Hi Creeksiders,

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus!

Current Series: Mile 20

Our current series, MILE 20, is in week three. We continue to talk about the reality that there comes a point in any long distance race, relationship, career, spiritual journey where we hit "the wall." It is then that we wrestle with the question, "Do I quit here, or keep going?"

The message title for July 8 is Calling Out. Have you ever asked, "God, are You there? Do You even care?" Perhaps someone needs to tell God not to leave any suffering people in their pain, as it can completely shake their faith. Perhaps.

Outreach: Pay It Forward - Canada Day

It was a beautiful day and a great setting for our Pay It Forward Canada Day Project on July 1. Initial reports indicate that we had around 15 participants meeting our neighbors with a positive and fun approach

We put on Canada Flag temporary tattoos to all who wanted to make a statement. Then we handed out a “Happy Canada Day” card with our church name and website. So, how did it go? It was a huge success! (Except for the guy who wanted a tattoo on his forehead and Jim attempted three times to make it stick! Yes, if you are seeing Jim holding his head with both hands while squeezing, you have the right picture. Finally, Melanie Greaves was successful. Amazing – this guy didn’t give up!)

We appreciate the Pay It Forward team for their leadership and willingness to make this another successful service opportunity in our community. Yeah, PIF!! And thank you to each one who came to help!

Location: New Campus News

Langley Campus met for the first time July 1 at the Langley Christian Middle School gym, which is just a few blocks away on 22702 48th Avenue.

Jim has been receiving much positive response from those who attended. The facility has a “new and bigger” feeling. The gym, where we meet is larger, and the sound seemed much more balanced (much praise to our dedicated sound team and musicians). The most promising thing is that we have an extra 200 chairs ready to be filled with our friends. Wouldn’t it be cool to have Langley campus full and North Shore as well? That would mean 450 people.

We’ve got a great church, great people and lots of love to share. Let’s move forward in working as a team to fill the seats with our friends. OK?

Directions: From the intersection of Fraser Highway and 216 Street, go East on Fraser Highway until 48 Avenue. Veer left off Fraser onto 48 Avenue. The new location is on the right. Come early so you can get oriented, help set up, and meet some wonderful people.

Langley Christian Middle School
Address: 22702 48th Avenue, Langley, BC, V2Z 2T6

Resource Center Needs New Home

Creekside's Resource Center no longer exists. We were informed that the public school district wanted to upgrade the portable where our office and resource center was located. Basically we were evicted. So this Wednesday, a small, but dedicated crew, stored all the equipment and resources in our shed.

Does anyone have any leads on a possible space we could have to establish another meeting place? If so, let Colin or Jim know. Thanks.

Camp Hope 2006

Camp Meeting 2006 is coming to Hope from July 21 to 29. Hundreds, even thousands, of people from Creekside and our sister churches throughout BC get together for a time of spiritual renewal and connecting with others. Creekside has it’s annual Camp Meeting church wide lunch potluck on Sabbath, July 22, at the Young Adult Tent. This will be a great opportunity to meet old friends and get to know new ones. Bring food and a friend.

Please note: There will be no worship gatherings at Creekside on July 22 and 29. If this is a new deal for you or you need more information please speak to your campus pastor.

Getting Married: Julie Atha

Many of you know Julie Atha. She is getting married on July 23, at 2:00 p.m. at the Camp Meeting location. She invites each of us to attend her wedding. (One more good reason to attend Camp Meeting!) Congratulations, Julie!

Fun Activities: North Shore Grouse Grind

A group from North shore planned to do the Grouse Grind this Sunday, July 9. This created a huge conflict for all the dedicated soccer fans who want to watch the world cup final so we will reschedule this for some time after camp meeting.

Blessings and joy,

Jim and Colin

Hi Creeksiders,

Happy Canada Day 2006!

Here are some things you really need to know about:

MILE 20

Our current series, MILE 20, is in week two. We continue to talk about the reality that there comes a point in any long distance race, relationship, career, spiritual journey where we hit "the wall." It is then that we wrestle with the question, "Do I quit here, or keep going?" We got lots of positive vibes from last week.

