thankful for our volunteers

BY AVA CONLEY

I just wanted to take some time to talk about our volunteers and how they impact me.

Our volunteers are special - I say this a lot but I truly mean it. We have so many volunteers who truly teach me about sacrificial love. There are many different areas where we need volunteers on a daily basis at CGM, but I see so many going above and beyond what is asked of them. Our volunteers spend their time, resources, and sometimes their own money investing in the lives of the student in our program.

I see God empowering individuals to lead, to make things happen, and to step out in faith to trust the Lord. Let's face it, our kids aren’t always easy to work with; in fact, most days around here are really hard. Our kids are dealing with a lot, coupled with living in a system where many others are not always fighting for them.  Bryan Stevenson is the director of Equal Justice Initiative here in Montgomery. He fights for justice for the poor, and for people whose voices aren't always heard in our country simply because of the shade of their skin. I love this quote from him: “I believe that you are more than the worst mistake that you’ve ever made”.  The volunteers that serve with us truly look past the brokenness that we all have and our kids as “more than the worst mistake that they’ve ever made”.

Our volunteers teach me that we all have a lot more in common than we realize and they teach me more and more about love. They come in without an agenda, but a willing heart to serve and see what God is going to do. I think when it really comes down to it, they can really see the beauty of the Lord in this place and the power that God has to bring us close to him through a deep and impactful relationship with each other - and this truly inspires me.

So, thank you volunteers! To me, you are more than a volunteer; you are one of our team members and a vital part of our ministry. You give us strength on days that are hard, help us fill the gaps, and are even at times a shoulder to cry on. You encourage us! Thank you for all that you do!

meet miss tori

BY AVA CONLEY

I am a firm believer that we at CGM have the best volunteers in the world.  We could not function at Common Ground Montgomery without the faithfulness of our volunteers. They serve whole-heartedly on a weekly to daily basis. I am constantly blown away by how God is using our volunteers in our program, our community and our city! I would love to take a moment to highlight another one of the amazing people that the Lord has brought to us!

Tori is one of our staff members and serves in the office at CGM, BUT she faithfully serves in our after school program and leads a bible study for 1st and 2nd grade girls. She may get a pay check, but she goes above and beyond to serve and I am so grateful to her! I definitely consider her one of our most faithful volunteers! I wanted to take a moment and have her answer a few questions about her experiences at CGM.

---

Q: How long have you been volunteering with CGM?
I have been working with Common Ground for nine months now, since January.

View fullsize

Q: Why do you love coming to CGM?
I love coming to CGM because I am surrounded by supportive people that encourage me in my walk with Christ and as I strive to share my faith with the students I engage with. I learn something new (and usually unexpected) from them every day and I love it!

Q: What is your favorite area to volunteer in?
My favorite area to volunteer with is the academic part of the after school program and also Bible study. Last week I worked with some of the third grade girls on their spelling homework. We made this monotonous task into a competitive game to help the girls learn their words. It was so rewarding to listen to them brag about their spelling test scores the next day. It's important to get the students excited about education in order to truly develop an appreciation of it so that they can share it with others. Kids view their knowledge as something they can take pride in as it is solely their possession. We can teach and preach all we want, but if they are not involved and engaged they will not retain the valuable information and lessons we strive to instill.

View fullsize

I taught my first Bible study last Wednesday and it was an exciting new experience for me. I didn't want the girls to be forced to sit and listen to me talk because that is not very effective with younger students so I made the lesson discussion-based and allowed them to talk in small groups. Many of the girls were eager to pray and share their thoughts which I found very encouraging. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me and my class over the next few months!

Q: Who is your favorite staff person?
Jamal Doaty: I have had the great experience of watching Doaty grow into an incredible staff member. Over the summer he went above and beyond to make the summer camp a success! Now, in the After School Program he has developed a strong relationship with the middle school boys and is working to start a boys basketball team. His words of encouragement have continually helped me grow and I know God has incredible plans with this man.

