The Commonplace

2009-10-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO THECOMMONPLACE.ORG

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Please come out to our

Open House

Saturday May 22, 2010
11:30 am - 3:00 PM

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Common Cupboard is a "Resource for People Helping People. " Established in 2006 with the mission to equip people to serve their neighbors in need the cupboard now helps around 1000 people a month. Our second location in Anson County opened this year. For more information click ---> Common Cupboard

Common Heart is a grassroots network of followers of Jesus from various local churches in the the Piedmont of North Carolina. Our mission is summed up in the phrase "Learning to Serve Together". For more information click here -->Common Heart

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Common Things is our new resource we are developing. In addition to helping folks with food throguth Common Cupboard, we will be able to give people household items that they are unable to purchase. Things like beds, sofas, kitchen an other common things that help make a house a home. For more information email us at CommonThings411@gmail.com

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The Commonplace, is our mission house at 225 Garmon Road, Indian Trail, NC. It's just a little buidling that houses Common Cupboard, and the work of Common Heart. Our mailing address is Common Heart, PO Box 2761, Indian Trail, NC 28079. For more information about our mission house in Indian Trail, directions, calendar events, photo album, or videos click here --> The Commonplace

Donate Turkeys

2009-10-29T17:11:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TURKEYS WITH PAY PAL

Banquet Business Sponsorship

2009-07-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Local Businessperson,

I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to help us during our upcoming benefit banquet and introduce you to the crisis food pantry known as Common Cupboard and the work of Common Heart. We are a tax deductible 501 (c) (3) organization. Our group tax exemption number is 8617 and our EIN is 30-0368499. We provide assistance mostly to families and individuals in Union and parts of Mecklenburg Counties. Through Common Cupboard we empower caring individuals to be personally involved in alleviating hunger in our community by delivering groceries directly to the families in their homes. Through our new resource, Common Things, we provide household goods, appliances, and furniture to people in need through our caring network. We endeavor to put love in action in very practical ways.

Our upcoming banquet on October 22, 2009 will be an opportunity for us to share more about our mission and raise some much needed funds. There are several ways you can help.

1. Business Sponsorship. We are looking for local businesses to partner with us through sponsoring tables. This will give your business the opportunity to have brochures, samples, or other business information placed at one of our dinner tables. The cost to sponsor a table is $150.00. Additionally, an acknowledgement of sponsorship will be printed in our evening’s program.

2. Business Ad in Program. We will be printing a program with several size ads. These simple ads begin at $50 for a business card. Other sizes include 1/4 page $95, !/2 page $190, and full page $385.

3. Items for Silent Auction. If you donate an item for the silent auction your name and contact information will be included in our program as well as noted by the item(s) you donate

BONUS: As an additional benefit with each of the above opportunities your logo will be displayed during our video presentation. Plus, we will post a link to your website on our list of community partners at TheCommonplace.org for at least a year. There is one more bonus. Our program will contain a substantial amount of information about Common Heart and its activities. So we will be printing enough so that we can use it as our main informational literature piece. Because of this your sponsorship acknowledgement and ad will have plenty of shelf life.

4. Tickets. One final way you can help is though attending our Banquet. Tickets are available for $20 single, $35 couple, $120 table of eight. We would love to you have you join us for the evening.

Thank you for your interest in Common Heart and our upcoming banquet. If you have any questions, I would be glad to speak with you. We gratefully appreciate any assistance you can provide for this community resource. Please contact me at CommonHeartMC@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Keith A. Adams

Executive Director, Common Heart

Barbara Chandler & Nine Who Care

2009-06-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS BARBARA CHANDLER

FINALIST WSOC 9 WHO CARE

My name is Barbara Chandler and I live in Indian Trail, NC and I currently work at Matthew’s Presbyterian Hospital as a surgical tech. After 22 years of service in the Army, I found myself starting a whole new journey. In 2005, I came in contact with a few families having to decide whether to pay their monthly expenses such as rent, mortgage, car insurance, utilities etc… or buy the groceries they needed for their families. I decided to take food from my own pantry and deliver it to them. I never imagined how this simple gesture would grow into helping more than a 1,000 people every month. In 2006 four friends launched Common Cupboard, in Indian Trail, NC delivering groceries to a few families, and today, the Cupboard consists of 70+ volunteers bringing a week’s worth of groceries to families in need. Others, such as schools, churches, youth groups, Scouts, community organizations, local businesses, and the post office run food drives and help in many other ways. The Cupboard is an agent of Second Harvest Metrolina, which helps maximize the value of cash donations given to Common Cupboard. I really want to win the Nine Who Care promotion, so that Common Cupboard can receive the $2,000 dollar prize. With the current economy, more and more families are losing their sources of income, losing their health insurance, and losing their homes. These are the families that Common Cupboard help, these are your friends, your family, your co-workers, and your neighbors. With the $2,000 Common Cupboard can help 500 more people by delivering a week’s worth of groceries.

