Real Church
Yesterday somebody shared a silver lining he experienced in his pandemic quarantine. The losses he felt created a deeper appreciation for the things lost. He now enjoys getting out for a cup of coffee, meeting up with friends, connecting with co-workers even more. He said, “Digital connection bridged a gap but there is no replacing the real thing.”
This struck me because earlier in the day I started to read the book Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age. The author, Jay Kim, expresses the idea better than I could: “True human connection is fueled by empathy – the God-given ability to step into another’s shoes and open ourselves to another’s story, not to compare and contrast, but to be overwhelmed by compassion to ‘rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn’ (Romans 12:15). This requires patience, depth, and the risk of stepping into real community with real people and their real lives in real time and in real space.”
“At their best, social media and other digital spaces can be wonderful initiating spaces that lead to true human connection, but they can never become home for those connections. They’ll always fall short and leave us wanting. When I Facetime with my wife and kids (our digital gathering space when I’m away) it’s a wonderful benefit of technology – but ultimately it only makes me eager to get home and give them real hugs. That’s digital at its best – increasing our appetite for the real thing.”
My prayer for 2021 is that we will all grow in our appetite for real connection, with real people, in their real lives, in real time, and in real space. Real church.
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
The other day my socks had a hole in them. But I didn’t care, because it was not bothersome to me. They were a pair of my favorite bright and colorful striped socks. I was content with the holes. No big deal, right?
Leah Carolan
I have a God that loves me, shown through a community that cares. At Cedar Hills, we are the kind of people that care. Others were able to reach out and take hold of my hands (as the body of Christ) when it felt like the waves would overwhelm me. Thank you for the grace and bits of encouragement that were offered throughout my year. Whether you know it or not, each encouraging breath uttered was like a nudge back towards health.
Lindsey Ungs
Our student numbers are down this year, but we are doing everything we can to keep the doors open. One way you can help Noah’s Ark is with our quarterly Blood Drive. When we get 20 blood donors, we receive a stipend that we can use to purchase cleaning products. As you can guess, we go through cleaning products quickly these days. The Blood Drive is November 17. Due to COVID-19, you must make a scheduled appointment. You can go online at: 
Kris Crowther
Dare2Share LIVE is an international youth event focused on training teenagers in evangelism and discipleship. The core of their strategy first is to make sure that teens know and understand the essentials of the gospel so that they can share it clearly. Please, ask one of our teens who attended what G.O.S.P.E.L. stands for!
Once students know the gospel, Dare2Share strategy continues with Prayer, Care, Share. Pray for your unsaved friends and family. Show the power of the gospel by caring for others well. Finally, boldly have gospel conversations.
Along with training this past weekend, October 10-11, our group CARED for our community well by distributing free produce to our neighbors on D Ave, and cleaning the ditches along E Ave. We didn’t find “everything and the kitchen sink” in those ditches, it was a bathroom sink! 🙂
Steve Poole
Gary Sager
Leah Carolan