Crestwood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

03/17/2026

What Happens When the Light Goes Out
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Pastor Bob Silvanik

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02/25/2026

That's right Crestwood Family of Faith --

I'll be working at church tomorrow (2/25/26) between 10:30am -- 3:30pm. Stop in to chat, or better yet, text me to set up an appointment. I can meet with you at church, at your home, or at another place that preferably serves coffee!

For those who like to dig a little deeper, you can start reading our scripture for this Sunday: Matthew 6:16 -- 7:6. It seems that Jesus has a bit more to teach us about living His "Way." And it just keeps getting better and better!

Finally, if you have a family member, friend or neighbor to add to the daily devotional list, just send me their email address and I'll add them to the walk we're taking.

Have a spirit-filled evening, brothers and sisters, and a peaceful night ... pastor < bob

02/17/2026

Greetings Crestwood Christian Church --

1) I will be in my Crestwood office tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10:30am -- 2:30pm. Stop in if you want, or better yet, let's set up a time to meet.

2) Don't forget our special Ash Wednesday service this Wednesday at 4:30pm. The service should last about 35 minutes and will include an "imposition of the ashes" ceremony.

3) Also on Wednesday, we will begin our daily devotional walk through Lent. The devotional we are using is "A New Day Dawns" published by The Society of Saint Andrew. Hard copies are available at church. Also, I will be emailing a daily audio version of the devotions all through Lent. Let us know if we don't have your email address.

Grace and Peace to all of you -- and may God reach you in your inner parts during this Lenten journey.

< pastor bob

01/25/2026

Good morning from Crestwood Christian!

We're not letting the snow cancel worship this morning, just changing location. Please join us from the comfort of your home at 11:00 AM as we worship together with a message from Pastor Bob.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDQtth7SZ_0

Stay safe and warm during this winter storm and we hope to see everyone next Sunday!

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11/30/2025

Greetings One-and-All --

LAST SUNDAY:
Our Thanksgiving Service was wonderful, filled with the mighty Spirit of Thanks and Giving! The special blessing of the day was Shelby Ross, Scott Ross's daughter, and her flute. Scott is our Music Director at CCC. As I said, Shellby brought her flute with her -- and that was a great idea! She played for us a lot ... and we smiled a lot.

https://youtu.be/7hP0nIohMx0?si=y7-TvzD9kVDdnrWK

Also, it was a blessed sight indeed to see Hattie Downs back at morning worship service last Sunday. She shares a spirit and shines a light that only few can. God bless you Hattie ... you're in our prayers.

THIS SUNDAY:

Tomorrow kicks off our Advent season. It's the First Sunday of Advent -- the Sunday of Hope. This year, in addition to the traditional Advent wreath lighting ceremony during the Sunday service, we are also all participating in a daily devotional series called 'I Am Mary." It consists of a daily reading, and a daily audio recording that is emailed to you daily. The devotions were written by Carol Howard Merritt. There may still be a few free copies of her book in the sanctuary lobby.

By the way, If you want to get the daily recording emailed to you, and you are not getting the regular church emails, or you would like it emailed to you to a different address, then please let me know ASAP.

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES:

As we celebrate the beginning of Advent tomorrow, let us prepare this evening before sleep time to thank God for the bounty of blessings that God has gifted us with. Think of a few of those things in particular (or maybe it's just one!), and spend some time tonight praying and thanking God for these things -- and then read the scripture for the First Sunday of Advent -- Luke 1:26-38 (below). And be sure to ask God to send the Holy Spirit to you so that you can listen to the Spirit read scripture instead of you!

SCRIPTURE FOR FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2025: LUKE 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[a] 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[b] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[c] will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Come worship with us tomorrow ... and be willing to tell God that you are ready ... to begin ... not knowing what or where ... but whatever and wherever God desires ... let my will be yours. I am ready, God!

In Crist's Love,
pastor bob < .

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11/16/2025

Greetings Crestwood Worshippers --

REMINDER: WORSHIP TOMORROW MORNING AT 11:00AM!
SUNDAY SCHOOL AT 10:00AM!

Let's begin preparation for our Sabbath celebration tonite. Or, you can also do this in the morning.

Take no more than 10 minutes. Slowly read and absorb the scripture below. No expectations. Just read and listen to the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 6:25-34 (The Message)
25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

When you're done, get into a more relaxed position ... and hold it ... as you listen to the short video below.

Settle into quietness ... find your holy space ... and begin. When you're done, thank God for whatever happened, just for being with you!

Matthew 6 - Look At the Birds || Bible in Song || Project of Love || ❤️ NO AI! https://youtu.be/ZSxxvjcDxAI?si=6GbqIlcRXeXGvW2E

Peace & Grace from the Lord; See Ya Tomorrow, pastor bob

Worries. Anxiety. It's so easy to feel overwhelmed by them. And who could blame you, right? I mean, look at the world around you. Where's the off-switch on t...

11/11/2025

Greetings Crestwood Sin Slayers

Here are some blips and blurbs to keep us all connected.

VETERAN'S DAY IS TODAY.
Do something you wouldn't normally do, for a vet or their family, that you wouldn't normally reach out to, and then find a way to touch their day with a lil' love that they may know about or not. You'll discover -- YOU are the one being blessed!