Common Heart Banquet

2009-06-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

Come out to the

Common Heart "Love in Action" Banquet

this October 22, 2009.

Time: 6:30 PM Hors d'ouervers & Silent Auction

7:00 PM Banquet

Location Siler Presbyterian Church Family Center, 5919 Waxhaw Indian Trail Rd, Matthews -

Entertainment will be provided by Mt Zion Gospel Quartet & Threshold Outreach Band

Catered by Spiro’s Hilltop Bistro

Carved Bistro Filet, Pork Loin & Chicken Picata

Tickets $20.00 single, $35.00 couple, $120.00 table of 8

You can buy single tickets on line --> CLICK HERE $20.00 TICKET

You can buy couple tickets here --> CLICK HERE $35.00 COUPLE TICKET

You can buy tickets for a table of (8) --> CLICK HERE $120.00 TABLE FOR 8 TICKET

If you have a business and would like to sponsor a table or place an ad in the program, please click here or email us at CommonHeartMC@gmail.com

IRS 990 EZ

2009-05-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here are our IRS filings for nonprofit orgainzations. This will take you off our site to view it. To get back to our website, click back.

2008 Form 990 EZ Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. Also included Schedule A & B and an Attachment.

Test

2008-07-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Why The Commonplace?

2007-04-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Commonplace is a meeting place, a learning place, a growing place, a missional place. As I usually explain in our orientation, Common Heart is just some followers of Jesus from various local churches serving people to demonstrate God's love in practical ways. Common Cupboard is just where we store food so we can give it away freely to those in need. It is my hope that The Commonplace will be a resource, a common place, for followers of Jesus to use.

What about the name, motto and logo? The word "commonplace" speaks of the everyday, ordinary things in life. You do this stuff everyday. If the commonplace is infused with the intentionality of God's love it can powerfully demonstrate God's love. The name and the motto remind us of this dynamic. The motto is a portion of a quote from Mother Teresa. "We can do no great things, just small things done with great love." The five square crosses on the logo are known as a Jerusalem Cross. It speaks of our missional God. It speaks of his love demonstrated on a cross in Jerusalem, and his followers who take that love to the four corners of the world. I like to see the Jerusalem Cross as a cross roads of a city where God's love is being displayed at every corner!

Outside the Gate

2007-03-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

Outside the Gate 2008

October 3-5, 2008

Outside the Gate is a gathering for the local church. It is for followers of Jesus from all kinds of churches. It is about what is at the heart of God— His mission in today’s world.

Outside the Gate aspires to expand our vision, inspire our imaginations, encourage and equip us to engage the emerging culture. We will explore new ways to communicate the message of the gospel in a more tangible and understandable by expressing and demonstrating His love in our fast paced, quickly changing world.

Outside the Gate is not about missions. It’s not about a new way of doing church. It’s not about finding new ways to invite people to church. It’s about exploring a different way of being the church, reaching outside our religious communities and into the world He loves. It’s about being the message of Christ in today’s world.

Outside the Gate desires to inspire us to be a people who go outside the gate where Christ suffered and where He calls us to join Him.

FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OTG 08 go to OutsideTheGate.TheCommonplace.org

Brochures & Other Resources

2007-03-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

Brochures
You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. You can download it by clicking here.

Common Cupboard PDF Brochure - This brochure answers briefly questions about how the cupboard was started, why we partner with churches, why we deliver groceries to people's homes, where the groceries come from and how the reader can help. It is suitable for businesses, community organizations, churches and individuals who want to know more about Common Cupboard

How We Can Reach Out in Practical Ways PDF Brochure - This brochure briefly introduces Common Heart Missional Community, our Outside the Gate gathering, and Common Cupboard to the reader. It is designed for local churches, small groups and ministries. It shares how any church, regardless of size, can start an "in house ministry" to those in need through Common Cupboard.