The message title for July 1 is A Long Hard Road.

Perhaps you or someone you love is in season of pain. And it's not just that life hurts, but that the agony continues for a long, long time. As human beings in an imperfect world, we're bound to go through this season. And what then? Today we'll explore those realities and learn from the lives of four very different but very memorable Bible characters.

Pay It Forward

Our next Pay It Forward project happens on July 1. If you missed the last one, Pay it Forward is a ministry we have at Creekside where we do something for other people without expecting anything in return. It’s fun and a great chance to make friends. In fact, we have planned a service event that can help us meet hundreds of people in a positive way.

The plan? Meet at the volunteer tent for the Canada Celebration next to the Langley Airport on Sabbath around 2:30 p.m. That’s where Creekside’s home base is located. You’ll want to bring an apron to attach your nametag and to carry your supplies. We’ll spread out over the grounds and offer free Canada Flag Tattoos (not permanent ones!). While we give this gift to whoever wants it, we’ll be able to get to know them and give them a “Happy Canada Day” card from Creekside. This is LOW RISK and a good way to serve. You can come any time between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Creekside Moving

Langley Campus is meeting for the first time July 1 at the Langley Christian Middle School gym, which is just a few blocks away on 22702 48th Avenue. From the intersection of Fraser Highway and 216 Street, go East on Fraser Highway until 48 Avenue. Veer left off Fraser onto 48 Avenue. The new location is on the right. Come early so you can get oriented, help set up, and meet some wonderful people.

Langley Christian Middle School
(Address: 22702 48th Avenue, Langley, BC, V2Z 2T6)

Some good news for North Shore set up and take down crew is that our equipment can be left setup through the summer. This means we do a regular set up this weekend and then we can leave everything setup for July and August. Doesn’t that sound great?

Camp Hope

There is a huge gathering at Camp Hope called Camp Meeting from July 21 to 29. Hundreds, even thousands, of people from Creekside and our sister churches throughout BC get together for a time of spiritual renewal and connecting with others. Creekside is planning a church wide potluck on Sabbath, July 22, at the Young Adult Tent. This will be a great opportunity to meet old friends and get to know new ones. Bring food and a friend.

Please note: There will be no worship gatherings at Creekside on July 22 and 29. If this is a new deal for you or you need more information please speak to your campus pastor.

Julie's Getting Married

Many of you know Julie Atha. She is getting married on July 23, at 2:00 p.m. at the Camp Meeting location. She invites each of us to attend her wedding. (One more good reason to attend Camp Meeting!) Congratulations, Julie!

Blessings and joy,

Jim and Colin

Hi Creeksiders,

Here are some things you really need to know about:

New Series

We start a new series this week called MILE 20. For the next 4 weeks we are going to talk about the reality that there comes a point in any long distance race, relationship, career, spiritual journey where we hit "the wall." It is then that we wrestle with the question, "Do I quit here, or keep going?"

The title for June 24 is Crossroads.

Have you ever felt like bailing? Have you felt like distancing yourself from certain people, certain experiences, that perhaps God put into your life? Today we'll explore those feelings, where they come from, and how some others have dealt with similar emotions.

Pay It Forward

Our next Pay It Forward project happens on July 1. If you missed the last one, Pay it Forward is a ministry we have at Creekside where we do something for other people without expecting anything in return. It’s fun and a great chance to make friends. I know you will want to hear and see what the next project involves so, be sure to be at one of Creekside’s campuses tomorrow.

Langley campus is moving

This is the last week that Langley campus meets at the elementary school.

On July 1 we’ll be meeting in the Langley Christian Middle School gym, which is just a few blocks away on 22702 48th Avenue.

From the intersection of Fraser Highway and 216 Street, go East on Fraser Highway until 48 Avenue. Turn North off Fraser onto 48 Avenue. The new location is on your right.

