Creekside Church Of Christ Dedicates New Playground In Honor Of John Manley

Creekside Church of Christ recently dedicated a new playground, fulfilling a long-standing promise made to the family of John Manley, a beloved local farmer. The dedication ceremony took place at the end of the Sunday service on November 24.

Matthew Kimball, a dedicated servant of the church who spearheaded the playground project, shared the story behind the dedication.

“One of our members heard about a property acquisition at her workplace that included a large commercial playground. She got permission for the donation, provided we could remove it within a week,” Kimball said.

He took charge of the playground removal in 2023 and, this spring, mobilized a team to reassemble it at the church, creating two playgrounds — one for smaller children and one for older children.

The church’s property, located on Lithia Pinecrest Road, was initially acquired in 1999 from the Estate of John Manley. The elders of Creekside Church struck a deal with the Manley family, who requested that something special be done in remembrance of Manley, who cherished the land and spent many years farming it.

Before the playground’s installation, the property had only a single building used for worship.

“We wanted to honor Mr. Manley’s legacy and fulfill our promise to the family,” Kimball explained.

The playground, valued at $135,000 if purchased new, was a perfect opportunity to do so, despite being donated. Unfortunately, to date the church is unable to locate any of the descendants of the Manley family and has reached out to the community for assistance to see if they can be located.

“In 1999, our elders made a promise to the Manley family, and we are proud to deliver on that promise,” said Kimball.

Creekside Church, known for its commitment to worshiping God, sharing Christ and transforming lives through service, holds various events throughout the year. Upcoming events include a OneBlood blood drive starting in January, a wild game/fish fry in February, an Easter egg hunt in March and a Summer Family Fun Fest in June. Details and updates can be found on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/creeksidechurchofchristbrandon/.

Creekside Church of Christ is located at 3949 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico. For more information, visit the Creekside Church Facebook page or go to https://creekside.life/.