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Growing Deep Roots to Share God's Love
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In this edition, you won't want to miss these stories:
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Jesus vs. Jerry Jones? As we approach football season, where NFL owners will look forward towards glory there's some comparisons and contradictions we can make between their version of glory and Jesus'. What does Jesus' team look like, as we take the field looking forward to the ultimate glories of eternal life in Jesus' Kingdom here on Earth? Let's explore further Sunday.
We invite you to review the following scripture ahead of time:
Luke 12:1-12, 13-56; Luke 13:1-9.
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Feedback on the sermon series? What new information have you learned? We'd love to hear from you.
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August 21
Back to School Sunday
Chapter 32: "Jesus Vs. Jerry Jones"
August 28
Chapter 33: "That Time Jesus Offended Everyone"
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UPCOMING EVENTS
August 21
Blessing of the Teachers and Backpacks, All Services
Habitat for Humanity First Time Volunteers Training, 11:30 a.m., Worship Center
Lunch With the Pastors For New Attendees Interested in Learning More, 12:30 p.m., Worship Center
Sunday School and Small Group Sign Ups; Most Classes Will Start Mid-September
August 24
Family Promise First Time Volunteer Training, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Worship Center
August 28
Official launch of Creekwood Special Needs Ministry
August 28 - September 4
Family Promise Hosting at Student Center
September 5
Labor Day, Church Office Closed
September 11
Harper's Helpers Training for First Time Volunteers, 11:30 a.m.
,
Worship Center
Mission Possible Kids, 11:30 a.m., Children's Center
September 18
Harper's Helpers Training for First Time Volunteers, 11:30 a.m., Worship Center
Children's Choir Resumes, 11:30 a.m., Children's Center
September 17
Creekwood Habitat for Humanity Build
September 20
Creekwood MOMtourage Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Worship Center
October 11
Last Day to Register to Vote in the General Election
October 15
Creekwood Habitat for Humanity Build
Creekwood Fall Festival, 3-6 p.m.
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 Volunteer Highlight
There are many, many volunteers working behind the scenes at Creekwood, and we love to share stories of how people are giving so
graciously of their time and talent. Over the summer as you see our volunteers in action, please share what you're seeing and who you think needs to be our next highlight. Click here to share. We start back our highlights in September.
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Charge Conference
Don't forget, we'll be holding a Charge Conference TONIGHT to facilitate a vote on the commencement of a pledge capital campaign. D
ictated by the Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, members of our church must come together to vote on the commencement of any pledge capital campaign. In our case, this is a proposed campaign to raise funds for a
new Children's & Adult Ministries building and for the renovation of the existing Children's Center to support our Youth Ministry.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Members and non-members are welcome to attend; but, per the Book of Discipline, only members can vote. We are required to have at least 50% of those in attendance at the Charge Conference to vote in favor of the commencement of the campaign in order to proceed. Your vote matters. Plan to join us. Childcare will be available for those seven and under in the Worship Center beginning at 6:15 p.m.
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Want to Make an Impact?
There is arguably no better way to make an impact in this world than to contribute to the betterment of a young person. And, guess what? We have an opportunity to do just that each and every Sunday at Creekwood. Have you considered rotating in as a Sunday school teacher at Creekwood? You should. We offer flexible schedules - one hour windows are the norm and you can even be a once-per-month teacher. Additionally, our "pay" is beyond anything you'll earn Monday-Friday.
We asked two of our veteran teachers--Lynda Blaylock and Rick Adler-- to share a little on the role, based on their experience:
Question: How much time, beyond the hour of Sunday school, do you need to be a teacher?
Lynda: I only need to spend 30 minutes each week to prepare for Sunday school.
Rick: I usually spend about 20 mins each week reading through the lesson plan to get ready for each week, usually Friday or Saturday to give me a little time to think about the lesson.
Question: What draws you to come back year after year?
Lynda: I come back because I grow in Christ by volunteering to teach. I come back because these kids are awesome. They think I am teaching them, but they are really teaching me.
Rick: I come back each year because of the children. They are so honest and pure, and their love is from the heart. I enjoy teaching them while they teach me. I honestly believe I get more out of the weekly lessons than they do.
Request: Share a meaningful experience you had in the Sunday school classroom.
Lynda: Every week that I am in the class is meaningful to me. I see these little hearts open up to God's word and so often they have the most amazing insight.
Rick: Listening to children relate a bible story to their life is amazing. They never fail to surprise and amaze me with their thoughts each week, often making me leave with more to think about how I approach situations.
So, "What's open?" you ask?
- At the 9:00 a.m. hour, we need teachers for the kindergarten/grade 1 class and the grades 2/3 class.
- At the 10:15 hour, we need teachers for the kindergarten class, the grades 1 & 2 class and we need one teacher's helper for the grades 3 & 4 class that Lynda Blaylock will be teaching.
