Cedar Chips, Family and Children Ministry, Journey, News

Journey Goodbyes

When we walked in the doors of Cedar Hills on January 2, 2012, Ben was 4, Kara was 6, and Bree was 8. Jeanette and I had been married for nine years and we were excited for what God was going to do in Cedar Rapids. Needless to say, God did not disappoint.

Over the last seven years, the student ministry has built a firm foundation on the truth of God’s Word and telling others about Jesus. We have gone to evangelism training conferences nine times and have held multiple outreach events here in Cedar Rapids in an effort to share the gospel in our community.

We have been on two service trips to South Dakota and New Jersey to help those in need. We have watched lives be transformed at seven Fall Retreats, and we have held over 300 student ministry nights here at the church.

My family and I would like to say thank you for the last seven years and we are still excited for what God has in store for Cedar Rapids and now also Allison, Iowa.

Jeremy Van Genderen
Director of Youth and Young Adults

Bright Spot, News, Prayer

National Day of Prayer – 5-2-19

The first Thursday of May is designated as the National Day of Prayer. Join millions of people today who are praying for our nation. Carve out a few moments to  pray for these four things:

  1. Pray that we would grow in our love for one another as a nation.
  2. Pray for churches around the country to be  unified in love.
  3. Pray that love would be at the center of our families, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces and communities.
  4. Pray for love to overcome the anger, divisiveness, prejudice and partisanship that has a grip on our nation.

PRESS RELEASE

Family and Children Ministry, News, Noah's Ark

New Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

The Noah’s Ark Board is pleased to announce the hiring of Kris Crowther as the Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool. Kris has worked with Noah’s Ark since 2013 and has a wonderful rapport with the children, families, and staff at Noah’s Ark. Prior to working at Noah’s Ark, Kris was Director of Children’s Ministries at Cedar Hills Community Church. In the children’s ministries role, Kris used her extensive teaching background to work with volunteers to grow the ministries of Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS).

Kris will complete the school year as the Lead 3-year old Teacher and Lunch Bunch Coordinator while training as the incoming director. In June, Kris will take on the full responsibilities as Noah’s Ark Preschool Director while leading the summer program.

Kris shared with the hiring committee her desire to see a stronger partnership with the ministries of the church and more Noah’s Ark families involved in those ministries. Kris brings to this position her ideas for encouraging more families to choose a faith-based preschool for their child and supporting the families that choose Noah’s Ark Preschool for their children. Kris said: “I believe strongly in the benefits that a Christian Preschool can offer students and families. Noah’s Ark Preschool promotes social, emotional, language, cognitive and increased motor skills by using play, toys, games, art and music.”

As Noah’s Ark Preschool enters its 50th year this fall, we are fortunate to have Kris to provide continuity and growth to the ministry of Noah’s Ark.

Allison Johnson

Bright Spot, Cedar Chips, Journey

Graduation Annoucements

This season brings April showers, May flowers and May graduation parties!  If you or your student is graduating this Spring, we’d love to hear about it in the church office and acknowledge you/them in the June Cedar Chips newsletter.

Email the student’s name, school attending, parents’ names, and future plans to: office@cedarhillscr.org or turn it in on paper to the office before Wednesday, May 15, to be included in the June Cedar Chips.

Bright Spot, Cedar Chips, News, Volunteers Needed

Bright Spot: Caring Connections

Church Teams Take Communion to our Shut-in Members: Cedar Hills is blessed by the caring outreach of those who visit shut-in members on a regular basis. Although these members are unable to
attend Sunday worship due to physical disabilities, they are part of our spiritual family, and they are not forgotten. We are grateful for those who visit homes and care centers to bring communion to shut-ins.

Care teams include Crissie Rozendaal, Glenda Brislawn, Ken Viggers, Gary Mills, Ray Vander Wiel, Karen Bronkhorst, Collin Aarhus, and Al Avis. We can all have a part in caring for those who have lost their mobility. Please consider reaching out to one of the saints listed below. And thank you for sharing your time and love!