Off Site Resources

• Serve! Ezine Monthly Ezine that will give you ideas on how to serve people so that God is seen by them.

• Servant Evangelism Small things done with great kindness will change the world!

• Doable Evangelism What if evangelism was as simple as being yourself.

• Second Harvest Metrolina The Charlotte regional food bank.

• Allelon A movement of missional leaders.

Board and Staff

2007-03-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Common Heart Missional Community Board

Keith Adams
President, Common Heart Missional Community
CommonHeartMC@gmail.com
704-458-3744

Rickey Truesdale
Vice President, Common Heart Missional Community
Pastor, Faith Community Church, Waxhaw, NC

Harry Walden
Treasurer, Common Heart Missional Community
Co-founder, Common Cupboard
People's Pantry, All Nations Christian Fellowship

Floyd & Pat Haigler
Secretary, Common Heart Missional Community

Common Cupboard Staff

Keith Adams
Director
Co-founder
704-458-3744

Frank Adams
Cupboard Manager
704-451-5184

Deb Adams
Lead Shopper
Co-founder

Barbara Chandler
Team Leader
Co-Founder

Meeting Place & Directions

2007-03-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

"The Commonplace" in Indian Trail is just a small building at 225 Garmon Rd. It houses Common Cupboard which takes up about 1/2 of the total space. This section of the building is full of the groceries shelves, refrigerators and freezers where we store food awaiting folks to give it away freely to people in need.

The front 1/2 of the building includes our communications area the "Kitchen" and our meeting area the "Family Room". The property has a large gravel parking area as well and a front deck. The Commonplace is easily accessible yet seemingly secluded just off Old Monroe rd in Indian Trail. We want this property to be used in such a way that God's love will be demonstrated in our community. So we would love to have common hearted people and ministries running Bible studies, small groups, support groups, tutoring sessions, or other endeavors to further the kingdom of God at our mission house.

If you have a desire to use the facility. Please contact Keith at CommonHeartMC@gmail.com or 704-458-3744.

Here is a map to "The Commonplace".

View Larger Map

Calendar

2007-03-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

How You Can Participate

2007-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

There are several ways you can participate. They can be broken down into four areas.

1. Cupboard Support Team - These folks are indispensable. They do what needs to be done in the background. There are opportunities through out the week. You choose the level you can participate in, there are opportunities monthly, weekly, daily if you want.

• Pick-up food at Bi-lo.
There are pickups 7 days a week around 9:30 am- 10:00 am. Also on Sunday This opportunity to serve is best done in teams of two people with a SUV, Van or truck. After picking up the donations, you would bring them to the cupboard and help to put them away. It usually takes about 1-1/2 hours.

• Stocking Shelves
Generally on Thursday at 4:00 pm we receive supplies from Second Harvest. We need help putting the items away. There are also times on Saturdays when we have neighborhood food drives going on that we need help stocking as well.

• Packing boxes for delivery
Each Saturday morning from 8am - 10 am we prepare boxes and bags of groceries to be delivered.

• Special projects
Recently we have had to build a shed, run a yard sale, move, etc. These opportunities arise on occasion.

2. Serving Team Members - These are folks who deliver grocery to folks. Many of our serving team members also help in support activities as well. Opportunities are available either as your schedule permits or in more structured monthly or quarterly opportunities.

• Grocery Outreaches
We schedule these nearly monthly. They are opportunities to load up our cars with bags of groceries and just go door to door sharing the love of God one bag of groceries at a time. A cool way to reach out in a practical way. Many times we identify people who may have a need for one of our deliveries through this means.

• Monthly Deliveries/As Needed Deliveries
This is what the cupboard was designed for. Once a need is identified by you, your church, Common Heart, or through referral you will visit and deliver groceries to this family in their home. We get to know people, their families and their needs. Friendships often develop. Many of these deliveries are scheduled for a particular Saturday each month. But other times can be arranged to pick up groceries to deliver.

3. Help with special projects and activities - Through out the year we have special projects and we have regular activities as well that need assistance. If you have a special skill or interest that you would like to contribute, please contact us. Some of these areas and activities include:

• Thanksgiving Basket distribution
• Food Drives
• Neighborhood Parties
• Open House at The Commonplace
• Administration, fundraising, communications
• Web design/support, cleaning, networking

4. Prayer and Financial Support - It goes without saying that we need the prayers of God's people as well as financial contributions to accomplish what God has placed on our hearts to be a "Resource for People Helping People".

