2019 march update: spring break

Spring Break!

Dear CGM friends and family,

 Our students just got back from Spring Break. Even though our office was closed for the week, that didn't mean staff weren't out spending time with our students. We took high school students that were on the A/B honor roll to Orange Beach for the week. One young woman saw the beach for the first time in her life. Another student found the joy of humility while being schooled on the basketball court (to his chagrin, by shorter, older women). He also discovered the sensitivity of the body when you put it in motion in an amusement park ride (he was so confident at first, and so sick with nausea afterward!).

Locally, staffers took small groups to places like Rockin' Jump; they had sleepovers and swimming pool events and went out to eat. One young woman spent 8 hours dress shopping with one of our staff. Some middle school boys got to attend a civil rights celebration breakfast presented by national Greek-letter fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi.

We had all these interactions and more on a week when the office was closed... And we couldn't be here doing any of this without your support. You provide us the means to help change the landscape of Montgomery and beyond. Not because you help us beat the odds for these students, but because you help in CHANGING THE ODDS for the students in our community.

Thank you for your continued support, whether financially or in volunteering, and your earnest prayers. Though the pendulum of life swings often between valleys of tears and mountain tops of laughter, our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ continues, and in no small part to your faithfulness towards us.

Summer Camp is soon upon us! 

The 2019 Summer Camp is coming up and we are expecting many children in attendance. For over eight weeks we will be able to invest wholeheartedly in these children. Our staff and interns will be able to work on academics with them, share the gospel through bible studies, build lasting relationships, and honestly just HAVE FUN some days!

CGM's Summer Camp is vital in keeping so many children off the streets and among the influence of positive role models like our staff and college interns. Without the structure, stability, and loving influence provided in the Summer Camp, many of the children would be on their own throughout the day and left to occupy and fend for themselves.

The cost of a child attending our camp is $500.

Would you consider donating to our Summer Camp Program? Click the Donate Now button below and select Summer Camp as the fund to apply your donation towards.

2018 end of the year letter

Bryan Kelly, Founder and Executive Director

I am deeply grateful to report that 2018 has been a great year at Common Ground Montgomery. We understand that there are so many wonderful nonprofits that are worthy of your investment, but we are thankful you have chosen us. Your support allows us to transform lives, families, and our community.

Over this past year, while I focused on expanding our efforts to other areas beyond Montgomery’s westside, Justin Hampton served as our local director and worked to make us more effective in our mission.

Recently, he felt a calling to devote his efforts towards the renewal of Montgomery’s Public School system. We are extremely grateful to Justin and look forward to seeing his future impact on our kids’ educational development as he works with the Montgomery Education Foundation. I have stepped back into the executive director role and I am excited to see God continue to use us for the transformation of our city.

This last year we established a new sending and training mechanism, Common Ground Alabama, in Birmingham. We helped establish our first plant, Common Ground Shoals, that is now seeing wonderful things happen in Florence, Alabama. We are on the verge of helping start a new kids camp in Montgomery’s southside (Camp Tenetke). This endeavor will not only provide an affordable camp and developmental experience for underprivileged youth, but will also focus on bringing kids together from all walks of life. Additionally, the Mercy House officially launched in October (as its own 501(c)3 non-profit) to help meet the needs of many through a daily presence that helps homeless families, latch key kids, and families struggling to make ends meet.

We are continuing to see the grace of God shared and shown in our midst, and that’s why I’ve included Quanda’s story from how she went from a parent with kids in our program to working at CGM.

Your giving has allowed us to put full-time people in a distressed community who continually show up and are present in a chaotic context. As Quanda has expressed so well, God loves to be present to us through people. He is using your generosity to show His love.

We are beyond thankful for your love and support because we couldn’t be here without it. Would you please consider a year-end gift and commit to a recurring monthly donation in 2019? Thank your for your prayerful consideration to help change Montgomery and beyond!

the mercy house grand opening

Thanks to the initiatives and partnership of Common Ground Montgomery, the Mercy House has launched into a new 501(c)3 nonprofit ministry continuing to focus on the holistic transformation of the Washington Park Community.