View fullsize

Q: How has volunteering at CGM impacted you?
Volunteering at CGM has greatly impacted my life. I don't mean that in a cliché way whatsoever. I have grown closer to God by simply being around such encouraging followers of Christ. I think that I have matured as a Christian because I used to view my relationship with God as something personal and private, but working with such amazing role models has shown me how freeing and beneficial it is to share this incredible aspect of my life with others in a more open manner. This is a work environment like no other! My coworkers have become family. I am grateful to be able to seek advice and encouragement from them without fear of judgment. Being in the military, this is not something I am accustomed to at all and it has completely warmed my heart. In addition to growing as a Christian, I have learned so much from the teachers here at CGM! As a future educator, I am always making mental notes on how I can manage my classroom and engage my students in the future. I want to develop the kind of relationship that Chaquana and Doaty have with their students with my own. They have great control of their classes and are genuinely respected by their students. I can't wait to use everything I have learned from them in my own classroom!

---

Thank you for all you do, Miss Tori! I know I can speak for all the staff and kids at CGM - We love you!

If you would like more information about becoming a volunteer, please contact Ava Conley by calling the office (334.593.5803) or using the volunteer contact form.

meet mrs. patti!

BY AVA CONLEY

I know I say this all the time, but we honestly could not do what we do at Common Ground Montgomery without our incredible volunteers! I can genuinely say that the Lord has brought some really amazingly gifted individuals to our team. I have been constantly blown away this semester by the faithfulness, selflessness, and love for our kids that the volunteers have shown. I'm starting a segment where we take a moment to recognize one of our awesome volunteers!

"Mrs. Patti" has been volunteering with CGM for close to 4 years. We absolutely LOVE her and are so thankful for the impact that she has made at CGM!

---

Q: Why do you volunteer with CGM? 

First, the kids; they are bright and beautiful and full of life. Second, I believe CGM is making a difference in the community.        

Q: What is your favorite area to volunteer in?

Academics and tutoring.

Q: Who is your favorite staff person?

That’s a hard one.  I love Kevin’s passion, Chaquana’s heart, and Ava’s tattoos.

Q: How has volunteering at CGM impacted you? 

I love kids. I love to watch them learn and grow. I love their energy and honesty; it’s my remedy for empty nest syndrome.

Q: What is one of the most impactful moments / conversations / interactions you’ve had while volunteering? 

Every time I come to CGM something meaningful happens. It’s why I keep coming back. But this summer I got to read with one of the 2nd graders. He was unmotivated to even try but we kept at it. When academics started back this fall, he had lost ground so we got after it again and he improved. Today, he gets his homework done quickly so that we have time to read together. 

Q: Describe a funny story or interaction that you have had with one of the kids. 

Last year, I had another 2nd grader who was a terrible procrastinator. Took him forever to get his homework done. One day I decided I was going to make him get his work done in the first 20 minutes of academics. I had to really push him to make him stay focused and he did it. Then he promptly disrupted the entire class for the rest of academics because he didn’t have anything to do. We didn’t make that mistake again. 

---

Thank you for all you do, Mrs. Patti! 

If you would like more information about becoming a volunteer, please contact Ava Conley by using the CONTACT FORM.

connectedness

Often times at CGM we only write and talk about the kids in our program, or what affects them, like the community they live in, the circumstances we see them in, etc. But it would be utter folly to think Jesus limits our ability to see His hands and heart solely in this community outside of interacting and connecting with the body, His bride, at large. So here's a story about our connectedness.

BY AVA CONLEY

At Common Ground Montgomery we welcome volunteer groups from all over the country to visit our ministry. Many groups come with churches or organizations and serve our ministry. We get an amazing opportunity to meet people from all over the world with amazing stories, gifts, and hearts for Jesus!

