News from WeeVille (CedarCreek's ministry for babies - kindergarteners)

Movin' On Up!!! June 7-8, 2008

laurens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:06:00 GMT

It's already that time of the year...time for the kindergarteners (soon-to-be 1st graders) to make the move to KidVille (the ministry for 1st - 5th graders at CedarCreek). At each service this weekend, children should be signed in to and dropped off at their usual ministry (i.e., the kindergarten room). During the service, a leader will take the upcoming 1st graders to KidVille. They'll see how that service runs and meet the staff and volunteers. Before service is over, they will return to WeeVentures to be picked-up. Beginning next week, children who are going into 1st grade should sign in to that grade on a regular basis, although they are welcome to take the summer to make the transition.

For me, "Explorin' Lauren," this is a bittersweet time. I know the kids are so excited to move up with the "big kids," but I will dearly miss them. I've been working in WeeVentures for almost 5 years, so I've seen many of these children grow up since they were new babies!!! My prayers will be with each and everyone of these special not-so-little-anymore ones! :)

Making a connection

laurens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:20:32 GMT

If you spend any amount of time with me, you quickly realize that I'm a person who loves my to-do list. I love checking things off, feeling organized, and knowing what I need to do next. Lately I've decided that rather than letting myself get totally carried away by busy-ness and task lists, I'm going to focus more on building relationships with people around me who are not connected with a church or Jesus. That is our Great Commission, right? Well, it turns out that God loves to partner with us when we move in this sort of direction .

My husband (Ben) and I have lived in our home in South Toledo for about 4 1/2 years. Day after day we drive past the same people, sometimes with a wave, but often without so much as a glance. We finally decided that something had to be done, so we threw a block party! We barricaded the street, pulled out a grill, passed out some fliers, and about 40 people actually came! We discovered that many of our neighbors are single-parent households, many are older individuals who can't get around well, and as far as we could tell, few have a relationship with Jesus. We spent 4 hours eating, playing corn hole, and just connecting with one another. By the time the barricades stopping traffic came down, it was obvious that many barricades that had been preventing relationships with one another had come down as well! Now we have the joy of being able to put names and life stories with faces; we can dream about our next steps in connecting (my daughter, Lydia, is working on some "paintings" that we'll be delivering to single older folks on the street, and I'm even pulling out the mixer to whip up some cookies!); and we can pray specifically for people who need Jesus.

It's easy to get wrapped up in your life, and not see the people around you who need to know about Jesus. It's easy to assume that "mission work" takes place in third world countries. It's easy to forget that we are supposed to start in our "Jerusalem," our neighborhood, our school, our workplace! Each day God lays multiple opportunities to impact people right in front of us . May we live in such a way that we take advantage of those opportunities!!!

As we prepare for the Big Push, we must obviously consider who we will invite to church, but let's also ask, whose lives can we really connect with in order to help them relate to Jesus?

- Lauren Snyder

LIVE LIKE JESUS!

laurens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:20:31 GMT

     I had an interesting experience this week. I was my Senior Class President back in high school, and so I've just begun rounding up classmates to help plan our 10-year reunion. Monday night was our first official meeting. Several girls showed up, people I haven't seen in 9 1/2 years. Strangely, though we're all older and at different places in our lives, we related to one another in much the same way we did back when we were at Bowsher. Personally, I found myself insanely focused on making everyone happy. I even woke up Tuesday morning sick because I was afraid I had inadvertently offended one of the girls.
     As I prepared this week's lesson, LIVE LIKE JESUS, and read the story of Zacchaeus, I was incredibly convicted about my experience. Since high school, I've had the opportunity to spend lots of time with Jesus. My heart's dramatically different. Yet, it can still be easy to slip into unhealthy patterns. I remembered how important it is to spend time with my Savior, and ask him to continue renewing my heart and mind.
     My prayer for all of us is that we would make spending time with Jesus a huge priority, and that by doing so we would "not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then we will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will," (Romans 12:2).

CANDY CORN CARNIVAL

laurens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:20:31 GMT

CANDY CORN CARNIVAL!
This annual event, held at the Perrysburg Campus on Sunday, October 28th from 2-5pm, is just around the corner. There are plenty of ways to take part...
1 - Donate wrapped candy to the carnival by dropping it off at the Perrysburg Campus Welcome Centers between now and the 28th.
2 - Volunteer to help set-up, tear-down, pass out candy, serve food, etc. The sign-up sheets are at the Perrysburg Campus Welcome Centers.
3 - Round up your family and friends, throw on some costumes if you'd like, and come to the carnival! We'll have candy, games, entertainment, Mud Hens mascots, food and all sorts of other fun things. Admission is a 1 lb. bag of candy per family.
Questions can be sent to Lauren at laurens@cedarcreek.tv.

GROWING PAINS

laurens@cedarcreek.tv — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:20:28 GMT

Oh my! If you've attended a service at CedarCreek's Perrysburg Campus sometime in the last month, you've probably noticed how full the building has gotten! Especially in the children's ministry, most services are absolutely packed. We've virtually got kids coming out of our ears! This is such a blessing. What an honor it is to serve at a place where so many people feel comfortable coming and inviting friends. May they always leave services at least a bit closer to Jesus!

In the meantime, as we prepare to open the newest CedarCreek location, we anticipate a huge need for more help in the children's ministry. There are 3 main ways you can help, and each is vital:

1. Volunteer to serve in a room during a weekend service. By devoting a minimum of 3 hours per month to this, you can make a huge impact in the lives of little ones! Contact aimeef@cedarcreek.tv to schedule a First Serve and try it out before making a commitment!

2. Become part of the WeeVentures teaching team! If you don't mind acting a bit silly while talking about biblical truths, this is the place for you! Contact laurens@cedarcreek.tv for more information.

3. Donate supplies! With about 600 children under 6 per weekend, we go through lots of supplies each weekend, and we rely on donations to make services run smoothly. You can drop these supplies off at the computer check-in stations between services on the weekends (snacks with NO NUTS - cereal, crackers, pretzels; 3 oz. cups; paper towels; disinfectant wipes; tissues; stickers; cotton balls; craft sticks)

Thanks so much for your help!

God bless!