All posts by Cedar Hills

Uncategorized

Marlin Swartzendruber Memorial

Join us in praying for the family and friends of Marlin Swartzendruber as they remember and celebrate his life and arrival into the arms of Jesus.

VISITATON: Oct. 9 at 11am, Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories
4200 1s Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA

FUNERAL: Oct. 9 at 12pm, Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories with a luncheon to follow in the family center. 4200 1s Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA

LIVESTREAM of the funeral service will start at 12pm on Thursday, Oct. 9.  VIEW LIVESTREAM

OBITUARY

Marlin Paul Swartzendruber (89) peacefully entered the presence of his Lord and Savior on October 2, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.

Marlin was born February 18, 1936, to Orval and Ella (Gingerich) Swartzendruber on a farm. north of Wellman, IA, during a blizzard. The doctor was blocked by snow covered roads, so He rode on a horse drawn sleigh over the covered fences. Ella died when Marlin was 4 years old. When his older brother D Dale graduated and left home, Marlin became chief cook at 9 years old. Orval woke Marlin up at 5:30 to do chores in the milkhouse and with the livestock. Marlin would then prepare breakfast, clean the kitchen, and walk a quarter mile to school. He would then repeat chores after school and prepare supper. Marlin was taught to drive by his Aunt Esther so by age 12, he often enjoyed driving his grandparents to church. Marlin attended kindergarten through eighth grade in a one room schoolhouse and ninth grade in Parnell, IA. Orval and Marlin moved to a farm south of Homestead where he attended Williamsburg H.S. He played football in his junior and senior years.

After graduation Marlin took a job with John Wetjen as a carpenter in 1954. After five years they went into a partnership. In 1971, Marlin bought out the business, and it became Swartzendruber Lumber and Construction Company. As is fitting for a carpenter, Marlin built his own house in Amana, IA. He started construction on his house in 1957 and worked on it daily before and after work and on Saturdays until completion in 1958.

Marlin married Judy (Metz) at Christ Church Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids in 1960. They recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Marlin served the church by being a deacon, an elder, and a building committee member. Together they raised three daughters and operated the company business until its closing in 2007. In his retirement he started a hobby of woodworking with a turning lathe. He created many beautiful bowls and other creations. He also built four glider swings for his family. Marlin, husband, dad, grandpa, and great grandpa will be remembered for his devotion to God, his love for his family, his quick wit when you least expected it and his unwavering work ethic. “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)

Marlin is survived by his wife Judy (Metz) Swartzendruber, his three daughters Debra (Daniel) Fick of Coralville, IA, Diane (Brian) Gunderson of Fond du Lac, WI, Dawn (Robert) Newberry of Urbandale, IA, six grandchildren, Allison Bernard, (Kyle) of Iowa City, Benjamin Fick (Mattie) of North Liberty, IA, Andrew Gunderson (Alison) of Fond du Lac, WI, Nathan Gunderson (Amy) of Appleton, WI, Jacob Newberry of Ankeny, IA, Sophie Newberry of Las Vegas, NV, and five great grandchildren, Eleanor and Emma Jo Bernard, Azalia, Ezra, and Zane Gunderson.

He was preceded in death by his parents Orval and Ella (Gingerich) Swartzendruber and his brother D Dale Swartzendruber.

We are thankful for the loving care given to our family by Iowa City Hospice and The Summit of Coralville.

Memorial contributions may be made to Cedar Hills Community Church, 6455 E Avenue NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405, and/or Iowa City Hospice, 1526 Sycamore St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

Uncategorized

Ministry Highlight: Lala Ladies

LALA LADIES  – This small group of Cedar Hills musicians travels around to the Care Centers in Cedar Rapids and Marion, bringing smiles to residents with their music. This group includes Ina Boeke, Lori Tonsfeldt, and Audrey Reid. In September, they will feature Country Music!

SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE

September 9

September 10

September 11

September 15

September 16

September 17

September 18

  • Promise House of Hiawatha – 1:10
  • Hiawatha – 2:30

September 23

  • St. Luke’s West – 1:00
  • Cottage Place – 2:30

September 24

  • The Gardens – 10:00
  • Meadowview – 1:30

September 25

  • Stoney Meadows – 1:30
  • Westridge – 3:00
Cedar Blog, Uncategorized

We Are the Kind of People Who Keep Growing

We Are the Kind of People Who Keep Growing

I saw a news flash today that RFK Jr, age 71, completed 50 pull-ups and 100 push-ups in under six minutes. I thought, “How is that possible?”

Answer: RFK Jr. apparently still works out. A lot. He is the kind of guy who keeps growing physically. 

If growing physically strong and healthy requires continued effort, what about spiritual growth?

We are the kind of people who keep growing spiritually. We keep discovering new truths. We keep drawing near to God. We keep following Jesus into new territory. 

We know that healthy things grow. Here are three reasons why we are the kind of people who keep growing:

  1. God said, “Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)
  2. Jesus said, “Abide in me and you will bear much fruit.” (John 15:1-5)
  3. We are called to learn and share God’s truths every day “When we rise up and when we lie down, when we sit at home and and when we walk along the way.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)

And if that is not motivation enough, remember that God’s Word is not static or stale, it is “living and active.” (Hebrews 4:12) God is still working today – in all of us – to bring not just life, but abundant life. (John 10:10) So, keep growing. 

As Steve shared in his sermon last week, practice “Shema-ing” in a Sunday class, small group, or in your personal Bible Study.  LISTEN HERE

May the Lord be with you,
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

Did you enjoy this article? Let Kent know.

    Cedar Blog

    Why a Sunday Class?

    Why Should I Participate in Sunday Classes?

    Healthy things grow. We are the kind of people who believe that Sunday classes are one of the steps God uses to grow our faith. Growth is good. Stagnation is bad. 2 Peter 3:18 says, Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

    When we grow in our Biblical knowledge and understanding we see very specific benefits. The primary benefits is to grow in love: to love God more fully and to love others more boldly. Here are three additional benefits: 

    1. Resilience is better than anxiety. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist. (Ephesians 6:14a) Stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. (Colossians 4:12b)
    2. Discernment is better than deception. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. (Ephesians 4:14)
    3. Relationship is better than isolation. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:35)

    What steps are you taking to grow your faith? 

    Let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity. (Hebrews 6:1)

    Kent Landhuis
    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

    Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

      Cedar Blog

      In Process

      In Process

      I’m regularly apologizing for the state of my garden. In early spring, I say, “It is just getting started.” Later, I say, “It will look better in a few weeks.” In the middle of summer, I say, “It needs some weeds pulled.” Late in the season, I say, “It is past its prime.” Or, I say, “Wait till next year, it will be much better.”

      My garden is always in process. Here is a photo taken last night. It will probably look better next week. Like the church. Like my life. In process.

      The book The Story of Reality, by Greg Koukl, explains that living “in process” is part of our worldview as people who follow Jesus. Our “in process” comes in four stages: Creation (How things began), Fall (How things got broken), Redemption (How things will get fixed), and Restoration (How things will be once they are fixed).

      Every worldview must account for these four stages. We account for them this way: 

      1. How did things begin? God made the world and called it good. 
      2. How did things get broken? Rebellion against God. (Weeds)
      3. How will things get fixed? Jesus makes all things new. 
      4. How will things look once fixed? All things good again in God’s Kingdom.

      This worldview is good news for anyone who has ever been abused, oppressed, or mistreated. It is good news for anyone who has ever had grief, or pain, or trauma. It means that all that is broken can be fixed. All injustice can be made just. All grief can be healed. All sin can be forgiven.

      Jesus obeyed perfectly and died a horrifying death to take on the rebellion of the world. Jesus was raised from the dead, and whoever puts their trust in Jesus as their Savior will be made right with God and live in God’s Kingdom now and forever. 

