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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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This Sunday we've set aside time to unite in vision, purpose, and worship together. Through a series of interactive interviews and presentations, we'll walk through what people need to know to learn, share, serve, and be safe here at Creekwood. A Q&A with Pastor David will serve as the message, as he fills us in on the successes, struggles, and visions of the Creekwood community. Join us Sunday for the "State of Creekwood."
Click here to submit a question. Though we're not likely able to get to every question this Sunday, we will work to get answers to each question submitted.
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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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January 8
"State of the Church Q&A With Pastor David"
January 15
Explore Church Sermon Series
"What is the Church Supposed To Be?"
January 22
Explore Church Sermon Series
"Why are There So Many Churches?"
January 29
Explore Church Sermon Series
"What Does the Church Believe?"
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UPCOMING EVENTS
January 8
"State of the Church" Sermon, including Q&A with Pastor David
Zoe Mission Trip Missionaries Send Off
Mission Possible Kids 11:30 - 1:30
The Rise Upcoming/Summer Events Parent Meeting, 5:00 p.m., Student Center
January 11 - 20
Zoe Mission Trip to India
January 12
Heart to Heart Women's Small Group Gathering, 6:00 p.m., Creekwood Worship Center
January 13
January 15
January 16
Church Office Closed in Observance of MLK Day
January 18
January 21
Creekwood Habitat Training and First Build
January 22
Lunch With the Pastors, a Gathering For Any Potential New Members, 12:30 p.m., Worship Center
Club 56, 11:30 a.m., Children's Center Tile Room
Family Promise Training for New Volunteers, 11:30 a.m., Worship Center
January 26 - 28
Created By God, 5th and 6th Grade Human Sexuality Class, Creekwood Worship Center
January 30
Church Council Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Creekwood Worship Center
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 Mission Ministry Highlight
"How can I make a difference in 2017?" you ask? Well, Creekwood Missions has a few opportunities for you.
First, believing strongly in the power of prayer, we're asking for your prayers for our Zoe missionaries as they head over to India next week. We're formally sending them off with prayer this Sunday in each service; they'll be gone January 11 - 20. If you're keeping count, we're now blessed to have six groups of vulnerable children we're sponsoring in the one-of-a-kind Zoe self-empowering, sustainable progress program. We have Challenge, our original group. and now four new ones also in India that we'll be visiting next week, and we have one in Africa. Mark your calendars--
January 29 will be Zoe Sunday and our missionaries will be sharing their mission experience with us during each service. Below is a list of our trip participants:
Erin Schriener
Annmarie Barajas
Jana Carmichael
Gail Bonfiglio
Samantha Poulton
Andy Fendley
Christie Hermann
Phyllis Carlin
We've also received information on four of our groups, all having chosen their own group names. Click on the group names below to read more about each. We expect reports from Challenge and our new Africa group soon.
Now, the second opportunity. Fancy yourself house handy? We've got two Habitat for
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Click
HERE to Learn More about the Perkins
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Humanity builds coming up in McKinney:
Saturday, January 21 and
Saturday, February 11. First time volunteers are asked to attend required training. What is great is that there will be training on January 21 at 7:30 a.m. at the Habitat office (
2060 Couch Drive, McKinney) so new volunteers can hit training and go right over to the build. Come help us build a house for the beautiful Perkins family.
Click here
to sign up, or visit the table in Gathering Area this Sunday. Questions? Contact
Christina Shepherd
.
 Finally, a third opportunity--
Family Promise. Our next hosting will be
February 26 through March 5. We will hold a training for new Family Promise volunteers on Sunday, January
22 at 11:30 in the Creekwood Student Center. RSVP to
Annmarie Barajas for the training. Family Promise volunteer roles include preparing food, moving in and making up the beds, overnight hosting, serving food, sitting with the families for a meal, and more. Sign ups for the next hosting will be available soon.
We invite you to join us in this much-needed, and personally rewarding, ministry.
So, there you have it. A few ways to make a difference over the next couple of months. And, we'll have more to come. Stay tuned. Check out our
Missions Page on our website for more information on Creekwood's mission activities and efforts. Our prayer for each of you is that you find your own way to plug in to Creekwood Missions be it picking up a hammer, making up a bed for someone currently without a home, donating food to ACO (Allen Community Outreach), mentoring an elementary school child through our Harper's Helpers program, visiting our Zoe orphans,or delivering presents to children (Christmas is only 300 days away!).
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Source: Dr. Seuss
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Two New Small Groups
We're excited to announce two new Sunday small group opportunities beginning this month! Both are yet to be named so, being the creative geniuses we are, we're calling them the
10:15 a.m. New Small Group and the
11:30 a.m. New Small Group.
10:15 a.m. New Small Group
This new group will begin meeting
Sunday, January 15, in the Lovejoy Elementary School gym. The group will be led by Diane and Charlie Crane. The first lesson series will be "The History of the Bible." The four-week series will cover the who, what, when, why and where of how the Bible came into existence. If you have ever wondered how a particular book was chosen to be in the Bible, this series will answer that question. As the Cranes reiterated, "The invitation to join in this group study is extended to anyone and everyone." Interested? No sign up required, simply show up on the 15th.
