerging and often he would say, "Let's pray about that and ask God to make it clear what we should do."

Generally a week or two later something would happen that enabled us to address the issue in a way that could bring resolution. It seems to me that James is saying that working with and for the Lord takes both the willingness to listen and to act.

I am excited about 2010. We are becoming engaged with feeding, clothing, housing, visiting, equipping and even getting jobs for the poor. We learning how to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people. We have been working with a great group of people to sponsor and support activities that give young people and families the chance to network and build friendships outside of their local congregations. We're printing and getting ready for Web distribution the first of a series of booklets that congregations can use for discipling and evangelism.

God willing, we will have a great experience in 2010 following the lead of Jesus Christ and making things happen that God wants done.
Thanks to so many of you who have opened doors for us, created opportunities, provided financial support for the outreach to our community and shared your gifts and talents by working along side of us.

Guy

Guy Swenson - guy@cg-cm.org or 317-707-5026

Connecting Kids to Christ

2009-12-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest joys each month is doing our kid's camp in "the neighborhood." We work in a poor neighborhood nicknamed "Stringtown" near downtown Indianapolis that our congregation adopted this past summer our congregation during our annual "Camp Outreach."

This past Sabbath we had 42 people - 29 kids and 13 adults - experience the Biblical account of the last two days of creation in story, crafts and activities. For many, our kid's camp is their first encounter with God, Jesus and the Bible. For others, their parents appreciate the chance to reinforce sound teaching with their children in a loving environment.

One mother whose kids attended our "First Outreach" during the summer just heard about our monthly kid's camp. She loved the experience then and not only did she bring her 5 year old daughter, she brought her 2 year old son and she stayed for the whole time.

Next month we begin a new series on "Super" Heroes of the Bible. We are learning how to connect with these children and families. It has become an enriching experience for all of us.

Guy Swenson
guy@cg-cm.org

Turning a Blessing Into Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T09:12:00.001-08:00

Most who read this know that our little congregation helps out in an inner city neighborhood. One of the men we work with lives in a home he inherited from his father. He has been marginally employed for years and his house has slowly fallen into disrepair. He has volunteered his trade skills in helping others in the neighborhood, so when we heard that his toilet bowl was broken, and had been for a long time, we bought one and gave it to him.

It cost about $60. Then for a couple of days my friend didn't show up for work projects. It was like he disappeared.

What he was doing was fixing the bathroom, cleaning up his house and for the first time in years, my friend hosted Thanksgiving at his house for his sister and family. They brought the food - he provided the place.

Having a pretty much busted toilet was something he could tolerate, but he was ashamed to have his family over.

Ever notice how one little thing after another can add up and can become overwhelming? Sometimes receiving a little blessing ignites hope - and a little hope shines brightly in a darkened world.

In this case, a little blessing turned into Thanksgiving.

Children's Ministry This Week

2009-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

On Sabbath, November 21 we will be conducting our monthly children's ministry at Ana's House (The Lord's Pantry), 303 N. Elder Street, Indianapolis, IN. Setup is at 1:00 PM and the kids will be there from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM.

In September we had 26 children attend and last month we had 39 kids come. We're going through the days of creation and it is a lot of fun to see young minds beginning to learn about the loving Father in Heaven and Jesus His Son. Many of these children have had no experience with the Bible.

Call or email if you need more information!

Guy Swenson
guy@cg-cm.org
317-707-5026

2009-10-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

We have had a busy week and are looking forward to the Sabbath. From the beginning, God intended for His people to focus both on work and take time to rest. We participate in the Sabbath when we cease from our labors - and take time to enjoy our family, our friends and share time together focusing on God our Father and Jesus Christ.

We will be meeting at the MTC office location at 2:30 PM on October 31. This week we're exploring the experience of doing good for others - and having them kick you in the teeth. It is a challenging experience about which the Apostle Peter had something to say.

Guy Swenson

317-707-5026 or guy@cg-cm.org

Traveling Sabbath

2009-10-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

This Sabbath, October 24, members of our congregation are visiting sister churches and those of other denominations. No Common Ground services will be held in Indianapolis this week.

Over the next several weeks will be preparing for our next "Kids Camp" outreach, scheduled on 11/19. Last time we had 39 kids from the westside neighborhood. If you are looking for a ministry opportunity with children, contact Keri Seelig at keris@7words.com or 317-707-5026.