      For those who trust in Jesus, he will one day wipe away every tear. One day. Until that day, we are “in process” because we live in the tension between the “now” and the “not yet” of God’s Kingdom. Like a garden, “It will look better in a few weeks.”

      Kent Landhuis
      Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

      Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

        Uncategorized

        Care Network and Bloomsbury Farm!

        Care Network Fundraiser
        at Bloomsbury Farm!

        The countdown is on for our biggest summer event yet— “Light Up the Night: Stories of Hope and Sparks of Change” at Bloomsbury Farm—and we are thrilled for what God is doing through this gathering of hearts!
        This evening is more than a fundraiser—it’s a celebration of stories, connection, and kingdom impact as we continue our partnership walking alongside those in our community with Christ-centered care.

        EVENT DETAILS:

        📍 Bloomsbury Farm
        📅 Saturday, August 2nd, 5-7 pm
        ⏰ Food served 5–6 PM | Program with formal ask 6–7 PM
        🎆 Fireworks to follow!
        🎟️ Ticket includes access to 25+ family-friendly activities on the farm—this is the perfect event for all ages! Bloomsbury Farm opens 3-9pm with fireworks that evening.

        PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE

        Purchasing tickets online using this link.  Or mention “CareNetworkCR” at the gate—25% of each ticket purchased supports the Care Network.
        Alliance of Reformed Churches

        UMV 2025

        Thank you! UMV 2025 is over.

        You are able to watch the main session live:

        UMV 2025

        We are excited again to host the annual gathering of the Upper Mississippi Valley network. Our gathering will be June 13-14 at Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

        REGISTER NOW

        (Hotel accommodations and special pricing reserved through May 14 – see below)

        June 13-14, 2025
        Cedar Hills Community Church

        Friday, June 13 – Evangelism Workshop

        If you ever wanted to explore ways to “think outside the box,” join us on Friday, June 13th to hear from Verlon Fosner. Verlon is the Founder and Director of the Dinner Church Collective (dinnerchurch.com) and is bringing the gospel to the people of Seattle and beyond with new approaches to reach small, medium and large communities.  You won’t want to miss this.  The first session will focus on the role of pastors and church staff, we’ll have dinner then the next session will focus on pastors, lay leaders and members and how they can make a difference in outreach.

        • 2:00pm-5:00pm – Training
          “          Seeing, Reaching, and Communicating with the unengaged” with Verlon Fosner, for pastors and staff.
        • 5:00pm – 30-minute break
        • 5:30pm – Meal
        • 6:30pm- 9:00pm – Training
          “Leadership and Outreach” with Verlon Fosner for all leaders.

        Saturday, June 14 – Annual meeting

        Child care available! Please indicate need on your registration form.

        8:00am-9:00am – CHECK-IN/BREAKFAST

        • Check-in
        • Continental Breakfast, and Fellowship.
        • Registration Open

        9:00am-9:30am – WELCOME

        • Welcome to UMV
        • Worship
        • Devotion

        9:30am-10:15am – KEYNOTE SPEAKER

        • Greg Alderman, Alliance of Reformed Churches

        10:30am-11:25am
        BREAKOUT Session #1

        • A.I. and Ministry (Chuck Huckaby) Empowering Outreach, Operations, and Weekly Worship without Selling Your Soul!
          Discover how local churches in and outside the ARC are using AI tools to enhance their outreach, streamline office work, and multiply the effectiveness of their discipleship efforts. Get your AI questions answered! * Orange Room
        • Reaching the Next Generation (Steve Poole and Frankline Tshombe) Learn tools and practices to reach the next generation. * Red Room
        • Evangelism for Non-Evangelists (Ben Ingebretson) Because engagement precedes evangelism, this session will focus on introducing a wide range of evangelism methods. Transferrable, field-tested approaches relevant for all churches. * Teal Room

