Sky Stewart - Co-Founder & Executive Director
Born and raised in Jasper, Alabama, Sky grew up facing generational poverty, social injustices, and fatherlessness. Fear and feelings of being trapped in cyclical patterns kindled a desire for fairness and unity at a young age. Growing up in the church seven days a week, he was taught the basics of Christianity with no real understanding of who Christ was as Lord and Savior.
In college, Sky was invited to Campus Outreach's Summer Beach Project 2010. God used that summer and the two years following to reveal that Sky only thought he was a Christian and still needed to come into a relationship with Him. God began working in Sky and redeeming him.
As a leader at Summer Beach Project 2013, God allowed him to room with Lee Mayhall. Their friendship grew through football and an even tighter brotherhood in Christ. Lee shared his new vision from his time at Common Ground Montgomery which rekindled the flame in Sky for Gospel-centered justice and reconciliation.
"Through God's redemption in my life, I came to see the great need of Christ-centered transformation in the lives of others who have had a similar upbringing to mine."
Learning the Lord's heart towards justice and equality, Sky has faithfully accepted this call to be a part of Common Ground Shoals.
Fabian Cortez - Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director
From Haleyville, Alabama. First generational high school and college graduate in his family, Fabian always felt passionate about justice due to his mixed race background. He pursued college to escaped cycles of poverty.
Throughout college he was involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and did internships in Dallas working with marginalized communities. Fabian started his Master’s degree in Community Development in April 2018. After meeting with CGS directors Lee and Sky and discussing their first summer program, Fabian got involved with CGS. He became a Christian in the Fall of 2019 after coming to the realization that his faith was built on head knowledge alone and not heart transformation
In Spring 2020 he completed his Master’s degree and joined CGS as Director of Development and Social Media.
Looking back over the years, he realized that as hard as he tried to escape poverty through education, God was instead displaying Fabian’s calling to work with marginalized and impoverished communities.
Lee Mayhall - Co-Founder, Finance Director, & Board Member
Lee graduated from the University of North Alabama in May 2017. He came to faith his freshman year of college through the ministry of Campus Outreach (CO) and Christians on UNA's football team (including Sky). Following a life-changing summer at CO’s Summer Beach Project, he became increasingly involved as a student leader, attending subsequent Beach Projects, leading Bible studies, and sharing his faith on campus. Two years later, Lee had another life-changing summer during his internship with an inner-city ministry called Common Ground Montgomery (CGM).
“During my time at CGM, I learned that having a heart for God goes hand in hand with having a heart for the poor, oppressed and marginalized. In Matthew 25, Jesus identifies with them when He says, 'What you have done for the least of these my brothers, you have done to Me.' God began to transform my heart as I began to learn and receive from the very people I was there to serve. God used a place that seems weak and insignificant in this world to teach me the most about His kingdom. He chooses to honor these lowly places, like Washington Park in West Montgomery, because there is plenty of space for His glory.”
After two summers of serving and reciprocally being served by the Washington Park community, Lee truly felt a transformation of his heart. He knew that God was calling him to similar work as CGM, but in the greater Shoals area.
