Cedar Chips, News, Worship

Pressing In

Pressing in?

You’ve heard us talk a lot about “pressing in”. I thought it might be worth a Google search to hear how other ministry leaders and ministries describe the process of “pressing in”. Here are my favorites:

“In your life would you describe yourself as someone who presses in toward God? Some people think spending time with God, reading the Bible, or attending a Bible study is a passive activity. God is anything BUT passive. He is GLORIOUS, and he has AMAZING things to show us. The word pressing also means to be persistent, unrelenting, and tenacious. We need to PRESS IN!” (from https://davidcrank.com/pressing-in)

There is a fascinating .pdf resource from www.restorationlife.org that lays out an entire teaching of pressing in four categories: (from http://www.restorationlife.org/Notes/TheWorshipingChurch/TheWorshipingChurch_8.pdf)

  1. The principle of pressing in to God through worship
  2. The Tabernacle of Moses as model of how to press in to God
  3. The difference between praise and worship
  4. Ways to press in to God with our body, soul, and spirit

Some books and audio materials on the topic:

And lastly a song! Of course! Press in Your Presence by Shana Wilson

So what does pressing in look/feel/sound/taste like to you?

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

GLS, News, Volunteers Needed

GLS Volunteers!

Global Leadership Summit Volunteers

Aug 8-9, Cedar Hills Church is a satellite location for this year’s Summit and we are expecting at least 100 attendees. To make this event a success, we are praying for volunteers gifted with gifts of: helping and hospitality to create a welcoming atmosphere. Many positions are available; catch the excitement at the table in the Gathering Space for details or fill out the form here.

About the Summit

Leadership takes perseverance, dedication and a commitment to stretch your mind, expand your heart and use your God-given gifts to impact your world in real and powerful ways.

Everyone has influence

No matter where your influence is — in your family, school, work or church — you are invited to join 405,000 of your peers to learn how to maximize it.

  • Get a unique blend of vision, inspiration and skills you can immediately apply
  • Learn from a faculty representing multiple sectors and backgrounds
  • Leverage the Summit as a resource to transform yourself and community
  • Network with influencers in your community who are committed to living out God’s purposes in our world

CEDAR HILLS Attendees

Member or Regular Attender
If you attend Cedar Hills Community Church and would like to register for The Global Leadership Summit, please contact the office for our special discount code.
REGISTER

GUESTS & PARTNERS

Non-Cedar Hills Attendee
If you do not attend Cedar Hills Community Church and would like to register to attend The Global Leadership Summit at this site, please register here:
REGISTER

Volunteer

Cedar Hills attendees and friends – if you wish to volunteer for the Summit, use this form to let us know which areas are of interest to you.
VOLUNTEER INTEREST
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

Love. Belong. Serve.