CHURCH PICNIC – Join us for an evening of fun at Cherry Hill park Sunday, May 17. We’ll be providing the meat and drinks. Bring a side to share and meet us at the park pavilion around 5:30pm.
Bring a baseball glove or two! Lawn chairs, yard games… whatever you want!
GRADUATE RECOGNITION – We love our grads and want to recognize all the hard work they have put in! Whether high school, college, grad school or a certificate program, if you’ve completed something in the last year, we want to recognize you in the services on Sunday, May 17.
Kindly fill out this information form by Sunday, May 10.
Spend 5 minutes each week speaking with God and listening to His response these questions.
Week 11 (April 12) – What prevents me from getting peaceful rest?
Week 10 (April 5) – How does the resurrection of Jesus give me hope where I need it most?
Week 9 (March 29) – How am I living out my purpose, calling and identity in Christ? What does it look like to offer myself as a living sacrifice?
Week 8 (March 22) – What is my usual response/behavior when I am frustrated?
Week 7 – What desires control me? What clutters my soul?
Week 6 – What passion is God stirring in your heart as you fast this week? Why haven’t I seen God’s power do ________?
Week 5 – What does it mean to offer my body as a living sacrifice?
Week 4 – How do I react to the invitation to fast?
Skip a meal and then journal. What happened? (If I did not skip a meal, journal about why I did not.)
Week 3 – Where have you seen friction (suffering) transform you in a positive way?
Week 2 – What is the relationship between abiding, loving, obeying, and bearing fruit in your life?
Week 1 – Where am I reluctant or resistant to change?
According to John 15, the key to bearing fruit is to abide in the vine Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
After a grape vine is pruned, vine vinedressers gently tie each vine to a trellis. The trellis is a structure that gives the vine support for the growing season ahead. By the end of the season, the trellis is vital to support branches heavy with grapes.
The pruned and tied vine takes on the shape of a cross. The cross is a symbol of humility, surrender, and obedience. The cross signifies a life shaped, not by self-will, but by God’s will. Like the vine bound to the trellis, the cross restrains us for the purpose of bearing fruit.
Intentional restraint is not punishment; it is formation. Spiritual practices become a trellis to shape us. Bible reading, prayer, journaling, fasting, Sabbath, community, solitude, generosity, witness – these practices form us.
When we feel a pull toward selfish ambition we are invited to take up the cross and follow (abide). Even though we have our own plans, we surrender to God’s plan.
Our daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms – habits, commitments, and practices – become the framework that keep us tethered to Christ. Without a trellis, a vine grows wildly, sprawling in every direction without purpose. Likewise, without intentional spiritual practices, we risk becoming entangled in the distractions and worries of life.
That is why we abide. And we who abide bear much fruit as we trust God to shape us. Without a trellis to support our abiding, our lives sprawl. Out of control. With structure, we thrive. Like a vine, we grow best when we have the right support in place.
Here is a prompt for those of you who are using the structure of journaling: How can you form rhythms that support spiritual growth?
Spring is a great time to set up your trellis for the growing season ahead.
May the Lord be with you,
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
Pastor Kent mentioned this blog in his sermon on Sunday. Here is the link:
BLOG: Before the Snow Returns
The City-Wide Youth Prayer & Worship event is open to all youth through the greater Cedar Rapids area.
Join us at 6:30pm at Cedar Hills Community Church for worship, prayer and testimonies.
There is some debate about which season is more important: Christmas or Easter? Of course, we are the kind of people who believe that both are vital and neither is optional.
But if you had to rank them, what would you say? Most theologians lean toward Easter because it represents the grand climax of the Gospel – Jesus lived and died and rose again. This is true and essential.
Some people claim that religion is obsolete because it does not work. And, I suppose, that depends on what a person expects religion to do. I’m thankful that the gospel never becomes obsolete. A recent blog by Russ Lackey explains why:
The gospel does not exist to make people happier, nicer, or more functional. It announces something far stranger: that God justifies the ungodly. It declares forgiveness not as therapeutic reassurance but as a verdict spoken over people who cannot secure it for themselves.
In a culture shaped by achievement, expressive individualism, and relentless self-optimization, this claim cannot be replaced. Wellness cultures still demand improvement. Therapeutic frameworks assume progress. Many contemporary spiritualities offer meaning without judgment and comfort without reckoning.
The gospel does not do any of this. It names sin without collapsing into shame and announces forgiveness without requiring self-exoneration. No algorithm, mindfulness practice, or spiritual technique dares to absolve.
This is why the gospel endures even when religion becomes optional.
Jesus lived and died and rose again. That truth never wears out and never loses its power. Praise God!
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
To read more, go here: When Religion Becomes Obsolete, Christ Does Not.
It is said that water covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface, and only 3% of it is fresh, with much of that locked in ice. Isn’t that interesting? There is no doubt that water is vital and essential for our overall well-being. Doctors often remind us that drinking enough water keeps us hydrated.
In Genesis 1:6, it says, “And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’” Then in verse 7, “So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it.”
I don’t know about you, but I cannot swim. Ironically, though, I really enjoy being in the water–just not deep water. My fear is that the waves and tides might sweep me away. I always get nervous about going too deep because I don’t know what lies ahead. This tension between the fear and love for water is something I have lived with my entire life.
But what if I told you that God sometimes calls us into deeper waters–not so we can drown, but so we can rise above the waves and tides? As I have matured in my faith, I see God calling me into even deeper waters. Isaiah 43:2 reminds us, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” This assurance from God is both calming and, at times, a little frightening.
Maybe you’re like me and feel God calling you into deeper waters. For me, it has meant walking by faith and not by sight remembering that the same God who made the waters will see me through to the other side. I have had to lay my fears of deep waters at His feet and embark on the journey.
Being in deep water has brought a sense of awe and even excitement. I am reminded that no matter how high the waves and tides rise, God is with me.
Frankline “Franky” Tshombe
Children’s Church Leader
You Belong: An Orientation to God’s Family at Cedar Hills
We make deeper connections with God and each other when we belong. In “You Belong” you will also discover how God heals brokenness and restores all he created through a community of people who love one another. Together we will grow hospitality, authenticity, forgiveness, and restoration that transforms us and our neighbors!
You Belong is a six week class that meets on Sundays at 9:45am beginning April 12. Anyone is welcome to attend even if they do not wish to become members.
At the end of the class, students can choose to pursue membership. Following the class, you will meet with an elder to affirm your faith in Jesus, and then we publicly receive into a membership at a worship service (date TBD).
Nursery for ages 0-36 months is available at this same time, as well as classes for children of all ages.
No registration is needed, but letting us know you’re coming is helpful. You can do that by contacting the office below.
Join the choir! Rehearsals are on Wednesdays, 6:45pm in the Lime Room (right hallway, all the way to the end). Choir is open to high school age and up. If you know your voice part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) that is helpful! But we can also help you find your voice part by range.
Practice Recordings on YouTube
SPRING CHOIR
