Category Archives: Worship

Bright Spot, Cedar Chips, Fall Kick-Off, Music, News, Worship

Worship Ministries – Jump In!

Worship Ministries—Jump in!

If you have ever been interested in joining a worship ministry music team, this is the time of year to jump in.

Sanctuary Choir: This group sings about every three weeks in the 8:30 AM service. Choir is open to anyone high school aged and above who can read music (primarily SATB). Choir rehearses on Wednesdays, 6:40 PM in room 132A and will begin rehearsals August 21. All current choir members and any interested in choir are invited to sing at the Fall Kick-Off worship services August 18. The choir will sing along with the hymns at 8:30 AM service. Practice is just prior to the service at 8 AM that day. Choir is directed by Stuart Geiger.

1st Service Worship Teams: These SATB groups rotate and sing/play one week a month. Teams rehearse on Wednesday nights at 6 PM, prior to the Sunday they sing. Singers must be able to read music, as we sing parts on the hymns. We currently have openings for tenors and sopranos, but all are encouraged to apply, including pianists and organists!

2nd Service Worship Teams: These teams are a mix of singers and instruments (guitars, piano, keys, bass, drums, and occasional string instruments). Music at this service is led from chord charts, so some ‘playing-by-ear’ is required, and great for those who don’t read music. To participate in 2nd Service teams, the first step is to join a Worship Jam. (see below)

Worship Jams: Jams are open to all musicians and are held quarterly throughout the year. We pack all our voices and instruments on stage at the 2nd service and lead as an entire team! The next Jam is Wednesday, August 14 at 6:30 PM and will lead the 2nd service worship on Kick-Off Sun, Aug 18. To express interest in worship ministries or for more info, contact Leah.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Cedar Chips, News, Sabbath, Worship

Sermon Series – July 2019

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ~ Psalm 46:10

Discovering margin by enjoying Sabbath. A deep dive into Exodus 20:8-11.

 

June 30: Margin for Relationships
“Neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.“ ~ Exodus 20:10b

July 7: Margin for Justice
“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” ~ Deut. 5:15

July 14: Margin for Worship
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.“ ~ Exodus 20:8

July 21: Margin for Togetherness
“Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day.” ~ Exodus 20:11b

July 28: Margin for Life
“Therefore the Lord made it holy.” ~ Exodus 20:11b

Sunday Worship Services:

8:30 AM and 11:00 AM

News, Worship

Margin – Summer 2019

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” ~ Psalm 46:10

Do you make time for what matters most in your life?

  • June 2: Margin for Breathing Room (The seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.)
  • June 9: Margin for Balance (Remember the Sabbath…)
  • June 16: Margin for Re-Creation (For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth… but He rested on the seventh day.)
  • June 23: Margin for Rest (But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work…”
  • June 30: Margin for Relationships (Neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.)

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

Cedar Chips, News, Worship

Pressing In

Pressing in?

You’ve heard us talk a lot about “pressing in”. I thought it might be worth a Google search to hear how other ministry leaders and ministries describe the process of “pressing in”. Here are my favorites:

“In your life would you describe yourself as someone who presses in toward God? Some people think spending time with God, reading the Bible, or attending a Bible study is a passive activity. God is anything BUT passive. He is GLORIOUS, and he has AMAZING things to show us. The word pressing also means to be persistent, unrelenting, and tenacious. We need to PRESS IN!” (from https://davidcrank.com/pressing-in)

There is a fascinating .pdf resource from www.restorationlife.org that lays out an entire teaching of pressing in four categories: (from http://www.restorationlife.org/Notes/TheWorshipingChurch/TheWorshipingChurch_8.pdf)

  1. The principle of pressing in to God through worship
  2. The Tabernacle of Moses as model of how to press in to God
  3. The difference between praise and worship
  4. Ways to press in to God with our body, soul, and spirit

Some books and audio materials on the topic:

And lastly a song! Of course! Press in Your Presence by Shana Wilson

So what does pressing in look/feel/sound/taste like to you?

