The 2017 Creekstone Year in Review

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Im not sure where I heard that (or something like it), but I like it. It is the same principle addressed in the
question, How do you eat an elephant? Yep, one bite at a time. But who eats elephant? So, I like the journey
image better.

The point is that when we have journeyed the 1,000 miles, it can be helpful to stop and look back in order to
remember the faithfulness of the Lord in being with us along the way, enabling us to make progress as we move
forward.

Receiving our staff and team leader ministry reports over the past couple of weeks, it feels as if I am looking back
over 1,000 miles of ministry in 2017. We have come a long, long way.

For starters, back in January, the elder team attended a Battle for Mens Hearts weekend in Alabama. The goal
was to learn what it looks like to explore life below the surface of the rational and volitional, down into the realms
of emotion and deep desire. What we discovered during that weekend is that ministry alignment is not only about
what we do functionally as a team of leaders but how we relate emotionally, understanding the desires that drive
us. Giving us some common terminology for talking about heart issues, it was a pivotal weekend for all of us.

With such a gifted team of elders and staff, including our new Director of Administration, Laurie Sussman, I have
been able to focus on teaching more than ever this year, including the opportunity to teach theology as a
professor at Metro Atlanta Seminary. Furthermore, I have been encouraged by the elders to develop my writing
ministry for publication, which we believe will benefit Creekstone as well as extend the reach of our grace
message.

As far as teaching, this year we have worked through six sermon series ranging from a study on the doctrine of the
church (People of the Promise) to a 4-week study through Psalm 51 (Broken and Contrite). We spent 7 weeks in
Ruth exploring our lives in the context of Gods sovereignty with a series entitled An Unexpected Journey. In June
Andy led us through a study called Habits of Grace which led into a series the delved into the basics of Christian
theology, Foundations. In two Sundays we will wrap up our study through James, called The Gospel for Real Life.
As an FYI, all past messages are available on our website (creekstonechurch.com/listen) or on my personal
site/blog (mckaycaston.com).

A huge win for us as a church this year was making budget, where our funding matched our mission expenses.
This is a big deal, because churches, like any other organizations, need funding to function. For those who
contributed financially to help us achieve this milestone, Thank you!

In the pages below, you have the opportunity to discover more of what has transpired this past year on our 1,000-
mile journey of grace. May the stories of life impact be a reminder that grace really does change everything as we
look ahead to 2018 with the single-minded mission to glorify God by helping people come alive to the wonder of
the gospel!

Gratefully yours, by grace alone,

McKay Caston

P.S. If youd like to make a special, year-end donation to support the ministry, simply visit
https://creekstonechurch.churchcenter.com/giving
K-GROUPS- by Andy Woznicki

The purpose of our K-groups is to experience biblical community by pursing God, sharing life, and
reaching out to others, together. This means worshipping and learning together, enjoying real
fellowship, serving, caring, and praying together while meeting together in homes. This is a vital and
essential part of being the church.

These groups meet to encourage one another in Christ, reflect on Gods truth, share one anothers
burdens, apply the gospel to life situations, serve the community, and welcome outsiders into our
church family. Through the means of grace incorporated into these groups we fully expect God to
meet with us and shape us in a special way.

This year our K-groups have multiplied from 5 groups into 9, with an average group size of 12-14 people.
If you were to count the men, women, and children who meet in homes during the week to participate
in a k-group, there would be well over 100 people pursuing and cultivating biblical community. While
most of the groups meet every other Sunday afternoon or evening, some groups are available
throughout the week as well on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday evenings.

Finding a K-Group at Creekstone Church has been an answered prayer for Keebo
and me. It has been such a blessing for us as individuals and as a couple as we are in
a season of major growth in preparation for marriage and building a family together.
We have both been longing to find a community of folks willing to get to know us,
challenge us, and help guide us. We are so grateful to have found that through the
Creekstone K-Group ministry.

Kandi Ledford

Where can you go to spend time with believing friends who gather for a couple of hours
a few times a month to share sweet fellowship, delicious meals, Bible study, and prayer?
You can go to your K-Group, that's where. Its an environment where you can let your
hair down, where you can relax and be yourself, where you can share personal goings-
on in your life and not feel judged. Instead, you are loved, comforted and prayed for; you
can comfort and pray for others as well as share praises. It is where my family and I have
felt safe to share the ups and downs of our lives like the stress and strain of being
perpetual caregivers and the stress and strain of being currently unemployed. Simply stated, it is where
you can grow personal relationships... do life together, in a safe, Christ-centered setting. My K-Group
offers all that and more. It is where I love being every other Sunday evening!
Melinda Crais

WOMENS DISCIPLESHIP- by Beckie Johnson

We started the year off with collecting for a Care Package for the Stock family in India. Items were
chosen from the Mandys list of needs that they and particularly their children have. We were able to
send many food items that they cannot get in India and a large amount of arts and crafts items for the
children. We received a beautiful thank you letter from their family, complete with pictures the children
had drawn.

