For All That You Have Done

by Rend Collective; © 2014 Thankyou Music
 (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing); CCLI#648382

Your grace will never be forgot.
Your mercy, all my life,
will be my soul’s forever song,
my story and my light.
From mountain top to valley
low, through laughter and
through tears, surely the goodness of my God
will follow all the years.
For all that You have done for us,
for every battle won
we’ll raise a song to bless Your heart,
for all that you have done.
In all our failures and regrets,
You’ve always led us home.
Redemption’s arm has raised us up,
our triumph in the storm.
In unity we’ll stand as one, as family we’ll go
shoulder to shoulder,
hand in hand into the great unknown. 

I love this song. It’s sung to the tune of auld lang syne and written by the worship band Rend Collective. I’ve never known anyone to write new lyrics to this tune…and kind of wish I had thought of the idea first! The tune itself triggers the idea of new beginnings and fresh starts.

New year, new beginnings, new season of seeking after the heart of Jesus. We’re committed to dwelling in the Word for this entire year and will carry on in this commitment. How has your Bible knowledge changed over the last few months? How have your Bible study habits changed? We’re always looking for stories of how God is at work. If you have something to share, let us know! Your story may be the key that unlocks a new beginning for someone else.

~ Leah
Director of Worship & Media

What a great month we’ve had at preschool. We were very busy learning about the first Christmas. All
the classes visited with Pastor Kent and he told them about that special night that Jesus was born. Acting
out the very first Christmas was a big highlight for the children and families. Thank you to all who attended.
Thank you to all the generous families who donated items to help preschool! Thank you for the teachers’ gifts, too.

Registration for our 2018-2019 school year is open to everyone. If you know someone who needs information, have them stop by our office or call us at 396-3125 or visit: www.noahsarkcr.org.

In January the 4-year-olds will begin their testing. These tests are designed to be fun and playful and non-stressful. Testing will help the teachers give an accurate report card for parents so they may decide if Kindergarten or Alternative-Kindergarten is best for their child. It also helps parents identify some areas they may wish to work on with their child.

Thank you for supporting Noah’s Ark Preschool. We feel very blessed to be doing something that we love and sharing God’s Word.

In Christ,
~ Leslie
Director of Noah’s Ark Preschool

A new set of Cross Training classes begin Sunday, Jan. 7. Classes meet at 9:45 in between services. Register online or in the Gathering Space on Sunday mornings.

CLASS 1: Love Walked Among Us 

We claim to follow Jesus, but do we really understand what he was like as a person?  Jesus displayed a love unlike any the world has ever seen.  Compassionate, honest, powerful and sacrificial—love walking among us.  In this course, we’ll get to know Jesus better by observing his life and love as they unfold in the Gospels.  We’ll discover how to love someone when you get no love in return; how to love without being used by another person; how Jesus moves us from shame to forgiveness; and how Jesus’ unlimited grace changes the world. Register now.

CLASS 2: Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University 

THE SMARTER WAY TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY: It’s not fun living paycheck to paycheck. Enjoy your money without owing it so someone else.
SAVE FOR THE FUTURE: Get proactive! Build and emergency fund and invest with confidence.
MAKE A GREAT TEAM: Create a helpful budget that works for you AND your spouse. Learn to plan, save and grow together.

You will need to purchase an FPU kit for class if you don’t already have one. The church has purchased ten kits at a discounted price of $77.50.  This is a reduced price from the standard price of $109.  Scholarships are available for any wanting to participate but need financial assistance.  When signing up for the class, please indicate if you need a kit. Register now.

CLASS 3: Believe

Grounded in carefully selected scripture, Believe is a unique spiritual growth experience that takes you on a journey to think, act, and more more like Jesus.  This class walks you through the ten key Beliefs of the Christian Faith, the ten key practices of a Jesus-follower, and the ten key Virtues that characterize someone who is becoming more like Jesus. Every believer needs to ask these three questions: WHAT DO I BELIEVE? WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHO AM I BECOMING? Each class uses short topical biblical passages to help you live the story of the Bible. As you continue your journey, one simple truth will become undeniably clear: what you believe drives everything. Register now.

I have been blessed to see how God is at work within the worship and media ministries over the last year. The biggest success by far was my absence. Taking a maternity leave always worries me—worry that things will fall apart, the holes will happen, volunteers fall through the cracks and just general chaos. But by the grace of God and the best crew of volunteer leadership, this NEVER happens. Our volunteers are awesome. We had great help through our worship ministry intern, Emily, but the  strength of our leaders and teams became very evident in my absence. Thank you, thank you! I feel blessed by the 70+
volunteers who call worship ministry their team at Cedar Hills.

Another cool expansion from the past year has been the addition of the Cedar Hills app. We’re still learning how to best use this unique tool, and it continues to surprise us. The “Quick Question” of the week has been the most popular feature in the app, but it is also growing in popularity for registering for classes and special events, and weekly giving of tithes. The
app also has the capability to submit photos to us of all the neat things happening at Cedar Hills. Every now and then someone will capture a pic that we would have otherwise missed. It also has a link to our sermon podcasts, one of the best online Bible tools I’ve yet seen, a link to our church community builder (CCB), and a button to submit prayer requests. We’re always looking for new ways to use it to engage and provide resources, so this tool is ever-evolving. Have you downloaded the app? Check the App Store or Google Play to find it under “Cedar Hills Community Church.” Easy.

Other highlights of the year—the 1st service choir at the Fall Kick-Off—wow! I hope you had the chance to hear them as well!
This has been a year of flourishing and growth and empowerment. We are blessed.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Join us Sunday, Nov. 5 immediately following the 2nd service for a 12:15pm Turkey Dinner and 1pm celebration of how God is at work at Cedar Hills.  We’ll share stories, plan for 2018, and elect the new board of Elders and Deacons.

This Saturday, October 14 is the “Barn Raising” of the Luke Project storage facility! It will be an exciting day that requires lots of hands-on-deck.  Lawn chairs, blankets, etc to be the cheer squad on the sidelines.  Breakfast will be served at 8:30am, with the barn raising shortly after.