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Summer Sunday Nights 2009
Now that the first Sunday Night Engage semester is complete, we would like to provide a Sunday night schedule for the summer that continues to meet the needs of the congregation in a different way. Sunday evenings during this summer will hold a variety of events and some purposeful free time. Each month will have one worship service, one church-wide fellowship, one slot for Sunday School parties, and one Sunday night off so that members can spend time with the people of their choosing.
Summer Schedule
June 7-Evening Worship
June 14-Sunday School Parties
June 21-No Scheduled Activities
June 28-Church-wide Fellowship
July 5-No Scheduled Activities
July 12-Commissioning Service and Reception for the Turners
July 19-Church-wide Fellowship
July 26-Sunday School Parties
August 2-No Evening Activities
August 9-Evening Worship
August 16-Church-wide Fellowship
August 23-Sunday School Parties
Testimonies from Phoenix
Here are a few testimonies from families we worked with in Phoenix.
Elizabeth and Justin….
Thank you for coming out to Arizona and doing a sports camp for our kids. You did more than just help, you encouraged them by spending time with our kids and helping them to develop even more skills in baseball. My sons loved learning the drills and having a game on the last day. You also encouraged Justin to be a part of his boys lives when we move to Nebraska more. To possibly even get involved with the youth group up there. I realized what an impact we have in the lives of our kids and their friends. Thank you.
Patti Dubicki…
Thank you Trey for spending time with my son helping him with Baseball. Charles talked about it for days and loved having some one give him that much attention with baseball. He wanted to learn how to play and has not felt very confident. You helped him feel more confident with his hitting.
Kindra and Josh….
Thank you so much for coming out. Kaylee and Trevan enjoyed playing baseball with your group. The people were so nice and very encouraging. Also, we would have had nothing to do during that week. We also enjoyed watching them play and get more of a desire to play sports. Thank you for your time and giving up your spring break to come out to help us.
Mindy and Daniel….
Thank you all for coming out during your spring break to be an encouragement to the kids in our neighborhood. So many kids talked about how they now want a baseball team out here and have gotten involved in the soccer we currently have going on. The kids get together at the park and play, relationships were formed and strengthened. Relationships were started between moms who did not know each other and now are hanging out and encouraging one another. All of you made these kids feel so special and helped many of them to have a fun spring break they otherwise would not have had. We have been told this was a great sports camp for out kids - better than any we have had before. Ray even asked if Trey would come out and do a baseball camp for our group out here next year. Also, thank you for your servant heart the night of the movie. We so appreciated all of you bringing people water and popcorn. You all did a great job. Thank you for passing out flyers for both the movie night and the start of our two services. Due to your flyers going out, we ran 220 on Easter morning and run around 70-80 during the first service each week. People are coming to know the Lord and you were a part of that. Thank you.
Misc moms…
Some of the moms stopped me at church and mentioned that they loved the games the girls played with the younger kids. Usually the younger kids get left out due to not wanting to play sports. You helped them to have a good time, feel loved and put a lot of smiles on kids faces. Nobody was left out and we appreciate all the planning and time that went into this trip.
Important Life Lesson or Phoenix Mission Trip Part 2
Monday began with a lot energy for starting the sports and recreation camp. We got all set up and then the kids starting showing up with their parents. There were about 30-40 kids running around playing soccer, baseball, making crafts and playing games. All of the youth did a great job and had a lot of fun. Make sure to check out the pics of the trip.
We had a great time at lunch with one of the church members. He and his wife invited us over to eat very good BBQ and swim in their heated pool. Yeah…we were suffering.
We went hiking after that and had a great adventure. We got up close and personal with some wicked cactus. We climbed, slid, fell, tripped, cried, and laughed as we climbed to the “almost top”. The view was amazing. For some of our students, it was the first time they had every climbed something so high or difficult. A few learned some great life lessons about what it takes to get through difficult times. In one specific instance, one of our girls was ready to quit. However, with the help of a leader and a college student, she was able to make it. The three learned a valuable “doing life” lesson. We all need someone in front who will help guide, knows how to navigate tough terrain in life, and can be leaned on at any time when life gets hard and we start to fall. This person pulls when they can and is patient when necessary. They are both tough and gentle in leading. We all need to be the one in the middle who relies on others to help us. None of us was designed to do life on our own. And none of us has life so figured out that we can manage on our own. We are designed by God for community. We also need someone like this in our life that is leaning on us. If you are not helping someone grow in their faith and in life, you are missing an important piece in your life as a follower of Jesus. Lastly, we all need an encourager in life. Someone who is behind us being a support. This person can be leaned on as well and we know they will be there to catch us. They can also be trusted to push us to never give up or give in. They believe in us. They may not be the guide but they are of equal importance. The three together have a better chance of successfully getting up and down the mountain together. While success may mean different things to each, they will share together the joy of the accomplished journey.
