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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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Generally the easiest plants to pull are weeds, which typically feature shallow roots, easily disconnected from the ground. Grass, trees and vines, in contrast, have deep roots and are connected well, sharing a common purpose with the plant to grow and flourish. Similarly, in Christ, we find unity when we invest in each other with one common mission, with one mind of grace and love, and when we share a foundation of salvation. This connectedness enables us to define ourselves as beloved and blessed and gives us a sense that all things are possible with God. We look forward to seeing you Sunday.
D
on't forget to set your clocks back before you go to bed Saturday night, and consider
 grabbing a few Thanksgiving meal donation items to support our Mission Possible Kids Sunday project when you're out and about tomorrow and Saturday! You can drop them off Sunday at the Welcome Desk in the Gathering Area.
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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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November 6
Growing Roots in Sharing
November 13
Growing Roots Through Service
November 20
Giving Thanks
November 27
Launch of Advent Sermon Series: Socks and Underwear
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UPCOMING EVENTS
November 6
Daylight Saving Time Ends at 2 a.m.
November 10
November 13
November 20
Stewardship and Growing Roots Commitment Sunday
Club 56, 12:45 - 3:00 p.m., Tile Room Children's Center
November 21
CSM (Creekwood Student Ministries) Service Day at Samaritan Inn
November 24
Austin Street Shelter Thanksgiving Serving
Thanksgiving; Church Office Closed
November 25
Church Office Closed
November 27 - December 4
Creekwood Hosts Family Promise, Student Center
December 4
December 4 & 11
December 4 - 18
Plano Santas' Warehouse Helpers
December 5
Creekwood Church Council, Open to All, 6:30 p.m., Worship Center
December 7 & 8
Live Nativity, Creekwood Barn, Shows On The Hour and Half Hour, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
December 18
Christmas Cantata w/ Creekwood Choir, Handbell Choir and Children's Choir, 7 p.m., Worship Center
Club 56,
12:45 - 3:00 p.m., Tile Room Children's Center
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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.
Today we're featuring a group of members who've committed to serve as missionaries--to serve as our eyes, ears and mouths--to the Zoe orphans we are supporting in India.
Erin Schreiner, Phyllis Carlin, Christie Hermann, Gail Bonfiglio, Samantha Poulton, Andy Fendley, Jana Carmichael and Annmarie Barajas are heading to India January 11, 2017 for an eight-day mission.
After our last missionaries returned from India last February and shared their stories of hope and progress, Gail Bonfiglio was immediately inspired to attend a Zoe mission trip. She was one of the first to commit to going on the trip and says she can't wait to meet the Zoe kids. After Gail signed up there was a lull in interest, or so it seemed, but a trip commitment like this isn't made up of casual,"Oh, I'll go," statements. More so, this trip was the product of several Holy Spirit whispers.
Director of Missions, Annmarie Barajas, explained, "At first the trip was looking like it really wasn't going to make and I honestly was sad (for several reasons) that I wasn't going. It was really out of my family's comfort zone to have me shipped halfway across the world and I had just come to a peace about the fact that I needed to be content with that. What I didn't know was that my husband's heart strings were
tugged after the amazing presentation of our summer Zoe Kids on a Mission presentation, led by Kristi Wilbur and Lyndsey Lessner, and he was inspired to make a way for me to go to India to visit our six groups of orphans. He orchestrated a big surprise at dinner where my "ticket" was presented and as they say...the rest is history! I am truly grateful to Bobby, Jana, Lyndsey, David
and the congregation for what God has put on their hearts, and for acting on it."
Our other volunteers have similar stories of inspiration and impetus, and all have presented with such open eager hearts and smiles. Annmarie continued, "We now have a total of ten going on the trip and several amazingly generous individuals have provided some scholarship money to help make this possible. We would appreciate your continued prayers as we prepare for this trip and especially for the children that we are supporting. Several of the groups are within their first six months of embarking on this journey of self-sufficiency and independence. It is sure to be exciting and scary all at the same time. As we have seen, God is definitely moving in the lives of these children in India and here at Creekwood to orchestrate such a beautiful partnership. We can't wait to see it firsthand for Creekwood!"