PASTOR BOB IN TOWN THIS WEEK
My plans have me in Crestwood on Thursday from 10am - 4pm; and on Sunday from 9:30am - 1:00pm. Come by and say hi. Or, better yet, text me (or call) and let's set up a few minutes to chat. I'd love to get to know you more.

SENIORS INVADE CCC ON THURSDAY!
We will be hosting our Senior Blessing Group that God has sent to us for Fellowship, Food & Fun ("Is this heaven?") this Thursday starting at 11:00am. If you want to see God working in one big room -- come out and see us. You might even win somethin' neat & groovy playing Bingo!

CCC WORSHIP TEAM MEETS THIS SUNDAY!
If you are truly one of the blessed ones to be on our Worship Team -- OR, if you would like to be blessed in this way, we are meeting this Sunday right after the worship service in my office. Feel free to crash! Everyone welcome!

COMIN' SOON: CCC BOARD MEETING
The CCC Board will meet next Tuesday, November 18th, at 3:00pm in the usual chambers. All are expected to be there. If you can't ... well -- have you read "1984" about disobedience? Hmmmm ....

PRAYER ORDERS FOR THE WEEK:

We have Special prayers to lift this week ... for each other! That's right. Take a look outside yourself and see ... someone else from Crestwood (usually more than one). We are a workin' and walkin" band of selfless disciples, and we need prayer from each other, both for help in our compassionate giving, and also for help in our needed resting. PRAY FOR US.

AND OUR PRAYER LIST FROM SUNDAY:
CCC Prayer List
Don McCoy <
< Hattie & Kennet Downs <
< Rev. Larry Childress
Mike Fisher <
< Shirley Floye <
< Mike Mooney
Mike Thomas <
< Dorothy Newson <
< Bob Greenwood
Lynn Broadus <
< Elmer Satterly <
< Greg & Sharon Strief
Heather Marlett <
< Bob Brawner <
< Sharon Beard

Blessings to all of US ... and more importantly, blessings to YOU ... and even more importantly, blessings from GOD.

Blessed to be your Pastor .... pastor bob

11/04/2025

Greetings Friends of Jesus --

Here's what's happenin' this week at Crestwood:

> Pastor Bob (that's me!) will be in the office this Thursday and will be available to meet from 10:30am - 4:00p. Please let me know if you want to chat about anything!

> The funeral and celebration of life service for Carroll Thompson is this Saturday, November 8th. Visitation starts at 10am and the service will begin at noon.

> This Sunday is Veteran's Sunday at CCC. I hope you can join us and honor those who have served and sacrificed on our behalf. The message Sunday will be about Jesus' alternative approaches to commandments. Come, and see!

> Also on Sunday morning is the annual CCC Congregational Meeting.

> Copies of 'I Am Mary" are available in the church lobby. This is the book we will be using for our Advent devotional. We will read through this together and see how Mary's Christmas was probably a lot different from ours!

Pastor Bob

11/02/2025

Greetings Crestwood Saints --

All Saints Sunday began at sunset this evening.

Tomorrow in church we honor the saints of the church that we have lost over the last year. It will be a special time for us to look back at what makes great disciples for Jesus, and to look ahead at what kind of saints God is calling us to be going forward.

We're also gonna sing a lot, pray a lot, listen a little ... and get filled with God's Holy Spirit!

See ya there! Have a blessed night.

pastor bob

10/25/2025

From Pastor Bob:

Greetings Jesus Followers from Crestwood --

Sabbath arrives around 7:45pm this evening.

Here is tomorrow's scripture reading: Genesis 3:1-13
Take a few minutes tonight at some point to spend alone with the Holy Spirit, reading this story together. First, ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to the words God has for you in this story tonight. Then slowly read.

Hope to see you in worship tomorrow. I've been waiting all week for church!
The Fall (Genesis 3:1-13)
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

10/22/2025

Greetings Crestwood Disciples --

Welcome to Wednesday -- the day in the "middle" I like to call Middle Sabbath. And so I take an extra 15-30 minutes somewhere in the day to STOP ... and spend some precious time of silence and sitting with God. That's it. That's the practice. I call it "Sitting with God." Try it today at some point -- with no expectations. And see if it helps you get closer to God's peace and joy -- what He calls the "abundant life!"

UPDATE: I WILL BE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE TOMORROW (THURSDAY) FROM 1:00PM -- 5:00PM. If you would like to meet for any matter under the sun, please let me know and we can get together.

Also -- I do Spiritual Direction for certain individuals. If you are interested in finding out more about this option, let me know. It will change your life!

Peace & Grace from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Pastor Bob

06/07/2025

Greetings Crestwood Christian Church,

This has been a quiet week so far. I ask you to be praying for everyone on our prayer list. We did have a request from a member asking for prayers. Even though we can’t pray for them by name, God knows who it is and what they need.

On a lighter note, Pearl James has been
located, she is at Forest Springs senior living.

This Sunday is Pentecost. Please wear something red to honor Pentecost.

I don’t have a list of birthdays and anniversaries, but I do know that James Leedy turns 18 on June 9th.

Hattie Downs message this week is about Joshua and Aaron leading the children of Israel into the land that God promised to his children. Just as they started a new beginning, CCC is starting on a new path. We will be seeing God’s hand in our journey. All we have to do is pray, have faith, and trust in our Lord. He will never fail his children.

This program will be available after 6 pm on Saturday, June 7, and can be found at this link:
https://youtu.be/o3a_DgTUrbs

Janice Leedy
CCC Board Chair