Category Archives: Missions Team

Advent, Christmas, Missions Team, News, Volunteers Needed

Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army

Only two shifts left to fill!

The 7-8pm shift is open at both locations!
See link to online sign-up below.

 

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGERS – Over the next six weeks, Salvation Army will work to raise more than half its operating budget for the upcoming year. These funds will show the love of Jesus through feeding the hungry, keeping families in their homes and providing critical youth services. Cedar Hills has a long history of supporting the Salvation Army’s ministry in Linn County.

Again this year, you can help by taking a bell ringing shift.

This year, we’re ringing the bells at the Johnson Ave Hy-Vee and 16th Avenue Fareway from 10am to 8pm on Saturday, December 4.  You can sign up today or next Sunday in the Gathering Space, or go to RegisterToRing.com and search for the group code “CHCC” to signup online. If that date doesn’t work, reach out to Scott Drzycimski (319-540-2356) to get a time slot that works for you.

Pro tip: This is a great way for your small group to serve together.

Missions Team, News

CRU Testimony Event – Friday 7pm

One of the ministries we support is CRU and Katie Smith down at the U of I. They have a great virtual even this Friday at 7pm “Together For Iowa”.
This will be half an hour of getting to hear from several students at Iowa and Iowa State about how God is working in their lives, which is encouraging to hear! They will share some ways about how we can work together to impact the lives of more students in Iowa.
RSVP here to receive the link: https://bit.ly/3pTD8SP
We are excited to hear how Cedar Hills’ partnership with CRU continues to impact the lives of students and people across Iowa with the gospel!
Advent, COVID-19, Holiday, Missions Team, Volunteers Needed

Salvation Army Bell Ringers

SIGN-UP NOW

Saturday, Dec. 5 is the Cedar Hills Day at the Kettle!  Each year, our church covers a day of bell ringing for the Salvation Army Red Kettle fundraiser.  This year we will be at both the Johnson Ave Hy-Vee and the the 16th Ave Fareway stores.

Sign up online for a two-hour shift today.  Times begin at 10am. Due to COVID-19, only two bell ringers can be present at at time.

SIGN-UP NOW

Family and Children Ministry, Journey, Marriage and Family, Missions Team, News

Lake View Camp Update

Lake View Camp is one of the ministries we support as a church. We send many kids and families to camp each summer. Here is their latest update letter:

Despite cancelling our regular summer camps due to COVID-19, over 200 people (kids, parents, grandparents, and friends) took advantage of our “Spend a Day at Camp'” opportunity this summer. All enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation, learned how they can see 20/20 with God, and made many camp memories! As we look to fall/winter, we are exploring possibilities to safely provide some fun camp activities for those interested.

We are excited to announce that earth moving equipment will be arriving soon to begin site work for Phase 1. We are looking forward to taking this next step in our camping ministry! Striving to live within our means, the board has decided to start work only on the new Lodge (includes dining, kitchen, gathering area) and the necessary infrastructure and to hold off on our large, multi-story cabin units until more funds are received. Instead, we will be building 3 to 4 stand alone cabins with restroom/shower facilities.

These buildings will be built by skilled, volunteer labor (let us know if you can help!). A separate fund has been established for this and if you would like to contribute, please designate “cabin fund” on your contribution. $40,000 has been contributed to this fund so far, primarily from former campers and counselors who remain passionate about the power of camp. If you would
like to make a donation in honor of a camp counselor or Sunday school teacher who made a significant impact on your life (or your child’s life), we would love to hear about it when you send your donation! If you prefer giving to the new Lodge, those donations would be welcome and appreciated as well. Please indicate your desire by writing “capital campaign” on those gifts.

If you would like more information, please feel free to contact Lake View Camp’s director, Diana Brummel, at 641-628-2160, or board members Bob and Dort Kampman (Kesley) at 319-830-8958 or Lance and Lindy Ibeling (Parkersburg) at 319-883-1264. Also, we would love to have you visit Lake View camp this fall to see this beautiful piece of property God has entrusted
to our care. Give us a call or visit lakeviewconference.com!