You can give your tax deductible gift online through paypal by clicking the link below ...

or you can mail your gift to:

Common Heart Missional Community
507 Galesburg Dr.
Monroe, NC 28110

Please address your prayers directly to God. Mark them for Common Cupboard. :• )

Lastly, a monthly orientation is provided for those serving in any capacity with Common Cupboard. You can check on dates for our upcoming orientation and any of the scheduled events and activities at The Commonplace calendar by clicking here.

Food Drive Ideas

2007-03-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here are several Food Drive ideas that we have found work very well. We can use any non-perrishable foods. If you are going to do a food drive, email us at CommonHeartMC@gmail.com or call Keith at 704-458-3744. You could drop the food off or we could arrange to pick it up.

1. Ask your church, Sunday school class or small group to hold a food drive. Ask each member to bring in a bag of canned or non-perishable food. You can arrange to drop it by the cupboard, or we will pick it up.

2. Same as idea number one except do it at your work.

3. Organize a neighborhood food drive. Just put out paper bags to each of your neighbors with a note. Ask them to fill the bag and put it out by their mail box or on their front porch on a particular day and time. Saturday around noon works well. Make sure to print your name and phone number on the note as a contact if there are any questions.

One neighborhood food drive last year brought in over 800 pounds of groceries! Threshold Church followed this plan in seven neighborhoods and brought in over 2 TONS of groceries (4350 pounds!)

DOWNLOAD SAMPLE NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD DRIVE NOTE

4. Have a grocery scavenger hunt for your youth group or school class. Give the kids an area to go and knock on doors and ask for groceries. Give prizes for the teams that get the most items. Leave a note with the donors thanking them for the groceries and inviting them to come to church.

Weddington Community Church Youth Group recently did this. Sixteen kids broke up into 4 groups and canvased an area for about 45 minutes .... 311 pounds of groceries. Sweet!

5. How about this one. Why not have a food-less food drive? Collect the money that your group would spend on filling bags of groceries and either designate a shopper or send a check to Common Heart!

6. Here is a way to combine worship and commuity service at your church. Have a monthly food collection in connection with your Comunion Sunday Service. As you experience the breaking of bread in communion, you can share your bread with the "least of these my brethern." A great way to but feet to faith.

LIST OF ITEMS WE CAN USE

Canned Vegatables & Fruits - corn, peas, green beans, mixed, etc.

Canned Baked Beans

Canned Meat - tuna, chicken

Meals in a Can -spaghettios, ravioli, stew, etc

Breakfast Cereals - cold or hot

Pasta - noodles, spaghetti, macaroni, etc

Canned or Bottled Juices

Box Dinners or Sides- Hamburger Helper, Rice-a-Roni, etc

Salad Dressing & Condiments - mustard, ketchup, etc

Personal Care Items - shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc

Extras - crackers, cookies, snacks, etc

Paper Products - Diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.

Key Partnerships

2007-03-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

There are many relationships and partnerships that Common Cupboard has fostered that makes it possible for us to fulfill our mission of being a "Resource for People Helping People".

The first would have to be Common Heart. It is hard to call this a partnership. Keith Adams often describes the difference between Common Common Cupboard and Common Heart as "Common Heart is a people. Common Cupboard is a place. The cupboard is a place we store food so that common hearted people can give it away to people in need. " Common Heart is our parent organization.

Our next key partnership is with the faith communities and the individuals from these communities that use Common Cupboard to reach out with God's love. Many of these individuals and churches give financially, run food drives, work in supportive roles in addition to using the cupboard as the resource it was designed to be.

These include folks from the following churches.

• Threshold Church, Matthews
• Triumphant Word Church, Wesley Chapel
• Impact Church, Charlotte
• World Worship Center, Charlotte
• Faith Community Church, Waxhaw
• All Nations Christian Fellowship, Weddington
• Christian Life Center, Charlotte
• Church of Salvation, Charlotte
• Monroe Christian Worship Center, Monroe
• Community Church of Monroe, Monroe
• Grace Commmunity Church, Marvin
• First Baptist of Indian Trail East Campus, Marshville
• West Monroe Baptist Church, Monroe
• El Shaddai International Ministry, Monroe
• Safe Haven Christian Fellowship, Monroe
• Millgrove United Methodist, Hemby Bridge

• Redeem Christian Fellowship, Monroe
• Weddington Community Church, Weddington
• Messiah Lutheran Church, Charlotte

• Graceway Church, Indian Trail

• Lighthouse Family Church, Indian Trail

• Freedom Center Church, Indian Trail

A very important partnership we have is with Second Harvest Metrolina. We are a member agency of this branch of America's Second Harvest. Through our connection with Second Harvest we have been able to access food donations from all the major food producers and many grocery chains in the US.