(And, we can't fail to acknowledge that one Mr. Bobby Barajas has really raised the bar for all us spouses out here working to come up with gift ideas for our partners.)
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Annmarie and Bobby Barajas
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Please join us in thanking these eight heart-driven, committed Creekwood members who will be showing orphans in India their love, our love, and providing us with a first-hand account of our investment in these children. One way you might thank them is to pen a small card of encouragement to be delivered to the orphans. You can leave your card at the Welcome Desk in the Gathering Area.
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Communion Offering
Our communion offering this Sunday will support a very special organization, The Plano Santas, which works with the Assistance Center of Collin County to provide toys and holiday meals to families in need. Learn more about our long-standing partnership with Plano Santas here and here.
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 Welcome Stephanie!!
Once again Creekwood has been blessed. We're excited to announce we have our new director for our Special Needs Ministry and she is ready to take what we've seeded and grow it to the next level.
Stephanie Hunter, a California native and pastor's daughter, has a love for learning. She attended Fresno Pacific University and earned a BA in Secondary English Education. She then attended Grace Seminary in Winona Lake, IN, where she received an MA in Ministry. She next went to the University of North Texas where she obtained her Master's degree in Special Education, specializing in Autism  Intervention. She is currently persuing her PhD in Special Education with an emphasis in behavior and emotional disorders. (Feeling the nudge to get off your toosh yet....?) There's more--she plays ukele and guitar, enjoys singing and knows some American Sign Language. She's also seen lots of our great big world, having taught English is South Korea and traveled to Japan, Mexico, Scotland and England.
Stephanie has worked in youth, student, kid and special needs ministries. She is passionate about helping every child learn about the love of God, and is committed to helping each understand they belong to God's family and will also find acceptance, love and belonging through Jesus. Please join us is welcoming Stephanie to Creekwood!!!
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Campaign FAQs
We're in the thick of the Growing Roots building capital campaign so we thought it'd be fitting to cover a few of the frequently asked questions we've received.
1.
When will I get my pledge card? I'm ready to share my family's commitment.
 We'll be mailing out pledge cards next week; you should receive yours by November 11. The card will look like the image here, front/back. If, for whatever reason, you do not receive your card, you can pick one up at the Welcome Desk in the Gathering Area on Sunday, November 13. The cards are requested back no later than Sunday, November 20, which is Commitment Sunday, when we will have a blessing of the cards.
2.
How is this pledge card different from my annual stewardship/operating budget form?
The pledge card is just that, a card. In the campaign mailing you will also receive your annual stewardship/operating budget sheet. This will look familiar to you in format (8 1/2 by 11, two sided, budget summary, etc.) but you will see that, this year, we've included sections to pledge your commitments of time and prayer as well, because we know that financial donations are only one way you make our church what it is today.
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Growing Roots Prayer Walk
We'll be holding a special event in support of our Growing Roots campaign next
Sunday, November 13. Before the first service or after any of the three services, you are invited to a prayer walk on the site of the proposed new Ministry Building. Participants will walk the outline of the building, stopping at four defined stations, and they will be given small flags that they will be asked to write a short prayer on before placing onsite. We invite you to join us in prayer.
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It Will Be Here Before You Know It!
The sugar high may just now be wearing off from Halloween and no one wants to short-change the Thanksgiving holiday, but Christmas will be here before we know it. Perhaps you are starting to pull together some of your holiday plans. Below is a schedule of services Creekwood will hold Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You'll notice we have added a second contemporary service to Christmas Eve. You can always refer back to these times, and learn more about the services, via our
website calendar.
Christmas Eve:
1:00 p.m. Worship Service in the Barn
3:00 p.m. Family Worship Service With Children's Performance
4:30 p.m. Contemporary Worship Service
6:00 p.m. Contemporary Worship Service
7:30 p.m. Traditional Worship Service
9:00 p.m. Worship Service in the Barn
Christmas Day:
10:15 a.m. Worship Service Followed by a Potluck Lunch
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Small Groups - Growing Through Learning
Did you miss Erica Dorlan and Linda Judd's testimony this past Sunday regarding their small group experiences? Or, do you simply want to listen to what you heard again? Below is the video we watched in service. Are you feeling called to take the next step? Have you been saying you're going to join a group? Contact
Molly Trank to discuss; let's find the group that is perfect for you.
