At Cedar Hills, the health of everyone is of utmost importance to us. With the increasing concern about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), here are some the steps we have implemented at the church as we return to worship together:
Masks are now REQUIRED for those in attendance at Cedar Hills.
We will continue to make sermons available online at: https://cedarhillscr.org/worship/listen-online/
(Also available on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartradio and your favorite podcast platforms.)
Our God is sovereign and knows all the details of what is going on. Our King is on the throne. We will seek His wisdom and discernment to make the best decisions for the safety of our church body, and praise Him for the protection that He will grant us along the way.
Sincerely,
Cedar Hills Leadership
The Consistory (our church board) convened a special meeting this week to discern our congregation’s response to the current COVID-19 surge. We are deeply concerned about the health and well-being of our community. In compliance with the latest governor’s proclamation, we added mandatory mask wearing to our mitigation response. Also, please follow these guidelines:
We believe in the value of in-person gatherings for offering hope and encouragement. We will continue to evaluate our ability to meet in-person safely. We will make changes as necessary to help us carry out our mission of sharing the love of God and also protecting staff, volunteers, and attendees. We invite your prayers for our congregation and community in these challenging times.
The Lord be with you,
The Consistory
Saturday, Dec. 5 is the Cedar Hills Day at the Kettle! Each year, our church covers a day of bell ringing for the Salvation Army Red Kettle fundraiser. This year we will be at both the Johnson Ave Hy-Vee and the the 16th Ave Fareway stores.
Sign up online for a two-hour shift today. Times begin at 10am. Due to COVID-19, only two bell ringers can be present at at time.
Due to the surge of COVID-19 in our area, we are cancelling this year’s Thanksgiving Eve service.
We have a tradition of one Sunday during Advent being JOY! Sunday – including wearing our favorite ugly sweaters and decking out in Christmas attire. Plan ahead this year for Sunday, December 13 to don your favorite seasonal clothes. This is a fun and light-hearted Sunday that will surely bring you JOY!
Take a picture ahead of time and submit it here. We’d love to feature your sweaters on the screens next Sunday.
The staff are having a little competition to support the Salvation Army. You can vote for your favorite staff homemade ugly sweater via the online red kettles funds below or in the Gathering Space Sunday mornings.
VOTE BELOW
“Many of us are not free because we have not confessed the sins that hold us captive, keeping us in bondage. Confession is the gateway to healing, the route to freedom… What is confession? Confession means [admitting] you have done something wrong, or [admitting] unwillingly that something is true.”
We are excited and humbled to be able to plan a service in which we come together before our Heavenly Father and experience the power and freedom that comes in the forgiveness of sin. Together, we will identify sin by hearing what the Bible says, asking God to show us what we have done that fits in the category, writing in a personal prayer journal, and then pleading the blood of Jesus over those sins.
This service will be a safe place. You will not be asked to confess your sin out loud or with the group, but instead will find an atmosphere of prayer and worship to quietly come before the Father and let Him know your heart.
Because of the sensitive nature of some of the sin topics we’ll be covering, we will be offering a special service for children ages 3 to 5th grade in a separate space, as well as nursery care for ages 0-36 months. The Journey youth will be joining us this night as well in the main service.
Create memories with your family by going caroling with friends. Kid-friendly Christmas songs will be used as each group makes 3 stops to sing to families that sign up in advance.
Sing with your own small group or join one of our groups. Sign up for groups here.
We sing on December 6th, 2020 from 6-8pm. Groups will be assigned homes to visit and then meet up at the church for cookies after the caroling.
Working on a new Christmas Cookie recipe? Need to stay home but love to bake?
We are looking for some cookies to serve after we go caroling. You can drop off the cookies to the church any time before the event. Just make sure to label them.
Interested in having carol singers stop by your home? Sign up here.
When life is crazy, we need hope. Whether it is events around the globe or just down the block, life can surprise and overwhelm us. Life’s trouble can crush our dreams, steal our peace, and destroy our hope. What do we do? Do we throw up our hands and retreat? Do we get angry and fight? Peter knew what it was like to go through tough times. He endured threats, beatings, time in jail, and false accusations. Peter wrote about his trouble so that we would find hope. We need hope!
November 1 – Discover Your Victory 1 Peter 5:5-14
November 8 – Discover Your Salvation 2 Peter 1:1-21
November 15 – Discover Your Adversary 2 Peter 2:1-22
November 22 – Discover Your Hope 2 Peter 3:1-18
On Wednesday, November 25 at 6:30 pm we will gather to give thanks. God is the giver of every good gift and we want to start the holiday weekend by giving thanks to God. Enjoy a family-friendly worship experience in the Gathering Space.
The Advent season begins on Sunday, November 29. This year we will reimagine the meaning and significance of Christmas each Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00. Our seasonal worship experiences climax on Christmas Eve with services at 3pm, 5pm and 7pm.
Due to disruptions and challenges associated with the pandemic and the derecho recovery, the board approved delaying the annual meeting one month. We will meet on the first Sunday of December at the end of each service to get updates on the budget, vote on the 2021 budget, and approve 2021 Elder and Deacon nominees. Information for this meeting will be included in the December Chips. Absentee ballots will be available for those who cannot attend.
Our leadership board, the Consistory, is made up of deacons, elders, and pastors who discern the path God calls us to follow, who keep us on that path, and who celebrate progress along the way. We are committed to grow our ministry by making disciples who love, belong, and serve. We value hospitality, authenticity, forgiveness, and restoration. In this uniquely challenging season we want to impact our world in ways that keep our staff, volunteers, and community safe. Pray for wisdom as we lead.
2020 Consistory:
Deacons: Alan Brockette (Chair), Bruce Boldt, Melissa Dahm, John Davidson, Allison Johnson, Nancy Josifek, Andrew Moen, Josh Oberembt
Elders: Gary Mills (Vice President), Pastor Alan Crandall, Robin Joens, Pastor Kent Landhuis, Diane Potter (Clerk), Crissie Rozendaal, Deb Cameron, and Ken Viggers
Staff:
Leah Carolan, Director of Worship & Media
Kris Crowther, Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool
Alan Crandall, Pastor Emeritus
Hailey Griffin, Nursery Coordinator
Rick Lyons, Maintenance Coordinator
Kent Landhuis, Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
Cathy Poole, Children’s Sunday Class Coordinator
Steve Poole, Director of Youth & Young Adults
Gary Sager, Ambassador of Care
Lindsey Ungs, Connection and Communication Architect
Jennifer Wagaman, Office Manager