Locally in Indian Trail we are proud to consider Super Bi-Lo, Weddington Rd, Matthews and Trader Joes, Piper Glen, Charlotte among our business partners through their donations of food directly to Common Cupboard. We are constantly seeking out these relationships to expand our access to food that we can make available for "People Helping People."

And finally we are thankful for those who partner with us through their financial giving. Common Cupboard through its parent Common Heart Missional Community is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. We are able to be the resource we are through the generous giving of all our partners - individuals, churches, businesses, and community organizations.

What is Common Cupboard?

2007-03-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Common Cupboard is a "pooled resource" for people helping people.

We do things a little different than some food pantries. It has a lot to do with why we got started and our desire to equip people to serve, hands on.

How did Common Cupboard start?

Common Cupboard came about because we regularly came into contact with people who could use a little help. For whatever reason – possibly a family crisis, unemployment, or illness – they had difficulty meeting their needs. Often they were single parents or people who due to illness or a fixed income just needed a little help. You know people like that too. We helped out the best we could by grabbing an extra bag of groceries at the store, or going to our own pantries or cupboards and giving what we could to help. It dawned on us that if we pooled our resources of money and groceries, along with donations from community businesses and organizations that we could help out a lot more folks and equip others to reach out through active kindness too.

Why do we encourage faith communities and individuals to partner with us instead of just reaching out to them by ourselves?

We believe that people helping people has much more positive potential than an organization or agency giving handouts. Because of this philosophy we want to keep Common Cupboard in the background and invisible to those receiving assistance. We enable faith communities and individuals to reach out into the community without having to "reinvent the wheel." This is why we encourage and seek out partherships between local churches and Common Cupboard. Through the food pantry, training, and other assistance we are able to help churches equip their own people to reach out personally with love and kindness.

Why do we encourage delivery of food to homes rather than having those in need come to a central location?

While distribution from a central location is convenient, we feel that it sets up an institutional mentality that we desire to avoid. By visiting people, developing relationships, and seeing needs firshand we can make a difference in a way that we couldn’t from an institutional approach. Using a "central distribution" model would not facilitate this as well as visiting families in their homes. It may take time and energy, but we believe it is worth it.

Where do the groceries and other items we give away come from?

We are a "pooled resource" so those who volunteer are involved in giving. But it is also a community resource so churches, business, and other organizations in our community help out too. Some help by organizing food drives. Other individuals and businesses give tax-deductible financial gifts. We actively seek donations from grocery stores and other food based businesses
in our community. We are also an agency of Second Harvest Metrolina and network with them and other pantries and ministries to acquire the necessary items to give away freely.

How can you help?

Of course we need financial giving as any non-profit organization would. We need churches, businesses, and individuals who will give financially on a monthly and one-time basis. We also need people with a common heart who want to reach out to people in need by visiting, giving groceries, lending a listening ear, and showing folks that they are not alone.

We desire to equip churches and individuals to reach out with God’s love. We need partnering churches who will facilitate their people to reach out to 1, 2 or 10 families. We need people to shop for groceries, pick up donations, stock shelves, prepare boxes for delivery, and network with community organizations and businesses.

How can you help?? Contact us we would love to have you participate with us. Email Keith @ CommonHeartMC@gmail.com.

Videos

2007-03-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Videos of our Move to The Commonplace

Your mission should you choose to accept it is to get those freezers out of the 300 sqft previous home of the cupboard and move them into the new 900 Sqft home The Commonplace at 225 Garmon Rd, Indian Trail

It takes a crew of dedicated people all pulling together to demonstrate God's love to our community. Our intrepid crew each volunteered their two strong arms to help in our move to The Commonplace!

