Annual Report 2021-22
Bruce Wesley | Lead Pastor
Before monarch butterflies can light up the world with their beauty and fanciful flight, they must undergo metamorphosis. Caterpillars form a chrysalis where they transform over a 10-to-14-day period. Even after the butterfly crawls out from the chrysalis, monarchs must hang upside down so their wings can expand and dry. Otherwise, they might be beautiful, but they will never fly.
2021-22 was a unique time for all of us; it was unlike any in the history of Clear Creek Community Church. Seasons of the church not gathering in person along with the cultural convulsions around politics, race, and masks landed us in a chrysalis of sorts.
Looking back at 2021 is a bit like looking at a monarch in a chrysalis. We were waiting to see what might emerge.
Truthfully, we are still in the middle of this process.
Will we emerge with beauty? Will we emerge with wings for spiritual flight?
By design, monarchs require the chrysalis to become awe-inspiring creatures. And the trials of the last two years might be instruments in the redeemer’s hands to make something beautiful of us, too.
In 2022, I want to urge you to come out of your pandemic chrysalis and take flight to share the love of God.
What will that mean practically?
First and foremost, it will mean we walk with Jesus together. Also, it will mean we engage in the mission of Jesus to share the love with our friends who have not tasted God’s amazing grace. My personal prayer is that God will revive our missional intensity as a church in 2022.
The stories in this report are intended to encourage you as we enter into a new year of ministry. You will read about people who emerged in 2021 to walk in community, to serve others, and to glorify God with their lives. Their stories can inspire us and guide us.
Before my last thought, I hope you will read the following passage slowly.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. — James 1:2-4
In the past, we’ve said, “Don’t waste your hurricane.” Now, I think it’s appropriate to tell you, “Don’t waste your pandemic.”
Emerge.
It’s time to fly.
Gratefully,
Bruce
32 adults were baptized this year across our campuses!
Our weekly attendance averaged 2,126 adults gathering for services across our five campuses.
EGRET BAY
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
528
CLEAR LAKE
EAST 96
The Return
One Family’s Journey Through Digital Church
Russell and Lynda Montgomery began attending Clear Creek Community Church’s Clear Lake campus in September 2019.
“What drew us to it was the worship as well as the message, which is… Jesus’ message,” Russell said. “I think, at other churches, that can get lost or overshadowed by other parts of the Bible that appeal to people’s moral or political motivations.”
Quickly, they decided they wanted to commit to the church. So, they signed up for GroupLink and joined a small group in February 2020.
They’d met with the group only a few times before COVID-19 swept the globe a month later.
Group, as well as the rest of church, went virtual.
But Russell and Lynda honored the commitment they’d made by gathering around a screen each week to meet with their group from their home.
In an uncertain time, they said it was nice to have the structure and certainty of a small group meeting each week.
“Small group makes a commitment to a church more real,” Russell said. “And that was what kept us connected… Honestly, small group wasn’t something I’d ever done before.”
In January 2021, Russell and Lynda welcomed their first child — a daughter — into the world.
They continued to meet online with their group and watch the messages from home, enjoying the time they got to spend together and the slower pace of life the pandemic offered.
But eventually, as businesses and churches began to re-open their doors, Russell and Lynda began to feel the urge to return to in-person services and engage with their community of faith face-to-face. Like many others, they navigated their feelings, their thoughts and interpretations of coronavirus, and the well-being of themselves and their baby, physically and spiritually.
“It is particularly helpful for my wife to feel a spiritual connection that comes with attending church, and I believe that starting our child early in a routine in which she participates in church is beneficial,” Russell said. “Our concern was simply that our child might get the virus.”
In January 2022, Russell and Lynda stepped through the doors of Clear Lake Campus once again, dropped their one-year-old off at Children’s Ministry, said hello to a few friendly faces, and then ventured through the auditorium doors to continue in the All Things New: A Study of Revelation message series they’d been journeying through from home.
When asked about the impact of in-person church in contrast to participating virtually, Russell responded with this:
“When I am physically present with my church community, I feel drawn to participate in other ways beyond attending the service.”
1,792
People who met in homes and online for group across the 4B area
342
Navigators who were committed to leading groups
213
Active small groups in total
Grow Together
Kate Mendoza | Small Group Leader
I launched my first small group on Zoom a couple weeks after the COVID shut down in March 2020.
It definitely wasn’t how I was planning to begin when I met everyone in person at GroupLink a few weeks before.
