Camp Outreach 2022

We were unable to secure the dormitory housing for Camp Outreach in 2022. We know how disappointing this is - we feel disappointed as well. Every year at Camp Outreach we also had people from the community who volunteered their time, effort and energy to help rehab homes in the Near West communities. We are exploring doing a scaled down outreach with neighborhood volunteers. The need is still there - we would like to do what we can to help the fatherless, widows, single moms, seniors and those in need. 

Camp Outreach 2020 Announcement

Since 2005, Camp Outreach has brought caring people from around the country together to repair homes for elderly and families in need and to provide Biblical teaching for inner city children. We have helped hundreds of families in need, but it could be true that camp volunteers who give a week of their lives in service probably benefit most of all!

Camp is a very good thing.

With COVID19 infection rates varying from all the different states from which participants come, the fact that a number of our camp leaders are in the high at-risk groups, and with the very close quarters inherent in camp life, Common Ground Christian Ministries reluctantly announces that Camp Outreach will not be held this year.

Those who have submitted checks with their applications will have their checks returned or refunded.

2019 In Review

What a wonderful year! One of the highlights was Camp Outreach. This year we had about 90 volunteers arrive in Indiana to spend a week rehabbing homes for seniors and those in need, feeding the community and teaching children about Jesus.

We worked on twenty properties, including painting two homes, repairing sidewalks, roof repairs, neighborhood cleanup. When your roof leaks with every rainstorm, you really appreciate getting help.

Everyday we offered breakfast to the community, fed our workers and the 43 children we taught in our Vacation Bible School. That is an exciting experience - we would sing together, do crafts, and tell stories about how God helped Daniel in Babylon.

Camp Outreach in 2020 is July 12-18!

The Common Faith Network Feast of Tabernacles in Ft. Walton Beach, FL was another high point. We helped organize the children’s program (Paul in Athens), the tween, and the teen programs. About 200 of those attending the  festival at under the age of 19, and we love helping our youth leaders create opportunities that are fun, exciting, and connect our young people with God our Father, Jesus and each other.

Thank you for your interest, support and prayers.

All the best,

Guy and Jennifer Swenson

Camp Outreach 2019 - July 7-13!

Camp Outreach registration is now open. Join us for a week of feeding the hungry, teaching children about Jesus and the Christian Faith, and rehabbing homes for seniors, single moms and others in a poor neighborhood of Indianapolis. 

Register now for Camp Outreach 2019 by clicking: 

http://www.ntevangelism.org/NTEAssets/CampOutreachApplication_2019.pdf

Fill one out for each person coming. If you need financial help, let us know. We have some scholarship money that has been donated.e

Tell your friends to come - it is truly a camp with a mission!

All the best,

Guy

2018 In Review

2018 was a productive year! Thank you to all of those who supported our efforts to serve the poor and our outreach to our brethren in Christ.

Common Faith Network (CFN) Quality Church Retreat
Guy and Jennifer participated in this year's quality church retreat, held in Gatlinburg, TN. Each year CFN sponsors this weekend where congregation and ministry leaders gather together and work on ways to improve our service to the church, develop new resources and build relationships. 

CFN is a group of congregations, ministries and individuals who work together to engage, equip and empower Christians for the works of ministry God has called them to do.

Camp Outreach
We had 65 volunteers this year who invested a week of their time rehabbing houses for the elderly, single parents and the poor. Breakfast was served to the community Monday through Friday. Neighborhood children (and the young children of the volunteers) joined together to experience a Vacation Bible school "Paul in Rome." Our volunteers, young and "old" gathered together each night for a worship service and Bible studies. 

We worked on 22 properties and made a huge difference for these home owners. The chance to work with neighborhood children and families was priceless.

CFN Feast of Tabernacles
We joined about 800 others in celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. Jennifer organized the youth classes - about 200 of those registered are 18 and under, so it takes a lot of leaders stepping up to host the daily youth "experiences" for our three groups ages 4-9, 10-13 and 14-18. 

For or Small children (4-9), they followed Daniel (Dr. Dusti Howell) into captivity in Babylon, where God's faithfulness helped him and his friends navigate the perils of lions, fire, and the uncertainties of life in the palace. 

Co-led by Sharon Wilson and Deanne Howell, the program provided youngsters the chance to apprentice" with Babylonian "shopkeepers" to create crafts. They also learned scriptures and explored biblical principles in small groups with their tribe leaders.  Scheduled for every non-Sabbath day, the program featured lively music directed by Celebration Leader, Kate Ambrose. (During Sunday’s service, the children presented the songs and verses they learned through the week.) To see the kids perform, click here. Immersing children in a biblical story helps them understand the relevance of scripture to their own lives and makes learning fun. 

For the Tweens (10-13), Robin Clary helped them discover some top-secret biblical lessons, that culminated in an Escape Room experience! A sponsored bowling activity gave Tweens and their families a special opportunity for group fellowship. 

Teens (14-19) are at a critical time in their lives when they need to build lasting bonds with friends who encouraged them in their faith. Kurt and Jennifer Hoyer partnered other parents to create Teen Central. Teen Central was more than a class. It's a fast-paced learning environment with time for instruction, discussion, and sharing favorite Feast photos. It's also the place to connect with other youth for group activities such as barbecues, games, fishing, and community service. The goal is to make sure all interested teens are included in wholesome experiences that form the basis for lifetime friendships.