11:30 a.m. New Small Group
Been there, done that? We all can learn from someone who's been through what we're facing, who's been where we're currently standing, someone who's got a battle wound or two or who simply knows the ropes. This forms the foundation for the new 11:30 a.m. group targeting couples with children. The concept behind the group is to bring in various group speakers and facilitators, many from a different generation, to cover a wide range of topics. The first two series for this new group will be "Discovering My Ministry" and then "The 5 Languages of Love." The group will be co-chaired by Elizabeth Goertz and Stephanie Merrifield, and it will begin meeting
this Sunday,
January 8, in Worship Center Room 105/106. Interested? Plan to attend this Sunday.
Contact
Molly Trank with any questions regarding these new classes and watch for more offerings to come!
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We want to thank all those who supported Plano Santas and the Assistance Center of Collin County last month through the adoption of angels, work in the Santas' warehouse and the delivering of gifts.
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Linda took a quick break to butter up Santa.
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The Adlers have made this a family tradition, one that blesses so many. This year Rick recruited his in-laws, Doug and Marilyn Tillett, to help.
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VBS JUNE 5-9
Save The Date
for Vacation Bible School!
At "Maker Fun Factory" kids will discover that God made them--and he made them for a purpose! Kids will participate in memorable Bible-learning activities, sing catchy songs, play teamwork-building games, make and devour yummy treats, experience one-of-a-kind Bible adventures, and test out Sciency-Fun Gizmos they'll also be able to take home and play with all summer long.
Kids will learn to look for evidence of God all around them through something called "God Sightings." Each day will conclude with the "Funshop Finale" that gets everyone living what they've learned. We will also have a mission for the week where the children will learn the importance of serving others. Registration will open in March. VBS is designed for children 3 years of age (by June 1) up to those who've completed 5th Grade.
Co-Chair Needed. Come Have Fun With Us.
We're currently recruiting someone to work with our VBS co-chair, Melissa Potts, who has stepped up to serve as our
registration and volunteer director. The second co-chair will handle
crew leader recruitment and vacation Bible school operations. Here's what the job entails:
- Order VBS t-shirts
- Work with Wendy McConney to get Coordinators for each rotation; music, games, snacks, etc...
- Work with Wendy to get adult and youth crew leaders
- Organize crew bags
- Work with Wendy and co-chair Melissa Potts to organize rotation schedules
- Work with Wendy and co-chair Melissa to allocate space and overall layout
- Obtain supply lists from each coordinator to share with Wendy
- Communicate with coordinators, distribute manuals, circle back with coordinators to ensure they are ready to go
- Assist with volunteer training (to be held two Sundays after 11:30 service)
- Be present the week of VBS to answer questions and solve problems
- Work with Wendy to decide on a mission project for the week
You certainly don't have to have a child attending VBS to be one of our co-chairs. This is a great way to serve and "be the church" to others. VBS brings in many visitors from throughout our community. Please
email Wendy McConney if you are interested in learning more about this volunteer position.
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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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Created by God - Deadline to Register is Soon
Have you had "the talk" yet? Are you ready? Your child is! Let us help you get the conversation started with "Created by God" January 26-28 here at Creekwood. "Created by God" is a faith-based seminar that emphasizes a healthy biblical perspective on human sexuality, values, and relationships. It is designed for 5th and 6th graders, and will again, as was the case last year, be le
d by Cheryl Bishop, who is certified through the North Texas Conference.
The enrollment deadline is January 13. Please reserve your child's place early as the class is limited. The cost is $50, which includes student and parent books and lunch for students on Saturday. For more information please email Donna Bartholomew, Creekwood Director of Middle School Ministries. Click here to learn more.
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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.
This Sunday the Rise will be held in the Worship Center. Running in tandem with the Rise will be a parent meet and greet and informational meeting where details on planned summer trips and activities will be discussed. Plan to join us. The students will have dinner and fellowship while we meet. Pizza will be served to parents during the meeting.
The Rise is typically held in the Student Center on Sundays, from 5 - 7 p.m. All 7th through 12th graders (and beyond) 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.
Club 56, designed for our 5th and 6th graders, meets once a month for fellowship and
 mission. Here's what's coming up.
- On January 22, we will meet at the Allen Natatorium at 1:00 to swim and goof-off. Families are welcome.
- On February 19, Mike McKee's Bishop's Rally will be held at Lover's Lane in Dallas from 2-5 p.m. We'll meet at Creekwood at 1:15 to carpool. Click here to learn more.
Please RSVP to
Donna Bartholomew if your child will be attending either of these events. Chaperones needed. Join us! These are also great activities to invite a friend to Creekwood!
Junior High Small Group
will start back up on Wednesday, January 18. The meeting has been moved to a new time: 7 - 8:00 p.m.
Watch for more info to come on a
Sr. High Small Group to be held at the Edwards house on Wednesday nights. More to come.
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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