The group was a mix of women in their 20s and 30s, some who had been in group before and others who had not, some super extroverted and others more reserved, some single, some married, and a few mothers.
New groups can be challenging enough at the beginning without the added stress of meeting on a screen.
Thankfully I’d recruited a few ladies from my old group when I multiplied so I didn’t start in completely uncharted territory.
After a few weeks of awkward silence, blank stares, and intensely waiting for people to unmute their mics, it felt like we were starting to get the hang of things and accepted this was how group was going to look for the foreseeable future.
Over time, everyone started to open up. Women were praying aloud in front of others for the first time, studying God’s word, and experiencing Gospel-centered community.
It was beautiful.
Group was going well. Even though screens had been an initial barrier, that quickly dissipated, and we began to look forward to logging on and catching up, studying, and praying together each week.
Group got even sweeter when COVID started to dwindle and the church gave us the green light to meet in person. We were all excited to finally be in one room together — no technology needed!
But as we transitioned group to in-person, it became more of a time commitment and seemed like it started to find its way to the back burner of people’s schedules.
We trudged through a few hard months with only a few of us showing up every week before I finally made the decision for the group to take a break over the summer.
In August, I reached out to everyone and asked if they wanted to re-commit to group.
We lost about half of our women.
With those spaces open, I reached out to several ladies I knew who were looking for a group and asked if they wanted to join, and some of the other remaining women in the group did the same.
With four new women joining, we did a relaunch of sorts in September and what a fresh start it was.
Everyone showed up each week with their homework done, ready to participate; but they also showed up ready to love and listen.
I watched real friendships blossom as we let our guards down and became fully known with one another. We met one night a week, but I knew the conversations weren’t strictly confided to those few hours. These ladies were checking in with each other, serving along side one another, and doing life together throughout the other 166 hours of the week.
As group went on, many of the women in our group felt prompted to take next steps in their walk with Jesus and followed through on them in obedience.
Sarah Balke had never been in a group before, but she jumped in and never looked back. Sarah was the definition of consistent. She showed up every week with her homework done ready to discuss the material, and she made sure we never missed a group member’s birthday! Once church returned to in-person gatherings, Sarah wanted to serve somewhere and started volunteering in Creek Kids. Recently, she started serving in Student Ministry, too. I had the pleasure of watching Sarah grow so much over the two years we did group together and now she is about to start the NIT process so she can launch a group herself.
Shannon Gutierrez joined the group in 2020 and stuck around through the hard season. She always participated in group, but the whole group noticed a change in Shannon after Christmas break of 2021. Shannon said it felt like God knocked her over the head and shifted something in her heart. She was taking next steps left and right. Shannon started serving in Children’s Ministry, decided to get baptized, and became a member at Clear Creek all within a few months. Then, one week at group, she asked us to challenge her to pray aloud because that was an area she wanted to grow in. This was not the Shannon I met in 2020. I am so encouraged by the growth and transformation I have seen in Shannon and can’t wait to see her go through the NIT process as well.
Katie Hall was new to the League City area and new to faith when she joined group, but that didn’t stop her from asking questions and being vulnerable. She volunteers in Children’s Ministry and on the Communications Team. Katie would tell you that serving and group were essential pieces in her walk with Jesus as she explored faith. In February, Katie made the decision to get baptized and followed that with becoming a member at Clear Creek. Katie loves Jesus and is committed to carrying out his mission.
Emily Roy wasn’t new to group; she came with me from our old group. When I launched the group I asked her to be my NIT and eventually to Co-Navigate with me. As she grew throughout the training, I watched her take the reins of being a Navigator. My favorite thing she did was really challenge our group to be more authentic and honest with one another. By the end of the NIT process, Emily felt the Lord calling her to lead her own group, so we decided to multiply! After doing group together for four years, it was bittersweet to say the least, but I couldn’t be more excited or proud of Emily for launching her own group.
At our last group there were lots of hugs and tears, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Was group always perfect and easy? No. But was it beautiful and full of growth? Yes!
And I am so excited to do it all over again.
Every group I’ve been a part of has been hard to leave. The thought of not meeting with the same sweet friends, in the same safe circle every week is sad.
I start to wonder why we can’t just stay together forever.
But then a new group launches and I’m reminded of the beauty of it all.
I texted Emily to ask how her first night of group went and she responded, “Dude it was so cool! I loved it so dang much!!!”