Who are you leading, who is helping you, and who is encouraging and supporting you?
We finished the day dirty and tired, but feeling a sense of accomplishment for all that had happened during the day. We looked again that night at what it mean to be a servant and most went to bed pretty readily.
More to come soon…
Skadoosh or Phoenix Mission Trip, pt. 1
Driving 1200 miles to Buckeye, in NW Phoenix, with 21 people in 22 seats worth of vans was a daunting task to say the least…especially when the trip began with 450 miles of rain. We finally escaped the rain about 50 miles short of our first stop in Van Horn, TX. (It will never cease to amaze me that you can drive for 10 hours from Temple and still not get out of Texas.) We spent the night in a nice Ramada Limited (shout out!) and continued our adventure on Saturday. Even with the gaining of 2 hours, we still drove all day. It is unbelievable how mountains can drain the gas tank of a 15 passenger van pulling a trailer. I lost count of how many times we stopped for gas, but we made it and capped the day with some On The Border Tex-Mex (always a good ending to a day).
Sunday we awoke to beautiful weather and the excitement of worshiping with our new friends at The Church at Sun Valley. I absolutely loved walking to church that morning with our group (even if we did freak out a few of the neighbors). Our time of church in the “gymna-cafe-torium” was a special experience. Many of our students felt more like they were at a school award assembly than church. It was definitely healthy for all to experience church in a “different than the norm” way. We sang hymns differently and choruses we had never heard. We were challenged with the truth that there is a big difference between religion and relationship. In the end religion is about me (however much you couch your language in God) and relationship is about Jesus. It was a challenging message for our team. We had lunch at the Scott’s house and then the team went throughout the neighborhood passing out reminder flyers about the movie night and sports/crafts camp.
Christie and I received a special treat that afternoon. After church, Jennifer Bledsoe Hernandez and her husband Rich (recent Arizona transplants) joined us for lunch and the afternoon activities. For you old timers, you will remember Jennifer as an active and energizing member of CCBC. It was great to catch up and spend face time with old friends. God is good!a
Later Sunday afternoon some of the guys went over to the park to play basketball with guys from the church and community. It was great…no one was injured (as I get older that is the definition of a good time playing any sport). It truly was a beautiful day to be outside.
We had dinner (Sam’s makes a great pizza!) and then went to help set up for the movie night. What a great time! Our students helped serve popcorn from the movie theater styled popcorn machine and bottles of water. Mindy and Daniel Scott (my sister and brother-in-law and one of the pastor’s at the church) met many new faces from the community and the rest of us enjoyed Kung Fu Panda (skadoosh!) on a giant screen under the stars. Something so simple, yet what a great way to build bridges in the community and meet people where they are.
After a long day and still adjusting to the two hour time difference, we had a time of sharing and looking at what the Bible says about being a servant and then went to bed…the girls down the street at BJ’s and Woody’s and the boys in the upstairs air mattress dorm created at the Scott’s house.
A great first day of serving…
Mission Trip to Temple, Texas
Also known as Mission Trip without the Flying… or Language Barriers
As you may know, Jason has PhD level background and training in Missiology. I am glad he taught the foundations for missions. If you took that class on Sunday nights, then this is the next logical step for that work. Note that you do not have to have been in his class to do this mission trip to Temple. Beginning in March, I will lead a team of people to develop a mission project that will grow out of our own findings and prayer. We will do this by:
Look at scriptures that talk about what God is doing (John 5:19; 14:12). Look at the nature of the church (ecclesia) (Mt. 16:18; Eph 4:12-13). Look at the types of soils and understand receptive hearts (Luke 8:5-8)
- * Pray to see God at work
- * Become a team by team building events to show how each person has strengths for service
- * Build deliberate bridges to church from hosting events, building relationships, providing activities, offering services (as the group determines)
- * Foster and deepen relationships
- * Evaluate efforts
This will be the process we follow from March 1-May 24 (team will not meet on 15th (spring break), April 12 (Easter), May 10 (Mother’s Day))
Sunday Night Engage Spring Schedule
Preschool and Children
Though in separate classes, the preschool and children will split their time of discipleship between FUNdamentals and choir. FUNdamentals is an exciting time of discipleship for children based on the popular Beth Moore Bible studies.
