Category Archives: Family and Children Ministry

Cedar Chips, Family and Children Ministry, Just Love, Youth

Journey – June Update

Journey Student Ministry

Just because it is summer, doesn’t mean the Journey Student Ministry takes a break. Make sure your students are a part of these events and that you are praying for the ministry this summer.

  • June 2 – Regular youth night with café – 5:30-8 pm.
  • June 9 – Service Night at the Church – come ready to serve from 6-8 pm.
  • June 16 – Kernel’s Game – Please RSVP by Wed, June 12 to the church office.
  • June 17-22 – Lead the Cause Trip to Chicago.
  • June 23 and 30—off.
  • July 7 – Outdoor Games and Movie Night.
  • July 14 – Help at VBS – Call Kyle and tell him you want to volunteer (319) 777-4980.
  • July 21 – Regular youth night with café – 5:30-8.
  • July 28, August 4, and 11—off.
  • August 18 – Fall Kick-off!

Jeremy Van Genderen
Director of Youth and Young Adults

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

Noah’s Ark – May 2019

Noah’s Ark Preschool

What a wonderful year we have 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 good bye is always hard, but they are ready to fly beyond the Noah’s Ark nest. We are very honored to be able to serve the community now for 50 years!

I have truly enjoyed my time at Noah’s Ark and I am excited to see what God has planned for me! My last day will be May 24. I want to thank God, my family, this church, the staff, and the preschool families for their support throughout my leadership God has given me the strength to do things that I thought I couldn’t do. I will always cherish my time serving my church and my community.

Please continue to pray for the Noah’s Ark ministry and welcome Kris Crowther as the new Director. Enrollment is ongoing for our 2019-2020 school year. Please contact us by email: office@noahsarkcr.org or call 319-396-3125.

Leslie
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

Cedar Chips, Family Adventure, Family and Children Ministry, News

Family & Children Ministry – May 2019


It is hard to believe that we are already coming up to the end of the school year and we do not have too much longer to go before the summer!

With the warmer weather comes a variety of trips and likely an uptick of things demanding your family’s time. While your down time may be shorter, it doesn’t mean that discipling your family has to be minimized. Consider some of
these simple ideas for ways in which you can keep the gospel at the heart of everything you do.

Do you and/or your child’s school have a summer reading list for your child?

1. Consider reading the books your child is reading. Are there gospel talking points? (Ex: Harry Potter—Good and evil? Prophetic hero against brutally dark forces?)

2. Perhaps a biography is more up their alley. Consider a biography by someone who exemplifies characteristics and values that you envision for your child.

A great reminder from Hebrews 12:1-2, “ …and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…“

Kyle French
Director of Family and Children Ministry

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

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

Cross Training/Sunday School, Family and Children Ministry, Marriage and Family, News, VBS, Worship

Kids and Easter… Everything you need to know

We’re so excited for Easter! It’s a BIG Sunday around here for sure.  We know that sometimes when you’re visiting a new place, there are the extra details of “What do I do with my kids?” and “What should I expect?” and the anxiety of the unknown. Hopefully this will answer some of your questions!

FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

There is plenty of space in the back of the Worship Center for car seats, strollers, and rocking babes in arms.  We have tables and chairs around the back of the Worship Center that are nice spread out on – these are a favorite of many families so arrive early if you want to claim a table! 🙂  An audio feed of the service will be running in the Gathering Space (our lobby area) — we do ask you to be sensitive to others in the service and exit the Worship Center if your child is crying or making a lot of noise.  Changing tables are available in the handicap stall of both the women’s and men’s restrooms as well as the nursery.  Extra diapers and supplies are available in the nursery if you need them.  There is a child-size toilet in the nursery for the young ones who are potty training.

AGES 0-2

A nursery is available for children ages 0-2yrs at all three Easter services.  The nursery is not staffed, but parents are always welcome to step out of the services and sit with their child in the nursery.

AGES 3YRS – 3RD GRADE

At 8:30am and 9:45am, there is a special time in the worship services called “the Children’s Message” where the children are invited to the front of the stage for a short age-appropriate message, prayer, and a special gift bag. They are then dismissed back to their parents for the remainder of the service.

At the 11am service, children ages 3 years to 3rd grade are invited to attend a special time of worship called “Explorers”. Children begin in the large service with their families. After the opening worship songs, the children are dismissed to room 135 to attend a special time of worship created for them.  Volunteers walk the children back to the room, but parents are always welcome to tag along to see the room or help their child feel more comfortable.  The children are then picked up in that same room following the conclusion of the service.

Sunday School

There is no Sunday School on Easter Sunday.  On regular Sundays, classes for all ages run from 9:45-10:45, as well as the nursery for ages 0-2yrs.

Family & Children Ministry

To learn more about our ministries for families and children, visit here.

We Love Kids

Our church is laid back enough that we’re not bothered by children! They are just as much a part of the Body of Christ as adults. If they want to dance during the worship, let them dance! If you need to go in and out of the service to attend to them, that’s okay! We’re used to it! No big deal.   We just want you go be comfortable and able to parent your kids however you feel you need to.

VBS

This summer we have an exciting VBS (Vacation Bible School) program planned for July 14-18. VBS is for kids ages 3 to 5th grade. Learn more here.

Questions?

Ask away!

Cedar Chips, Family Adventure, Family and Children Ministry, News

Children & Family Ministry March 2019

For March, the Family and Children’s Ministry will be focusing on the concept of creativity! We will be looking at everything that is all around us to see how beautiful and wonderful God’s creation is. He is the ultimate Creator who has made everything all around us, from absolutely nothing. Remarkably by design, God has created mankind to be special in the ways in which we are able to create, and the cognitive abilities to be able to process remarkable amounts of information and feelings.

So, no matter if we are a gifted musician or a math whiz, we have all been given the ability to create! Not only are humans able to create, we have been given a purpose by God to do so. It is not by mistake that you desire to create, you have been given everything by God through His careful and thoughtful design.

Kyle French
Director of Family and Children’s Ministry

Cedar Chips, Family and Children Ministry, Music, News, Worship

Bible Memory Songs (They Ain’t Just for Kids)

Bible Memory Songs (They Ain’t Just for Kids!)

If you grew up attending a church and Sunday School, most likely your childhood included lots of fun and silly songs on various biblical themes.
Many of these were Scripture verses, whether you knew it or not! But then something happened— and suddenly silly Bible songs weren’t cool anymore. As teenagers and adults, we moved on to more sophisticated things, songs, hymns, and the memorization of Scripture is something very few of us do. And if we do, it’s not usually in the form of silly songs. We have to repeat it out loud, over and over, and do it the “grown up” way. This works for some… this sounds like a chore to the rest of us.

That was me until about six months ago when my oldest child started Kindergarten. Part of the curriculum is memorizing a verse every week that corresponds with the alphabet. Being the cool worship-leading-mom that I am, we starting singing the verses at home for fun. This led down a path of setting the entire alphabet of Scripture to
music and turning it into a full album.

And you know what? It was EASY to remember Scripture! So easy, that I’m convinced these silly songs should not be reserved for kids—these are for all of us. So I talked to our Family & Children Ministry staff and put together a plan to write songs for our Cedar Hills kids to memorize their Scripture, too. We’ve occasionally added these to our worship service—have you noticed??

I can proudly say I’m up to 30 verses memorized because of these silly songs. That’s 30 more verses than I’ve memorized in my entire adulthood.
Ready to learn your Scripture passages to heart? Click to listen to the ABC Bible Verse album.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media