Come early so you can get oriented, help set up, and meet some wonderful people.

Langley Christian Middle School
(Address: 22702 48th Avenue, Langley, BC, V2Z 2T6)

Some good news for North Shore set up and take down crew is that our equipment can be left setup through the summer. This means we do a regular set up and take down on June 24 and then from July 1 we can leave everything setup for July and August.

Camp Hope - July 21 - July 29

There is a huge gathering at Camp Hope called Camp Meeting from July 21 to 29. Hundreds, even thousands, of people from Creekside and our sister churches throughout BC get together for a time of spiritual renewal and connecting with others.

(Map from last year here)

There will be no worship gatherings at Creekside on July 22 and 29.

If this is a new deal for you or you need more information please speak to your campus pastor.

Blessings and joy,

Jim and Colin

Hi everyone,

People are still talking about last weekend. Yeah God for making Hassan’s membership celebration an awesome experience. Then we had a great time at Nikesha’s dedication. It was fun to connect with people from both campuses. We need to be doing more of that!

Pay It Forward

This week our Pay it Forward Team met to vision and plan for ways we can connect with our communities. I know God has some cool things in mind for us. In fact, keep July 1, Canada Day, afternoon available. If all the details work out, we may be doing a both campus PIF project together!

Downloading audio files from the website.

Some people have been asking how to download messages so here’s the deal:

Right click on the Click to Download MP3 here link, select “save link as” and save the audio file to your hard drive.

Series: The Fabulous Life Of David

We continue the series this week.

Series Summary…

There was once a guy named David who lived a fabulous life, going from the "lowest" to the "highest" with everything in between.

What is compelling is the imperfect way David handled his ups and downs.

Where might your life story cross David's?

This week’s message is “A Real Friend” – Here’s the summary:

Adventist Health Study 2

Several Creeksiders have already signed up to be part of Adventist Health Study-2 and filled out the questionnaires. This is really a cool way to turn an hour of your time into a wide influence. The researchers tell us they have received 90,000 responses so far and they need another 15,000 to get significant results. Participants need to be 30 or older. (By the way, what you eat or your current health is not an issue.)

There are 4 ways to join or get a replacement questionnaire if you lost yours:

1. Pick up a form at ether Creekside campus.

or

2. Call toll free 1-877-700-7077

or

3. go online www.adventisthealthstudy.org

or

4. email ahs2extra@llu.edu (include your name, address, phone # and church)

Either way, you’ll get a personalized form in the mail.

Looking forward to seeing you this weekend!

God bless you every one,

Jim and Colin

Hi everyone,

It’s almost the May long weekend. If you are going camping or just relaxing at home, have a great time. If you are in the area please join us at either our North Shore or Langley campus.

Great music starts at 10:30 a.m. and this week the Message is called “What do you really want?”

Jesus is the master of the next question.

His teaching often revolves around questions like, “What do you want me to do for you?” and “How badly do you want it?”. We are going to discuss these big questions this week.

Next weekend is all about celebrating some of God’s good things.

10:30 am at North Shore campus we are going to raise the roof and say yeah God as we welcome Hassan as Creekside’s first Muslim Christian member. Please pray for Hassan and those who are stepping up to this important commitment.

Several people are moving towards membership at Langley campus as well. Details should be coming soon.

Then at 6:30 p.m. we are going to have another celebration to dedicate Ruby Klein’s baby to Jesus.

Check the website and the announcement slides at both campuses for details.

Small groups are a big deal at Creekside.

There are groups meeting in North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey. For more information check out the poster on the notice board or contact Tara Emmons at tara.emmons@gmail.com.

Children's Ministry Needs

Imagine a whole group of children really excited about Jesus and coming to meet with their friends. That’s a picture of what God is doing week after week through our children’s ministry teams.

Our teams do an awesome job of connecting kids with Jesus and each other. And they are looking for some people to help take that to the next level.

They are looking for people who can be in the room to help the teacher as well as people who can play a musical instrument.