Youth and College
Youth and College students will come together for a large group teaching time and then split into small groups to discuss what they have learned and pray for each other.
Adults
The adults will engage in a variety of classes that help foster the discipleship process.
Old Testament Survey
Trey Turner and Jason Gish will lead this class that meets as an open group from January 11 to May 24. Join this classes for a systematic study through the Old Testament. Anyone is welcome to attend this class at any point during the semester.
Two Becoming One
Trey and Christie Bledsoe will lead this marriage enrichment study for couples of any age. The cost is $30 per couple for material. This group will begin January 11 and end on April 5.
Missions! What?
This group will meet for five weeks beginning January 11 and ending Febraury 22. Jason Gish will lead with a biblical and historical look at missions, ending in an emphasis on current intercultural communication issues.
Financial Whats and Hows!
Following the marriage enrichment study, Bryan Daniel will lead a group that will study the Biblical principles of finances alongside practical application in today’s financial world. April 19-May 5.
Community Connections
From March 1-May 24, Trey Turner will participate with a group in exploring and conducting creative outreach in communities near CCBC.
Story of God; New Testament Give Away Stories
Sunday Nov. 30th the Pastor gave a message that talked about the 72 being sent throughout Judea to get people ready for Jesus’ visit. The church was challenged to pray for the person of peace, go with undivided attention to the task to saturate the world with the gospel.
Being sent out, the church was given New Testaments to give away to those God would lead them to. Some of you have already given those New Testaments and have stories. Would you post them here so we can begin to collect and share them?
International Missions Creekside
Here is Sandy Wanner’s reminder to us about our missions emphasis:
We are excited about Ron and Sue Ballard’s visit to Canyon Creek Baptist Church! Here’s information on the activities. Mark your calendars and plan to attend if you can fit it into your holiday schedules. We would love to see everybody again. CCBC’s Plans for the Week of Prayer for International Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas offering: 1. The theme for this year’s emphasis is GO TELL the story of Jesus. 2. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goal is $5,000.00. The national goal is $170 Million. 3. Morelia, Mexico missionaries Ron & Sue Ballard will be our guests on Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, 2008, for our International Mission and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering emphasis. They will speak in both morning services on December 7, 2008. They will share the needs of the churches we are working with in Morelia and give us insight for our second mission trip to Morelia. 4. On Saturday, December 6, 2008, from 7:00 until 8:30 PM the Missions Ministry Team will host a Get-together for the Ballard’s, the MMT, those who went to Morelia on the first mission trip and anyone interested in future mission trips to Morelia, Mexico. Refreshments (Christmas goodies) will be provided. Spouses and significant others are invited. The theme is The Five Ms – Morelia, Mexico, Missions, Munchies & More. 5. A Mission Trip Reunion luncheon will be held in the fellowship hall after the second service on Sunday, December 7, 2008. The menu includes taco soup, cornbread, dips and chips, salad, and Mexican fruit cake for dessert. (Church staff and families are also invited.) Blessings, SandyPhilippians 4:13
Feeding Families
This letter from Joe McMann from our community:
<strong>MY FAMILY HELPING TO FEED A FAMILY</strong>
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” Jesus
As we move toward the 2008 Thanksgiving season, I trust that we will take time to reflect on how blessed we are as citizens of Bell County. Even though we may not have everything we want, many of us have all that we need and then some. As we reflect on the blessings we have received, we have an opportunity to reach out and help others who are less fortunate. This will also help our families express their thanksgiving through a tangible act of sacrifice and giving.
On November 21st we are having the “Food for Families Food Drive.” The drive will take place between 6am and 8pm on the parking lot of the Scott and White on the south side of the Health Plan. You enter the parking lot from Avenue R just east of the Pavilion. The drive is sponsored by KWTX Channel 10; Scott and White; HEB; The Boy Scouts; and The Texas National Guard. We also welcome corporate partners Nextel, Coke, and Kings Daughter’s Hospital and Clinic. The food and money collected in this part of Bell County will be distributed to food pantries in this area. Last year we had a great response with over 68,509 pounds given. This year we need a stronger response as we seek to help more hurting families in the East Bell County area. The food and money collected in the Temple area will be equally divided between our seven participating food pantries: Churches Touching Lives for Christ (CTLC), Open Arms Ministry, Salvation Army, St. Vincents DePaul, The Love of Christ (TLC), Taylor’s Valley Baptist Church Pantry, and Bell County Child Welfare Board . All of our pantries are reporting more families needing assistance and food supplies are running short. Our goal this year is 100,000 lbs. of food.
