COMMON GRACE: Connecting Supporting & Mobilizing Churches to Effectively Reach their Communities

September 2009 Newsletter

The next five posts make up our current newsletter. Please read them all!

-Common Grace Update

-Neighborhood Ministry

-Guatemala Vision Trip

-Prayer Requests

-How to Support Us
(Our little gardners, Alecia and Justis are shown above!)

COMMON GRACE UPDATE

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16)

Common Grace assists ministries in their work to cooperate with each other and reach the urban community. In order for each part of the body to be effective, all parts need to work together, be equipped and value each other’s gifts.

In order to accomplish this, Common Grace connects, supports and mobilizes church and community leaders as they seek to spread the gospel and address the needs of their communities.

Here are a few activities being carried out by Common Grace:

-Esperanza USA has contracted CG to assist 10 nonprofits in their Hispanic Capacity Program. CG will use their demographics program to help each nonprofit understand their community better.

-CG is leading a missional discussion with seven local ministry leaders who are learning how to reach the least, last and lost and how to be more relevant in their communities.

-Nes continues to work with other youth ministry leaders to facilitate ONE youth rallies leading up to the fall retreat at Camp Andrews in October.

-Nes is presenting CG’s work to ministries and preaching in various churches when invited.

-Through CG, Nes will assist the Timoteo Flag Football League in its restructuring throughout the next year.

-Reload youth leader training through Urban Youth Workers Institute will be facilitated in 2010, possibly partnering with Eastern University.

-The Free Church of St. John in West Kensington has contracted Nes to assist in youth ministry development.

Neighborhood Ministry

Nes is the new block captain! We are excited about partnering with our neighbor, Dessia, who is working with Nes as co-captain. Nes grew up with Dessia on the block. She has come a long way from her past of struggling with addiction. She went back to school, got a security job and is supporting her three children under the age of 6. We praise God for what He has done in her life and pray that she will recognize that He did it. At this point, she has not given her life to Christ, but we continue to pray for her.

We had our first block meeting this summer and sponsored a couple of block parties. We are educating folks on resources that are available and encouraging people to keep the sidewalks clean and recycle.

Raul, Matt and Damon are shown in the picture at our Labor Day party.

We praise God for the blessings on our block: three gardens cared for by various block members, friends for our children, more interest in keeping our block clean and Dessia’s excitement about serving her community.

We hope to do more with our garden next year by expanding it into a neighbor’s lot. We also hope to get more people involved in its care. In addition, we are looking for a way to re-cement the entire block’s sidewalk and curb which is badly cracked and crumbling. We are looking for anyone who would have the ability to help us make this happen. The city will not do it because they say it is the property owners' responsibility.

Like Nehemiah, we seek to rebuild and restore our neighborhood which has long been in a state of disrepair. Pray that our witness to Christ would be strengthened by the tangible love we show our neighborhood.

Guatemala Vision Trip

Thank you to all who prayed or contributed money for our trip. The Lord provided just what we needed and we were able to share resources with ministries down there as well.

The best part about our trip was developing a relationship with a church called Nueva Jerusalen (New Jerusalem). It is exciting to be able to see God at work in a different place and in a different culture. We spent a lot of time with William and his wife Karen who are the youth pastor and the director of their Christian school. William is shown with Dana, Anna and Bell (two young adults from Bethel Temple).

Nueva Jerusalen’s neighborhood reminded us of ours in many ways. Kids often played soccer in the alleyway by our house. Soccer is a staple, but they were excited about trying our football!

While we were there, we also participated in building a house for a church family and teaching the teens flag football.

Prayer Requests

-For a decision on how to funnel our support and receive accountability.

-For a local church facing closure. Nes was set to help them build up their youth ministry, but now the church struggling to stay open.

-Nes will begin seminary in February with Biblical Seminary.