Gina Aitchison (email), the North Shore team leader says she can adapt the schedule to fit with people’s busy lives. Ryon Howell (email) and Tammy Fleming (email) agree.

Please pray about this and speak with either of them or email them.

Thanks for your prayers

Alfonso is improving. It’s great to have a church family that cares and prayers. If you have any specific requests and would like them to go out in this Pastor’s Update, please send them to Jim Gaull (email).

God's best to each of you,

Jim Gaull & Colin Griffiths
(posted by Sherman Hu c/o Jim Gaull & Colin Griffiths)

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading a stimulating book, “A New Kind of Christian” (Amazon | Chapters | House of James), about moving from modernism to postmodernism. It is great being challenged to grow. (And I'm still sensing the "glow" from the "Weekend to Remember (USA) (CDN)" that Inez and I experienced the last weekend of April.)

God has been touching the lives of Creekside attendees through the “True for You?” series. For some this has been a real challenge and for others it has been really helpful. From what we are hearing very few people have been going to the “ho hum” place. Yeah God!

In week 1 we said, “All truth is God’s truth and we need to claim truth wherever we find it.”

Last week we wrestled with the question, “What is truth?” Here are the main things we touched on:

This week the message is called “Cracking The Da Vinci Code" First as a runaway best-selling novel and soon as a blockbuster movie, The Da Vinci Code has captivated millions. Its allegations against historic Christianity are colorfully portrayed – but are they true, or merely inaccurate accounts of centuries-old myths and legends?

We are going to engage this piece of contemporary culture and apply the principles of the last few weeks to start a process of answering that question. Some Creeksiders have read the book and admit to admiring Dan Brown’s writing skills, so this will be a discussion of ideas, not an attack on a person.

What’s Been Happening?

Langley Junior/Teens celebrate. 4 of our junior/teens committed to and succeeded in memorizing Psalm 103.

Tammy Fleming, our leader says…

“I'm very proud of all my kids, but just over the moon for the ones that memorized such a lovely passage that really reflects God's character.”

The memorizers are: Chantal Noakes, Gabriel Penner, Joshua Penner, and Joseph Yap. Tammy had a social last Sabbath and 8 kids and her had a blast. Way to go, Tammy! Congratulations, young people!

This last week team leaders from both campuses met for a management council. We had a good time. Rhoda lead us through a great team building experience. We discussed how to more effectively work together and shared ideas of things that are working well. We also introduced a new web based tool called the Leaderzone. It is designed to help leaders and team members stay connected and share information.

Alfonso is out of the hospital and home. Thanks for your prayers for him and his family who look forward to a speedy recovery.

Please keep praying for Arlene’s dad and Adrian’s mom.

What Is Coming Up?

May 14
Happy Mother’s Day to all our wonderful mom’s!

Mother's Day Picnic
There is a Mothers day picnic this Sunday, May 14, 1:30 p.m. at Bear Creek Park on King George and 88th in Surrey. (Weather permitting.) We will meet at the picnic tables near the running track. Please contact Melanie Greaves at melaniegreaves@hotmail.com for details.

May 27

Hassan’s membership celebration happens during the worship gathering at the North Shore Campus. This is going to be a great experience!

Ruby Klein’s baby dedication will be at 6:30 p.m.

God's best to each of you,

Jim Gaull & Colin Griffiths
(posted by Sherman Hu c/o Jim Gaull & Colin Griffiths)

My son-in-law, Alfonso de Vega is back in the hospital again. He hasn’t been improving at all. Would you please join our family in praying for him and his family? Thanks!

~ Jim Gaull

May 12 Update

Alfonso is out of the hospital and home. Thanks for your prayers for him and his family who look forward to a speedy recovery.

Inez & I attended the Weekend to Remember conference last weekend. We had an incredible time renewing our commitment to one another. This conference is one that every engaged, married and remarried couple should attend, whether they are doing great or doing horrible, no exceptions. I am adding it to my resource bank. Ask if you are interested in more details.