We are challenging families in our area to give an amount of food that will help feed a family of four for a week. The following is a list compiled by the Salvation Army and a steering committee for the food drive. These items form the basics for a family’s weekly nutrition. We are asking each family to make the necessary sacrifices to either provide the listed items, avail-able from HEB for approximately $50.00 or to donate $50.00 to the food drive on November 21th in the Scott and White parking lot at the corner of 31st and Ave. R.
Peanut Butter, 16-18oz jar Jelly, 32oz jar
Flour, 5lb bag Dry Beans, 4lb bag
Rice, 5lb bag Sugar, 4lb bag
Breakfast Cereal, 2 boxes Fruit juice, two 32 oz bottles or cans Tuna, 4 – 6oz cans Spaghetti, 1lb package Spaghetti Sauce, 1 – 26.5 oz can Soup, 2 cans Powdered Milk, 8qts Powdered Mash Potatoes, 26oz Macaroni and Cheese, 4 boxes Corn, 3 – 15oz cans Green Beans – 3-15oz cans Sweet Peas – 3-15oz cans Baked Beans – 3-15oz cans Fruit, 2 cans Jello, 2 boxes Toilet Tissue, 4 pack We look forward to seeing you on November 21th with your expression of Thanksgiving that will help a hurting family in our area. Thank you for your concern and help:
“Food for Families” Steering Committee, Temple Area Joe McMann, joelola@clearwire.net 1-254-654-0420
GFPF-God Focused Reflection
Time to be God Focused
Take a moment to remember when you were first able to see God with corrected focus through Jesus. (This would be when you became a believer.)
Take some time to read over the following Scriptures about God. Feel free to read some of your favorites as well.
Psalm 27:1 Psalm 3:5-9 Psalm 18:1-3; 28-31 Job 38:4-38 Psalm 71:19 Psalm 89:5-14 Psalm 103 Psalm 111 Psalm 113 Psalm 136 Psalm 145 Isaiah 6:1-4 Hebrews 12:28-29 I John 1:5 I John 4:8-10 Revelation 21
Ask God to show you any sins in your life. Agree with Him that it is sin. Repent/choose to turn from that sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Read Ps. 24: 3-6; 139:1-18; 23-24
Spend a few moments asking the Holy Spirit to help you focus only on God alone.
Psalm 25:4-5 “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 33:20-22 “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Now be quiet for 3-5 minutes. No requests, no plans, no agenda. Just allow God to speak to you as you focus on Him. Write down what He tells you…big or small.
GFPF-People Focused Refelection
Time to be People Focused
Take a few moments to “de-plank”. Is there any sin in your life that will keep you from seeing people the way God does? Ask God to help you die to yourself and look at people like He does. Ask Him to give you a heart that cares for the people around you no matter who they are.
Believers
Read the following passages: Colossians 3:12-14; I Peter 3:8-9, 4:8; I John 3:16-18, 4:7-21. List some believers in your life that are easy to love and ways you chose to focus on them:
List some believers that are harder to love (for whatever reason) and ways you can choose to focus on them with the love so they experience the verses above:
Nonbelievers Read the following passages:
I Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Luke 15; 19:1-10; I Peter 2:11-12; Romans 12:9-21
List some nonbelievers in your life that are easy to love and ways you chose to focus on them:
List some nonbelievers that are harder to love (for whatever reason) and ways you can choose to focus on them with the love so they experience the verses above
Carnal Believers Read the following passages:
I Thessalonians 5:14-15; Romans 12:9-21; Luke 15
List some carnal believers in your life that are easy to love and ways you chose to focus on them:
List some carnal believers that are harder to love (for whatever reason) and ways you can choose to focus on them with the love so they experience the verses above
Pictures from the AWANA’s Back to School party!
Click here to see pictures from the AWANA’s back to school party!