The Montgomery Chamber of Commerce held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

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Open every day, this ministry houses a food pantry and a clothes closet to serve people in need. Through the food pantry, TMH able to serve about 50 families each week with emergency food needs. Daily, TMH serves hot meals to both the elderly and homeless people in our community.

TMH will soon include the Pathway House (John 3:16). The Pathway House was designed to be a multifaceted building that will house programs to meet many of the needs of impoverished people. It will be an adult education center during the week which will include parenting classes, GED classes, financial literacy classes, word-processing and basic computer skills, interviewing techniques, and resume writing. They will also teach how to dress for success in the work place. It will become a tutoring center for children that are not in any other structured programs in the community. On Sundays, the Pathway House will be Sunday school classrooms.

TMH’s desires are, through teaching, to elevate people from poor behaviors, bad practices, life circumstances beyond their control, and generational bondage to the plan that God has for their lives.

For more information, call Ken Austin at The Mercy House: (334) 676-3040. 

Mailing address

Mercy House 
P.O. Box 10035
Montgomery, AL 36108

Physical address

Mercy House
2412 Council Street
Montgomery, AL 36108

job opening: director of operations

We have a new job opening for a director of operations in Montgomery, Alabama.

director of operations

Would you like to be a part of a multi-cultural team working in west Montgomery, Alabama, to help in Gospel-centered community and cultural transformation and reconciliation?

The Director of Operations will liaise with the Executive Director and the Board of Directors to make decisions for operational and organizational budget goals, plan and monitor day-to-day running of the organization, and oversee all human resource needs.

This is a full-time position with salary and benefits commensurate with market standards.

Responsibilities:

• Directly supervise Office Assistant and oversee all office operations
• Manage day-to-day operations/maintenance of facilities, vehicles, and other CGM properties.
• Work with Head of Programs, Executive Director, and Board Finance Committee Chair to create annual organization budget
• Monitor monthly spending, budget adherence, and communicate with Executive Director and Board of Directors of progress.
• Sign all checks
• Monitor all incoming mail
• Make bank deposits
• Work with accountants and auditors to create and maintain integrity and transparency with CGM finances and bookkeeping
• Assist accounting firm with annual audit
• Oversee all human resource staff policies and procedures along with documentation
• Maintain employee documentation of vacation, sick days, and reimbursements
• Execute payroll and ensure timely payment of bills
• Maintain pertinent files and organize office with organizational filing systems
• Assist in any planned or special CGM related events as needed

Requirements:

• Proven experience with above roles in equivalent or equal position
• Excellent organizational and leadership abilities
• Outstanding communication and people skills
• Knowledge of industry’s legal rules and guidelines
• In depth knowledge of diverse business functions and principles (e.g. supply chain, finance, customer service etc.)
• Working knowledge of data analysis and performance/operation metrics
• Familiarity with MS Office and various business software

Additional:

• Degree(s) in business administration or relevant field is a plus

Please email to jobs@cgmlife.org a resume (a CV is not required, but will be accepted if you wish to submit it) along with a statement answering this question:

Knowing the mission and vision of Common Ground Montgomery (can be found online here: www.cgm.life/mission), why do you want to work with CGM and what do you hope to accomplish?

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Link: CGM Jobs

summer camper sponsorships

It's that time of the year again! The CGM Summer Camp is just around the corner, and we need your help to make it happen! Every year CGM hosts a summer camp for eight weeks. Our goal is to have 100 children this summer.

The children will be with us for seven hours a day, five days a week. 

We want to provide these children a chance to get off the streets for the summer, be surrounded by Christian men and women that love them in paradigm shattering ways, teach them the Gospel, and provide an amazing summer of fun.

Along with the staff, we also bring in 10-20 college interns to help run the camp.

We budget $400 per child in our camp for grades kindergarten - 8th. The high school students are budgeted at $500 per child because they go on college tours and other trips.

Please consider donating to help us put on our annual Summer Camp!