A few weeks ago we had a family group from a church in College Station, Texas, come in. As the week went on, I was able to meet many of those serving with the group. One day at lunch I started to connect with a woman who had many family members in Oklahoma. Being from Oklahoma, we threw around some names to try to connect on a deeper level but none of my people knew any of her people; still, we were both excited that we had a little connection to Oklahoma! I started to talk with her more about her family and come to find out, she has an adopted son! Those of you that know me know my heart for adoption so this was very fun to connect with her about her adoption!

As we talked more I discovered that her son was adopted from Albania; and not just any place in Albania, but the city of Tirana. At this point I was freaking out a little bit! In 2007 I went on my first short term mission trip to Albania and in 2009 I spent a summer in Albania. Albania is a small and, perhaps, not well-known country in Europe - so to hear this lady speak about her son being adopted from there was so exciting to me, and more so because I had even spent time in Tirana! Well, after many more connections and lots of happy tears we found out that I spent time at the VERY SAME orphanage that her son was adopted from! AND, not only that, I was there during the period that he was living in the orphanage! (Don’t worry; if you are crying by now, I am as I and writing this!) I could have possibly held her son in my arms!

We spent the afternoon looking through old photos from my trip to see if he was in any of the photos. I also had a sweet friend who spent a long period of time working in the orphanage who got to love on her son while she was there as well. I can’t tell you how many times I think about those children and wonder where they are now… if they are still there… have they found a forever home? To meet Mrs. Marian and to know that Noah had a forever family brought so much JOY to my heart!

This moment made me realize how amazing God is and how he has uniquely ordained every moment of our lives. He guides every step we make and every interaction we have. So often I seem to forget this simple truth about the Lord. God knows us deeply and he is concerned about EVERYTHING we do and go through as we walk this side of heaven.  So as we live this life, I am encouraged to LOVE deeply and to make every word, action, and interaction count. God knows the plans that he has for us and they are good, they are to give us a future filled with hope!

Through Jesus, Noah’s family and I have an even deeper connection than I could have imagined! I am so grateful to meet Marian and to know that Noah is blessed by an amazing family who truly loves Jesus. There is so much more to this story that won’t fit in this small blog post, but I want to encourage you to remember that God has an incredible path for you! Every moment matters in the Kingdom of God! And as cheesy as it sounds, we have more common ground than we all realize! 

the holiday season

by ava conley

I would have to say that the Christmas season is by far my favorite time of year! There is just something about seeing the city lights going up and hearing the first Christmas songs of the year on the radio that bring back so many magical memories of love and laughter with those I love. But sometimes in the aftermath of all the gifts, lights, and carols, when they've all passed, I can easily forget the true reason that this is so special, not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year.

As I was reading my bible the other day, I was reminded of why I get the warm fuzzy feelings that I do during the holiday season.

Genesis 3:1-15 (NIV)

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust
    all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
  and you will strike his heel.”

Usually when I read the story of the fall, I don’t recognize the story of Christ. Through Adam and Eve’s sin I am reminded of my own sin and shame, but through this text we hear the hint of the first promise! 

See if you can hear it: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you shall strike his heel.”

God did not leave us here! He gave us grace and drew us back to Him! But how?

God would become God With Us.

He sent His son to bear our sin and shame on the cross. He would suffer. The evil one would strike at His heel, causing real blood, real sweat, and real tears. But the Promised One would have the last word. He would cry out “It is finished!”- crushing the serpent’s head in a final blow. He would become God With Us, and when His work was done, we would never be separated from Him again!

When God could have left us for dead, he came to us! He did not leave us, but instead he came to us and drew us out by his grace. He is God With Us --- Emmanuel!

“O come, O come, Emmanuel,” thank you for not leaving us or forsaking us, but loving us enough to be with us! I am thankful that we do not have to run and hide, but that you love us!

I hope that as you have enjoyed this passing holiday season with the ones you love, that you have and will continue to experience God with you. I hope that in your ‘hiding place’ you see that God is near and he has not forsaken you. You are deeply and truly loved by the creator or the universe, not just at Christmas, but throughout the entire year!