Category Archives: Holiday

Cedar Chips, Holiday, Just Love, News, Worship

Post-Christmas Slumps

The glitz and glam is over.
The warm fuzzies have reset
back into a reality of cold winter weather.

There are no more lights.
No more sparkly tinsel decorations.
The days are short.
No holiday music.
And the manger is emptied
and put away for another year.

Your wallet may be slimmer.
And time with family and friends
may have been a little stressful
and not of the Hallmark Channel quality.

What do we do now?
Where do we
go from here?
A King
has been born.
And His parents
have escaped with Him
to Egypt.

They’ll eventually return to their home.
He’ll learn the ways of a carpenter.
Soon, He will stay behind in the temple
And cause His parents to worry.
The leaders will be amazed
At His understanding of the Scriptures.

“Who is this boy?” they will ask.
“Isn’t He just a carpenter’s son?”
He will teach the ways of love.
Love that is so different, so controversial,
They’ll kill him.

They do not want to hear the way of love.
They want to leave things just as they are,
Their religious practices, their hierarchy.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Family and Children Ministry, Holiday, News, Worship

Thanksgiving Eve Service

Join us for Thanksgiving Eve worship, Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 6:30pm.  This service is lighthearted and family friendly! It takes place in the Gathering Space – lots of room for the little ones to move and make noise. 🙂

We’ll be creating a thankfulness craft, worshipping, celebrating the Lord’s Supper and sharing a fruit salad. Bring a piece of fruit (precut, please) or berries to share in the salad.

The nursery will be available for families to use but not staffed. An audio feed of the service will be playing in the nursery.

This is one of our favorite services of the year.  In this season of thanks, come and give thanks to the One who created all things and holds all things together.

Bright Spot, Holiday, News, Transform the Corridor

Salvation Army Bell Ringers

Cedar Hills and Salvation Army are transforming the corridor – help us support our outreach partner by signing up for an hour of bell ringing on Cedar Hills day.

We’ll ring from 10a-8p on Saturday, December 8 at the Johnson Avenue HyVee.

**Update – we filled all our time slots for that day! If you’d like to ring on another day, use this bell-ringer signup on the Salvation Army website.

To view your scheduled time slot, our Dec. 8 schedule is available here.

Holiday, News, Transform the Corridor

Holiday Volunteer Guide

United Way Holiday Volunteer Guide

Are you looking for a  family or small group outing this Holiday season?  Why not try volunteering?  It’s a great way to help Transform The Corridor!  Click here to go to the United Way Holiday Volunteer Guide to find a volunteer opportunity.
The website has a ton of great ways to get involved. Some examples of ways you can volunteer this holiday season:

Family Volunteer Day

Adopt a Family

Family and Children Ministry, Holiday, News

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child

Want to help transform the life of a child, all over the world?

Since 1993, Samaritan’s Purse has partnered with local churches around the world to deliver 157 million Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to children in need in 160 countries. The boxes are packed full of fun toys, school supplies, and hygiene items. Each box will be sent with prayer that the child who receives it will experience God’s love through their simple gifts. If you’d like to help, grab a shoe box from home, or grab one in the Gathering Space at Cedar Hills.  Fill it and return to the church by Sunday, Nov. 11.

This has been a great tradition at Cedar Hills and boxes go fast! If you have a shoe box at home to use, that would help us out.  Information and fliers will be available to help you know how to best fill your box beginning Sunday, October 28.

More about Operation Christmas Child

Family and Children Ministry, Holiday, Journey, News

Dec. 17 Chili Cookoff Fundraiser

CHILI COOK-OFF

Calling all cooks and chili artisans! Bring a pot of your best and most delicious chilis to share.

On Sunday, Dec. 17 after the 2nd service, we’ll be sampling chilis of Cedar Hills’ best cooks.  Vote for your favorite chili by putting cash in the pot.  The proceeds of this fundraiser go towards youth events and trips.  To participate in the cook-off, indicate interest on the Sunday bulletin tear-off or contact Jeremy, Director of Youth & Young Adults. 

Want to bring a dessert? Let us know that as well.

There’s lots happening at Cedar Hills on December 17. Ugly sweaters, cook-off, children singing… read here for the full run down.

Holiday, News

The Holidays at Cedar Hills – 2017

Here are the events happening this month at Cedar Hills:

December 10

Staff Ugly Sweater Contest

The staff will be donning their ugly sweaters. Vote for your favorite by putting money in the red kettle. All proceeds will go to the Salvation Army and the winner announced Dec. 17.  Pictures of the staff in their sweaters will be on display beginning Dec. 3 in the Gathering Space.

December 17

Chili Cook-Off

After the 2nd service, we’ll be sampling chilis of Cedar Hills best cooks.  Vote for your favorite chili by putting cash in the pot.  The proceeds of this fundraiser go towards youth events and trips.  To participate in the cook-off, indicate interest on the bulletin tear-off or contact the office.  We’ll also be asking for desserts and sides to go along with the event.

Children’s Christmas Presentation

The children of All Stars for Jesus and Cross Training programs ages 3 to 5th grade will be singing a few songs in each of the services.

Ugly Sweater Sunday

Wear your ugly sweater to worship and we’ll celebrate the upcoming holiday with a little Cedar Hills’ fun.  If you have a child singing a song that day, be sure to have them wear their sweaters as well! We’ll be announcing the winner of the staff ugly sweater contest this day.

December 24

Christmas Eve – Morning

No Sunday morning services on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve – Afternoon/Evening

We will celebrate Christmas Eve at 3pm, 5pm and 7pm.  The Christmas Eve services are all identical.

December 31

New Year’s Eve

We will have regular Sunday morning worship services at 8:30am and 11am.

Holiday, Worship

Ugly Sweater Sunday

Are we really doing this? You bet we are!

Come Sunday, Dec. 17 wearing your best and ugliest Christmas sweater. Just a little fun with your Cedar Hills family during this Christmas season!

The best Christmas sweaters are often homemade… thing super glue, strings, fuzzy balls.  Be creative.  Google ‘ugly Christmas sweater’ for inspiration.

Stay after the services for a Chili Cook-off – the proceeds will go to the youth group. Contact the office to be a competitor or sign up in the church bulletin.