It would have been awesome to lead with Emily, but now, instead of nine of us in one group there are 27 in two groups! That’s 18 more women connecting in biblical community with the chance to learn more about God, and be challenged, encouraged, loved, and known. And, eventually, there will be more groups that start up and launch from these few dozen women, which means even more space for more people.
This is why we multiply and launch new groups out of existing ones. Because more than wanting to make new friends, we want to be disciples who make disciples who make disciples!
We had 2,203* volunteers serving at all of our campuses making ministries and services happen!
226 people began serving for the first time in 2021.
*Reflects current number of positions filled. The same person may serve on multiple teams.
On average 550 Children attended Children’s Ministry each week this year across all campuses.
1,065 Students were active in small group throughout the year.
CHILDREN BAPTIZED
STUDENTS BAPTIZED
LOCAL
Over the last year, we supported 24 local partners across the 4B area.
$15,000 was spent between the campuses to support the community through various Community Impact events and service projects.
GLOBAL
$423,205 was given to our church planting partners including organizations like Acts 29, Houston Church Planting Network, Hope for Honduras, Restore Brazil, and our Caribbean Network of Pastors.
$182,341 given to support new church plants, locally and globally.
$423,205
Given to our church planting partners
$182,341
Given to support new church plants
535
Compassion children supported by Clear Creek families
An Update from the Caribbean
Karl Garcia | Clear Lake Campus Pastor
If you didn’t know, we support a network of church planters in Cuba. Recently, we received a message from them that said, “Please come.”
For four days, another Clear Creek member and I met with different pastors and partners around the island.
The report was bleak: things weren’t good in Cuba.
COVID had wreaked havoc across the country, and with the recent Russian attack on Ukraine and the political unrest it has stirred across the globe, Cuba found itself in a food and clothing shortage as well as being in desperate need of medical supplies.
Conditions were bad enough that people were fleeing the country in droves.
But not Clear Creek’s partners.
If there is encouragement to be taken from this hurting nation, it’s that the work of the Gospel continues to move forward.
Churches are still being planted.
One pastor, when asked why he’d decided to plant a church in the mountains during this tumultuous season, simply said, “Because no one else is willing to go there.”
And for all the heartache and isolation, churches in Cuba are grateful to God for the generosity of Clear Creek Community Church.
One pastor told me, “Clear Creek is the only church that didn’t leave us.”
When many others were forced to cut funding or put partnerships on hold, Clear Creek, through the continued generosity of its people, stayed the course and continued to resource the people and churches of Cuba so that not only souls might be nourished, but bodies could be sustained.
So, thank you!
We believe that giving is an act of worship. Just like when we sing, or when we pray, or when we listen to the teaching of God’s word, giving is an act of worship.
And you have worshiped well!
$10,975,548.51 was generously given last year.
Summary For the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2022
DONATIONS |
EXPENDITURES |
|
|
General Fund |
$9,562,378.72 |
$7,539,776.10 |
Building Fund* |
$469,681.51 |
$6,930,020.43 |
Camps Fund** |
$120,494.95 |
$130,764.32 |
Church Planting and Missions Fund*** |
$291,749.73 |
$280,004.47 |
People in Need Fund |
$531,243.60 |
$489,464.45 |
TOTAL |
$10,975,548.51 |
$15,370,029.77 |
*Building Fund expenditures include $5,801,496.87 of general funds designated for building purposes.
**Camp Fund expenditures, net of camp registration fees.
***Church Planting & Missions Fund donations include trip donations and Ukraine relief donations.
Cash Balances
March 31, 2022 |
Year-end Reallocations* |
April 1, 2022 |
|
General Fund |
$2,594,654.87 |
$(1,604,982.74) |
$989,672.13 |
General Fund reserves |
$4,326,299.76 |
$300,000.00 |
$4,626,299.76 |
Building Fund** |
$2,260,181.00 |
$1,304,982.74 |
$3,565,163.74 |
Camps Fund |
$150,831.06 |
$150,831.06 |
|
Church Planting and Missions Fund |
$593,585.16 |
$593,585.16 |
|
People in Need Fund |
$525,838.55 |
$525,838.55 |
|
TOTAL |
$10,451,390.40 |
$10,451,390.40 |
*As authorized by CCCC Members, the Finance Team reallocates General Fund cash at the end of each fiscal year to establish adequate operating reserves and fund capital projects.
