Month: July 2021

Cottonwood Creek Church executive pastor, Scott Sanford, authors Bill protecting religious liberties in Texas

Allen, Texas – On June 15, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott signed the Freedom to Worship Act into law. This legislation was authored by Texas House Rep. Scott Sanford to protect places of worship from government-mandated closures.

Sanford, who also serves as an executive pastor at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas, saw his church close due to COVID-19 pandemic mandates. During the aftermath of this shutdown, Sanford witnessed the toll it took on congregations barred from gathering to worship.

As he began to write the Freedom to Worship Act, Sanford knew he was creating a document essential in protecting First Amendment religious freedoms. “As a Pastor and Christian, I was honored to author this important legislation,” Sanford stated.

With this law in place, local churches can remain confident that no government official will prevent them from gathering together to worship. “Local churches need to have peace of mind during emergencies that government officials are not going to close their worship spaces,” said Sanford.

Scott Sanford has served as a staff member at Cottonwood Creek Church for 24 years and has served as a Texas State Representative since 2013. He serves on several Texas House committees: Ways & Means, Public Education and House Administration.

Rep. Sanford holds the recently signed HB 1239 alongside Governor Abbott.

Written By: Taylor Plate

Creek Kids Camp 2021

This past week, our 3rd-5th graders took a trip to Lake Lavon for Cottonwood Creek’s annual summer Kids Camp.  It is great getting to see Creek Kids out having fun and learning about the Gospel. This camp means so much to the kids, and they always have a blast playing games and worshipping Jesus.

The theme of this year’s camp was “Enough,” and it was accompanied the verse, 2 Corinthians 2 12:9, which reads, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

 

Camp was filled with the feeling of students who were on fire for Jesus, and even on day three, the students were still running around, eager to experience the next activity. There were tons of smiling faces for the camera, and the kids had so much fun with it. Specifically, a 3rd grade girl named Michelle was especially excited to have her photo taken because she knew her mom would be able to see her on Facebook. She enjoyed pulling her friends in for pictures and getting to participate in activities with them. (Michelle is 4th from the left in the picture above)

Anyone and everyone is encouraged to sign up for camp. Whether you’re a parent, a leader or a camper, camp is such a unique experience that influences lives and makes memories to last a lifetime.

Written By: Mackenzie Walch