Trust me…You do not want to miss this Sunday’s combined campus service at the Parkesburg Campus (160 Cowan Rd. Parkesburg, PA).

Come and learn how to have “The Eye Of The Ostrich”.

Join us for a connection time @9am with a light Continental Breakfast followed by the service @ 10:30am.

Feel free to bring along a breakfast food to share with one another.

Invite your friends…it’s going to be an exciting day!

We will be having a combined campus service on Sunday July 18th, 2010 at the Parkesburg Campus (160 Cowan Road, Parkesburg PA 19365)

Join us at 9:00am for a Connection Time with light refreshments, then for a Combined Service at 10:30am.  Both Worship Teams will be joining together leading us in an awesome time of worship.

Feel free to bring along a light breakfast food to share with one another.

This will be a great time to connect with others as well as hear some exciting new direction for our church. Trust me…you don’t want to miss this service. It’s going to be great!

On Sunday July 4th @11am, we are planning an outdoor service, baptism, & BBQ at Pastor Mike & Naomi’s home (122 East Ruddy Duck Circle, Oxford).

We’ll enjoy a time of singing together and some thoughts from God’s Word. We’ll celebrate together as several people take the next step in their journey of following Christ, by being baptized. It will be an awesome experience to share together!

After the baptism, we’ll enjoy the day together by eating some good food, swimming, volleyball, Kanjam, and having some great conversations!

Meat & drinks will be provided, please bring a side dish or a dessert to share…see you there!

These are exciting times for Elk Creek Church! But we recognize that transition is never easy. With transition often comes a level of uncertainty.  Our uncertainty can either bring us to a place of fear or a place of faith. We will choose faith. Faith that God has an awesome plan for His church called Elk Creek. Faith that God will do immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine. This faith is rooted in the truth that God cares more about Elk Creek Church than we ever will. It’s rooted in the truth that God knows what He is doing. We have sought the Lord privately. The leadership teams at Elk Creek Church and Gateway Church have sought the Lord together and we believe that God has lead us to partner together at this time and place in history to accomplish His purposes.

We believe that this transition to a multi-site church (One church meeting in two locations) will allow us to reach more people for Christ by tapping into our shared creativity, resources, vision and leadership. Simply put, we believe that we are better together!

Please continue to pray with Pastor Mike us as we lean hard into God and listen and follow His direction in the coming weeks and throughout this transition.

Gateway & Elk Creek Partnership
Frequently Asked Questions

Q What is the value in moving to a Multi-Site model?
A We believe that a Multi-site model will allow us to bring the strengths, the resources, the influence of two healthy churches together to accomplish more together than we could ever accomplish individually.

Q Why change to a Multi-Site model now?
A We believe that God has led us to this model of ministry at this time and place in history. With the new calling that God has placed in Pastor Dan’s heart at Gateway, we believe that this is a natural time to transition into a Multi-Site model of ministry.

Q Are there other churches that use the Multi-Site model and have you talked with them?
A There are about 2,000+ churches today that use a Multi-Site model of ministry in one form or another. We have consulted with several of them of how they function. While all of them function a bit differently, All of them have expressed the value of synergy that they have seen which comes from a Multi-Site model.

Q When will this transition take place?
A We see this transition taking some time to be fully realized, however, Pastor Mike will assume the Lead Pastor Role after officially being affirmed by the partners of Gateway Church on Sunday, June 27th.

Q Will we have a name change as we move forward with the multi-campus structure?
A We will refer to our campuses as the Elk Creek campus and the Parkesburg campus of Gateway Church.

Q How often will Pastor Mike speak at Elk Creek Campus?
A Pastor Mike will speak approximately 50% of his time at each campus.

Q Who will be speaking at Elk Creek Campus when Pastor Mike is not there?
A Another pastor will eventually be brought on staff to assist Mike with some of the pastoral duties at Elk Creek as well as be a part of the teaching team. In the meantime, we have identified a few communicators that will assist us on the teaching team.

Q What will Pastor Mike’s primary responsibilities be at Gateway Church?
A Pastor Mike will be responsible for leading the overall vision of Gateway Church. He will oversee and assist both campuses of Gateway Church, and will take on the role of Campus Pastor at the Elk Creek campus. He will work alongside the pastors & leaders of both campuses equipping leaders and moving us forward in accomplishing our vision.

Q How will the budget work within the Multi-Site model?
A Each Campus will have their own separate budget that they are responsible to maintain. Each campus will need to make the necessary adjustments at a campus level in order to maintain their budget.

