Our next Open Table meeting is Sunday, March 17, after the 2nd service in the Gathering Space. Once a month, we hang around after church. Our team provides a lunch, space to connect, make new friends, and enjoy Christ alive in us. Whether you are new to Cedar Hills or have been around a while, young or old, everyone is welcome at Open Table!
The Law of Love“If you hate yourself,
you will hate your neighbor.”
“If you hate your neighbor,
it’s because you hate yourself.”
“If you hate yourself,
it’s because you don’t know
God’s love for you.”
“To the degree that you know
God’s great love for you,
you will love yourself.”
“To the degree that you love yourself,
you will be able to love your neighbor.”
It all flows from one thing to the next.
You cannot love your neighbor
without knowing
His great love for you.
One flows into the next,
into the next,
into the next.
That is the law of love.
So we could say, “Just Love”.
But we should probably say, “Be loved.”
One flows into the next,
into the next,
into the next.
Leah
Director of Worship & Media
In January we began testing our 4-year-old classes. Testing is presented in a game format and is done on a one-on-one basis with the teacher. Most children really enjoy the time with their teacher. Once testing is over, the teachers will send out a final progress report. Then each family will decide if Alternative Kindergarten or Kindergarten is best for their child.Our 3-year-old classes focused on spatial concepts,
shapes, daytime/nighttime, and pockets. The younger classes have come a long way since September!
Noah’s Ark will have another blood drive for the Mississippi Valley at church March 11. Please donate if you can.
Registration for our 2019-2020 school year is underway. If you know someone interested, please have
them contact us by email, 396-3125, or visit www.noahsarkcr.org. Any Cedar Hills active
member whose child attends Noah’s Ark Preschool will receive 10% off tuition. We feel as a member
you already support Cedar Hills financially. Noah’s Ark, as a ministry of this church, wants to support
your child’s Christian education.
If your child is attending AK or Kindergarten in the fall, you should receive a letter from your child’s school soon. If you have not been contacted, call the school your child will be attending.
We are amazed with the amount of growth in the children already and feel privileged to be a part of
their lives.
In Christ,
Leslie Clausen
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool
These six activities make up much of the everyday stuff of life. The gospel transforms each!
In the past the Consistory has worked to refine and clarify our disciple-making roadmap. We are called to make disciples who make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. In 2019, we hope to see increased fruit in this vision as we live it out together answering three questions:
1. Who is God?
Discipleship begins with God because every attitude, thought, and action of our lives is an outpouring of what we believe about God. Our everyday struggles with fear, control, approval, and satisfaction can all be traced back to who we believe God to be.
2. What has God done?
God saves. The Gospel is the good news about Jesus saving and restoring all things. The Gospel is the fuel for all mission and the glue for all community. God, in and through the work of Jesus and by the power of His Spirit, accepts us, empowers us, and changes us.
3. How does the Gospel impact me?
Disciples follow Jesus and take on his identity. In Jesus we are family, servants, and missionaries. We live out our identity in the everyday stuff of life, learning to follow Jesus 168 hours a week. Disciples who make disciples follow Jesus together. Through life-on-life, we connect with others one-on-one. Through life-in-community we experience the encouragement of a whole group of people to grow. Through life-on-mission we reach out with the love of Jesus in Word and deed to friends and neighbors.
Thank-you to everyone who prayed for me while I was in Guatemala. Or, should I say, “Gracias!”
Before I left on this mission trip, the language barrier concerned me the most. I want to understand and be understood, which is typically accomplished with words. The inability to communicate in a foreign tongue worried me.
My concerns were unfounded for two reasons. First, we had a great translator Josue’ (Joshua), who traveled with us everywhere we went and translated everything we wanted to know. And, he laughed a lot. We were blessed by his love for the Lord, love for the people, and love for language. He worked above and beyond the call of duty to help us understand. “Gracias Josue’!”
Second, some understanding transcends culture and language. The biggest blessing I received in Guatemala was to love and be loved – even without words. The mothers and fathers we met, the children we met, the brothers and sisters in Christ we met all conveyed love to us through their warm welcome, their generous hospitality, and their beautiful smiles. Each day I appreciated more their love for us. “Muchas gracias!!!”
As I reflect on my trip I hope that I shared love back even when I could not express it with words. And, I hope that I learned more about sharing love across barriers because we face barriers even in our own community that sometime feel like we are speaking different languages. When that is the case, I hope we can discover how to love with a love that transcends words.
The Lord be with you,
Pastor Kent
P.S. “God demonstrated His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
The church will be closed Wednesday, Jan 30 and all activities cancelled or postponed.
Open Hands Food Pantry – Closed. It will reopen for normal hours Friday 10am-12pm.
1st Service Worship Team – Rehearsing Sunday 7:40am
2nd Service Worship Team – Rehearsing Sunday 9:45am
Sanctuary Choir – rehearsal next week Wednesday, 6:45pm
Family Adventure – event postponed until Feb. 13.
All other meetings, please contact your group leader for reschedule information.
In an emergency, please contact the pastors on their cell phones. (The numbers went out in a church-wide, but are also available in the online directory–CCB.) Don’t have the CCB app? It’s a great resource for staying in touch with your Cedar Hills Church family. Get the app.
Jump into a new Cross Training class!
Sunday, Jan 6, 9:45 AM Cross Training Classes resume for ages preschool through adults. Nursery is available for children ages 0-2yrs during the Sunday school hour.
Come, join others for fellowship, conversation and good food. Open Table is for anyone, young and old alike. We particularly wish to encourage anyone new to Cedar Hills to join us and meet some others along the same journey!
Open Table is in between services at 9:45 in the Gathering Space (church lobby area). There is no cost to attend.
The Linn County Sheriff’s office will provide active shooter readiness training for our congregation on Sunday, Jan 13 from 3-5:30 PM. This training is open to anyone and will involve training to enhance your safety in any situation. The training will also assist us in helping others in our community should we ever face any incidents involving a violent attack. This training is open to others in our community who may benefit—invite them to come with you!