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Women's Fellowship Dinner
The newly-formed Creekwood Women's Fellowship group, Heart to Heart, will be holding a dinner next Thursday, November 10, at 6:00 p.m. in the Worship Center. All women are welcome to attend. Contact
Tammy Adler to RSVP.
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Have a College Student?
The Faith Friends Bible study group is continuing their tradition of mailing care packages to our college students ahead of exams. The group is currently working to collect mailing addresses. Do you have a college student who could use some love and encouragement? Please
click here to provide:
Student's First and Last Name
Mailing Address
Help us enable the Faith Friends to bless and encourage our college students. Our desire is to reach all of the students with Creekwood parents. DEADLINE FOR INFORMATION IS
NOVEMBER 18.
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Creekwood will next host Family Promise November 27 - December 4.
Click here
to sign up to support this special cause. We still have a few spots left. This is a great way to kick-off the holiday season. C
ontact Sarah Brown for more information. If you would like to learn more about Family Promise of Collin County, please visit their website at familypromiseofcollincounty.org.
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Santa Needs Your Help
The Plano Santas organization is once again helping the Assistance Center of Collin County to provide food and gifts for families in need during the holiday season. Volunteers are needed to sort food and toys in the warehouse each day from December 4 - December 18. Children under the age of 14 are welcome to help and must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Please sign up for a time slot here. Spots fill up fast so don't wait too long. This is a great opportunity for small groups to serve together. Thank you for your help in spreading God's joy by serving families in need during the holiday season!
Help is also needed to
deliver
items to families on December 17 & 18;
no
sign up is required for the delivery volunteers, just show up. Watch for more info to come
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This Sunday
Mission Possible kids is held the first Sunday of the month during the 11:30 worship hour. Pizza is served and the event runs until 1 p.m. Children Kindergarten through 5th grade are welcome.
Agents
will be putting together grocery bags with all the non-perishable items needed to make Thanksgiving dinners for ACO (Allen Community Outreach) patrons. They will also make special table decorations for the families. Here is the list of items agents are asked to bring. Please bring 10-12 items from this list. Our agents will accept donations from church members. Help us bless those in need.
| Gift Cards for Frozen Turkeys |
Canned Hams |
Bisquick |
Corn Meal/ Corn MuffinMix
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Canned Pie Filling
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Pie Crust Mix
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Jell-O
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Pudding Mix
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Canned Veggies (Green Bean & Corn)
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French Fried Onion Strings
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Yams / Sweet Potatoes
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Marshmallows
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| Stuffing Mix |
Instant Mashed Potatoes Or a small bag of potatoes
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Rice |
Dried Beans or canned green beans
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Canned Fruit
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Canned Gravy
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| Broth |
Canned Milk |
Canned Pumpkin |
| Foil Roasting Pans / Pie Pans |
Dessert Mix (Cake Mix/Icing, Cookies, Brownies) |
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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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Youth Volunteer Day
CSM (Creekwood Student Ministry) will be volunteering at the Samaritan Inn on Monday, November 21.
We need to let the Samaritan Inn know how many students and adults to expect, so please
RSVP
by November 13. This will be a daytime event and is another great way to get into the holiday spirit!
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Sunday school
is held each Sunday from 10:15 - 11:15 a.m. 5th - 6th graders will meet in the
tile room of the Children's Center.
7th - 8th graders meet in the garage of the Student Center and 9th -12th graders meet in the Student Center.
The Rise is held in the Student Center on Sundays, from 5 - 7 p.m. All youth are welcome to these evenings of worship, fellowship and fun. Meals are provided; a $5 donation is encouraged. If you are looking to help our awesome Student Ministry by providing a meal, or part of a meal, for The Rise click here to pick a date and sign up. We promise you'll have fun feeding and visiting with our students.
Middle School Bible Study is held Wednesday evenings, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Bring your Bibles (and dinner, if you'd like) and join us for fellowship and study. Contact Donna Bartholomew for more information.
Let's stay in touch.
Students and parents wanting to stay up to date with current activities, events and services, please text @elevatecu 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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