In heralding the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ to the church at Colossae, Paul expressed his passion to see Christ formed in this local body of believers. With Paul, the leadership team here at Creekside wants you to know that our commitment is: “to proclaim Him (Christ), admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose, also I labor, striving according to His power which mightily works within me.” (Colossians 1:27-29)
In 2024 our labors focused on several areas:
Praying for the body here at Creekside at our regular meetings and in between, asking that we may all “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that (we) may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:9-10a) It has been a privilege to lift up our Creekside family in prayer, and a blessing to see the Lord provide graciously in many ways.
Caring for the multitude of spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical needs within the body over the past several months. In partnership with our pastoral care team consisting of Mark Bristow, Norb Metzler, and Jim Fennessey, along with a number of other caring folks, numerous cards, calls, and personal contacts have been made with those grieving, home bound, hospitalized, and recovering. There have also been a number of meals delivered and prayers offered. It has been a blessing to watch this body live out Paul’s call to the Roman Christians: “Be devoted to one another in love…not lagging in diligence, but fervent in Spirit serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:10-11) Our elder care also extended to support a number of individuals who lost loved ones in 2024.
Sharing God’s truth which the Spirit uses to bring people to faith and build them up in faith. On Sunday mornings we concluded our study in Romans. We saw clearly the foundation of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and a plan of action for God’s children to live out our faith in the world. We enjoyed exploring Scripture to respond to pressing questions from the congregation, then embarked on a study of 2nd Samuel. We are encouraged that through our Wednesday evening Bible studies and adult small groups, men and women have been studying specific Bible books and seeking to apply the truth to their lives.
Supporting those from Creekside who ventured into short-term missions. A number of our church family returned individually again to Haiti in 2024 (some more than once) for evangelism, work projects, and medical mission work. We are encouraged by the growing partnership in the ministry there led by Jude Augusma.
Encouraging newcomers to participate in our twice-a- year “Get to Know Us” class, to join the Creekside family, and when appropriate, to take the step of baptism. This has also been a challenging and rewarding ministry opportunity for us.
Discipling through instructing and modeling God’s truth before others, and intentionally providing opportunities to implement what they have heard and seen. This program was expanded in 2024 through our small groups, mom’s together, and youth ministry. We hope this progress continues.
As Paul assured the believers in Thessalonica, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers.” (1 Thess. 1:2) We ask for your prayers on our behalf that we all might serve together and “Lead People Everywhere to a Devoted Relationship with Jesus Christ.” We acknowledge in particular the faithful service to Creekside over many years of the family of Bob and Debbie Short as they transition to fellowship with another body of believers closer to their home near Carlisle. Among other responsibilities, Bob served as an elder and Debbie as a coordinator of Sunday School activities.