Tom Henderson’s Note about Ministry Opportunities in Bell County
Dear Pastors, Staff, and Church Leaders;
First I want to thank the Lord for His protection for our area during Hurricane Ike. As you know, the southeastern part of our state sustained a lot of damage. We also have a lot of evacuees in shelters in Bell County from Brazoria County. As you may know, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the Texas Emergency Preparedness Team linked up coastal counties with inland counties in the event that evacuations were implemented. This was the first time that this plan was used. I have received a Situation Report from Brazoria County and the following section gives information regarding the evacuees in Bell County shelters:
The Bell County Evacuation Shelters reported that their guests appeared to be in good spirits. There are 988 registered evacuees in Bell County. They report 925 were transported by bus and 63 went by private vehicle. Of those, 20-30 of the private individuals have left the shelter. There are no plans yet to return the evacuees due to the fragile infrastructure
We appreciate all that FBC Belton and Miller Heights BC are doing to provide shelter. I also want to thank Randy Carder and the FBC Salado family along with Lowell Coates and the Immanuel BC for assisting with meals and ministry over the weekend. There were others involved as well and many have been praying for the safety and encouragement of the evacuees and volunteers.
The devastation was widespread and the evacuees will not be able to go home anytime soon. We have had one estimate that they may not be able to return until September 28th. This gives us opportunities to minister to visitors to our county for two weeks. We have several opportunities for you and your church family to help;
We need people who would be willing to help the Salvation Army prepare food for the evacuees in Temple. They are serving 1,200 meals three times a day. We need people who are willing to help prepare meals and clean up in three shifts. We need people from 10am to 1 pm; from 1 pm to 4 pm; and from 4 pm to 7 pm. This can be youth and adults from your church. It can be Sunday School classes, small groups, youth groups , committees, teams, etc. Even if you can only staff one shift once a week, this will be a big help. You can also make monetary donations to the Salvation Army for the food. They are asking for people to send money and not food since they are buying the food in bulk. The address to send you checks is: P. O. Box 1884 Temple, Texas 76503. The Salvation Army is the only national organization providing food in our county. I have worked with Captain Martha Burtchett and the Salvation Army in our area and know that this group does a great job and is deserving of our support.
FBC Belton has asked for small groups to come and work with the children. They have approximately 10 children and need help providing activities. They have approximately 80 evacuees in their shelter. They also need either two married couples or two men and two women to stay and assist the evacuees during the evening shift from 10 pm until 6 am.
Miller Heights BC has approximately 40 in their shelter and needs two couples or two men and two women from 6 pm to 10 pm. They also have needs for others to assist at various times.
We have also been asked to help at First Methodist Church in Belton. They have 80 evacuees and need help at night.
I appreciate Nan Shannon calling to help coordinate this list of needs. Our Good Neighbor Team will be coordinating our response. Please call Wayne Spinn from FBC Holland at (cell) 718-5329 or (home) 657-2462. He is our Good Neighbor Team representative.
The Lord have provided an opportunity for us to share His love in very tangible ways over the next two weeks. I want to challenge each of our churches to get involved with this ministry. I keep thinking how I would feel if the tables were reversed and I was in a strange place wondering when I would be able to go back to my home. I know I would appreciate someone ministering to me and showing me God’s love in tangible ways. Let us know how you can help.
I look forward to hearing from you. If you would like to help coordinate the effort, we are meeting with Wayne Spinn and the Shannons on Tueday morning at 8 am here at the BBA Mission Center.
In Christ’s Love; Tom Henderson, DoM Bell Baptist Association 1-254-493-0545
I Thess. 1:2-3
AWANA This Wednesday
This Wednesday marks the beginning of another AWANA year. What an exciting time in the life of the church! Kids from all over will be here this Wednesday, along with their parents. Consider your part in the AWANA ministry. Even if you do not hold an official title, you can have a smile and a handshake to welcome those you do not know. It takes each one of us to make a good first impression.
AWANA begins at 6:00 and lasts until 7:30. If you have not yet registered your child, it is okay. Just come by a little early this Wednesday and one of the AWANA secretaries will be ready to help you through the process.
See you Wednesday at 6:00!
I Double Dog Dare You…
Our students are headed back to school last week…many of them with renewed passion for Christ. They are going to face opposition, frustration, and even defeat. One student encountered this experience even before school started.
