Category Archives: Transform the Corridor

Cedar Chips, News, Transform the Corridor

Dream Again

At our most recent classis meeting, one of the speakers asked the question, “What are you dreaming about?” The question grabbed my attention because I was just starting to slip into a daydream. Was he reading my mind? Was I busted? What are you dreaming about?

The question was really asking about passion and calling. What is the dream that excites you, engages your imagination, and energizes you to take action? Do you dream about strengthening your marriage? Becoming a better parent? Getting healthy? Making more money? Learning a new skill? Climbing the ladder of success?

Do you dream about helping others? Visiting the lonely? Caring for the sick? Helping those who lack resources? Reaching out to those who do not know Jesus? Loving our neighbors? Transforming our community?

Do you dream about solving a problem? Conquering addictions? Solving poverty? Ending abuse and injustice? Stopping slavery and human trafficking? Resolving conflict and violence? Overcoming corruption and exploitation? Do you dream about growing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control?

What do you dream about? Do you have a personal dream that excites you or a bigger dream—a global dream—that energizes you? The speaker at classis said, “Everyone needs a dream.”

As a congregation we are developing a dream. You might say that we are dreaming again about making a difference in our homes, our neighborhoods, and the entire corridor. We are dreaming about transformation. This is a passion and a calling. That excites me. Does it excite you?

The Lord be with you,
Pastor Kent

Cedar Chips, News, Transform the Corridor

Only One Life

from http://followingthecalm.blogspot.com/

One of our “senior saints” shared this rhyme with me recently. It’s a motto that has determined his priorities through many busy years. He’s retired now, and not strong physically any more, but he’s still living his life, every day, for Christ. When our care team takes communion to his home, we recite the rhyme together like a creed.

And it’s made me think a lot about my own life. Each of us has the same twenty-four hours each day, seven days a week. I’ve been given just one life to live. And God made me for the purpose of centering that one life around Him. If I try to build my life around me at the center, that is no life at all, at least no life of significance.

Jesus said, “If you try to keep your life for yourself you will lose it, but if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.” Living our lives as the family of God, in loving service to others, is the life we were made for. That is truly life. In fact, it’s the beginning of eternal life.

“Only one life . . . .” Take a moment right now to say the little creed out loud. “Only what’s done for Christ . . . .” Keep it in your heart today, and Christ will transform all your hours, days, weeks and years to be a stream of love that will last forever.

God bless you!
Alan Crandall
Pastor of Care


Cedar Chips, News, Transform the Corridor

September Sermon Topics

A Vocabulary of Transformation

We pray that God will use us to transform the corridor. As God grows us to be agents of trans-formation we will develop the gospel in the eve-ryday stuff of life. Come explore the vocabulary of our faith so that every man, women, and child in the corridor has a daily encounter with Jesus in word and deed!
Sept 2: Gospel Community
Sept 9: Gospel Fluency
Sept 16: Gospel Transformation
Sept 23: Gospel Glory
Sept 30: Gospel Identity
Sunday Morning Services: 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM
Family and Children Ministry, Marriage and Family, News, Saturate, Transform the Corridor

Family Adventure – New for 2018!

We’re so excited to announce our new programming, called Family Adventure. Its goal is to equip families to be modelers of a gospel-centered life. The event will be held on the 4th Sunday of every month, 5:30pm-7pm with dinner 5:30pm-6pm. The night will be filled with Jesus, fun and fellowship!

Family discipleship is of the utmost importance to us, and we hope and desire that every child would be accompanied by a parent, guardian or adult family member. Family Adventure is about having an experience that children and adults alike can share in together. We hope to see you there!  Register.

Cedar Chips, Fall Kick-Off, Music, News, Transform the Corridor, Worship

Kick-Off Worship Jam

All musicians and singers are invited to take place in the Fall Kick-Off worship service Sunday, August 19. The first service choir will gather at 8 AM to sing at the 8:30am service. All singers and instruments are invited to the kick-off worship jam team that will lead the music at the 11 AM service. Practice for the jam is Wednesday, August 15 at 6:30 PM. Please pre-register for the Jam.

Cedar Chips, Fall Kick-Off, News, Transform the Corridor, Worship

No Fear—You Are Empowered

I love the theme and vision we have for the coming year of ministry: Transform the Corridor.

When our cities are transformed, everyone benefits! (Jer. 29:7). And what we often fail to realize is the great transformation taking place inside of us through the power of the Holy Spirit is a transformation that spills into our every day lives. We are literally little walking balls of transformational light and we carry this power wherever we go.

This is no fear needed. The power of the Holy Spirit inside us gives us everything we need for this calling. As a church, we believe God has uniquely called each one of us to some place specific this year where our empowerment by the Holy Spirit will be super evident. In this specific place He calls you, you are an agent of transformation.

You have the great potential to get to know people, to listen to their stories, to jump to their aid when they need you, to build relationships beyond a ‘hello’, and to share the Gospel. And to share it in unique and awesome ways that are already built into your specific personality and wiring.

Again I say, there is no fear needed in this journey. You are empowered! You are called! And you have all the right tools built within you. The simple beauty of this task is that it is not another thing to do, but instead, a change of focus from just being present to being intentional—to not just being a person present, but being an empowered follower of Christ.