- Also at the 10:15 hour, we need greeters for the Explorer's Sunday school welcome desk in the Children's Center and in the preschool welcome area in the Worship Center. Keep in mind, greeters miss only maybe the first 5 minutes of worship or their Sunday school hour, so this is a very easy (but essential!) job to take on and still join your family in worship or your Sunday school class.
- Additionally, we have some opportunities in our preschool area in the Worship Center. We're seeking assistant teachers for the 3 through 5-year-old classes that meet at 10:15 and 11:30 a.m. hours. You can pick the hour that works best for you. Contact Melissa Fritzsche to learn more and sign up for the preschool roles.
Don't forget, we recruit sets of teachers so that, with rotation, teachers are often just leading a class once a month. Straightforward curriculum and prepped art supplies will be provided to you. Teachers are able to spend their energy with the children, in class, making a real difference, on their given Sunday. Are you ready to join us in this important, rewarding endeavor? Simply
email Wendy McConney
. Our need is real and timely - we need teachers for August 28th!
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Lunch With the Pastors this Sunday
We will be hosting Lunch with the Pastors this Sunday, August 21, immediately following the 11:30 a.m. service. This is the perfect opportunity for someone interested in our church to share a meal and discuss Creekwood with our ministerial leadership. Recurring visitors are encouraged to attend. Members are welcome to invite a friend. More information will be given about joining the church, publicly or non-publicly. Childcare is available, but children are also welcome to attend. If you are able to join us, please
RSVP to Pastor John at j
[email protected]. We look forward to seeing you!
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South Louisiana Flooding
Many have asked how they can help with the flooding crisis in south Louisiana. We recommend you support the efforts of UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief. To learn more about UMCOR
click here. You may make donations to UMCOR through Creekwood by noting your designation. Our September communion offering will be for this cause as well.
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Small Group and Sunday School Sign Ups This Sunday
It's time to sign up for fall Sunday school and small group classes! The goal is to provide meaningful gatherings for our members to learn, serve and fellowship.
We felt it was worth repeating what we shared last week, so here we go:
In addition to some tried and true gatherings, we have four new
offerings
on the menu this season: a monthly women's fellowship group
; Body & Soul, a weekly women's group tying together moderate physical activity and spirituality;
Dinner Groups that will meet quarterly; and a Living Methodism class.
Group member Kristi Wilbur, who will be leading the
Seamless Bible study
this fall, shared some of her experience being in a Creekwood small group. "I started looking for a small group to join last fall because I was searching for a deeper understanding of God and His word. I also wanted to get to know others in the church. Sunday morning groups were great, but they were challenging to make work for our family. So, I found a women's bible study in the evenings during the week and it was such a blessing." Kristi continued, "I have always found studying the Bible on my own to be somewhat intimidating because I know many of the passages reference other things in the Bible or refer to culture of the day. The Bible study I attended gave me a whole new understanding of how things fit together. It also was a "team effort" to figure out things we didn't understand, and it felt like a very open place to hear a variety of opinions. I can say it completely changed my understanding of the Bible and made it not quite so intimidating to seek further knowledge. It also connected me with women that I now consider friends."
Empty Nesters member Helen Huemiller shared the following on her small group experience, "Empty Nesters is a group of twenty to thirty people led by L Michael Mints, who care about one another, and look forward to Sunday to spend a couple of hours together sharing and learning the word of God. It is a special group of people who have become my friends, and I truly feel they would be there for me in my time of need. Let me add that newcomers are always welcomed. The knowledge of the Bible the group has is very inspiring to me. I feel blessed God has placed me with this group of people to share in this time of my life."
Long-time Creekwood member Becky Sipes
said
she originally sought out a small group because she "had the desire to grow deeper in my faith." Grow she did. She
continued
, "My small group has challenged me to have a better understanding of Biblical readings and its application. We have wrestled through our emotions and what the Bible has to say about that." Becky explains what she also found in her small group "was support, encouragement and the hands and feet of Jesus." She openly and honestly shared how her group strengthened her in a time of great need. "When my mom was diagnosed with cancer, my small groups--Bible studies, friends from church and our community, including wonderful neighbors--took care of me and my family physically, and emotionally. The support we experienced helped us get through difficult days, weeks and years. They fed us, prayed for us, invited us to their homes for holidays. We felt the true love of Christ."
Kristi summed up the small group discussion, "The small group experience at Creekwood is the least intimidating I have experienced at a church. It is truly a 'come as you are' environment and all levels of Biblical understanding are not only welcomed, but will also benefit from attending."
Click here for a full list of small group and Bible study offerings and sign up for your group(s) in the Gathering Area this Sunday.
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Calling All Golfers!!!
We have two golf tournaments coming up that benefit two of our core mission partners: ACO & Family Promise.
These tournaments help the organizations to raise vital funds for their yearly budgets. We would love to have at least one team in each tournament, if not more. The registration links are below. Plea
se register your team and list Creekwood as the affiliate. Also, please email Annmarie and let her know that you will be participating.