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Cross Training/Sunday School, Family and Children Ministry, Marriage and Family, News, VBS, Worship

Kids and Easter… Everything you need to know

We’re so excited for Easter! It’s a BIG Sunday around here for sure.  We know that sometimes when you’re visiting a new place, there are the extra details of “What do I do with my kids?” and “What should I expect?” and the anxiety of the unknown. Hopefully this will answer some of your questions!

FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

There is plenty of space in the back of the Worship Center for car seats, strollers, and rocking babes in arms.  We have tables and chairs around the back of the Worship Center that are nice spread out on – these are a favorite of many families so arrive early if you want to claim a table! 🙂  An audio feed of the service will be running in the Gathering Space (our lobby area) — we do ask you to be sensitive to others in the service and exit the Worship Center if your child is crying or making a lot of noise.  Changing tables are available in the handicap stall of both the women’s and men’s restrooms as well as the nursery.  Extra diapers and supplies are available in the nursery if you need them.  There is a child-size toilet in the nursery for the young ones who are potty training.

AGES 0-2

A nursery is available for children ages 0-2yrs at all three Easter services.  The nursery is not staffed, but parents are always welcome to step out of the services and sit with their child in the nursery.

AGES 3YRS – 3RD GRADE

At 8:30am and 9:45am, there is a special time in the worship services called “the Children’s Message” where the children are invited to the front of the stage for a short age-appropriate message, prayer, and a special gift bag. They are then dismissed back to their parents for the remainder of the service.

At the 11am service, children ages 3 years to 3rd grade are invited to attend a special time of worship called “Explorers”. Children begin in the large service with their families. After the opening worship songs, the children are dismissed to room 135 to attend a special time of worship created for them.  Volunteers walk the children back to the room, but parents are always welcome to tag along to see the room or help their child feel more comfortable.  The children are then picked up in that same room following the conclusion of the service.

Sunday School

There is no Sunday School on Easter Sunday.  On regular Sundays, classes for all ages run from 9:45-10:45, as well as the nursery for ages 0-2yrs.

Family & Children Ministry

To learn more about our ministries for families and children, visit here.

We Love Kids

Our church is laid back enough that we’re not bothered by children! They are just as much a part of the Body of Christ as adults. If they want to dance during the worship, let them dance! If you need to go in and out of the service to attend to them, that’s okay! We’re used to it! No big deal.   We just want you go be comfortable and able to parent your kids however you feel you need to.

VBS

This summer we have an exciting VBS (Vacation Bible School) program planned for July 14-18. VBS is for kids ages 3 to 5th grade. Learn more here.

Questions?

Ask away!

Holiday, News, Worship

Ash Wednesday 2019

Join us for Ash Wednesday at Cedar Hills –Wednesday, March 6th. A meal will be served prior to the service 5:15-6:15pm, with a short reflective worship service at 6:30pm.

The beauty of Ash Wednesday is receiving the ashes on the forehead and acknowledging that we were made by our Creator out of the dust, and to the dust we will return.  Come prepared to receive ashes at this worship service.  For adults and children alike!

We continue to meet midweek on Wednesday nights for the season of Lent until Maundy Thursday when we will gather on Thursday instead (April 18).  It helps us prepare if you can kindly RSVP to the meal by letting the office know how many to expect. More about Midweek Services

These services are for everyone, whether you call Cedar Hills your church home or not.

Cedar Chips, Family and Children Ministry, Music, News, Worship

Bible Memory Songs (They Ain’t Just for Kids)

Bible Memory Songs (They Ain’t Just for Kids!)

If you grew up attending a church and Sunday School, most likely your childhood included lots of fun and silly songs on various biblical themes.
Many of these were Scripture verses, whether you knew it or not! But then something happened— and suddenly silly Bible songs weren’t cool anymore. As teenagers and adults, we moved on to more sophisticated things, songs, hymns, and the memorization of Scripture is something very few of us do. And if we do, it’s not usually in the form of silly songs. We have to repeat it out loud, over and over, and do it the “grown up” way. This works for some… this sounds like a chore to the rest of us.