Jim Gaull

Sun Run Report

Report from Pastor Jim.

Thank you so much for your prayers and overall encouragement. Our Creekside Sun Run Team finished well and we rejoice we could represent each of you and God.

14 of our team finished the event. 1 person was sick and could not participate. There were three other Creeksiders who participated. Look for some photos on our website. You might have seen the news coverage, but this was the first time ever that the 50,000 mark was broken. 50,700+ actually participated.

I know this is an early invite, but 2007 Sun Run is coming. Wouldn’t it be thrilling to have a huge portion of Creekside along with our friends participate?

You’re the first to hear this, but because of our team effort and some bubbling enthusiasm, our joy and service may spread!

Our conference president and treasurer, Gordon Pifher and Michael Wixwat, are interested in taking this event BC wide.

Imagine having hundreds of people on a BC Team, from all across BC!

Imagine having each one sponsored to help a really worthy cause in addition to what the Sun Run already does.

Imagine having a grand concert on Sunday night celebrating the overall accomplishment and handing the charity a cheque for thousands of dollars!

Imagine even bigger if you like. Higher than the highest human thought is God’s ideal for his children. None of this is reality, but it could be.

The Revelators

Rob and Ken (Creekside Langley people) have formed a band. They have an apocalyptic emphasis in their music. If you’d like to hear them, come to the House of James in Abbotsford on April 28, 2006 at 8:30 p.m. They’re in concert and would love to have your support.

A New Series Begins

We start a new series this week called “True For You”. We want to start some discussions around key questions about truth:

Here is the series summary:

How do you know whether the sun will rise tomorrow? How do you know that you are not dreaming now? How do you know that your teacher has not been possessed by aliens? And how would you know if he had? In fact, how do you know that anything is true?

Where do I find truth? How do I decide if something is true? And how does this apply in my life?

Be sure to check it out for yourself and invite your friends. We know this series could start some pretty deep discussions.

Coming Events

May 10, 2006

This is the day we check the receipts in our “high tech money manager” (remember the brown bag?) May 13 we will hear each other’s stories about this.

May 27, 2006

Hassan Qazilbash will become Creekside’s newest member! Hassan is of Muslim background and will be the first Muslim Christian member of Creekside. How cool is that?

Sabbath morning is going to be a huge God honoring celebration at the North shore campus.

Blessings and joy,

Jim and Colin

Dear Creeksiders.

He is risen!

Did you think of His resurrection at all this last week? I hope so. It’s so important that Colin and I are team teaching about it tomorrow.

Here’s a summary of our message called "The Hope".

What if we could know that despair is not the last word? Hope is! What if we could know that death is not the last word? Life is! How would that impact the way we do life? Jesus addresses these questions and demonstrates His answer in the most amazing “show and tell” ever.

I am looking forward to celebrating with you again. If you would like to join me, you are warmly welcomed to the Bible Discovery time at 9:30. It’s a great place for questions and all are welcomed as we look at God’s word in depth.

Other News

www.creeksideonline.org is happening. If you haven‘t checked out the new look, please do. We keep improving it to be more current and more user friendly. If you have friends you’d like to share a message with, feel free to send them here. They can download the audio messages or listen online.

A big thanks goes to Sherman, Steve, and Chris for making what looks so great really stay great. Thanks web teamers!

Vancouver Sun Run

Ready or not it going to happen 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 23, 2006.

Our Creekside Team has 15 members this year. I know of at least one other Creeksider who’s participating individually.

I am planning on having fun this year and enjoying the wonderful sunny day that’s forecast.

If you’re not running or walking with us, and want to help, I have a couple of suggestions our team would appreciate:

1. Root us on.
Pastor Colin is planning to cheer us on at the finish line. And take pictures. I’m sure he would love to have you join him.

2. Pray for us.
With around 49,000 participants – all going to the same place at varying speeds and groupings, it can get a little crowded to say the least. But, who knows, God may be gracious!

God’s best to you!

Pastor Jim Gaull & Pastor Colin Griffiths