        11:30am-12:00am – Business Meeting

        • Alliance Update
        • Budget Review
        • Update on Board Members and Election
        • Five-year Review

        12:00pm-1:00pm – Catered Lunch

        1:00pm-1:50pm
        BREAKOUT  Session #2

        • Dinner Church (Verlon Fosner and Scott Stephan) Discover a practical tool to reach your community and discuss its implementation with practitioners who have seen its fruitfulness. *Orange Room
        • Four Fields (Thomas Cellilli and E3 Partners) Explore an evangelism framework to engage in outreach with experienced leaders. *Red Room
        • Discipleship Pathway (Ben Ingebretson) Look at models and methods for discipleship that will re-ignite the priority of discipleship.  A crisis in discipleship usually precedes a crisis in ministry – come discover why. * Teal Room

        2:00pm-2:15pm – Closing Thoughts and Prayer

        PRESENTERS

        Ben Ingebretson is the Director of Church Multiplication and Vitality at CORAM DEO. He is husband to Karen, father to three adult kids and their families, and lives in Grand Rapids, MI. Since college and seminary days in Minnesota and Scotland (Bethel St. Paul and then University of Aberdeen) he has been a bi-vo church planter, pastor of a multiplying church and served as new church development director with two denominations: the Reformed Church in America  and the United Methodist church).

        Over those years he has taken part in the development of over 200 new churches in rural, urban, suburban and multi-ethnic contexts. Ben has published several books: Parent Church Landmines, Multiplication Moves, and most recently Plant Like Jesus, the church planters devotional. In his down time he loves to tandem bike with his wife, hang out with his growing family and sail the Great Lakes!


        Verlon Fosner         is the Director of Dinner Church Collective. Verlon and Melodee Fosner have been in church leadership for 44 years in Seattle, Washington. After several years in their tenure as lead pastors the church went into decline and they faced a decision: move to the suburbs or become an urban church. After much prayer, the leadership felt called to not only stay, but to dive further into the urban neighborhoods of Seattle.

        What began as a single urban church plant quickly grew into a multi-site Dinner Church, and then expanded into a national Dinner Church Network. Then in 2016, Verlon and Melodee joined the Fresh Expressions team to lead the Dinner Church Collective.


        Greg Alderman         serves as the Executive Director for the Alliance of Reformed Churches. Greg was born and raised in Southern California and is a lifelong Dodgers fan. He received his BA from UCLA and M. Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to joining the staff at the Alliance, Greg served for 8.5 years as Lead Pastor at Centerpoint Church in Sioux Center, IA and 15.5 years as Senior Pastor at Christ Community in Carmichael, CA. After his time serving at Christ Community, Greg founded a non-profit, One Voice Board, in July 2022 to help churches and other non-profits in board governance at no cost.

        Since 2022, Greg has served as an interim pastor at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church and then at First Reformed Church in Orange City, IA. Greg lives in Denton, TX with his wife Veronica. Together, they have four adult children and four grandchildren.

        OTHER PRESENTERS

        • Ron Fischer, UMV Network Leader
        • Kent Landhuis, Pastor of Teaching & Leadership, Cedar Hills Community
        • Steve Poole – Pastor of Youth & Young Adults, Cedar Hills Community
        • Frankline Tshombe, Director of Children’s Church, Cedar Hills Community
        • Scott Stephan, Senior Pastor, CrossView Church
        • Thomas Cellilli, Lead Pastor, New Life Community, IA
        • Chuck Huckaby, Lead Pastor, First Reformed Fulton
        • Leah Carolan, Worship Pastor, Cedar Hills Community

        RSVP NOW

        HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

        We have reserved a block of 10 rooms at Tru by Hilton Hotel, which is a short drive from the church. The group rate is $135.
        Booking Link – Cedar Hills – 6/13 – 6/14
        Check-in is at 3 pm Friday.  Check-out is at 11 am Saturday.
        This block will be available until May 14th at 12am.