In mid-February we had a Valentine's celebration to kick off our Spring study of Ann Voskamp's video
study of her new book, The Broken Way. Approximately 35 women signed up and we were able to offer
4 small groups to go over our workbooks after viewing the video for each of the 8 weeks.

For our spring service project, we collected items for 12 "kits" for the homeless in our area, consisting of
toiletries and inspirational reading materials.

In May, we held a "Mother-Daughter-Sister-Friend" tea at the clubhouse of Dawson Forest

subdivision. In addition to the afternoon tea, the women were entertained by the Dawson Girl's Choir,
led by Sarah Stipe, and a devotional on friendships by Joanne Sale.

During the summer we held monthly fellowship events at various Creekstone members homes with a
special emphasis on making newcomers to our church feel welcome and listening to the testimony of
some of our women. We had around 20-25 in attendance each month.

We kicked off our Fall Bible Study in mid-September with around 30 women in attendance divided into
three small groups. We studied Jen Wilkins video study of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-
7. We emphasized Scripture memory during the study with prizes awarded each week, had a Clothing
Swap before the study started one week, and the last night we had desserts and a special gift for each
woman.

In early November we had a special day long retreat at the Sale's lake house. Twenty women were able
to attend and we enjoyed hearing two of our own women speak, spend time alone with God and prayed
together in small groups of 2-3.

We are anticipating closing the year out with an afternoon of "Christmas Cheer" at The Well on Dec. 9,
complete with a devotional by Kristy Caston, carol singing with April Barnett, sampling Christmas recipes
from each other, and working on some home decor projects.

The Womens Ministry at Creekstone Church has made the largest impact of my
entire year, and oddly enough, on my husband as well. After moving to
Dahlonega in the summer of 2016 we visited a number of churches in the area
and could not find a church home. After months, we simply stopped looking and
began to pray that God would lead us to the place He had for us. The Lord heard
our prayer, because in January 2017 I was invited to come to a women's Bible
study at Creekstone Church on Wednesday nights. I was welcomed and loved on
and truly felt the Love of Christ in this body of women like I had never experienced
before. My husband was so impressed by how loving the women at Creekstone
had been to me he decided we should try the Sunday service. We found our home! We knew right away
that Creekstone was the church family He had picked out for our us. I am eternally grateful for the
women's ministry at Creekstone and continue to be blessed by the fellowship, teaching and continued
growth in Christ because of this amazing ministry. These women had an impact on all of my 2017.
Denise Tourigny
It has been a fun and spiritually rewarding year for our Creekstone women to get to
know one another more deeply, spend time in God's word, serve those on the
mission field and in our home community, and grow in our faith and love for our
Savior. The Women's Ministry team consisted of anywhere from 6-10 women this
year, with many others readily available to help when called upon. It has been a
privilege to serve as the Women's Ministry Team Leader this year. My estimate is
that as many as 40-50 women in our church have participated in at least one of our
activities this year. We look forward to even more in 2018.
Beckie Johnson

MENS DISCIPLESHIP by Andy Woznicki

Discipleship isnt the goal of our church but rather what Jesus modeled on how we will get there. Our
goal is to glorify God by helping people come alive to the wonder of the gospel. The central way we will
reach that goal is through the life on life missional discipleship that Jesus modeled. It is through
discipleship that people mature in Christ, and are equipped to accomplish the mission in the context of
spiritual growth, gospel-centered accountability, and mission.

Beginning in September, twenty men from Creekstone began gathering on Monday nights for Mens
Discipleship at The Well. Each week we spent time eating a meal together, experiencing large group
teaching and fellowship, and finishing out in 60-90 minutes of small groups with group leaders. Our
focus for the semester was learning to cultivate habits of grace which become the means by which we
experience God and enjoy fellowship with Jesus. Monday Night for Men meets every week, rotating on
Monday evenings from 6:30-9pm at the Well, with small group meetings in homes on the opposite
weeks.

Additionally, McKay leads the Mens Leadership Forum on Wednesday evenings at the church office for
men who desire to grow theologically and personally as they consider taking next steps in leadership.

As I look back on the past year, and throughout my time at Creekstone, I would
have to say that Discipleship has been an integral part of my Christian walk. For
years I had hoped for such a group, and was thrilled to have found one. Andy
and our group of guys have formed a bond that only biblically based discipleship
can produce. Never have I experienced the way in which our group has built
each other up in some of lifes hardest trials. These experiences and the trust
we have in each other has grown my faith exponentially, as I have been taught
not only how to experience the love of Christ, but how to study the Word and
become filled with the Spirit as I grow deeper in dependence on our Savior.
Jesus has given us the example of how to be a follower of Christ. He heavily invested in a few men,
sharing life together, teaching them, and sending them on mission. This is the basis of true Discipleship,
and this is what our group has been, a place of respite, counsel, and mission.
James Fitts
MINISTRY TEAMS by Andy Woznicki

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same
Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each
one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

Creekstone is a team ministry that relies on volunteers who are willing to do the work of the ministry. In
other words, at Creekstone every member is a minister, whether he or she serves on Sundays in the
nursery, on the worship team, or helping to set up. Each Sunday, 30-40 volunteers arrive between
7:15am to 9:30am to unload our storage truck, set-up equipment, prepare coffee, teach the College
Class, lead and love our children, greet and welcome new guests.