“Today I had a volleyball tournament, and well as me and my friends we’re having a good time… talking, and joking around, somehow we got on the subject of reading the bible. Sadly one of my friends doesnt read the bible, so the rest of us tried to explain it to her so she would be able to understand what we were talking about. All she had to say was ” dang why is the bible so bossy?” wow really makes you think about this generation, doesnt it? As the day went on i sat and watched everybody buying chocolate bars, and i was reading the labels to see the brands. My friend had got a mars brand bar. So i got the nerve to tell them ” you know.. um that chocolate isnt free trade, its slave trade” she took a bite and said ” well i think the forced labor makes its all the much better” it made me want to cry. Another friend replied saying ” ….shutup, your so depressing” im thinking to myself.. no your the depressing ones, how could you not care? your the people i thought i could talk to about this because all i ever hear from ya’ll is ” man i want to go on a mission trip to africa one day” and ” i think you should support invisible children, its the right thing to do” Ya i guess its true that people can be deceiving.”
Make it a point to begin praying for them if you don’t already. We have a great group of students. They exist in a world that most often sees things differently than you or I. They are doing their best to be light in a very dark place…to be different in the midst of indifference. What would it be like if maybe thirty or forty of our adult, seasoned church members agreed to pray daily for our students for the entire upcoming school year? In the old days this might be considered a double dog dare…so I double dog dare you… Choose to make a difference on a global scale because you never know where these students will go and who they will encounter in the coming days. And one day, they may tell stories of the 2008-2009 school year and how it lead God to use them to influence the world.
Upcoming Youth Ministry Events
Wednesday, August 13, our youth will join three other local churches in a Top Chef type event at Martha’s Kitchen to bring attention to the needs of the homeless in our area. We will meet at the church at 5:30pm and then go to Martha’s Kitchen to set up. We will be serving the food and meeting those that work and live there. We should be back to the church around 8:15pm.
Wednesday August 20, will be our annual Back to School party. It will be Olympic themed with events like Can You Eat That, Hallway Curling, Off The Wall Ping Pong, and High Score Wii Bowling. It should be a memorable night. There will be “medals” for all our champions. All the action begins at 6:30pm. We should be done around 8pm. Parents are welcome to help judge events. There will be snacks and drinks provided.
30th Anniversary Celebration
On August 24, Canyon Creek Baptist Church will celebrate its 30th anniversary. The church will have Sunday School at 9:15 and a unified worship service at 10:30 with lunch on the grounds to follow. Please come as the church celebrates all that the Lord has done for the past 30 years and as it looks forward to the next 30 years and beyond.
A lot of changes have occurred since 1978. In that year, the world’s population was estimated at 4.3 billion. Martina Navratilova and Bjorn Borg were the winners of Wimbledon. In 1978, Sony introduced the first portable stereo, the Sony Walkman. The Academy award for best picture went to Annie Hall. A stamp was $0.13, a gallon of milk was $1.71, and a gallon of gas was $0.63.
Who knows how things will be different in the future? I guess there is One who certainly does and it is for His glory that we exist. God Himself has placed Canyon Creek on these five acres for a wonderful purpose. The next 30 years shall surely be an adventure. Please come and celebrate with the rest of the body on August 24.
“God In Us” Musical with FBC Salado
August 17th our choir will combine with the First Baptist Church, Salado choir and present the musical: God In Us. We are looking forward to an exciting evening of music and praise as we bring our congregations and choirs together for worship. If you do not regularly attend our Sunday Evening worship services, you will not want to miss this one.
You may remember that last summer; we did this and met in Salado. This year, however, we will be gathering here at the Creek. We want to fill the house as we all come together to worship the Lord with exciting music and testimonies. It will be an evening to remember.
Next Step Toward Building
Let me give you a letter by Jon Mark Allen about the fall schedule which will take us closer toward building:
Last month we voted to move ahead with building a new children’s building. How very appropriate as we approach our 30 year anniversary as a church! To that end, we have enlisted the help of the United We Build a ministry of the BGCT. Ivan Potter and Jeremy Austin are consultants who will assist us through this process.
We have already created a Campaign Leadership Team, which is composed of Tom Buckner, Ken and Brenda Camp, Marcine Chambers, Robert Knepp, Mary Beth Morris, Julia Walker, Michelle Wolf, myself, with the pastor and staff. We have already met together and are excited about the events coming up in the next few months.
