The Open Hands Food Pantry is reopening today to serve anyone in need of food. They will be open until 12pm.
Derecho Response Information
Moving forward with our storm clean-up, we are partnering with a couple of different disaster relief organizations who specialize in mobilizing groups and volunteers for this very specific purpose.
MATTHEW 25
If you’d like to help with derecho recovery, please check Matthew 25’s Facebook page for current volunteer opportunities. If you’re available between October 13-17, consider signing up for Transform Week when they will be doing a blitz of home repair projects.
Homes damaged by the derecho may be eligible for free repairs by Matthew 25 volunteers and partners. All applicants must:
- Own your home
- Have damage to your home that insurance won’t cover
- Earn under 80% of median income
If you meet these requirements, please complete the online application. Work has already begun and projects will continue to be added as funding and volunteers become available. Contact Matthew 25 if you have any questions.
Samaritan’s Purse
Individual volunteers and teams welcome. You can sign-up online or via phone (828-588-5711) though they do ask for 24-hrs notice from volunteers. Volunteers meet and get oriented at Hillside Wesleyan Church, 2600 1st Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405.
Eight Days of Hope
Sign up on their website to volunteer. They are planning an extended stay in Cedar Rapids until at least September. Here is an FAQ page for their plan in Cedar Rapids.
Cedar Hills Community Church
As a church, we will also be collecting donations to our Caring Hands Fund and assisting our church body and local neighbors with clean-up. You can donate via check to the church office or by choosing “Caring Hands” from the fund menu on our giving page.
Please let us know if you still need help with tree removal, debris clean-up, food, shelter, etc. We want to make sure all of church body’s needs have been addressed as best we can.
Local Resources
CR News Now – text alerts from the city of Cedar Rapids with latest storm updates
Cedar Rapids Storm Damage Page – a listing of all the recent news and updates from the city related to the derecho.
Post-Derecho Work
We’ve heard many stories and seen many of our church body in action this week, helping our church, neighbors and community in post-derecho storm cleanup. Thank you to all who have jumped in and helped! Whether slinging a chainsaw, prepping meals, gathering supplies, or just listening to the stories of another with an ear of compassion, we have witnessed the Body of Christ in all her gifts this week.
This particular group visited the Geiger’s house, addressing over half a dozen large trees that had fallen and clearing up debris. After a lunch break (thank you, Lisa Boldt!), they headed next door to address the house of a neighbor whose husband recently had a stroke. She was feeling overwhelmed with the mess in her yard until this group jumped in. A couple other neighbors joined in the effort, and many hands were able to address her yard!
We know there are many needs ahead of us in our community. Thank you for having open hearts to your neighbors and your communities to see how God can use you to bring His love and His Kingdom to the greater Cedar Rapids area.
You Can Make a Difference
AUGUST 2020
You Can Make a Difference
This morning I remembered the story of Esther. An ordinary young woman who became a queen and found herself in the middle of a crisis. Faced with an extraordinary challenge, would she act boldly or remain silent? Her uncle Mordecai asked this pivotal question: “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).
Mordecai knew that God would save the people; the only question was: Who would God use to accomplish this deliverance? In this (long?) season of uncertainty, I have no doubt that God is alive and active and will accomplish His work in our community and around the world. I do wonder who God wants to use.
I wonder if, but for a time like this, God has placed us strategically in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and families to offer encouragement and hope. We are the kind of people who bring good news of great joy to the world. Who knows but that you are the right person, in the right place, at the right time, to make a difference?
As we prepare for the fall season there are still many questions about how we engage with each other. Safety is important as reaching out with the love of Jesus. We are the kind of people who reach out to love others with hospitality, authenticity, and forgiveness. We reach out to bring restoration. We long to see all that is broken in our world fixed.
You can make a difference in restoring the world back to the way it ought to be!
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
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Noah’s Ark August Update
AUGUST 2020
Noah’s Ark Update
July Summer School was a great success! We had 16 students attend for three weeks. Using the new recommendations and guidelines given to us by the CDC and DHS, the classroom management went well. The kids had a blast and I know the teachers really enjoyed getting back to school and seeing all of those beautiful faces ready to learn!
Registration for the 2020-2021 school year continues to grow. Our 4-year-old class is full at 20 and both of our 3-year-old classes are at 12.
Orientation Night is scheduled for Thursday, August 20. This night will look a little different than previous years. Orientation will be divided into three groups.
- Mon/Wed/Fri 3-year-old classes from 4:00-4:45pm
- Tues/Thurs 3- & 4-year-old classes from 5:00-5:45pm
- Mon/Wed/Fri 4-year-old classes from 6:00-6:45pm
Students may come with one adult (no siblings will be allowed this year). Adults will be required to wear a face mask while in the classroom. Parents will meet in the church Gathering Space at 15 minutes past the hour to review the Noah’s Ark Handbook. Parents and students will be asked to leave promptly to ensure we can reset the room for the safe entry of the next group. See you all soon!
Kris Crowther
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool
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Honoring the Elderly
AUGUST 2020
HONORING THE ELDERLY
“Even to your old age, I will be the same. And even to your greying years, I will bear you! I have done it! I will carry you! I will bear you, and I will deliver you!” (Isaiah 46:4)
My father had a few rough edges, but one positive thing that he passed on to me was a deep respect, maybe even admiration for the elderly. I remember traveling to exotic places like Holland Michigan, the Ice Follies in Chicago, or the Amana Colonies on my uncle’s charter tours. Every now and then I would experience the feeling of a hand slapping the back of my head. By the time I was a pre-teen, I learned that this familiar stinging sensation meant “Stop and Pay Attention!” Most of the time it involved letting an elderly person on the bus first, holding the door, or giving up my seat. I began to realize that these older people must be important, so I began to talk to them on these exotic adventures. I quickly found out that these grey-haired, glasses-wearing folks were some of the most interesting people that I had ever met.