Where would we be without the family of Creekstone carving out time, and using their gifts to jump in
and serve? Because of the great privilege to gather for worship each week, and the number of
enthusiastic volunteers that show up each week, we are always in need of more people to jump in and
serve on Sundays.

We believe that being a team ministry means experiencing and growing in our relationship with God as
we serve and bless one another. Finding a team on which to serve helps open up new opportunities for
others in our community to belong and to be blessed.

Current needs:
Truck & Setup Team - 6-8 people
Greeter & Hospitality Team - 4-6 people
Ushers - 4 people
Cafe Ministry - 2 people
Nursery Ministry - 6-8 people
Grace Kids Ministry - 6-8 people

SUNDAY MORNING TEAM LEADERS

Nursery Team GraceKids Team Greeter Team Usher Team Truck & Setup Team
Dottie Smorey Mallory Odom Robb Sinn Mark Sussman Colt Dyer
WORSHIP AND TECH by Jesse Turk

This year was a fruitful yet challenging year for the worship and tech team. The nature of a town like
Dahlonega brings folks our way and takes them away just as fast. Sometimes it's due to a college student
finishing up and other times is folks needing better opportunities for work. Nevertheless, we've had
great successes in events and opportunities outside of Sunday morning to include renting out our sound
system to help with our budget, along with many opportunities to serve through music throughout the
community and in other states.

The teams themselves have a life of shepherding and care that has the essence of a K-Group. There are
lots of gatherings and events that each team does over the course of the year that has helped growth in
relationships and we are continuing to move forward in that way.

Each year for the past 3 years the Worship and Tech Team has participated in a "project" outside of
Sunday Morning service. The first project was participating in a New Years Eve concert in Downtown
Dahlonega followed the next year with a Night of Worship held at Camp Glisson. Our next project is a
partnership opportunity with ConnectAbility in assisting the growth of their yearly talent show. We will
be providing musical and technical support to make this a great community event in January of 2018.

Our needs are great in all areas of music and tech ministry. We have been working with the youth
ministry in new development of musicians and tech team volunteers as well with a musician as young as
11 years old helping play piano in a Sunday Morning Service.

Even if you cant lead on Sundays, you can sing! We cant wait to hear you this Sunday.

YOUTH by Fish Luke

This year for the youth could be summed up in one wordgrowth. We have seen a dramatic increase in
attendance from the spring to the fall. On average, in the spring, our regular Wednesday night
attendance was between 15 18 students. At the beginning of this fall we jumped to an attendance of
27 29 students.

With this growth we have been able to do some new things. We have brought on a new volunteer to
help us out, Tate Stroh. We have also added a Bible study for our high school age students. We are
currently studying through the book of Romans.

Our biggest addition this year was our small groups. Each volunteer, after youth, meets with 4-5
students of the same age and go deeper into Gods word.

In youth we have had the opportunity to study some great things. This fall we studied through our
mission statement We exist to glorify God by helping people come alive to the wonder of the gospel,
then we took a look at Gods rescue plan: salvation where we studied justification, sanctification, and
glorification. Along the way we had an amazing fall retreat at The Well. Our theme this year was
PACKED and how that relates to Hebrews 12.

With amazing growth there also comes some growing pains and transitional challenges. We have now
outgrown the office meeting space and are now currently meeting in the garage. The students have
begun to make this space their own but are even feeling a bit crowded in there as well. Hopefully we are
looking to add three more volunteers by next year!

It is amazing to see where we have come since the beginning. When we first began we met at Dorks
bookstore and had 4 students. God has continued to bring growth and true community to this group of
youth and we are excited to see what He has in store for us next year.

Some things you can be praying for in the Youth Ministry:

Our volunteers, Brandon Mapel, Rachel Norton, Emily Luke, Rachel McGuire, and Tate Stroh give of their
time every week to pour into our students. Pray that they would continue to be strengthened in the
ministry they are doing for our youth.

New Volunteers With this growth we need more help. Pray that God would bring us three new
volunteers who would be passionate about what we are doing and about these students.

Meeting Space That we would have the funds and labor to finish out our youth room to give the
students a place where they can call their own. A place to help foster community and fellowship.

Our Students Please pray that our students would continue to hunger for the Gospel. That the word
and truth would permeate throughout their entire lives in their relationships, school, and things they do.
Also, that they would see the love that God has for them every single day.

To give a special year-end gift to support the mission of the Kingdom

through Creekstone Church,
just go here:

https://creekstonechurch.churchcenter.com/giving