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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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Wealth is a blessing and a curse. John Wesley encouraged everyone to earn all they can and save all they can. But, recognizing the spiritual demise that comes with hoarding, he also stressed to his disciples, "Give all you can." Jesus encourages his followers to not live out of a culture of scarcity, but rather to trust that God has more than enough to go around. Join us this Sunday for a discussion on what IS enough.
We invite you to review the following scripture ahead of time:
Luke 12:13-34.
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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 14
Chapter 31: "
A Tale of Two Silos
"
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 14
Back to School Prayer Walk 3:00 p.m., Prayer Service 4:00 p.m., Ice Cream Social 4:20 p.m.
August 18
Pledge Capital Campaign Charge Conference, 6:30 p.m., Worship Center
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 Wishing to Join Our Church, 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 29 - 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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Communion Offering
Thank you for your generosity. Through our communion offering, we raised $1,814 for the Carry the Load organization and its partner, Assist the Officer Foundation, which serves the Dallas Police Department officers and their families.
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 Prayer Walk for Schools & Prayer Guide
We hope you'll plan to join us this Sunday, August 14, for our second annual Back to School Prayer Walk. If you were with us this time last year, you may remember we were just wrapping up a deep discussion on the power of prayer, and we organized prayer events to pray for blessings and safety for the schools in our community. So many participated in this important program last year, and we're excited to have Lay Leadership heading the event this year.
We believe there is power in prayer in a purposeful group setting.
We're focusing on the East Allen and Lovejoy schools, as well as Harper Elementary. Groups will physically walk the school grounds and pray for blessings for the upcoming school year. Want to be a part of it? You'll find large chalkboards up in the Gathering Area listing the schools. Sign your name under your chosen school, or simply show up at your school at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Here is the prayer guide we will be using--you may print it and bring it with you to the school.
Following the prayer walks, we
'll regroup at the Worship Center at 4 p.m. for a combined prayer service and will then have an ice cream social at 4:20 p.m. As you've heard by now, this is not your ordinary ice cream social. You won't want to miss it.
We invite you to join us in prayer and fellowship as we prepare for the 2016-2017 school year.
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Charge Conference
Don't forget, we'll be holding a Charge Conference one week from today 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 Charge Conference will be held Thursday, August 18, 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 on August 18. Childcare will be available for those seven and under in the Worship Center beginning at 6:15 p.m.
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Welcome Jared!!
As you likely read in Pastor David's Deep Thoughts this week, we are so, so very excited to announce we've hired our new Director of Youth Ministry, Jared Phares. Jared's first day will be August 21--Back to School Sunday. Pastor David did a Q & A with Jared to help us all begin to get to know him; you can
read it here. Orange you glad we've got the goods on Jared? (Orange. Get it? Read it.) We're looking forward to seeing what God has in store for Jared and our youth program.
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Drivers Wanted
We've said it before - she's fun to drive.
The Creekwood golf cart provides needed (and sometimes simply fun) transportation for so many of our members and guests weekly, be it someone needing a lift from the parking lot in to worship, or a student or Sunday school class member with a trek over to the Lovejoy gym.
We need drivers to power our Golf Cart program and we've got short shifts available. If you are 16 years of age or older and have a valid driver's license, consider serving your church in this unique way.
Click here to sign up.
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Small Group and Sunday School Sign Ups
Here at Creekwood, we deeply value the concept of small groups, which so completely encapsulates the three pillars of our vision statement: scriptural education, relationship-based mission opportunities and faith-centered fellowship. On August 21, we'll begin sign-ups for our fall Sunday school and small group classes, and our prayer is
that you'll research and reflect upon the group(s) that best match where you are on your faith journey and where you will best grow.
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 to be held at the 11:30 hour.
We asked group member Kristi Wilbur, who will be leading the
Seamless Bible study
this fall, to share 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 watch for sign ups in the Gathering Area beginning next Sunday, August 21.
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Join Our Team
Looking for a fun way to get some exercise and
an opportunity for fellowship? We're forming a Creekwood coed soccer team and both a men's and a
coed softball team. The leagues will start the end of August. Watch for sign ups to begin shortly. Contact Pastor David with any questions. Come play with us!
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Upcoming Hosting
We're hosing 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 by volunteering to set up beds, buy groceries, share a meal with the families, provide a dinner, stay overnight or even by doing laundry when our guests leave. Our biggest need always is serving as an overnight host. Many who have filled this important role report it is the easiest of tasks, but we find it is often the most difficult for us to fill. 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 6:30pm 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. Don't forget, this can be a fun family event. Kids and teens do a great job of interacting with our guests by playing pool, board or other games, or just by simply talking.
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
With the start of the new year comes the start of another school year of Harper's Helpers, this being 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. Watch for a sign-up link next week outlining all the opportunities.