Cedar Chips, Easter, News

Rising With Jesus

I love Easter for lots of reasons. But, one of the big ones is the chance to work with all our fine musicians that call Cedar Hills home. Between the special choir that gathers to sing at the 8:30 and 9:45 services and the large ‘worship jam’ group that leads at the 11am, we may have 70+ musicians involved on Easter Sunday. This is huge! And it’s so much fun!

Why all the effort? Why all the special rehearsals? Why all the people?

On Easter, we celebrate that our Lord and Savior has conquered the grave! We celebrate that the sting of death, the chains of death no longer have a grip on us. For those who love and follow Jesus, death is not the final say. Our bodies may perish, but they will rise again with Jesus.

As a kid, I used to ponder this moment. I knew we died and went to heaven, but the concept of our
renewed bodies at the second coming always gave me spooky daydreams of bodies coming out of the ground all creepy-like, like a zombie movie.

This is not Easter.

On Easter, Jesus shows us what it looks like to rise. He is not a zombie. He is fully alive in a glorified body that looks and is like a real body, only better! And we, too, will rise and get our cool glorified bodies. Real and better. Jesus is coming to restore all things. To make things new—the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. We, as the saints, will rule in glory with Jesus. The separation between heaven and earth will no longer exist. We won’t need sunshine —Jesus’ light will light up everything we need to
see. And our bodies are perfected and new. We will rise with Jesus and it will be glorious! THIS is why we celebrate!

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Cedar Chips, News, Noah's Ark

Noah’s Ark – April 2019 Update

Telling a preschooler the real Easter story is a delicate matter. No bunnies or colorful eggs, just felt pieces to show the story. We tell the whole story, scary parts and all. We begin by saying, this is the most important story ever and it’s a real story.

We discuss, all the time, if a story we read is real or make believe. Most of them can tell you the real story about a little baby born in Bethlehem, but now that boy is a grown man, already a hard concept to imagine for a young mind. Then, we talk about how some people hated Jesus. What?! They thought he was a good guy. Yes, he is a very good guy, but mean people wanted to hurt him. They ask, “Why?” Well, Jesus told everyone that he was the Son of God and he performed miracles, but some people were threatened by his power and wanted to kill him. “What? Like really kill him?” they ask. Yes, they beat him badly and nailed his hands and feet to a cross. He hung there until he died.

Their eyes are as big as saucers and the room is very quiet.

Then, Jesus’ friends wrapped his body and put him in a tomb with a huge rock in front so no one would
bother him. His friends were very sad; they went to the tomb three days later, but the stone had been
rolled away! This is the good part! An angel appeared and told them that Jesus was risen and he was not in the tomb.

What?! Now their heads are spinning trying to think how that happened.

We tell them that God raised Jesus from the dead; he was seen by many people; and then he went to heaven and now sits with God. We finish the story telling them that Jesus was sent by God to die for all our sins, every one of us.

“Wait, what?! We are part of this story?!” Yes, we are all sinners and Jesus died for us. Young minds blown!

John 3:16-“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only son, so that  everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

Leslie Clauson
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

Cedar Chips, News

The Resurrection and Christian Mission

The Resurrection and Christian Mission
by Timothy Keller
from https://timothykeller.com/blog/2009/4/1/the-resurrection-and-christian-mission

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of
the age.” ~ Matthew 28:18-20

The famous “Great Commission” of Matthew 28:18-20 is almost studied in isolation from the rest of the chapter. We can only understand it fully when we remember that this charge to the church is from the risen Christ. One way to do this is to look earlier in the chapter at the angel’s claim—He is not here! And in response ask “All right, then where is the risen Christ?” Matthew 28:18-20 is the answer. Where is the Christ, now that he is risen?

First, he is at the right hand of God. “All authority is given to me” (v. 18). He is not merely ‘in heaven looking down.’ Rather, he is now in a position to exercise power in the world and history. He is spreading his kingdom-authority in the world through the ministry of the church.

Second, he is in the ministry of the gospel. “Go and make disciples” (v.19). As the gospel is preached, it changes men and women into disciples. This life-changing ministry is intimately connected to the risen Christ. (All authority is given to me, therefore go…) In Ephesians 2:17, Paul goes so far as to say to the
Ephesians that “Christ came and preached…to you” through the physical incarnate Christ never went to Asia Minor. Paul means that in the preaching of the gospel, Jesus comes to us.