Winter Family Weekend - Lexington 2018
This year I will be giving three seminars. One is on "The Five Big Questions" young people must answer as they become adults. Another is a presentation on the new CFN Website. Finally, I will be leading a presentation on our new CFN project - the "Family Discipling Series." In a rapidly changing world, we see a need to help parents disciple their families. Here is the video inviting participation during the Winter Family Weekend.

Thank You
For those who have donated time, resources and helped through praying for our guidance and success, we say thank you. We appreciate your help and support as we seek to do our part in the work of the Body of Jesus Christ.

2017 Is Exciting for Common Ground!

Quality Church Retreat 2017
This year is off to a fast start. In cooperation with Common Faith Network, Common Ground is supporting the annual Quality Church Retreat in the Gatlinburg, TN area this May 5-7. Leaders from congregations from the Midwest, South ,East coast and as far west as Arizona and New Mexico are attending. Together we work on projects that can benefit each other and learn together how better to serve Jesus and God our Father in our congregations.

Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread 2017
We are hosting Passover this year for our family and friends. We are combining with the Church of God, Terre Haute for the Holy Days.

Camp Outreach 2017
We have reserved Camp Camby again for Camp Outreach. Camp this year runs from July 9-15. Information and applications are available at http://ntevangelism.org/outreach.html. 

I have already started to receive requests from people in the "Stringtown" neighborhood for help with their homes. We will leaflet the neighborhood in April for projects. We will do "Joseph in Egypt" for the Vacation Bible School and we will feed the neighborhood during the week. The Lord's Pantry is looking forward to our help. Julie Malloy, their director, writes:

Dear Friends,

The volunteers and families served at Anna’s House wish to send our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all at Common Ground who continue to support our mission of helping those in need.  You have contributed in so many ways, volunteering, food, vacation bible school, Camp Outreach, Summer breakfast, and monetary contributions.  Please know that everything you have provided has been such a blessing to our families who count on Anna’s House to assist with their most basic of needs.  I invite you to visit our website www.annashousemsc.org to see all of the ways you are making a difference in the lives of many.

From the bottom of my heart I thank each of you.  May 2017 bring you nothing but peace and joy.

Julie Molloy

Director

The Lord's Pantry at Anna's House

Feast of Tabernacles 2017
We are co-sponsoring the Common Faith Network Feast of Tabernacles in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. What a wonderful time to get together with fellow believers and share this joyful time in worship, fellowship and building bonds for a lifetime. 

Common Ground will again organize the children and youth programs. Our younger children will experience "Paul in Rome - the Underground Church." Tweens and teens will have their own groups and projects. Festival information will be available and updated at www.CommonFaithNetwork.com.

Winter Family Weekend 2017
We look forward to this time in December when hundreds and hundreds of families and friends get together in Lexington, KY for sports, seminars, church services and lots and lots of fellowship. More information will be available at www.cogcincinnati.org

I hope your year is filled with faith and a growing closeness with Jesus, our Savior, and God, our Father!

All the best,

Guy Swenson

What's Happening in 2016?

Camp Outreach

It has been a busy year for Common Ground. In June we hosted another Camp Outreach that serves an inner city neighborhood in Indianapolis. This year we had more than 100 volunteers - our largest group of volunteers ever.

Volunteers participated in rehabbing and repairing houses for the elderly, single parents and the poor. We painted a house and garage, did two house siding projects, repaired a ceiling where the plaster had fallen, helped with sheet rock mudding/taping and donated a Corian countertop and double sinks and two refrigerators, repaired several leaking toilets, fixed holes in kitchen floors, repaired electrical circuits, fixed many plumbing problems, rebuilt a bathroom floor and reset the tub, did roof repairs and repaired a bathroom ceiling damaged by water leaks, repaired or replaced a number of gutters, mowed acres of grass for the Lords Pantry and more. 

We also conducted a Vacation Bible School for neighborhood kids and younger children of our volunteers. I think the peak attendance was 43. We used Group Publishing's "Hometown Nazareth" as the format for our VBS program. This includes songs, story telling, games and crafts. We fed breakfast to the children and anyone from the neighborhood who wanted it and lunch to the children in the VBS program. Our breakfast, lunch and dinner crews made every meal - and boy was the food plentiful and tasty!

This year we introduced a new ministry - "Food for Families." Our friend, Julie Molloy from the Lords Pantry selected five families (all with many children) who could really use help. Our young people went shopping and purchased food and delivered it to the families. It was touching to do such a personal, face-to-face ministry. I think we are going to continue this throughout the year.

Parents, grand parents and even great-grand parents provided leadership, food preparation and nightly talks. Some of the project crews and VBS tribe leaders were headed by young people who have been coming to Camp Outreach for years and have developed project and leadership skills.

We had volunteers from 12 states and 3 countries - with families traveling long distances from Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Canada and the Philippines.

Thought I'd share what 100+ wonderful friends spent a week doing. I have a lot of respect for every one of them and what they invested in time and treasure doing for others.

All the best,

Guy Swenson
gswenson@7words.com
317-707-5003