Refueled & ready by Roger Haynes

09 June 2009

The Fuel Team is a group of young people freshly out of school or varsity that take a year out to voluntarily serve and participate in the life of Common Ground Church in various ways.  Some of the serving functions include: helping on the administrative base of the church, doing schools ministries, developing theological foundations, and developing basic preparatory life skills. The team is lead by a capable and experienced team leader who is a part of the team and integrally connected to the leadership team of the church.

Below is a more detailed description of what the team are involved in throughout the year. There are four main areas of focus:

i. Personal development - leadership and life-skills
The team will cover a number of different personal development tracks throughout the year. Some of them are: a public speaking course; Multimedia course; a first aid course; financial planning course; career guidance course; motor mechanics basic training. We will potentially add to this list and depending on trainers and timing, we will weigh the different tracks accordingly.

ii. Ministry
A major focus of the team will be their ministry into the surrounding schools and the ministries into the life of the high schoolers and    primary school children within the church. They will consequently be    involved in camps and planned trips to different regions of the country    where the team will collaborate with other similar teams.

iii. Theological training (The Grounded course)
Another emphasis within the team will be developing a deeper theological foundation. It is important that as young Christians that a deepening passion is coupled with a living and relevant theology from the word of God. Much of the material that will be will be from our Grounded Course which is based on Michael Eaton's commentaries on the whole counsel of God.
    
iv. Service - church and social impact service
Service is a key part of the year. In serving the team will help out on    many levels. The team has many ways that they will serve, namely:    daily church-base admin, Sunday meeting logistics, youth and    children's ministry support(optional either/or), and church events that    occur from time to time. This service will also entail serving of social    impact ministry opportunities within  and connected to our community.

Finances
Financially there is a monthly payment for expenses incurred within the year, but we encourage people to rather let that motivate them in their planning than to discourage them. The approximate cost per month is R600. This excludes trips that are planned in the year, which amount to about an additional R300 per month.

Commitment
The year entails a great deal of commitment and dedication where capacities are stretched and characters are grown. Here transformation happens and memories are made that last for a lifetime. Many people speak of their fuel team year as a key and defining aspect of their lives. The members of the team are expected to devote the full year to the commitments of the team. Those broadly include being a functioning member of the church, attending all the daily, weekly and monthly commitments of the team and subscribing to the holidays as set.
- Fuel team starts Monday the 5th of January and finishes Wednesday the 1st of Dec 2010.
- Fuel team takes a long weekend off at the end of the 1st and 3rd quarters and also have a two-week break in the June /July school holidays.
- Any other team member's time off will be discussed as it arises, as in the case of family weddings etc. We would like to maintain a high standard of commitment and team and would therefore ask that you stick strictly to these time guidelines as far as possible.
- Other than that we would like to have individuals who are committed to having fun, working together as a team and serving wholeheartedly, supporting the team leader and making every effort to grow and be stretched in everything God brings across our path.

Requirements
As a starting point we look for the following four things:

1. That the person is a "Common Ground Churcher "
- they are known by the elders and they carry dna of the church in their heart.
- For those from out of town or overseas, we ask them to commit to joining the church for the time they are with us.

2. The person is already involved in serving or leading somewhere in the church or is really committed to what they are apart of.

3. That the person is able to make the financial requirements of the team.
- We have people do the team who have not had the full amounts but we would see having the majority of the finances available as a part of your availablity to doing the year. Please speak to us if finances are your only concern and we would love to trust God with you for provision.

4. That the person shows signs of being "F.A.S.T"
- F = Faithful, they will see this through.
- A = Available, they will see this to completion
- S = Stable, they will contribute to the team through all seasons
- T = Teachable, they are keen to learn and grow, and be both corrected and encouraged by others

How do I sign up?
There is an application form and financial outline form, that you can get from us, which, once you have filled out can be given back to us.
We will then make a time for us to meet you along with some of the other elders and team leaders. We will then consult all of the elders and get back to you.
We don't mean this to be intimidating, but just want to make sure we serve you and the team well.

Any questions?

Please don't hesitate to call me on 021-6862970 or email me at roger@commongroundchurch.co.za

Many Thanks

Roger Haynes
Fuel Team Coach on behalf of the Eldership Team