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

New Parenting Community

We are excited to announce a new parenting community!

All parents are invited Sunday, May 20 at 9:45 AM to room 135 to connect and ignite this new group. Open to anyone with kids ages infant to elementary, this group will be a fun way to get to know others going through the early-parenting life stage. This is a community that will continue to meet throughout the years, thus allowing friendships to grow. As with most relationships, the real connections will likely happen outside of our Sunday meeting.

In June and July, this group will not meet at the church building (since there is no summer childcare/Sunday school). But, we will hold activities outside of church, such as a picnic, to get to know each other. We hope to initiate “Dinner 6” for the month of June. This is an event where 3 couples or 6 individuals are paired up and decide on a time to get together. This is an excellent way to start to get to know other parents in the church.

For the month of July, we will be meeting at the Ungs house (near the church) for a morning brunch-potluck on July 22nd. Time is yet to be decided.

We will discuss all this and start to get to know each other at our very first meeting on May 20th.

We wish you all a delightful summer.

For more info about the group, contact Karl or Lindsey Ungs. We’ve begun a group in CCB to use for group communication.  To be added to the CCB group, please let Jennifer Wagaman in the church office know you would like to be added. This is likely how we will notify you of events.

Family and Children Ministry, Marriage, Marriage and Family, News

Lead. (Family Discipleship Conference)

Lead. (Family Discipleship Conference)

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Guest Speaker: Mark Forstorm

Fri, Jun 1, 2018 6:00p – 8:00p

On June 1st from 6-8p, you are invited to come and learn more about what family discipleship means, how we can live it out, and partake in discussions with other parents! Childcare will be provided.

Our Children and Family Ministry Director, Kyle French, will open the night with a brief overview of what the Bible teaches and how it values family discipleship. Doing so will help us to have a foundation for application as we seek to shape and enrich our understanding of what family discipleship is and how it can be a church-wide endeavor.

For the remainder of the night, Mark Forstrom from New Covenant Bible Church here in Cedar Rapids, has committed to speak with us about practical ways in which family discipleship can be done well. For those who don’t know Mark, he has been ministering at New Covenant since 1992. And after this summer, Mark will be stepping away from his current role and will begin to use his experiences and gifting in Christian counseling. Mark loves creating environments where families can grow in their faith. He is also passionate about how we should be developing healthy relationships with God and with others.We hope you’ll be able to join us as we look deeper and invest greater into modeling family discipleship!

Register online.

 

News, Weekly Readings

Daily Readings May 7 – May 14

Post your insights – #dwellingwithJesus or  @cedarhillscr

Monday, May 7 – Romans 9
Tuesday, May 8 – Romans 10
Wednesday, May 9 – Romans 11
Thursday, May 10 – Romans 12
Friday, May 11 – Romans 13
Saturday, May 12 – Romans 14
Sunday, May 13 – Romans 15
Monday, May 14 – Romans 16

Next Week – May 14-21
Monday, May 14 – Romans 16
Tuesday, May 15 – 1 Corinthians 1
Wednesday, May 16 – 1 Corinthians 2
Thursday, May 17 – 1 Corinthians 3
Friday, May 18 – 1 Corinthians 4
Saturday, May 19 – 1 Corinthians 5
Sunday, May 20 – 1 Corinthians 6
Monday, May 21 – 1 Corinthians 7

News

Thursday, May 3 Benefit Concert

BENEFIT CONCERT AT CEDAR HILLS

Thursday, May 3, Gloria Dei Church and volunteers from Cedar Hills are hosting a benefit concert at our church. Doors open at 6 PM and bands start at 7 PM. This concert raises money for Fresh Start Prison Ministry and the RISE Program. Featured bands include: Damascus Road, the Baldus Family Singers, and Mt Vernon Praise Team.  Welcome to all our visitors!

We are located at the corner of E Ave NW and Stoney Point Rd., next door to Cherry Hill Park.  Sometimes Google Maps will put our address out by Atkins… make sure if you’re using GPS you’re at the corner of E Ave and Stoney Pt!

