Bright Spot, Chiccs, News, Women's Revival

Women’s Revival Painting Event Success

Twenty five ladies gathered as part of Women’s Revival last month to create these cool customized wood creations! A good time of fellowship and bonding was had by all.

Women’s Revival is an opportunity for adult women to come together twice a month (1st and 3rd Thursdays) from 6-8p, for fellowship and fun, and to be able to grow in your walk with Lord. Each night features a blend of devotions, discussion and an activity. There is also be programming for participant’s children (3yrs-5th grade) available.  Interested in trying out Women’s Revival? Register online.

Holiday, News, Worship

Ash Wednesday 2019

Join us for Ash Wednesday at Cedar Hills –Wednesday, March 6th. A meal will be served prior to the service 5:15-6:15pm, with a short reflective worship service at 6:30pm.

The beauty of Ash Wednesday is receiving the ashes on the forehead and acknowledging that we were made by our Creator out of the dust, and to the dust we will return.  Come prepared to receive ashes at this worship service.  For adults and children alike!

We continue to meet midweek on Wednesday nights for the season of Lent until Maundy Thursday when we will gather on Thursday instead (April 18).  It helps us prepare if you can kindly RSVP to the meal by letting the office know how many to expect. More about Midweek Services

These services are for everyone, whether you call Cedar Hills your church home or not.

Cedar Chips, Consistory, News, Noah's Ark

Consistory News – March 2019

 

We started our meeting sharing in the grief of losing our friend and teammate, Paul. We prayed together.

Our agenda included:

Approved moving forward to seek candidates to fill the Congregational and Staff Coordinator position. The focus of this position is development of missional community and communication of our mission and vision. We pray that this position will accelerate missional community growth by supporting our strategic focus on disciple-making. Two key goals:

1. Get congregation members heading toward small groups.
2. Having a leader ready to lead each small group.

We reviewed building needs and agreed to move forward on developing a campaign to fund needed improvements that range from updated Audio system to flooring replacement to a new roof to potential HVAC repair to new sidewalks as required by the city. We approve forming a planning team.

We approved hosting the Global Leadership Summit in August. A team of leaders has already been established to offer this event as a way to transform the corridor by helping leaders in our community. Everybody wins
when leaders get better.

We discussed the transition at Noah’s Ark. Leslie will retire at the end of this school year and a team has been formed to find a replacement director to lead Noah’s Ark into the future as a viable ministry to our  community.

Cedar Chips, Family Adventure, Family and Children Ministry, News

Children & Family Ministry March 2019

For March, the Family and Children’s Ministry will be focusing on the concept of creativity! We will be looking at everything that is all around us to see how beautiful and wonderful God’s creation is. He is the ultimate Creator who has made everything all around us, from absolutely nothing. Remarkably by design, God has created mankind to be special in the ways in which we are able to create, and the cognitive abilities to be able to process remarkable amounts of information and feelings.

So, no matter if we are a gifted musician or a math whiz, we have all been given the ability to create! Not only are humans able to create, we have been given a purpose by God to do so. It is not by mistake that you desire to create, you have been given everything by God through His careful and thoughtful design.

Kyle French
Director of Family and Children’s Ministry

Cedar Chips, Family and Children Ministry, Music, News, Worship

Bible Memory Songs (They Ain’t Just for Kids)

Bible Memory Songs (They Ain’t Just for Kids!)

If you grew up attending a church and Sunday School, most likely your childhood included lots of fun and silly songs on various biblical themes.
Many of these were Scripture verses, whether you knew it or not! But then something happened— and suddenly silly Bible songs weren’t cool anymore. As teenagers and adults, we moved on to more sophisticated things, songs, hymns, and the memorization of Scripture is something very few of us do. And if we do, it’s not usually in the form of silly songs. We have to repeat it out loud, over and over, and do it the “grown up” way. This works for some… this sounds like a chore to the rest of us.

That was me until about six months ago when my oldest child started Kindergarten. Part of the curriculum is memorizing a verse every week that corresponds with the alphabet. Being the cool worship-leading-mom that I am, we starting singing the verses at home for fun. This led down a path of setting the entire alphabet of Scripture to
music and turning it into a full album.

And you know what? It was EASY to remember Scripture! So easy, that I’m convinced these silly songs should not be reserved for kids—these are for all of us. So I talked to our Family & Children Ministry staff and put together a plan to write songs for our Cedar Hills kids to memorize their Scripture, too. We’ve occasionally added these to our worship service—have you noticed??

I can proudly say I’m up to 30 verses memorized because of these silly songs. That’s 30 more verses than I’ve memorized in my entire adulthood.
Ready to learn your Scripture passages to heart? Click to listen to the ABC Bible Verse album.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Cedar Chips, Family and Children Ministry, News, Noah's Ark

Noah’s Ark – March Update

March 2019 Update

I’ve had a feeling lately… You know, that feeling when the same things look different to you? I feel a change a comin’! I’ve prayed a lot about this and have decided I need to change my focus and say goodbye to Noah’s Ark.