Please mark your calendars now for the Spiritual Preparation weekend on September 6-7. This time together will be for laying a spiritual foundation for the big plans ahead of us. Ivan Potter will talk about God’s plan for financing his work and practical advice for the Christian looking at money as an area of spiritual discipleship. Soon you will be hearing about a Prayer Vigil and for later in the fall, a church-wide Banquet to celebrate God’s great blessing of Canyon Creek.
I truly believe at the conclusion of this process we will have a better idea of God’s view on finances and we will have grown together in a significant way, both spiritually and in our commitment to Canyon Creek’s mission to make disciples. Please begin praying now about how God would have you participate in the next 30 years of ministry, especially in the raising of this new preschool and children’s facility.
Jon Mark Allen, United We Build Campaign Team Leader
Biblical Budgeting?
According to Crown Financial… most people spend 10% more than they make. That puts us in a real bind. Click here to enter access a free spreadsheet to begin a family budgeting process.
Four-Eyed Christians
For lack of a better metaphor right now… let me explain to you my vision (no pun intended, but still kinda funny…). It is crucial for Christians to acknowledge our time-pressured society. I do not want to make people feel guilty for not participating with everything the church does. Anyone can see that some people already feel guilty and back off from any further participation, dropping out. It becomes that much more important for Creeksters to be deliberate about their own participation level. 1. They must have a worship service they participate in. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25; NIV) People do not have to come to all of our worship services in order to be good church members, especially noting three other responsibilities of a Christian disciple. 2. They must participate in a small group for support and accountability. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42; NIV) 3. They must find a ministry service. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” (Romans 12:6; NIV) 4. Develop and bring another person into faith and into maturity where they are doing these four things as well. “…So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people…” (Acts 11:26; NIV) Discipleship will be having an eye on each of these four areas. In a Christianity Today article John R. W. Stott is quoted concerning the problem of the church having numerical growth but not corresponding growth in discipleship. Stott says, “God is not pleased.” May God find Canyon Creek faithful making disciples!
… this is your captain speaking…
These are words we are going to hear way too soon after our alarm goes off Friday morning. No doubt we will all be excited and adrenalin will pulsate through our bodies until we get to Morelia… or at least get to Houston. Church family, thank you for your prayers. We are praying for Pastor Danny and Pastor Abraham, they and their churches are making preparation so that we can have about 150 children at a local neighborhood site in the areas their churches have a vision of planting a new church. Can a church of about 30 people have the vision of planting a new church? Yes, and may God bless that vision with workers.
Sunday Morning, the last Sunday in June, those who gave, served, packed, brought or bought materials stood up with those who were going on the trip. It was encouraging to pray for the work of all those hands. So we pray that new churches are planted and that the team can see a number of nationals come to know Jesus Christ personally during the time we are in country July 4-11. Lord, bless this great city, Morelia! Amen!
England Day 8- York
We spent the day in York with the rest of our whole team. It was a beautiful day to be there. We celebrate all the birthdays on the trip, including Talyor Davis. We went all through the minster this time because Fiona hooked us up to go throughout the whole church for free. All in all it was a good day.
This evening Ryan, Daniel, Kasia, and Kimberly joined Ryan and Daniel’s hosts for coffee with their neighbors as an outreach event. It went well.
Pray again for us today as we are in the Bishopsgarth school and then for the 4th Wednesday of the crusade with J John tonight.
Thank you for your prayers. They are making a difference.
England Day 4- Lord’s Stone and 15 seconds of fame
We left this morning to go to Lord’s Stone. It is a special place where you can see the entire Tees Valley. It was a breath taking view. We drove up as far as we could and then hiked up a stone path to the top. We came down a different way, traversing bike trails, running as fast as we could without falling. A few of us found a small pond with a bench to sit on and watch the mallards and look out over the valley. Easily one of the most serene places I have ever been. It was hard to leave and meet up with the rest of the group. We ate at the cafe on the mountain and then headed back into town. We split into two groups. One group did interviews and fun with the hosts of their new Christian radio station. It was hilarious!! They definitely received their fifteen seconds of fame. One of the girls even made up a language that she called Zuhili. The other group went back to Ken and Fiona Toop’s home (where I am staying) and helping bag cookies to hand out to people in the lower income housing where we will be having a BBQ on Saturday night. We met back together later and spent the evening at Fiona’s because our original plans had been canceled that day. We played a fun game together and called it a night after painting Ryan Arnold’s toe nails silver and orange while he slept. He was so tired he did not even wake up and even when he did he was too tired to care.