Third, he is in the community of his people. “Surely I am with you” (v.20). When the risen Christ says, “I am with you” he uses a second person plural. The risen Christ is with ‘you-all.’ This is not a promise to the individual Christian, but to the community of believers. In Luke 24, the disciples on the road to Emmaus only discerned Christ ‘in the breaking of the bread.’ Luke is probably drawing a reference to the Lord’s Supper. In the corporate worship of the church, Christ comes into focus. In the ministry of  Christians to one another, loving, serving, confronting, comforting one another, using the spiritual gifts from the hand of the risen Christ—we experience his presence.

Lastly, he is waiting for us at the end of history. “I am with you…to the very end of the age” (v.20). The
old KJV translation says, “I am with you unto the end of the world.”

To the English reader that may seem to have a spatial reference; (i.e. “I’ll be with you no matter where you go in the world.”) but actually the word has to do with time. Jesus is thus promising to be the ‘happy ending’ of the world’s history and our personal history. Christians move out into a violent world as agents of peace, into a broken world as agents of reconciliation, into a needy world as servants of the poor. We do so knowing that it is God’s will to eventually end all war and division, all poverty and injustice. The resurrection of Christ assures us that God will redeem not just souls but bodies, and will bring about a new heaven and a new earth. As the risen Christ, he stands not just with us in our present time, but he waits at the end of history to heal and renew everything. That is his promise; therefore, we will not
fear.

Cross Training/Sunday School, Family and Children Ministry, Marriage and Family, News, VBS, Worship

Kids and Easter… Everything you need to know

We’re so excited for Easter! It’s a BIG Sunday around here for sure.  We know that sometimes when you’re visiting a new place, there are the extra details of “What do I do with my kids?” and “What should I expect?” and the anxiety of the unknown. Hopefully this will answer some of your questions!

FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

There is plenty of space in the back of the Worship Center for car seats, strollers, and rocking babes in arms.  We have tables and chairs around the back of the Worship Center that are nice spread out on – these are a favorite of many families so arrive early if you want to claim a table! 🙂  An audio feed of the service will be running in the Gathering Space (our lobby area) — we do ask you to be sensitive to others in the service and exit the Worship Center if your child is crying or making a lot of noise.  Changing tables are available in the handicap stall of both the women’s and men’s restrooms as well as the nursery.  Extra diapers and supplies are available in the nursery if you need them.  There is a child-size toilet in the nursery for the young ones who are potty training.

AGES 0-2

A nursery is available for children ages 0-2yrs at all three Easter services.  The nursery is not staffed, but parents are always welcome to step out of the services and sit with their child in the nursery.

AGES 3YRS – 3RD GRADE

At 8:30am and 9:45am, there is a special time in the worship services called “the Children’s Message” where the children are invited to the front of the stage for a short age-appropriate message, prayer, and a special gift bag. They are then dismissed back to their parents for the remainder of the service.

At the 11am service, children ages 3 years to 3rd grade are invited to attend a special time of worship called “Explorers”. Children begin in the large service with their families. After the opening worship songs, the children are dismissed to room 135 to attend a special time of worship created for them.  Volunteers walk the children back to the room, but parents are always welcome to tag along to see the room or help their child feel more comfortable.  The children are then picked up in that same room following the conclusion of the service.

Sunday School

There is no Sunday School on Easter Sunday.  On regular Sundays, classes for all ages run from 9:45-10:45, as well as the nursery for ages 0-2yrs.

Family & Children Ministry

To learn more about our ministries for families and children, visit here.

We Love Kids

Our church is laid back enough that we’re not bothered by children! They are just as much a part of the Body of Christ as adults. If they want to dance during the worship, let them dance! If you need to go in and out of the service to attend to them, that’s okay! We’re used to it! No big deal.   We just want you go be comfortable and able to parent your kids however you feel you need to.

VBS

This summer we have an exciting VBS (Vacation Bible School) program planned for July 14-18. VBS is for kids ages 3 to 5th grade. Learn more here.

Questions?

Ask away!

Love. Belong. Serve.