Ask yourself — where can I live out the Gospel this year? How will that change my daily interactions there? What little steps can turn into big transformation? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, that’s okay! We’ll be teaching on this transformation with specific steps on how to put this all into action. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will Transform the Corridor.

Leah Carolan
Director of Worship & Media

Cedar Chips, News, Transform the Corridor

Transforming the Corridor

In the book of Acts, we saw how God transformed the world through disciples of Jesus who relied on the power of the Holy Spirit and followed the leading of the Spirit in their communities. This fall we want to apply these lessons on transformation to our communities.

Where is God calling you to follow the Spirit in bringing transformation?

July 29: The Ongoing Mission of God
Aug 5: Jesus Goes Everywhere
Aug 12: Jesus Loves Us (Open House & Brunch)
Aug 19: Jesus is Better (Kick-Off Sunday)
Aug 26: Jesus Defines Us
Sept 2: Jesus and Mission

Sunday Morning Services: 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM

Cedar Chips, News, Transform the Corridor

Back to Basics – Cedar Chips

Last month I asked, “If God decided to thoroughly and dramatically change something or someone in the Cedar Valley Corridor in which we live—what kind of change would God bring?”

What is your answer? What transformation would you like to see God bring?

I have lots of answers, but right this moment I am thinking about the transformation that comes when disciples of Jesus reach out with the love of Jesus to make another disciple. This might be a first-time commitment to follow Jesus or a disciple who is ready to grow deeper. Any growth that moves someone closer to Jesus, geeks me out.

This vision of transformation is actually back to the basics of why we do ministry. Our vision for ministry is to make disciples who make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. We are called to “go make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20) and whenever that happens, I am thrilled. Here are some more basics of our vision that you might inspire us to press into the transformation that God wants to bring.

Basic Identity: WHO we are One church. Many places. Following Jesus.
 We are one church, a people loved by God (Luke 15)
 We exist in many places to share the love of God everywhere we go. (John 3:16)
 We follow Jesus in the everyday stuff of life. (Luke 9:23)

Basic Value: Our compelling WHY Because God loves us, we love.
 We Love God Deeply.
 We Love Ourselves Properly.
 We Love Our Neighbors Boldly.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37).

Basic Calling: WHAT we do We make disciples who make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. (Matthew 4:18-20)
 Seek
 Love
 Grow
 Serve

Basic Strategy: the HOW
Large group celebrations (Corporate Worship) that gather us to give life. Small groups and Missional Communities that go out to spread life. Celebrations shape people through gospel-centered worship. Small groups create safe places for relational connection and missional expression. Life transformation and vitality emerge when disciples are connected in both small and large groups – breathing in and out. (Acts 20:20-21, MSG)

Go Make Disciples,
Pastor Kent

Cedar Chips, News, Saturate, Transform the Corridor

Did you know?


“In a city of less than 130,000, such low rates of reading and believing the Bible perplex many observers. It defies the expected connection between religiosity and middle-class values. Cedar Rapids is known as a good place to live and grow up, as evidenced by two national accolades it earned in 2016: the best place to raise children, and one of the best affordable cities… Cedar Rapids looks more like a post-Christian coastal city than the outdated stereotype of Middle America. It has a high percentage of religious “nones”; nearly half (47%) of the adults in Linn County…identified as such in 2010. That’s comparable to Manhattan’s New York County (56% nones), Los Angeles County (47% nones), and Chicago’s Cook County (40% nones).” from “The Curious Case of Cedar Rapids” at www.thegospelcoalition.org

Are you ready to change this? To saturate our city and the corridor with the good news of Jesus until every man, women and child is digging into their Bibles on a daily basis, loving the Word, believing the Word, and choosing to follow Jesus? I believe it is possible and it will start with us. This Fall we are choosing to invest time and love into
those places we already are: work, schools, clubs, programs – until the Gospel of Jesus is known.

~ Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Cedar Chips, News, Saturate, Transform the Corridor

Transform

According to the dictionary, transform means to make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of something, some place or someone.

If I ask you to think about our world, can you think of anything, place, or person who needs a thorough dramatic change?

What about a dramatic change in your neighborhood?
Dramatic change in your home?

If I can name some things ripe for dramatic change: weeds and gnats. I could stand for a lot fewer of both. And  also, a lot less violence, poverty, abuse, suffering, prejudice, injustice, sickness, and hatred. And don’t get me started on the need to transform access to good education, clean water, affordable housing, adequate nutrition, decent jobs, and quality healthcare.

When you imagine a world thoroughly and dramatically changed, what kind of world do you imagine?

Ever imagine a world covered by the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea? (Habakkuk 2:14) A world where everyone enjoys life abundantly? (John 10:10) A world overflowing with forgiveness and reconciliation?
(2 Corinthians 5:18-19) A world with a multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language united as one? (Revelation 7:9) A world with more joy? (Philippians 4:4) I would love a world with fewer gnats and more joy. That would be great!

Put your thinking caps on. In about one month we are going to launch a year-long conversation about the kinds of transformation that God desires for our neighborhoods. If God decided to thoroughly and dramatically change something or someone in the Cedar Valley Corridor in which we live – what kind of change would God bring?

You think and pray about this and I will ask for your answer next month.

The Lord be with You,
Pastor Kent