I started in 2003 as a sub, and the next year became an assistant in the classroom. In the spring, I was hired as the Director. I never would have
guessed this path for myself, but what a blessing this journey has been! God has a funny way of leading you where you need to be. The best part has
been the connections. I’m talking about LOVE connections! I have loved so many kiddos, so many families, and of course my teachers and church
staff. What a gift I have been given to lead this ministry! I know God is working on someone who might not even know Noah’s Ark will be in their future.

February was full of fun activities! Everyone learned about what happens to your letter after you put it in the mailbox. We all enjoyed giving and receiving valentines!

Our testing is complete and evaluations sent for our 4– and 5-year-olds. The 3-year-old classes had fun learning about snowmen, dinosaurs, and creation. Second report cards for our younger classes will be sent out before Spring Break.

2019-2020 registration: If you know someone who would like information, have them contact us at 396-3125 or [email protected]. Classes meet: 9-11:30 AM.

Spring Break will be March 18-22.

Mark your calendars for March 11 to donate blood! Mississippi Valley Blood Center will come here and set up in the Gathering Space. Your time from check-in to check-out is less than an hour. Please sign up to donate; our area is in desperate need. Contact me to sign up!

In Christ,
Leslie Clauson
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

Cedar Chips, News, Worship

Lenten Worship Services

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people,
that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” ~ Revelation 2:2-4

Sundays in Lent

Lent is the season of 40 days that lead up to Easter. This Lenten Season we will focus on falling in love with Jesus again. Each Sunday, we will look at one part of the passion narrative—that is the story of Jesus’ final days—to discover (or rediscover) why we love Jesus so much!

Wednesdays in Lent

To help us fall in love with Jesus, we will meet midweek during Lent to focus on Jesus “I Am” statements. These statements reveal why Jesus came and how much Jesus loves us.  These nights together are about an hour long, beginning with a meal and followed by a 30-minute reflective worship service. Meal serving from 5:15-6:15 PM, Lenten Service 6:30– 7 PM

2019 Lenten Service Schedule

Wed., Mar 6: Jesus: The Bread of Life (Ash Wednesday)
Wed., Mar 13: Jesus: the Light of the World.
Wed., Mar 20: Jesus: The Good Shepherd.
Wed., Mar 27: Jesus: The Resurrection and the Life.
Wed., Apr 3: Jesus: The Way, Truth, and Life.
Wed., Apr 10: Jesus: The True Vine.
Thurs,. Apr 18: Jesus: The Lamb of God (Maundy Thursday)
Sun., Apr 21: Easter services at 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00am.

To help us plan accordingly for the meals, if possible, please RSVP each week on your Sunday bulletin tear-off or by contacting the office (396-6608) and letting us know you will be dining with us.

Cedar Chips

Rediscovering Our First Love

First Love

“There’s no love like the first.” ~ Nicholas Sparks

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Anna Godbersen describes the first stab of love as a sunset, “a blaze of color— oranges, pearly pinks, vibrant purples…” We talked about love at our recent leadership
retreat and our moderator asked, “What does love smell like?” She wasn’t referring specifically to First Love, but I think it still fits: love smells like fresh baked bread.

First love feels like a warm blanket or a lingering embrace. Love sounds like an animated conversation or a  quiet whisper. When you think of First Love, what do you see, or hear, or smell? When you think of first love,  do you think about your love for Jesus?

One of my favorite music groups when I was in high school was the group Petra. I loved their song entitled “First Love.”

Sometimes I feel I’m pulled
in so many wrong directions. 
Sometimes I feel
the world seducing my affections.
It’s not that I don’t know the
way, it’s just a heart that’s
prone to stray.
But with my weaknesses
admitted, You will keep all
that I’ve committed.
So I commit my heart to You
my first love.

First love, first love, my soul longs after You.
First love, my first love
and I want my heart to stay so true.
Because You first loved me,
Jesus, You will always be,
You will always be my first love.

Do you ever feel like you have lost your love for Jesus? Sometimes I do. I hear Jesus inviting me to rediscover my first love.

It’s taken me some time to try to comprehend. 
A love that doesn’t change,
a love without an end.
A love that keeps forgiving,
a love of sacrifice and giving.
I delight myself in You my first love. 

The Lord be with you,
Pastor Kent

Bright Spot, Family and Children Ministry, Marriage and Family, News

LEAD Conference

Want to learn how to develop a culture of service and intentionality within your family? Well we can help, join us for the LEAD Conference on March 15, from 6-8pm (Childcare will be provided). We will hear from speakers who live and work with some of the most impoverished and voiceless.

If we are honest with ourselves, it can be difficult to develop a culture in our families of being intentional about the gospel and being a willing servant of the Lord. Especially when the “needs” of the world seem to be so daunting, where do we begin? Is a transformation even possible? Well we might have an idea of where to begin and what it could look like. We hope you’ll be able to join us at Cedar Hills Community Church to participate in the discussion!

View the Facebook event.

Love. Belong. Serve.