ACO Tournament- Monday, September 26 at Heritage Ranch
Family Promise Golf Tournament- Friday, October 14 at Twin Creeks
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Still In Need of 7 Overnight Hosts
We're hosting Family Promise August 29 through September 4 in the Creekwood Student Center in conjunction with our partner, Grace Church. In addition to the facility, Creekwood will be providing meals, dinner hosts and overnight hosts. We will also be responsible for set up on August 28 and tear down on September 4.
Currently we anticipate three families coming to stay, for a total of ten guests, including six children. You can help us provide comfortable, hospitable shelter for these families. Volunteers interacting with guests need to complete Family Promise training ahead of time. We'll hold a training for first-time volunteers on Wednesday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m. in room 105 in the Worship Center. RSVP to Annmarie Barajas for the training.
We invite you to join us in this much-needed, and personally rewarding ministry. Click here for a full list of volunteer opportunities, including our critical overnight host roles.
Please
sign up
for a slot at your earliest convenience so that we are ready to serve these families and share a huge Creekwood welcome. For further information, contact
Sarah Brown
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Harper's Helpers
We're about to begin our third year serving our partner elementary school, Princeton ISD's Harper Elementary.
We're seeking
a return of our veteran Harper's Helpers and anyone else interested in investing in the lives of these precious students. Needed are mentors, tutors and general volunteers for grades pre-K through 5th grade for the 2016/17 school year. We'll again have the breakfast mentorship window during the 7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. time frame for those who may work during the school day. We're also keeping the library helper role and the ever-important readers for pre-K. New this year, we're adding lunchroom helpers to our program. Volunteers will be able to pick their day, shifts will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and volunteers will help little fingers open milk cartons and assist in other such ways.
Click here for a full list of opportunities and to sign up. When you sign up, you will be asked to make note of a teacher or student request. If you do not have one, just fill in "NA." Also, close to the "Submit" button is a small question that asks you "weekly or twice monthly?" Please check the one that applies to you before submitting. If you have any difficulty please contact Kelley Oleson. Don't let the sign up process steer you away from participating.
If you missed it last week, here you can read some special testimony from returning Harper's Helpers Frankie and Joe Jewett.
New this year, only the new volunteers will be required to attend a start-of-year training session. We'll have two options: September 11 and September 18, both at 11:30 a.m. Veteran
volunteers wanting to participate again will just need to pick up their new shirt on the 11th or 18th.
If you have any questions, please email Kelly Oleson.
Join us in making a difference in the lives of the young children of Princeton.
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Next Habitat Build 9/17 and 10/15
Training for New Volunteers THIS Sunday at 11:30
Creekwood's next Habitat for Humanity build will be just up the road in Princeton, TX. Creekwood is slated for September and October builds. You can learn more about the beautiful Arps family we're supporting by clicking here. We need 20-25 builders each day, and we need volunteers to provide lunch and water. Please email Lyndsey Lessner or call/text 404-797-5072 to sign up. If this will be your first time to join us in an Habitat build, please plan to attend our training this Sunday at 11:30 in the Worship Center Room 106. Only NEW volunteers are required to attend. We would love to have you join us in this hands-on, rewarding mission work.
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Photo Release Form
The time has come to renew and/or get a NEW photo release form on file with Creekwood. As you know, we love to share pictures of our children around Creekwood in our newsletters. Additionally, we're close to launching a brand new website (yay!!) and our plan is to use a lot of real photos to highlight the personality of our church. We also occasionally use pictures of children and youth on social media as well.
Please take the time to fill out the
form here and return it
via email, or drop it off at the welcome desk this Sunday. Additional forms are available for pick-up in the Children's Center for your convenience at drop off or pick up.
If you do not wish to have your children's/your picture used, let us know.
All forms should be returned by August 28.
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Have an infant through 4th grader and not currently receiving our weekly Children's Ministries' newsletter, Explorers' Times? Please
email us to be added to our distribution list.
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If your youth isn't already plugged into a weekly small group (7th - 10th graders) or life group (11th/12th graders), please contact Donna Bartholomew to learn more about these life-changing groups.
LiGht (Living in God's House Together)
Sunday school is held each Sunday from 10:15 - 11:15 a.m. in the Lovejoy Gym. All 5th - 12th graders are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
Join us for
T
he Rise
Sunday evenings from 5 - 7 p.m. in the Worship Center. We'll have dinner ($5), worship, hear inspirational messages and have small group breakouts.
Let's stay in touch.
Students wanting to stay up to date with current activities, events and services, please text @elevatecu to 81010. Parents wanting to have more up to date information with deadlines, events and services, please txt @e88k7 to 81010.
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Have a 7th - 12th grader and not currently receiving our weekly Youth Ministries' newsletter? Please
email us to be added to our distribution list.
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See what is happening on our Creekwood social sites.
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