I’m excited about beginning our next series called Spiritual Gifts.

God tells us in his Word that every believer is given at least one spiritual gift by the Holy Spirit as He sees fit. The purpose of our spiritual gifts is to build up the body of Christ and to use them for the common good of the Church.

One of the greatest joys that we can experience is to discover what our spiritual gifts are and to begin using them for the common good.

I would encourage you click on the link below to take the free spiritual gifts inventory. It is 108 questions that will take you a few minutes to fill out. It will identify your dominant gifts that are mentioned in Romans 12:6-8.

After you have finished taking the inventory. Please take a minute and fill out the form below. We’ll compile the info and put a graph together to show you the gift mix of our church.

Please keep a few things in mind as you take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory…

1) There are no right or wrong answers. This isn’t a test, it’s simply a tool to help you discover your gifts.

2) Answer the questions based on who you are, not on who you wish you were.

3) Answer the questions quickly. Your first initial response is usually the correct one.

Click here to access the inventory. (You will be required to enter your email address at the end to get your results)

Fill the following form out after you take the inventory.

Our kids program each and every week is flat out exciting! Our ministry team is passionate and works incredibly hard to create an environment where our kids can thrive and grow in their relationship with Jesus.

We want more and more kids to be able to experience  kidz @ the creek, so we are putting out a challenge to all of the kids in our children’s and youth programs.

Beginning on Sunday May 23rd, we are having a “bring a friend contest” that will run each week for 5 weeks through June 20th.

There will be some great prizes for the children who bring the most friends to church during the contest. In addition, the class that brings the most friends collectively will win a class party!

We will have information for you on Sunday, as well as invitations that your child can use to invite their friends to church. Parents, use this as an opporuntity to invite the entire family along to church as well! Let’s encourage our kids to be inviting!

NOTE: Jonas is not able to make this event on April 18th. We are sorry for the inconvenience. As soon as we are able to reschedule the event we will let you know.

Jonas Beiler will be coming to speak at Elk Creek Church on Sunday, April 18th.

Jonas and his wife are the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzel company, as well as the founder of the Gap Family Counseling Center, in Gap PA.

Jonas is the author of the book “Think No Evil” which is a behind the scenes look at the Nickel Mines Amish schoolhouse shootings. Jonas talks about the healing that comes from forgiveness. He brings you up close and personal through the journey of the families involved in the shooting as well as through his own personal journey of forgiveness through tragedy.

Invite your friends and join us on Sunday, April 18th @ 10:30am for this special service that will challenge you in your own life in the area of forgiveness and letting go of the past and allowing God to breathe life into your life.

As I was reflecting on our church today, I couldn’t help but think about all of the volunteers that serve so hard at Elk Creek Church.

I thought about those that show up early on Sunday morning and unload the trailer and set up everything, sacrificing a couple of hours of sleep that you could be getting. You often drive separate from your family, which means for some of you that your spouse is home getting the children ready for church without your help.

Thank you!

There are those that help with folding the bulletins, making the coffee, greeting, being an usher. Others who count money, keep track of the contributions, handle the finances of the church.

Thank you!

I thought about all the children’s workers that spend time throughout the week preparing a lesson that will connect with our kids and point them towards Christ. I thought about the fact that you are sacrificing your time from being in the service to teach our kids or care for our kids in the nursery.

Thank you!

I thought about those on the worship team that rush home from work every Wednesday, prepare a meal for the family, eat quickly so that you can be out the door and on time for practice. Then showing up early every Sunday, for sound check, a quick run through, and then doing a wonderful job of leading us into the presence of God.

Thank you!

I thought about those that help with running the sound & video each week. Making sure the words are on the screen so that we can sing praises to our God and making sure that the sound is coming through the speakers in a way that is pleasant to our ears.

Thank you!

I thought of those that are serving behind the scenes in putting together the Oxford Egg Drop. Planning all of the little details like – food, drinks, parking, set up, advertising, safety, registration, and every other detail that I’m forgetting.

Thank you!

Finally, there are those of you that are so quick to lend a hand when there is a need. You make a meal for someone who is going through a tough time. You send a note letting someone know that you care. You pray endlessly for our church and the people within our church. You invite your friends to church.

Thank you!

There is something that you need to know. Your service reaches further than you realize. What you do is far more important than you realize. The people you are touching are far more than you realize. Who you are serving is far greater than you realize. Your impact will be felt into eternity.

You are ministering to all of the people who call Elk Creek Church their home, but more importantly, you are ministering to the heart of Jesus.

Thank you! You guys are incredible!

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