Attention all Texas Customers! September 28, 2010

If you are a qualifying organization and wish to receive tax exemption, we will need you to scan and upload a copy of your tax exempt certificate during the checkout process when you place an order. We also need you to enter your eleven digit Texas State Sales Tax Exempt I.D. number. Once you have uploaded your certificate and provided the valid I.D. number, this will immediately start the approval process and will not delay checkout or shipping. However, your order will not ship if your exempt status is not valid. 

If you do not know your eleven digit tax I.D. number, it should be available through the following link provided by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts:  http://aixtcp.cpa.state.tx.us/exemptorgs/address.php?tp_id=

While churches are not automatically sales tax exempt (according to the State Comptroller’s office, only government agencies are tax exempt by statute), most churches are eligible for exemption but must apply to the Comptroller.

In 2000, when their web site was set up, the State Comptroller's Office required all Tax Exempt Organizations to submit proper documentation to the State Comptroller’s Office. We have discovered that many churches did not, and therefore are not reflecting the proper tax exempt status in their records. This is a very simple issue to clear up. Please contact the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts via email at tax.help@cpa.state.tx.us or call them at 1-800-252-5555 (463-4600 in Austin). Additional information about applying for sales tax exempt status can be found at http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/exempt/

More About Elevate Family December 30, 2009

We've been receiving a few questions on Elevate Family, so we wanted to take a moment to shed some clarity on this wonderful new curriculum. Here are the two questions we've received most so far.

What is Elevate Family?

Elevate Family is a stand-alone resource designed to bring biblical and applicable teaching into the family home. When you offer Elevate Family to the families of your church, you are giving them access to a resource designed to bring spiritual teaching into the life of their family. Elevate Family is an excellent tool for equipping parents to teach their children about God in the intimate setting of the home. Each week the Elevate Family series will provide a Bible story on DVD, application activities for the whole family to participate in, conversation starters to help create teachable moments, and personal Bible study cards for the child. These elements will help your children understand the Bible in a new way and allow the teaching of the Bible to become a centerpiece of the home.

Does my church need to be using the Elevate Curriculum in order for this to be beneficial for our families?

No. Elevate Family is a separate resource for you to offer to the families of your church. Elevate Family does not follow the same flow or even at times the same order as its church-based counterpart. Elevate Family is its own, stand-alone entity.

If you still have questions, be sure to also check out the Overview or What's Elevate Family links on CreativePastors.com.

Top 5 Christmas Transcripts December 04, 2009

Christmas music is playing in every store. There's a chill in the air. The hustle and bustle has officially begun. Christmas will be here before you know it, and many of you may still be looking for inspiration for this year's Christmas sermon. On CreativePastors.com, you'll find 20 years worth of transcripts available to use and spark those creative juices. Here is a list of the Top 5 Christmas messages:

1. Right Christmas
2. Divine
3. Light
4. Cribs
5. Shopping for a Savior

If you want to see the service from start to finish, check out the Cribs, Light or Trees Celebration DVDs. Each of these three DVDs include the entire service including all music. There are also a number of elements such as Series Graphics, Song Backgrounds and Short Films that can really add impact and make this year's service the best one yet!

Labor Day Shipping Reminder September 03, 2009

With Labor Day coming up this coming Monday, it's vital to remember to allow for an extra shipping day for your orders. Also, please note the CreativePastors office will be closed on Monday for the holiday. We will respond to any customer service inquiries when we return on Tuesday. We hope you take some time to relax and enjoy the weekend!

Christmas Shipping Delay December 23, 2008

The CreativePastors office will be closed December 25-26. Please allow for additional shipping time for any orders placed on those days. Orders placed between Thursday, December 25 and Sunday, December 28 will be shipped on Monday, December 29. Thank you for your patience and Merry Christmas from all of us at CreativePastors.com.

CP Management

Thanksgiving Shipping Delay November 24, 2008

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, please plan for shipping delays for any orders placed this week. This includes Express Orders. Thank you for your patience. We wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

CP Management

Labor Day Holiday August 29, 2008

With Labor Day coming up this weekend, we wanted to extend a friendly reminder to allow for an extra shipping day for all orders. The CreativePastors' offices will also be closed for the Holiday, but, rest assured that we'll be returning our messages and emails when we return on Tuesday. Meanwhile, download a transcript or an MP3, grab a cup of coffee, kickback and take a little time for some much-deserved refueling.

As Christmas Draws Near... December 21, 2007

We wanted to take a moment out of what always seems to be the most hectic time of the year to wish you a warm and Merry Christmas. We pray that God blesses you and opens the hearts of each person that walks through your doors.

We hope you have the opportunity to enjoy some well-earned rest over the holidays! Our staff will also be taking some time off to be with our families as well, and our offices will be closed December 24th - 25th and December 31st - January 1st. Be sure to allow for a couple of extra shipping days when you place your orders.

Know that you are in our prayers...that God will use you and your ministry to reach as many people as possible with the life-changing message of Christ this Christmas.

Shipping Update March 26, 2007

A quick note to you, our loyal customers! This week, our fulfillment team will be working overtime to tackle our annual inventory. What does this mean for you? Just a short delay in when you will receive your orders. If you place an order between Monday afternoon and Wednesday evening, it will be shipped first thing Thursday morning. Of course, any of our thousands of downloads are available just seconds after you complete your order. We apologize for the shipping delay and greatly appreciate your patience!

You may notice that there isn’t an Express Shipping option this week. This is just to make sure you don’t get charged for something we can’t deliver. Express shipping will return when all systems are go on Thursday.

As always, thank you for being part of the CP family! We’re available to answer any questions you have – just drop us a note.

CP Offices Closed Today January 17, 2007

The winter weather has blanketed our area with a mixture of snow and freezing rain. With ice-covered roads and temperatures below freezing, our offices will be closed today. Please allow an extra day for your shipping calculations. We hope to be thawed out and fully functional tomorrow!