The Commonplace

2007-03-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

• Why the Commonplace?
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• Meeting Facility
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• Location and Directions
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• Photo Album
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• Video
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• Calendar
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Photo Album

2007-03-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving 2008

Neighborhood Party 10/3/2008

The Commonplace Open House 4/19/2008

The Shed Team

Moving Day

Neighborhood Christmas Party - Dec 8, 2007

Common Cupboard

Foundational Principles

2007-03-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

As part of Common Heart Update, our monthly e-newsletter and Keith's blog we published articles on the Three Foundaitional Principles of Common Cupboard. The first paragraph of each is posted bllow. To read the full article click on the link provided.

Common Cupboard: "A Pooled Resource"

There are three foundational principles that were adopted when my wife Deb and I and our two friends Barbara Chandler and Harry Walden started Common Cupboard. During the next month or so I hope to share them with you and expand on them. They are serving people in such a way as to "demonstrate God's love", the "cupboard's "invisibility" to those we serve, and being a "pooled resource" or - to coin a phrase - a "common cupboard".

For those of you who are not familiar with Common Cupboard, it is a food pantry with a twist ... To read more click here --> "Pooled Resource"

A Common Cupboard Foundational Principle: "Invisibility"

The second foundational principle of the Common Cupboard is "invisibility". It is our desire that the cupboard would be so in the background that those we serve never see it. What they see instead is the love of God displayed to them in the person who is serving.

In our orientation I usually say "the cupboard is merely a place we store the food that we have gathered together". It is not really a food ministry ... To read more click here --> "Invisibility"

The Key Principle: "Demonstrating God's Love"

The key foundational principle of Common Cupboard is "Demonstrating God's Love." I believe that what we do and how we do it speaks much louder than any word we speak. I believe that our western culture has heard a lot of gospel, but I am not sure that they have really understood it. Too often a large part of the Church here in the US has been caught up in arguments, divisions, political agendas, scandals, and frankly our own selfishness that the words and actions have not matched. So with Common Cupboard we focus on equipping followers of Jesus to do things in such a way that the love of God is demonstrated.

The Bible is full of directives to love in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus summed up the Old Testament in two great commandments, to love God and to love people. He told his disciples ... To read more click here --> "Demonstrating God's Love"

Common Cupboard

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A Resource for

"People

Helping

People"

• What is Common Cupboard

A basic introduction to what the cupboard is, it's history and why we do, the things we do, the way we do them.

• Key Partnerships

Without our partnerships with other community organizations, businesses, local churches, and people like you there would be no Common Cupboard.

• Common Cupboard Journal

News, Stories, and thoughts from Common Cupboard. This is our online journal. Here you will find up to date news, upcoming events, personal stories, thoughts on connecting faith commmunities with serving those in need. It is the active and dynamic part of this website. Changes are made regularly.

• How You Can Participate

You can be one of our key partners. From finances, food drives, advocacy, support staff and delivery people -- how we all work together to meet the need.

• Your Church and Common Cupboard

How Common Cupboard can equip your church to have a "turn key" ministry to the poor, sick, single parents, elderly, unemployed, and others in need. All you need is a few willing hearts!

• Foundational Principles

Articles from Keith's blog on the three foundational principles that guide how the cupboard fulfills its mission - "A Pooled Resource", "Invisibility" and "Demonstrating God's Love".

•

• Food Drive Ideas

A fun and easy way to help stock that cupboard is with a food drive. Get some great ideas and help stock the shelves!

•

• Brochures & Other Resoures

Brochures and links to outside websites.

Your Church and Common Cupboard

2007-03-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

This article first apeared in our newsletter and in Keith's blog - NotesAlongTheWay.blogspot.com

In this issue I would like to expand a little on how I envision Common Cupboard and your church working together to touch our community with God's love. I will endeavor to be brief here, but I would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with you one day and talk about it more! - Keith 704-458-3744 Keith@thecommonplace.org

Some time ago I was a pastor at a local church. It was my passion to teach the people of God. I taught a lot of things from our identity in Christ to personal evangelism, the books of the Bible to the power of the cross. My main desire was to see people serving God fully and to equip the congregation to reach out effectively to their friends, neighbors, and the community at large. I did a lot of talking. But, with all my teaching I couldn't quite get either myself or my congregation motivated to reach outside the four walls of our church on a sustained regular basis.

As I pondered this one spring, I had a rather simple but profound thought. What if equipping people for evangelism (or any gospel endeavor) was more than just training or teaching? I reasoned that American soldiers are provided not only with training on how to fire a rifle, but they are equipped with an actual rifle. Maybe I should think about equipping God's people that way. That's a thought that transformed a food pantry idea into Common Cupboard - a means to "equip saints to serve".

