Proposed Bedrock Belief(s) for Crooked Creek Baptist

Yesterday following worship several tables worth of church members met to determine our bedrock beliefs.  Bedrock beliefs are the principles or symbols of faith that matter most in the daily life of congregational participants (Tom Bandy).  Each table met to determine up to 7 Bedrock beliefs and following this exercise, we attempted to develop a consensus list.

We did.

Grace.  There were other beliefs identified shared, a lot of discussion around the words and beliefs proposed.  But when we broke everything down, we came back to one word upon which EVERYONE could agree.  Grace.

On one level this represented a sense of frustration for those gathered.  With words like Scripture (Word of God), redemption, God is love, etc... thrown out for various reasons (not that these are rejected terms for our church, just that they did not "matter most in our daily lives), we wondered what we had done wrong in light of the fact that we could have up to 7...

And yet, on another level, the time spent was a tremendous success.  It is powerful to say that the belief most important to the membership of Crooked Creek Baptist is grace!  Webster defines grace as:
    unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
    a virtue coming from God     a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

For those gathered on this Sunday afternoon free from distractions such as Colts football games (they play Monday night) it was a powerful statement about the membership of Crooked Creek Baptist and what we believe to be the most influential concept in the life of our church family.

Grace.  This Sunday in our regular worship service, we will be focusing on this powerful word (acutally ,it seems we have been focusing on this word for some time now) as we sing, pray, and think about the grace we have from God. 

I am proud to be able to serve a church where Grace, God's unmerited assistance for creation, exists as the most basic building block of our faith.

Commitment Sunday

This Sunday, October 13 member and friends of Crooked Creek Baptist are invited to join us for 2 special events:

1.  The return of our pledge cards for the year 2014 in our regular worship service.  In the event that you are unable to join us these cards can be submitted to the church office.

2.  Bedrock Beliefs meeting- Immediately following worship we will head to Fellowship Hall for a baked potato lunch (from McAlister's Deli) followed by a session to determine the bedrock beliefs of Crooked Creek Baptist.

We hope you will make plans to join us for these events on Sunday!

Overwhelming Response

Thanks to all of you who have donated school supplies and underwear for the local elementary school!  Today I delivered a part of these donations as they were taking up so much space in my office!  The school secretary was overwhelmed with what I brought in and could not believe the stories I shared with her as donations came from so many different places.

She told me that this surplus was going to give them enough supplies to last them for some time to come and suggested we take the remaining supplies and use them to bless other schools in the area who are also in need!

Thanks to everyone who donated to this ministry!

Generous Giving

We are not even halfway through our collection of school supplies and underwear for our local elementary school and have to pause to remark on the incredible generosity of our church members and our community at large to this response.  We have received donations from as far away as California and Detroit.  The response has already exceeded our expectations and we have several weeks of collecting still to go!

Just this past weekend we attended a meeting that considered the generous nature of God.  We talked about all the blessings God bestows upon us as human beings, and specifically the blessings of living in this nation where our standard of living is indeed high. 

If God made human beings in the image of the Divine, and if we believe that God is a generous God- full of grace and blessings, then does it make sense that we too can be a generous people?  In fact, when we do give we come a little closer to that Divine image.  It will be exciting to see how this generous God will be represented when we finally deliver all of the supplies that will be collected. 

Imagine what could happen if we became this generous in other areas of our life...how different would our own world, and the world of others, be changed?

School Supplies

Crooked Creek Elementary notified the church of their need for school supplies for many of their students who come from homes where these supplies are not available.  Below is a list of supplies that can be brought into the church and donated at any time through the month of September.  The church is also accepting monetary donations and these can be made out to the church and marked for School supplies.  Thanks!

Supply list:
Pens
Erasers
Dry Erase markers
Markers
Crayons (24 packs)
Folders
Notebooks
Pencil Boxes
Scissors
Glue sticks
Colored pencils
Backpacks
Hand sanitizer
Tissues
Underwear for boys and girls (sizes 4-10)

Several stores around Indy have already put these items on clearance!  Thanks for all of your help!

Worship Retreat

Kingdom Builders
Crooked Creek Baptist Retreat at
Indian Creek Baptist Camp (Bedford, IN)
Friday, August 16 6:30 p.m.-Sunday, August 18 11:45 a.m.
For children and youth grades 4-8*

Crooked Creek Baptist will be sponsoring a retreat for youth in grades 4-8 for the weekend of August 16-18. The theme for the weekend will be “Kingdom Builders” and will offer work with Legos and Bible stories culminating as we share in the worship service at Crooked Creek Baptist in our 10:45 worship service. They can be picked up by parents following the service around 11:45 a.m-12 noon.

We will meet at the church at 6:30 p.m. (please have your child eat dinner) on Friday evening and depart for Indian Creek Baptist Camp near Bedford, IN. We will be staying at the air-conditioned lodge for the weekend which features separate dorm style housing for boys and girls. Retreaters will be asked to bring their own shower supplies including towels and linens, sleeping bags, etc. A full detailed packing list will be provided at your child’s registration. Meals will be provided as part of this event and we will also (weather permitting) have access to the camp’s swimming pool and GaGa ball pit. Just FYI- Ipods, I pads, and other electronic gaming equipment will not be permitted for this weekend!

Cost for the retreat is $70 and will cover meals, overnight lodging, swimming pool use, etc… Scholarship support is available for families who qualify. A special discount is available for children who bring a friend with them for this weekend. Both would pay a discounted fee of only $55. Youth older than 8th grade can still join us for this event in a leadership capacity. Children younger than 4th grade will not be able to join us for this event.

Permission forms and fee are due by Sunday, August 11. If you have any questions about this event feel free to contact Tom Bartley at 317.670.4313 or at tbartley@ymail.com.

Vacation Bible School

Crooked Creek Baptist will be offering Vacation Bible School July 8-12 from 9:00 to 12 noon each day.  The theme for the week is "God's Backyard Bible Camp" and will focus on the call to serve!  Children entering K-6th grade are invited to join us for the whole week of fun, stories, music, and games.

You may call on your registration with the church office at 317-251-7804!