Again, I would not say that my father was a frequent church attender, but every couple of months, he would volunteer to drive the church van to various nursing homes and care facilities to bring “shut-ins” to Sunday evening service. I began to ask him if I could come along. I really enjoyed pushing these elders in their wheel-chairs, listening to their stories, and helping them find the right hymn number during service. Also, I think that my Dad enjoyed sharing these times with me.
God, our Heavenly Father, desires that we honor the elderly as well. Here are a few verses from His Word that articulate this:
“You shall rise up before the gray-headed and honor aged, and you shall revere your God. I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:32)
“Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father,… the older women as mothers…” (I Timothy 5:1-2)
“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders, and all of you, clothe yourself with humility toward one another. God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble!” (I Peter 5:5)
I encourage anyone reading this to write a quick note, make a brief call, or even stop in for a short visit with an elderly person that you know. You will not only be blessed, but you will be honoring God!
Gary Sager
Ambassador of Care
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Connection Versus Control
August 2020
Connection Vs. Control
In college, I didn’t talk to my roommate and best friend for a month because I didn’t like who she was dating. I thought he wasn’t mature enough for her.
When I use passive-aggressive behavior, it’s because I think my actions are right and yours are wrong. I use it as a means of grasping (perceived) control. It’s a way to send subtle messages about a behavior I want you to change. In short, I use passive-aggressive behavior when I allow my pride and selfishness to take center stage.
Pride and selfishness are issues I struggle with every day, due to my sinful nature. I have been struggling every single day this week with feeling hard-hearted towards a close friend of mine. Our relationship has been strained for several months. My hard heart slips into passive-aggressive actions towards her. My anger increases as my compassion decreases.
Our sinful nature comes with us to our Small Group. People in small groups are creating and sustaining a connection between hearts. If that sounds undesirable, it’s probably because your heart has been hurt before. Why bother to move towards relationships, towards the mess that always comes with people getting connected?
Because connection through community is what Jesus calls us to. It’s what we are made for. Again and again Jesus calls us to forgive and move towards each other in relationship. That often involves dying to our own pleasures and preferences.
Sometimes dying to my own desires looks a lot like picking up the phone instead of communicating my way. Often it means responding with grace and truth instead of responding with my natural passive-aggressive behavior.
My college best friend and her boyfriend got married and just celebrated 11 years together. As it turns out, I was the immature one. Happily we are all friends now. This is a picture of friendship and love that God created us to take part in.
The redhead in each of these pictures is the one who I didn’t speak to for a month.
Lindsey Ungs
Connection & Communication Architect
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Ken LeClere Funeral
Ken LeClere
We are saddened by the passing of our friend and Cedar Hills family member Ken LeClere. Services will be at 11am Saturday morning on August 8. A visitation will be held just prior to the funeral at 10:30. There will be no luncheon following the funeral.
Obituary
Kenneth A. LeClere, 66, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020, at his home. A church service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Cedar Hills Community Church with a visitation 30 minutes before. All guests are respectfully requested to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Because of COVID-19, there will be no luncheon reception following the Celebration of Life.
If you are unable to attend the service, it will be livestreamed on the Cedar Hills Community Church Facebook page.
Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Cedar Rapids is assisting the family with arrangements. Kenneth was born Jan. 20, 1954, in Cedar Rapids, the son of Mary “Dolores” and Casper “Cap” LeClere. He was united in marriage to Nancy Golembiewski on April 28, 1979. Kenneth worked for Kenworth of Cedar Rapids for almost 30 years, where his coworkers would say, “If Ken can’t fix it, it’s not fixable.” He was a member of Cedar Hills Community Church. Kenneth enjoyed being part of a team that worked at church and around the community. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and riding his bike on the trails. Survivors include his wife, Nancy LeClere of Cedar Rapids; children, Brian LeClere (Katy Merritt) of Mount Vernon, Iowa, and Laura LeClere of Cedar Rapids; and grandchildren, Walter and Greyson, whom he loved tremendously. He was preceded in death by his parents, Cap and Dolores.
Please share a memory of Kenneth at www.murdochfuneralhome.com
To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store.
Wired for Good
Wired for Good
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” ~ 1 Samuel 16:7
1. God calls us. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
2. God shapes us. (1 Samuel 16-17)
- Gifts
- Passions
- Personalities
3. God sends us.
- Take up your cross and follow ~ Luke 9:23
- Reflect and restore God’s image ~ Genesis 1
- Our particular place—right person, right time, right reason.
Next Steps:
- Listen for God’s call.
- Follow God’s call.
Welcome to our New Members
NEW MEMBERS & BAPTISMS
Welcome to the New Members who have completed the membership class. They joined at the July 26 service.
- Christopher Caldwell
- Bernice Coleman
- Lance & Karrie Goodall with their sons, Zac and Lucas;
- Tom & Leah McFarlane and children: Reid, Matt, Wyatt, Emma, and Ryan;
- Tyler & Lindsey Steinkamp with their daughter Claire;
- Lore & Shanna Swartzendruber with their children Cayman and Tybee;
- Roger Van Zee
- John Yates and his children John, Jr. and Kamryn.
The following individuals were also baptized: Bernice Coleman (adult); Zac Goodall (19 year-old) and Lucas Goodall (6-year-old); Tom McFarlane (adult),and McFarlane Family children: Reid Doyle (9-year-old), Matt McFarlane (9-year-old), Wyatt McFarlane (8-year-old), Emma McFarlane (6-year-old), and Ryan Doyle (5-year-old).