Let me share with you how we can "equip" your church to serve and draw people to Christ through intentional, active kindness through Common Cupboard.

We can provide you with a "turn key", local church based ministry. This is my number one priority for the cupboard. We want to help you develop a ministry to those in need in your community. You provide leadership, volunteers, and willing hearts to serve. We will provide you with training, groceries to give away to those you know in need, full access to an emergency food pantry for your members, and we will even help you identify people in need to serve.

You do not have to provide space in your facility to store food, boxes or bags. You do not have to spend lots of money or time to acquire groceries to give away. You do not have to constantly be running food drives or do fundraising. All you do is recruit a couple people who love God and love people to form your church's ministry. It's your church's ministry. We literally provide the rest so your church can be involved reaching out to folks in your community.

We only ask in return that your church add Common Heart to your local missions budget at an amount your board determines and that you help out with an occasional food drive. Oh, yes there is one other thing ... We ask you to keep Common Cupboard "invisible" to those you serve in the community. (See Common Cupboard Foundational Principles)

If you have folks who would like to volunteer in a supportive role at the cupboard, we can certainly use the help. If you want to provide your youth group with a service project, we could help you with that too. We want to be a resource for you in fulfilling God's call to serve "the least of these."

For more information call me. You could also click on the links below to view these brochures ...

What is Common Cupboard?

How Can We Reach Out in Practical Ways

Common Heart

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• Who Are We?

• Our Mission

• Board and Staff

• IRS 990 Filings

Who Are We?

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Who we are? - Just some followers of Jesus from various local faith communities in the Matthews, Mint Hill and Monroe Area of North Carolina motivated to serve people as a demonstration of God's love.

Who are we? - Just ordinary people who want to make a difference in the lives of other ordinary people.

Who are we? - Just sojourners in the way of Jesus desiring to encourage others in their spiritual journey and encouraging faith.

Who are we? - Just some women, men, teens and children from various backgrounds, ethnicities, socio-economic conditions, faith communities, theologies, and various stages in our journeys of faith committed to being a part of the mission of God, to restore and make all things new.

Who are we? - Just a little yeast hoping to rise the level of love, compassion and service to others in our churches, neighborhoods, and world.

Who are we? - Just some folks having a little fun (well lots of fun) being a part of God's wonderful kingdom.

Who are we? - Just a small 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization putting personal faith into action serving people with out regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, country of origin, legal status, socio-economic class, or anything else that divides people. We believe that God is an "equal opportunity lover" of human-kind.

Mission

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"Together Learning to Serve" is the mission of Common Heart Missional Community. Acts of kindness whether giving groceries to someone in need or buying a cup of coffee for a stranger, or just taking a moment to speak a kind word to a cashier can all be ways God can use you as an agent of his kingdom to draw people to himself.

Jesus in the sermon on the mount called each of his followers "the light of the world". He says that on no one lights a lamp and puts it under covers, but instead it is lifted up high so that it can give light all around. He continues to say that a city on a hill can not be hidden, but is seen by all. To me what he is telling us is that no one is going to see what God is really like unless they see him through us and in our daily lives. Jesus didn't intend for us to hide out in our churches, or to hide behind our fears, instead he has called us to engage our world, our culture, the people we come into contact with daily with his love. The truth is people will learn about God from us it is inevitable, but what are they going to learn?

Jesus goes on to say in that sermon that we should serve people in such a way that they see or experience the good things we do and give God the praise for it. In other words, there are ways to interact with people that will point them to God, and there are ways that might leave a bad taste in their mouth. We strive to demonstrate God's love to an unbelieving world in such a way that, one by one, hearts are softened and drawn along in their journey to God. Our serving, our loving, our good works are like bread crumbs along the path that leads people to the Father's house.

This is the common heart beat we share. We are followers of Jesus who love God and love people. We seek to serve as Jesus served, and to be about our Father's mission on earth today. Ultimately we seek to see people drawn into the arms of God.

As we encourage a “common heart”, we seek to equip by outfitting the follower of Jesus with what he needs to serve. Our first missional endeavor, Common Cupboard, is a place where followers of Jesus can “equipped” with groceries to give away freely to those in need. Along with some simple training, mentoring, and prayer, a follower of Jesus can be equipped to demonstrate God's love in such a way that people's hearts are softened to God and led gently along their way to Jesus.