Mission Trip Details
Having come back from a trip in which we explored our ministry possibilities in Morelia, Michoacn. With the belief that every person deserves access to a New Testament church, we will be partnering with a local church to plant new congregations in one of the many colonias (read neighborhoods). When Jerry Raines, Danny Crosby, and I met with pastors we met some who were familiar with the Church Starts International materials even if they were not conversant about the CSI strategy for church planting. On Wednesday morning several pastors gathered to view an introduction and heard the strategy presented. That is when we received our commitments from the pastors we will be working with in partnership. Our team will be sent to two locations to conduct children’s events for two days and then two more locations to do the same. While working with the children, we will have opportunity to begin Bible Studies with their parent(s). This is the heart of what we will be doing. Sandy Wanner will be working with Sue Ballard detailing the arts, crafts, and stories to be done with the children. April 11th and 12th, Jerry will come down to train us in the CSI church planting strategy and how to use the Bible study books. Because we have been gifted with so many Spanish speakers, I want to encourage them especially to use their skills by going to Morelia with us. Since we have made a three year commitment to these churches in Morelia, these eternal friendships will be strongest with those who do not have to bridge a language gap.
The cost for the trip will be $1200 with the church being asked in the next business meeting paying $200. That will make an even $1000 for each person. We are trying to find better than the $700 round-trip ticket rate that is factored in now. To help with the cost, we will be working a fundraiser at some time between now and July. We will encourage each person to seek support by writing partnership letters with friends and relatives both in and outside of the congregation. All of this will be discussed in meetings beginning with the April 11th training in the Fellowship Hall.
This may be enough information now, knowing that you will have much more information coming month by month. If you have not signed up on our original ‘interest’ list… interested in more information about going to Morelia… call the church office. Meanwhile, go to www.creekfamily.org and look in the photo album at the pictures of the church and town. Pray for a burgeoning desire to people outside of Christ to meet Jesus.
His best, Trey Turner
Hot Summer Nights!
Hot Summer Night events have will include movie and game nights, water games, skating, swimming, crazy softball, Round Rock Express baseball, and Summer Fun. The main purpose behind these Sunday night events is to build relationships with friends, co-workers, family, and neighbors that do not have a church home.
This Sunday, August 12thth, is THE GREAT DESSERT BAKE-OFF. We will come together for the evening worship service at 6pm. Afterward, we will eat a wondrous bounty of homemade desserts. There will be prizes for the best cookies, pie, cake, and other. So, warm up your oven and brush up on your cooking skills and make plans to be a part of Hot Summer Nights! See you there!
Oops
The other day I was trying to make a nice shortcut to the staff’s blogs, and in the process made some of them inaccessable! Doh!
It’s been fixed and I promise it will never happen again…er….at least until the next time I mess up…
Mea culpa
All Wednesday Night Services Canceled
Due to the possibilty of continued icy weather all Wednesday night services have been canceled for tonight, January 17. Stay safe and warm!
Some Wednesday Night Services Canceled
Due to the possibilty of continued icy weather Awana’s has been canceled for tomorrow night, January 17. Please continue to check the website, as we will post other cancelations here as well. Stay safe and warm!
A New Way to Stay Informed
In addition to our RSS Feeds (including the Podcast) and the Email Update Notifications, we now have an Email Discussion Group!
By subscribing to the email group, you can participate in church discussions and stay up to date with the latest information at The Creek!
| subscribe to the Creekfamily Discussion List | |
| Browse Archives at groups.google.com |
Dr. Abraham Sarker
December 10th, Dr. Abraham Sarker will be speaking to our church as an emphasis for International missions. He started Gospel for Muslims, a ministry to and about ministry within the Islamic culture. Their vision is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the more than 1.3 billion Muslims worldwide is based upon the biblical mandate for missions found in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20
Dr. Sarker has these words to say about his history:
I was born into a devout Muslim home in Bangladesh, the third largest Islamic nation in the world. Son of a prominent Islamic leader and an Islamic schoolteacher, as a young Muslim boy I was instilled with a great devotion to Allah and a love for the beauty and poetic grace of my culture.
However, a sudden astounding, uncanny dream from God commenced my journey toward Christianity. A few years later I left my home country and came to the United States to share my Islamic faith with American people. Here I found the answer to my fears and insecurities, and the assurance of my salvationthrough a relationship with Jesus Christ. Read the rest of this entry »