Cedar Chips, News

Staffing Team Report

STAFFING TEAM REPORT

A team is at work to evaluate staffing at Cedar Hills with the goal of aligning both paid staff and volunteers so that we are poised for growth as we continue our mission of disciples making disciples in the everyday stuff of life. Our plan is to collect data from staff and ministry leaders about current and future needs, gifts, talents and passions and to develop staffing recommendations for input into the Cedar Hills budget process this fall (for calendar year 2019). In addition to this short-term focus, we will also, as a best practice, be looking at succession planning for paid staff and ministry leaders with the goal of discipling and equipping future leaders for key positions. We are guided by Acts 1, where Jesus himself, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and passed on the mission; and the disciples in turn discipled others and passed on the mission, growing the church to today. We ask for your prayers as we discern God’s voice in our process and that we would be open to God’s will and not ours for Cedar Hills, honoring our past and being open to our future.

The members of the staffing team are: Pastor Kent, Pastor Alan, Deb DeHaan, Kate Ulmer and Dana Chapman.

Cedar Chips, News, Worship

As the Waters

As The Waters

Habakkuk 2:14 says, “For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the LORD.“ As image bearers of Christ, we are like little ‘glory’ carriers—where we walk, where we live
and where we work, we are ambassadors of Christ to the world. Wherever we are every day, there is God, ready to move and make a difference.

Did you know your light shined so brightly? Did you know we get to participate in the promise of Habakkuk 2:14, that the earth will be filled with an awareness of God’s glory?

Lord, that You would saturate our souls with an awareness of Your continual presence that we
may saturate the world!

Listen to “As the Waters” online.

As the Waters
By Leah Carolan
As Your glory reigned over creation
So my heart longs to be reigned by You
As Your Spirit danced with the waters
So my Spirit longs to dance with You
Awaken my heart to this intimacy
Let this wild love run so freely
As the waters cover the sea
Let my heart be filled
With the knowledge of the Glory of God
As the waters cover the sea
Let my heart be filled
With the knowledge of Your Glory
Let Your glory fall like rain (awaken my heart)
Let Your glory fall like rain
That’s pouring down into my heart

~ Leah Carolan
Director of Worship & Media

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

Noah’s Ark May 2018 Update

What a wonderful year we had at preschool! Thank you to all the great families who trust us with their
precious little ones. We really love these children and have grown very attached to them. Saying “goodbye” will be hard, but they are ready to fly beyond the Noah’s Ark nest. We are very honored to be able to serve the community for 49 years.

All the ‘end of the year’ programs are scheduled for the last day of regular classes. A reception will follow each program. All friends and families are invited to attend. Our last day of school will be Friday, May 25.

April classes focused on good touches, magnets, and construction. All classes had an Ice Cream Social, which is always a big hit. We had a field trip to the downtown library. The older classes also visited our Methwick friends one last time. Our favorite Police Pal Glen Keiler came and talked to us about safety.

May is always a very busy month so please look at the calendar closely for special events. Registration
for 2018-2019 is still underway. If you know anyone interested, please have them call or email us. We will have a couple weeks off and summer school will begin Tuesday, June 12. There are still spots available if that is something your current Noah’s Ark student would like to do.

Leslie Clauson
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

Cedar Chips, News

Let the Thunder Roll

Let the Thunder Roll

In the Arizona mountains where I grew up, summer days were punctuated with thunderstorms. I was  fascinated by the time that elapsed between the lightning and the thunder. I would count the seconds between flash and crash. You can’t have one without the other!

The resurrection of Jesus is the lightning, and the amazing occurrences we read about in the book of Acts are the thunder. “Acts of the Apostles” is a misnomer. It might better be named the “The Acts of the Risen Jesus” because it is actually the story of the things Jesus did through those who discovered that he is alive.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus did things like healing the sick, casting out demons, and speaking forgiveness to people who didn’t think God loved them. Not everyone appreciated what Jesus did or the kind of God he revealed. His work disturbed many people, and that’s why they killed him. But the ministry of Jesus could not be stopped.

Through the resurrection Jesus was let loose on the world in a way that continues to this day. He is still alive, still working. He says, “I am with you always, to the end of the world.”

During his earthly life, the disciples followed him and carried out his instructions. Now that Jesus is risen that arrangement has not changed. Jesus is still the true missionary. We are merely his assistants and witnesses. Jesus is the only one who can change people’s lives.

We’re like nurses helping the surgeon—we hand Jesus needed surgical instruments, but he performs the operation. Our role is to bear witness to Jesus’ ongoing presence in the world. Through our lives we
say to those who need God: “Jesus is alive, and he wants to come to you with God’s saving power, just as he did for us.” And he does come, again and again!

The resurrection of Jesus is the lightning. What he’s doing in the world today (through you and
me) is the thunder. He’s calling us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Let the thunder roll!

~ Alan Crandall
Pastor of Care

Love. Belong. Serve.