Missions Team, News

Blueberry Blitz Fundraiser

We have a unique opportunity to support one of our missions – Lake View Camp – with a blueberry fundraiser! Print ORDER FORM now. (Make checks out to Lake View Camp)

Lake View will be selling FRESH Michigan blueberries! A friend of Lake View Camp has offered to provide us with as many fresh Michigan blueberries as we can sell, delivered straight from his family’s 4th generation farm. Over the past decade, blueberries have been called the miracle fruit for their outstanding source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, manganese, and antioxidant properties—the things that fight against the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s.

We here at Lake View Camp know a thing or two about miracles (though of a different sort of course!) and see this partnership between the miracle fruit and a camp where God’s miracles happen every day as a special opportunity to raise some much needed funds. So, join in our BLUEBERRY BLITZ! and help our ministry stay as healthy for our campers as these miracle berries will keep your body and mind.

*Berries will be delivered to Cedar Rapids on Saturday, July 18 and be available to pickup at Steve and Cathy Poole’s house.  Make checks out to Lake View Camp.

ORDER FORM
Payment due upon ordering. Return order form and payment to the church office by July 13.

Bright Spot, Journey, Missions Team, News, Youth

Open the Door to Jesus Everyday

Last weekend, 30+ middle school students went on retreat on the new Lake View Camp & Conference Center property near Pella, Iowa.  Students were challenged in their faith and encouraged to “open the door to Jesus everyday.”

We are so blessed as a church to be able to send our students to these faith-deepening weekends.  Thank you to the many who support our youth through volunteering, prayer, and financially. We truly believe we are raising up the next generation of believers at Cedar Hills and creating disciples who make disciples.

We have a great partnership with.  Lake View is one of the missions we support as a church and a number of families in our congregation attend camps in the summer with Lake View.  Camp themes range from grandparent/grandchild camp, day camp, Survivor themed camps, and work trips. When Spring comes, we’ll receive a full schedule of Lake View’s 2020 camping program (and we often offer a discount for church members!)

Annual Report, Cedar Chips, Missions Team, News

Missions Team – Annual Report

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

We are the kind of people who reach out. We live in the middle of a large and growing mission field in Eastern Iowa known as the corridor. Every one of us has a call to bring transformation to the corridor by sharing the gospel in word and deed.

We also reach out through partnerships with local and regional ministries like Open Hands Food Pantry, Matthew 25, Safe Families for Children, Family Promise of Linn County, Bridgehaven, Mission of Hope, Salvation Army, Power of Women and Children, Geneva Ministries, Cru (Katie Smith), Lakeview Camps, and the Gideons.

We reach out globally through partnerships with individuals and organizations that spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. We support Linda Deboer and Chinese Family Fellowship (International Student Ministry), Beth Larson reaching the Czech Republic (church planting), John and Becky Leverington in Turkey (Olive Tree Counseling), Jeremy and Susan Beebout in Niger, Africa (RCA missionaries ), Andy Smothers in Bahrain (RCA missionary), Words of Hope (Radio Broadcast), Blessman Ministries in South Africa (Days For Girls).

Thank you for your support and participation in 2019. Your giving allows us to continue our mission of outreach locally and globally.

Pastor Kent & Missions Team

Cedar Chips, Missions Team, News

Love in Any Language

Love in Any Language

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)

Bright Spot, Cedar Chips, Days for Girls, Missions Team, News

Mission Team – 2018 Report

Our mission is to fulfill the Acts 1:8 calling that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us so that we will be witnesses here and around the world! This verse gives us our purpose. Our strategy is to love Cedar Rapids and the world. We carry out our strategy by praying and asking God to grow a love for people in Cedar Rapids and around the world. We do this by inspiring awareness of God’s work locally and globally, sending people out in response to God’s call to reach out, and supporting missions here and around the world.

Because of your support in 2018, Katie Smith reached out to students at the University of Iowa and Linda DeBoer reached Chinese students studying in Michigan. We partnered with Matthew 25 to support refugee farmers and we repaired homes during Transform Week. We continued our partnership with Safe Families and started a partnership with Family Promise. We fed hundreds of men, women and children through the Open Hands Food Pantry. We reached around the globe into Niger (Jeremy and Susan Beabout), Papua New Guinea (Gary and Denise Abbas), The Czech Republic (Beth Larson), and Turkey (John and Becky Leverington).  We served women and girls in Africa through Days for Girls.

Your generous support made a difference here and around the world.

These are some of the ways we are the hands and feet of Jesus fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to go and make disciples of all nations!

Pastor Kent & Missions Team