We have a tradition of one Sunday during Advent being JOY! Sunday – including wearing our favorite ugly sweaters and decking out in Christmas attire.  Plan ahead this year for Sunday, December 13 to don your favorite seasonal clothes. This is a fun and light-hearted Sunday that will surely bring you JOY!

Take a picture ahead of time and submit it here. We’d love to feature your sweaters on the screens next Sunday.

The staff are having a little competition to support the Salvation Army.  You can vote for your favorite staff homemade ugly sweater via the online red kettles funds below or in the Gathering Space Sunday mornings.

VOTE BELOW

• Kent – Teaching & Leadership
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsKent
• Steve – Youth & Young Adults
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsSteve
• Lindsey – Connection & Communication
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsLindsey
• Hailey – Nursery Ministry
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsHailey
  
• Cathy – Children’s Ministry
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsCathy
  
• Kris – Noah’s Ark Preschool
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsKris
  
• Jennifer – Office Manager
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsJennifer
  
• Gary – Care Ministry
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsGary
  
• Leah – Worship & Media
  https://donate.saheartland.org/CedarHillsLeah

Sunday, November 15, 6:30pm

“Many of us are not free because we have not confessed the sins that hold us captive, keeping us in bondage. Confession is the gateway to healing, the route to freedom… What is confession? Confession means [admitting] you have done something wrong, or [admitting] unwillingly that something is true.”

We are excited and humbled to be able to plan a service in which we come together before our Heavenly Father and experience the power and freedom that comes in the forgiveness of sin.   Together, we will identify sin by hearing what the Bible says, asking God to show us what we have done that fits in the category, writing in a personal prayer journal, and then pleading the blood of Jesus over those sins.

This service will be a safe place. You will not be asked to confess your sin out loud or with the group, but instead will find an atmosphere of prayer and worship to quietly come before the Father and let Him know your heart.

Because of the sensitive nature of some of the sin topics we’ll be covering, we will be offering a special service for children ages 3 to 5th grade in a separate space, as well as nursery care for ages 0-36 months. The Journey youth will be joining us this night as well in the main service.

Day of Prayer and Fasting – Sunday, October 25

Join Cedar Hills in praying for our nation.

When the survival of King Jehoshaphat’s nation was at stake and his people were in danger from their enemies, he called for a fast. The people sought the Lord and His help—and He delivered them. Today, our nation is at a critical juncture. We need to call out to God for His help, His intervention, and His mercy. It is only by His hand that America will survive and be able to thrive again. We have an election coming up with so much at stake—two vastly different directions for the future of this country. This not only affects us, but our children and our grandchildren.

Here is a great guide in the basics of fasting if this is a new thing for you.

“And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:3-4).

Followers of Jesus Christ are urged to fast and to pray for our nation SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25. Mark it on your calendars and prepare now. I hope individuals, families, and churches will join me in asking for the Lord’s help and for His will to be done in this critical election. Will you?

(day of fasting and prayer organized by Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. More information available here.)

Operation Christmas Child is a yearly event at Cedar Hills.  The concept is simple – fill a shoebox with fun toys, necessities like socks, and it gets shipped around the world to a child in need, including a beautiful message of God’s great love for them.

Put together your Operation Christmas Child box now!  Boxes will be available in the Gathering Space beginning Sunday, October 25. These go fast, but don’t worry! You do NOT need an official OCC shoebox to participate.  Directions for filling the box can be found on the box itself or at the website: https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/

Boxes need to be returned to the church by Sunday, November 15.  Another option is to build an online box at https://samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/ –  a new feature for 2020!

**These events have been cancelled**

Drive Thru Prayer Fridays, October 16 & 23, 5-8pm.

In need of prayer?

Drive through the Cedar Hills parking lot this Friday. You’ll find a prayer team waiting for you.  They’ll ask your prayer request(s), pray for you while you sit in your car, and send you on your way! Easy!

Spread the word to family and friends who could use a little encouragement in the form of prayer. All are welcome to this fun and COVID-19-friendly event.

Saturday, a group of students from our Journey youth attended the Dare 2 Share conference. Dare 2 Share has become the go-to teen evangelism training resource for youth leaders in the United States. It is a one-day evangelism training event that equips teenagers to start a gospel revolution in their own communities.

At LIVE, thousands of students are trained to pray, serve others, and share their faith—all at the exact same time. Inspired and trained in the morning, attendees then go out and serve their local communities, sharing the gospel with their neighbors and participating in a simultaneous, nationwide gospel movement.

God is moving among the heart of the young. We are excited to see the continued work He is doing in the lives of our middle school and high school Journey students.

Sunday evening, the servant hearts of our Journey students were on display as they spent their time together picking up trash and garbage along E Avenue.  They had some fun, also!  Playing 4square by the light of the cars.

The Coffee Shop Returns!

Our Coffee Shop is planning to reopen Oct 18, but we need more volunteers to continue for the weeks ahead. Please email Jennifer using the form below or text Jon at 319-721-2447 if you are interested in helping.  New trainees will sign up to shadow other volunteers for a week for their training.  We’ll teach you everything you need to know!

Call for Nominations

Each year we nominate individuals of our congregation for positions of leadership. We believe that leaders are called to serve and our members are a key part of the discernment process in determining who that will be.

Please nominate any member, 21 years of age or older, whom you feel is gifted to provide leadership as an Elder or Deacon. Elders and Deacons provide for the spiritual care and oversight of the congregation and serve together with the pastors on the Consistory, the governing board of our congregation.

Please send your nominations by Sunday, October 11 using the form below:

Tech Team Training – Oct. 1, 4-8pm. 
Dinner provided.

Please let us know if you are attending using the form below.

With the installation of the new sound and video system comes a bigger demand for Worship Tech Team volunteers.  Do you have an ear for music? Do you like all things computer? Would you describe yourself as the family tech-guru? Do you have a heart for volunteering? Or maybe you have a background in video/lighting? Maybe you were a part of the tech crew in high school drama team?

If any of these things describe, the Worship Tech Team might be something you would enjoy.

Once the new sound system is installed, we’ll be scheduling official training sessions for all current tech team members and those who express an interest in tech team. The beautiful thing being – we’ll all be learning a new system together.

If interested or if you just want more information, contact Scott using the form below.