Guy Swenson

Mission to Children in Indianapolis

2009-10-14T19:45:00.001-07:00

We've returned from our annual church festival celebrating the prospect of the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and the time pictured in Ezekiel 37 of all people who never knew of Jesus being resurrected and given the opportunity to become a servant of God.

This Sabbath, October 17th, our local congregation will have its meeting at the Lord's Pantry at Anna's House in Indianapolis. We will be working with neighborhood children with our "First Outreach" program. We really enjoy spending time with these fine young people.

We've also been in touch with Lemuel Vega, who has a remarkable prison ministry. Through a pastoral friend with the Seventh Day Adventists, I was invited to work with Lemuel at the Plainfield, IN correctional facility this summer. We preached to about 1,000 offendors over a period of three days. Remembering prisoners and helping them to find the way to become free in Christ is something that Jesus preached. Lemuel has a need for financial support and participation in his meetings with prisoners. Contact me if you have an interest in Lemuel's ministry.

For more information, contact me at 317-707-5026 or guy@cg-cm.org

Guy Swenson

2009-09-22T07:08:00.001-07:00

We are into the fall festival season. Our local group will enjoy our Sabbath study, songs and snacks at 2:30 PM on September 26th at the MTC office, 7545 Rockville Road. We celebrate the Day of Atonement on Monday, September 28th. Services will be held at the same location at 2:30 PM.

Why observe the Holy Days? Jesus, the apostles and the New Testament Church of God observed these days as reminders of God's plan of offering salvation to the entire world and bringing lasting peace to the nations. For Christians, each Holy Day has a special meaning, beginning with the Passover depicting Jesus as the Lamb of God. With the exception of Pentecost, institutional Christianity has lost the meaning of these days and the blessing we receive by observing them.

What has replaced the Holy Days that God revealed and Jesus observed? Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, days venerating saints and even Halloween have become the center of "Christian" holy day/holiday observances. In doing so, they have eclipsed some of the hope, meaning and values that Jesus wants to share with His disciples.

Jesus and the New Testament apostles used the Holy Days to give hope and direction to the disciples. You are invited to join us in celebrating that same hope!

Guy Swenson

Reaching Kids in Our Community

2009-09-13T06:06:00.001-07:00

Our children's outreach on September 12 went remarkably well. About 30 children and parents from the community came. The sign posted at Anna's House was "Camp Outreach Is Back!" In our 2009 Camp Outreach we added "First Outreach" for the children of families who came to work and the neighborhood children.

Most of the neighborhood children don't know the basic Bible stories and values. We are investing one Sabbath afternoon a month with them. Julie Malloy from the Lord's Pantry at Anna's House has been enormously supportive. Reaching a new generation with the Good News of Jesus Christ and the hope of the Kingdom of God is important to us as a congregation.

Julie told us that kids were showing up at 9 AM asking if it was time for Camp Outreach.

Our next outreach is October 17 at 2:30 PM. Some pictures follow.

We are now entering the fall Holy Day season. Many Christians have never experienced the joy Jesus and the apostles shared on the Holy Days. These annual festivals mark major milestones in God's plan of salvation. Beginning with Jesus as our Passover we are reminded each year of our Father in Heaven's grace extended to us personally and ultimately how God will bring eternal life to all those who will submit to Him. The next Holy Day is the Feast of Trumpets on September 19th. Our congregation will be joining a sister church in Cincinnati for services.

If you want to contact Common Ground Christian Ministries, call 317-707-5026 or email Guy Swenson at guy@cg-cm.org.

Camp Outreach and Our New "First Outreach"

2009-08-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

This week, September 5th, we are traveling and will not be hosting church services in Indianapolis.

On September 12th we will be hosting an outreach service at the Lord's Pantry, 303 N. Elder Street at 3 PM. In this day of ministry we have invited the neighborhood children to a reprise of our "First Outreach" ministry we conducted in their neighborhood during Camp Outreach.

Following the young people's service we will share a snacks with the children and their families.

Contact us at 317-707-5026 for more information or by email at guy@cg-cm.org.

Some pictures from this year's "Camp Outreach" we'd like to share: