We are researching a possible mission trip to Haiti for the fall of 2010. It would probably be a 6 day trip from Sunday to Saturday.

The cost will probably be close to $1,000/person including airfare, meals, lodging, security, translators, etc.

We are trying to get an estimate for how many people might be interested in going. If you are interested in receiving more information about this trip, please fill out the form below. We will be in touch with you as we gather more information.

Please let us know the month that would work best for you to go.

Friendship…everybody needs it. Some have discovered it. Some are desperate to find it. Some have experienced it and lost it. Some have been hurt by it and are afraid to get hurt again.

The Bible has a lot to say about friendship. In this sermon series we will learn how to cultivate healthy friendships and learn how to be a better friend.

Series starts on Sunday, March 7th @ 10:30am.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The needs in Haiti are great and urgent. The number of lives that were lost in this tragedy is mind-numbing. The people of Haiti need serious prayer more than anything right now. They need us to feel what they are feeling, and they need us to carry their burdens to the foot of the cross. They need us to intercede to Almighty God on their behalf. It’s so easy to just be thankful that it’s not us and move on with our lives without feeling the weight of what just happened in Haiti.

There are also very tangible needs that we can help with right now as a church. One of them is helping with basic hygiene. We are asking you if you would bring 1-3 hygiene kits to church with you over the next couple of weeks. We will ship these kits to Convoy of Hope who is on the ground helping with the disaster relief.

Collect and enclose the following items in a gallon-size zippered plastic bag:

1 Full-size bottle of shampoo
1 Toothbrush
1 Full-size toothpaste
1 Bar of antibacterial soap
1 hand towel
1 Comb

Please share this request with your friends on Facebook so we can ship as many kits as possible to Haiti.

What if 1 person decided to pray every single day for at least 10 minutes for 365 days? In one year they would have prayed 3,650 minutes or 61 hours.

What if 100 people decided to pray every single day for at least 10 minutes for 365 days? In one year they would have prayed 365,000 minutes or 6,083 hours.

Now, what if the 100 people were all collectively praying for the same things at the same time? 365,000 minutes of prayer offered up to God in one year for the same requests.What would happen? What would God do?

Let’s find out!

I’m asking you to commit to praying for at least 10 minutes every single day in 2010 for these 3 things.

1. Pray that God would raise the spiritual climate in your personal life.
2. Pray that God would use Elk Creek Church to see the hurting, the broken, and the disconnected find Jesus.
3. Pray that God would raise up more leaders so we can accomplish all that God wants us to.

Will you join me in praying for these 3 things in 2010? Let’s pray in faith believing that God can and will hear and answer our prayers. Download a prayer card below. Put it someplace where it will remind you to pray.

What if?

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16b

Click here to download prayer card (right click ‘Save As’)

2010! Another year behind us, but more importantly another year ahead of us!

I’m so thankful for new beginnings and fresh starts. I’m so glad that God in his incredible mercy, offers us a fresh start everyday.

I want to challenge you Elk Creek Church to start 2010 in the right direction. I want you to experience a fruitful year. But, the only way your life can be fruitful is if you are connected to the vine. I want to challenge you to start this new year out connected to the vine.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

How can you be fruitful this year? By being connected to the life source – the Bible. Without it, our lives become shriveled up and lifeless. And we find ourselves just going through the motions of life without experiencing real life.

I want our church to be people that place a high value on God’s Word. Here are a few things that you can do right now to start the new year off in the right direction.

• Make a decision to read through the Bible this year. Seriously, this will change your life. There are many One Year Bibles that you can find on Amazon. You can also find Bible reading plans online. YouVersion offers several different types of reading plans. Pick one that works for you and stick to it.
• Don’t just read the words, reflect on them. Here are some questions that will help you reflect on what you just read.

What did I learn about God from this passage?

What did I learn about human nature?

What did I learn about my own relationship to God?  In other words, how does this passage apply to me?

Is there anything I need to change in my life based on my reading of this passage?  How can I be stronger in my faith? What can I do to show God’s love to people in my life?

If there is one verse or part of a verse you would like to remember, you might want to write it on an index card and carry it with you throughout the day.

• Bring your Bible to church with you. During the message, interact with your Bible. Underline verses that speak to you. Mark passages that you want to study further.

I pray that 2010 is a breakthrough year for you personally and us corporately as we lean hard into God and listen to him. He wants to speak to you. Will you listen?

We will always make every attempt to have our services as scheduled, even when it snows. We may have to modify our programming depending on how many volunteers we have.

Our first priority is your safety. If you are not able to make it safely, we understand.

If we ever decide to cancel our services, we will have a recorded message on our church line no later than 8:30am on Sunday morning. We will make every attempt to call those that are scheduled to serve.

God has been so good to us as a church! Just 3 years ago we were planning, strategizing, dreaming of what Elk Creek Church would be. We spent time as a launch team praying for those that were far from God asking Him to somehow use us to point those people to Christ. Now, three years later we look back and rejoice in what God has done in us and through us. We have seen many come to Christ. We have seen people follow Christ in believer’s baptism. We have served thousands of people all throughout our community through all kinds of outreach events.

We have also moved from a church that has relied heavily on outside support from our sending church as well as several other church planting organizations to a church that as of January 1st, 2010 will be completely self-supported. We rejoice in God allowing us to become a viable, vibrant church.

Many churches have church membership. We have chosen instead to have Vision Carriers, because we believe that it best describes what it means to be a part of Elk Creek Church.

Beginning January 10th, we will start a 4 week series called, “Carry the Vision.” Pastor Mike will unwrap what it means to be a Vision Carrier. On Sunday, January 31st you will have the opportunity to be a part of signing our Vision Carrier Charter.

Our Vision Carriers will help put shape to our vision. We have a vision that we believe God has given us, but we also believe that the vision should represent the hearts and passions of those that carry it.

We invite you to be a part of this exciting new part of our journey.