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For Your Consideration
Ten Years, and Counting
By Garry Lovette,
Senior Editor
It is so hard to believe that Common Ground Christian News
is celebrating our 10th year! To God Be the Glory, for He has done
this.
Several people have been vessels
for God to birth and grow this ministry to what it is today. Thank God for my
loving wife Becky who has shown great patience and understanding during this
very difficult period. Thank God for the men and women of God who have stood
with us with their wonderful articles, their words of comfort and support, and
many times their correction.
Forgive me if I reminisce just a
little. It was the beginning of November of 1995 when God begin to speak to my
heart that a Christian Newspaper was needed in the Tennessee Valley region where
I live. After much argument and excuses, I began work on what I thought was a
very short project. God sent the help of an “angel” named Kim Hennigan to help
me because I was so “graphically” challenged. With her help and the guiding hand
of The Holy Spirit, Common Ground Christian News published for the very first
time in early 1996. (The day before we were to print our second issue, God
called Kim home).
Our very first cover story was
Cody Gross, a fine young Christian athlete who was quarterback for The
University of North Alabama football team. (His great skills in leadership and
athleticism helped UNA to become the first school in NCAA history to win three
consecutive national championships).
Others to grace our front cover
have been Marty Raybon, Franklin Graham, Mother Teresa, Max Lucado, and a whole
host of other local, regional, and national and international ministers. We have
come from the early days of “cutting and pasting” to the modern way of doing
things with e-mails, pdf files, ftp sites, and other electronic wonders that
have made the job much easier and use of our time much smarter.
We started out in late 1995 simply
asking the question, “We’re starting a Christian newspaper called “Common
Ground” and it will look something like these two papers. Would you like to
place an ad in our very first issue?” The two papers were “The Christian
Advocate” in Indianapolis, Indiana and “The Remnant” in Mobile, Alabama. (The
Christian Advocate has since ceased publishing, but “The Remnant” has become an
international Christian Newspaper focusing heavily on revival and prophecy). By
the time we were ready to print our first paper, 52 people had purchased ads and
we were on our way.
We started with just one, 20-page
paper in The Shoals area of Northwest Alabama. We can now Praise God for nine
different editions in the Southeast with #10 in the works. By the end of 2006,
we should have at least a dozen papers in six states.
Where will all this lead? Only God knows. But,
we are assured that it will grow and go to wherever He sends us. After all,
Common Ground Christian News is HIS paper. We are just the stewards and
caretakers of this ministry.
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say a
heartfelt “THANKS” for supporting us all these years with your prayers,
advertising and encouragement. Without your obedience, none of this would be
possible.
We don’t know what the next ten years will
hold, but we know one thing for sure: GOD IS IN CONTROL. And when He is in
control of any situation or ministry, it cannot help but flourish and thrive in
a great way.
Thank you Lord Jesus for letting me be a part
of such a dynamic ministry that is “Bringing Unity to the Body of Christ”.
CG
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