Creekwood members Frankie and Joe Jewett offered to share with us some of their experience serving in this one of a kind program. Frankie explained, "When Joe suggested we get involved with Harper, I thought.......it would be a piece of cake to work with 3rd graders. Heck, I'd taught high school for 28 years and Joe had coached little league baseball. Well, let me tell you what they taught us:
- Tenacity - you can work hard to write better regardless of the fact that your shoes were duct taped to hold them together.
- The joy of a quick hug from a child who doesn't say a word to you and just goes back to his or her seat in class.
- Some children just need to be acknowledged, told that they are important and special. Having an adult willing to sit and listen to them, perhaps letting them be the center of attention for just a bit --- it can mean the world to someone.
- So many of the little ones keep on trying even with the deck stacked against them. Getting to school is a major accomplishment.
Frankie concluded by stating, "We have been blessed by these youngsters and will be back this year."
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.
Cur
rent volunteers wanting to participate again will just need to pick up new shirts 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
Creekwood's next Habitat for Humanity build will be in Princeton to
coincide with
the work we are doing at Harper Elementary and in the surrounding community. In fact, we're building this next home adjacent to a home we worked on in 2015 for the Arps family.
We'll be working on a home for Sandy Escamilla and her three beautiful children.
A native of McKinney, Sandy is thrilled to become a Habitat homeowner. She was born and raised right here in North Collin County, and graduated  from McKinney High School in 2001.
For the past four years, Sandy has been working at Mediquip in McKinney where she assists with inventory intake, shipping, and processing. She
started the Habitat process when a former co-worker told her about the program. For her, getting to move into a home of her own will be an incredible blessing after many long years of struggle which began in high school. During that time, Sandy's parents divorced and her mother was left to care for five children on her own. Being the second oldest, Sandy worked two jobs before and after school in order to help her mother pay the bills. Since that time, Sandy feels like she has been on a long journey. She is so thankful for this opportunity, and feels like moving into her Habitat home will be a huge step in the right direction. We're blessed to have the opportunity to help her make this huge step.
Build days are
Saturday, September 17 and Saturday, October 15 from approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We need 20-25 builders each day, and we need volunteers to provide lunch and water. Please
email Lyndsey Lessner or c
all/text 404-797-5072 to sign up. We'll hold a training for all first time Habitat volunteers on Sunday, August 21, at 11:30 a.m. in the Worship Center Rm 106. We invite you to join us in helping make a home for Sandy and her children.
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Photo Release Form
Parents, the time has come to renew and/or get a NEW photo release form from you. 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 on social media.
Please take the time to fill out the
form here and return it to me via email, or drop it off at the welcome desk this Sunday. I'll have additional forms available for pick-up in the Children's Center for your convenience at drop off or pick up.
If you do not sign a release form, it will be taken as a denied permission.
I would like to have the forms all collected by August 28. Thank you for your help with this matter.
Wendy
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We Launch August 28
The Creekwood Special Needs Ministry will officially launch August 28, and we are crazy excited about this new endeavor. The objective of this new ministry is to help special needs children and their families celebrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a nurturing and safe atmosphere which values integration and removes barriers to church attendance.
A key component of this ministry is the Buddy Program, which serves to help every child feel included and nurtured spiritually, emotionally, and physically while their families join us for worship. Pairing each special needs child with a buddy volunteer will help them participate, to the fullest extent, in our Sunday morning children and youth programs. We're currently developing our team of buddies. To date, we have seven buddies committed to this important role and ten others have expressed an interest. Do you feel called to serve in this ministry? Here is a little more about the buddy role.
BUDDY FAQs:
Who can be a buddy?
Any person at least 18 years of age who has attended Creekwood UMC for at least 6 months. Ministry Safe training and a one-hour in-service training will be required.
What are the buddy responsibilities?
Buddy volunteers will serve to provide additional help to children who need extra support to manage toys, crafts, etc. and to help guide children to stay in the appropriate play areas with our group.
How much time is required to be a buddy?
Buddy volunteers can commit to 1 or 2 hours per Sunday for any number of weeks in the month.
How do buddies get paired with special needs children?
We will work to match children with the most appropriate buddy volunteer, according to the needs and personalities of the children and the buddies.
We have discussed bringing in some of our teens to serve as peer play partners. Participating teens will undergo the same one-time training and background check as our adults. If you have a teen interested in serving as a buddy, contact Wendy McLean.
For more information on our Special Needs program, please contact Wendy McLean.
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Building Faith
Brick by Brick
We're continuing with the "Building Faith Brick By Brick" curriculum through August. The Explorers have been enjoying interactive lessons that help kids experience the wonder and adventure of the Bible via Legos! Have your kiddos join us at the 9:00 or 10:15 worship hours for some educational, inspiration Lego building! The program is designed for Kindergarten through 4th graders. See you Sunday!
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Happy Summer Break!
The Children's Choir is dismissed for the summer. We'll see you back in September.
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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. This Sunday The Rise will be participating in the Gridiron Kickoff.
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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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