**Building Fund cash includes $1,938,973 of general funds designated for building purposes.
$37,000 was donated to partnering agencies.
$267,000 was provided, serving a total of 149 families in need.
528 Campus Grand Opening
Rachel Chester | Clear Creek Resources Director
The long-awaited 528 campus building officially opened its doors at Christmas time, and opened with a bang!
Clear Creek Community Church’s newest building is uniquely positioned at the epicenter of three main high school communities – Clear Brook High School, Clear Springs High School, and Friendswood High School. 50,000 cars drive by the 528 building every day and we have already seen God do great things here!
Throughout winter and spring, we have continued to see people walk through the doors for the first time and take next steps in their faith through opportunities at Clear Creek. During Easter weekend 2,056 people were able to hear the gospel at the 528 campus!
Before the new building opened, this campus averaged about 100 children from birth-fifth grade and now that number has jumped to 250 kids from birth-fifth grade!
With so many new families walking through the doors of the church, 528 needed a lot of new volunteers, and many people have stepped up to serve in all areas. In Children’s ministry alone, there have been 27 new volunteers!
Nicole Morris, 528 Children’s Ministry Associate says,“Opening our 528 Building has been a fun experience and has created synergy in our Children’s Ministry. Previously separated by a long hallway, our Volunteer Team is enjoying serving in close proximity to one another. It’s a beautiful thing to watch our kids enter their new age-appropriate environments with excitement and to be greeted each week by smiling familiar faces. Our new families feel welcome and have been making Clear Creek their new home. We look forward to seeing how God continues to help us reach new families and watch as the hearts of our families are transformed by the gospel.”
There also have been new and exciting events hosted at the 528 campus where Clear Creekers have been able invite their friends and neighbors to check out what our church is all about.
Men gathered to encourage each other at a Men’s Breakfast and women were able to attend a Women’s Night Out to worship.
Following that weekend, Amy Alston heard “story after story of women who connected.”
“Some wanted places to serve, and, as a result of that evening and the intentionality of the women there that night, are now serving in many areas of our ministries and have joined small group,” she said. “We continue to praise God for the fruit of that one, three-hour evening.”
The 528 building was also host for this year’s CCCC Student Ministry Mix Weekend, where students from all over the Bay Area gathered for a few days of fun, fellowship, and foundational biblical teaching.
The new 528 building has drawn people to hear the gospel and get involved, and the people of 528 have also been actively serving this community in which God has placed them. Groups gathered to paint and update the Friendswood Little League fields at Renwick Park, to host a carnival for neighbors nearby the new building, and worked alongside Rain Barrel Workshop.
Chris Alston reiterates that at 528, “we want to be a church in our community for our community. We want to be active in serving our neighbors and community. And we want to create a space for people to meet with God and be changed by the gospel of Jesus that moves us to impact our world.”
As 528 continues to grow, it is our prayer as a church that God will use this building and the people of Clear Creek Community Church in this community to share the gospel and develop fully devoted followers of Christ.
11,337 Followers
4,653 Followers
2,610 Subscribers
1,590 Followers
32.5k Downloads
Moving Forward
Almost two years after COVID-19, Clear Creek Community Church preached through the book of Revelation in the All Things New message series – a 12-week study on one of the most daunting books of the Bible.
As one of the most requested books to study it is also one that people tend to avoid because of the mysterious imagery, the frightening characters, and the shroud of confusion that seems to cover it all.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, confusion seemed to rule the day. With the continuing controversy over masks, vaccines, politics, sexual ethics, and race, it felt like the world was tearing itself apart one argument at a time.
Even within churches there was much debate about if and when there would ever be a time when COVID protocols would or should be lifted.
But in the midst of it all, churches all around the world continued to do the hard work of carrying the gospel forward, reaching people who had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ, and serving the poor and needy.
We strived to do the same.
Our mission remained: To lead unchurched people to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
The Revelation series felt like a lighthouse in a storm, reminding us that God’s continues to work in the world and that he’s promised us hope for its future.
March 2020 feels like a long time ago. A lot has happened. A lot has changed.
But the call remains the same: to share God’s love with the world around us.
Now, as we continue to emerge from this strange season, we do so having grown with the lessons we’ve learned. It’s time to step forward into this new leg of the journey.
And although it feels like it can only go up from where we’ve been for the last two years, we know that through any high or low we may face in the year to come, the love of Christ knows no valley too low, no darkness too thick, and no heart too far gone for his light to shine through.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
— John 1:5