That was me until about six months ago when my oldest child started Kindergarten. Part of the curriculum is memorizing a verse every week that corresponds with the alphabet. Being the cool worship-leading-mom that I am, we starting singing the verses at home for fun. This led down a path of setting the entire alphabet of Scripture to
music and turning it into a full album.

And you know what? It was EASY to remember Scripture! So easy, that I’m convinced these silly songs should not be reserved for kids—these are for all of us. So I talked to our Family & Children Ministry staff and put together a plan to write songs for our Cedar Hills kids to memorize their Scripture, too. We’ve occasionally added these to our worship service—have you noticed??

I can proudly say I’m up to 30 verses memorized because of these silly songs. That’s 30 more verses than I’ve memorized in my entire adulthood.
Ready to learn your Scripture passages to heart? Click to listen to the ABC Bible Verse album.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

Cedar Chips, News, Worship

Lenten Worship Services

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people,
that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” ~ Revelation 2:2-4

Sundays in Lent

Lent is the season of 40 days that lead up to Easter. This Lenten Season we will focus on falling in love with Jesus again. Each Sunday, we will look at one part of the passion narrative—that is the story of Jesus’ final days—to discover (or rediscover) why we love Jesus so much!

Wednesdays in Lent

To help us fall in love with Jesus, we will meet midweek during Lent to focus on Jesus “I Am” statements. These statements reveal why Jesus came and how much Jesus loves us.  These nights together are about an hour long, beginning with a meal and followed by a 30-minute reflective worship service. Meal serving from 5:15-6:15 PM, Lenten Service 6:30– 7 PM

2019 Lenten Service Schedule

Wed., Mar 6: Jesus: The Bread of Life (Ash Wednesday)
Wed., Mar 13: Jesus: the Light of the World.
Wed., Mar 20: Jesus: The Good Shepherd.
Wed., Mar 27: Jesus: The Resurrection and the Life.
Wed., Apr 3: Jesus: The Way, Truth, and Life.
Wed., Apr 10: Jesus: The True Vine.
Thurs,. Apr 18: Jesus: The Lamb of God (Maundy Thursday)
Sun., Apr 21: Easter services at 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00am.

To help us plan accordingly for the meals, if possible, please RSVP each week on your Sunday bulletin tear-off or by contacting the office (396-6608) and letting us know you will be dining with us.

Cedar Chips, Just Love, News, Worship

The Law of Love

The Law of Love

“If you hate yourself,
you will hate your neighbor.”

“If you hate your neighbor,
it’s because you hate yourself.”

“If you hate yourself,
it’s because you don’t know
God’s love for you.”

“To the degree that you know
God’s great love for you,
you will love yourself.”

“To the degree that you love yourself,
you will be able to love your neighbor.”

It all flows from one thing to the next.
You cannot love your neighbor
without knowing
His great love for you.
One flows into the next,
into the next,
into the next.

That is the law of love.
So we could say, “Just Love”.
But we should probably say, “Be loved.”

One flows into the next,
into the next,
into the next.

Leah
Director of Worship & Media

News, Open Hands Food Pantry, Uncategorized, Worship

Church Closed Wed. Jan 30

The church will be closed Wednesday, Jan 30 and all activities cancelled or postponed.

Open Hands Food Pantry – Closed. It will reopen for normal hours Friday 10am-12pm.
1st Service Worship Team – Rehearsing Sunday 7:40am
2nd Service Worship Team – Rehearsing Sunday 9:45am
Sanctuary Choir – rehearsal next week Wednesday, 6:45pm
Family Adventure – event postponed until Feb. 13.

All other meetings, please contact your group leader for reschedule information.

In an emergency, please contact the pastors on their cell phones. (The numbers went out in a church-wide, but are also available in the online directory–CCB.)  Don’t have the CCB app? It’s a great resource for staying in touch with your Cedar Hills Church family. Get the app.