Church guide

Pastor Ron has been here at CPC for a few months now, but you might not know that he's originally from Plymouth, Indiana, he loves a good adventure novel, and his favorite snack is potato chips. Learn more about Pastor Ron:

Take an adventure to Michigan as a cabin leader for high schoolers, Tuesday, July 30-Monday, August 5! Have fun hanging out with students and come alongside them during cabin times and one-on-ones to help them process what they’re learning about Jesus from the camp’s speaker. Help make camp great for our students! We need both male and female leaders. Contact [email protected] with questions or to express interest.

These days, the word Christian evokes as many negative reactions as positive ones. But what if our lives reflected a life-giving, contagious presence in the world today—that pointed to the irresistible Christ? Our sermon series explores the concepts in Scott Sauls' book, Irresistible Faith, available in Pathway Bookstore. Over nine weeks, we'll talk about: • Abiding in an Irresistible Christ • Belonging to an Irresistible Community • Becoming an Irresistible Christian We hope you'll join us this summer! Saturdays at 5:15PM • Sundays at 9:30 & 11:00AM

We’re gearing up for a “Wild” week of VBS! 270 hungry kiddos will need snacks every day and we’d very much appreciate your help feeding them! If you're interested in donating snacks, please sign up for one of our specific needs at cpconline.org/kids and drop snacks off at CPC by Wednesday, July 10. Thank you!

Last weekend during worship services, two CPCers were interviewed by Pastor Emily to share about their experience taking Go!Trips through Missions at CPC. We offer these opportunities because we believe in the power of coming alongside, of learning, of encouragement, and of fellowship with the people who are working on the ground. We believe that when we focus on building relationships we hit the sweet spot for transformation—both out there in the world and also in our own hearts and lives. Katie Peterson made the decision—as a busy working mom—to travel with CPC to Nicaragua in 2014 to gain insight into the work Opportunity International was doing there. Watch the clip for a glimpse into the impact this trip made in her life. Info about upcoming Go!Trips will be available on our website soon, but in the meantime, we’d love for you to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to take one of these trips yourself!

Rockslide Camp is underway! We’re so excited for our 6th-8th graders who are experiencing Jesus in new ways and learning that only He can fill the gap that sin has created in our lives.

This week a team of CPCers is in Colombia witnessing firsthand how Opportunity International is enabling marginalized people, especially women, to engage in the local economy, overcome extreme poverty, and build stronger communities. Journey with them as they takeover our Instagram Stories (instagram.com/cpcedina) and share their trip with you.

Pastor James preached this weekend and left us with these words to pray dangerously. Let’s ask God to open our eyes and hearts to our own brokenness and also to the pain and needs of others. You can hear or watch James’ sermon at cpconline.org/sermons.

This weekend, we’ll be invited to pray the words, “Break my heart for what breaks yours.” Join us tomorrow at 9:30 or 11AM (in person or via livestream.com/cpc), or tonight at 5:15, to learn how we—as followers of Jesus—are called to be like Him and draw near to the lost, hurting, and broken-hearted.

Thank you CPC Middle Schoolers for being the hands and feet of Jesus! Last week, 44 of our students participated in Camp 6:8, our service day camp. On Tuesday, students helped our mission partner, Urban Ventures, get things ready for their “Summer Ventures” Camp by putting together name tags, making journals, and creating “shout out” boxes. On Wednesday, one group went Camp Noah to prep camp kits for kids who have experienced natural disasters, another group took care of CPC’s grounds by raking outside, and a third group made cookies at CPC for men and women in service and listened to a police officer give a presentation. What a great week!

Our 3rd-5th graders are away at Hope Shores camp this week learning that through Jesus, God removes the darkness in our hearts and makes us a light for the world (John 1:5). They’ve also been praising God, playing games, and building relationships with each other and our staff and interns all week. Please pray for them as they return home tomorrow that the lessons they’ve learned this week will stay with them and that knowing Jesus will make them a light to others in their everyday lives.

"What do you find irresistible? The chance to hang out at the lake? A quiet nook where you can read? Your favorite ice cream or Netflix show? Your phone? Here’s one more question: Do you find Jesus irresistible? Our answers will vary, depending on our perspective. When our life is running like a finely tuned sports car and we’ve got it all under control, Jesus can seem superfluous, unnecessary. When we are clinging to a behavior that we know is hindering our relationship with Him, we often spend extra energy resisting Jesus. But when we grasp the gift of grace offered by Jesus through His life, death, and resurrection, our hearts are drawn to Him. The more we recognize our need for Jesus, the more amazing grace becomes to our hearts!" - Pastor James Madsen Read more from James' article in our latest CPC Life and consider how you can intentionally abide in Christ this summer:

This weekend, Pastor Ron taught us about what it means to pray “your will be done.” He told us that total surrender is an act of trust and faith and he offered us this prayer to use throughout the week. You can listen to the sermon here: cpconline.org/sermons

Sneak peek! Our Summer Issue of CPC Life is available this weekend, but you can take a look at the online version now. Read Pastor Ron's reflection on prayer by clicking on the link below, or check out the whole issue at cpconline.org/cpclife.

Prayer brings us into the presence of God. But for many, prayer can sometimes become lifeless and stale. In this series, we seek to intentionally challenge how we pray—trusting that God will draw us into a daring, life-changing purpose. Watch or listen to sermons from this series at cpconline.org/sermons/

Pastor Petey concluded our "This I Believe" sermon series by talking about what it means to live our lives with full dependence on Jesus. He also took some time to clarify what the Bible means by "good works." For a five minute mini-sermon, watch the clip below. Or catch the whole sermon or any from this series at livestream.com/cpc.

Two weeks ago, Pastor Melissa unpacked the meaning of "atonement" and how we are saved through true faith in Jesus’ atoning blood. If you missed it, or would like to give it a second listen, check out this clip, or watch the whole sermon at livestream.com/cpc.

"I realized I need to give my life over to Jesus because He will guide me in all I need. Everything roots back to Jesus. If everything else feels against me, I know that He is with me. I know that Jesus will always love me, no matter how much I mess up. I want to spread His love and talk to people about Him. I’m a great talker! At the end of the day, I just want to talk to Him, spread His love, and be with people who love Him." - Samantha Read more her story at cpconline.org/samantha

"[My wife] Kristina suggested we join a Sunday small group. And my response was, 'I don’t know about this. They’re gonna make me talk, and I don’t know enough to be able to share.' The first time we attended, people were talking about all these things that I didn’t understand. I left there saying, 'Kristina, it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to join a small group.' She asked why, and my response was that they just knew so much about God and Christianity, and I couldn’t even pronounce the names of any people in the Bible. It was really overwhelming. But Kristina encouraged me to come back, and after a few times, I realized that everyone is going through their own stuff, and the point of it was the community, the support system. Same thing with prayers. I didn’t feel like I knew how to pray. 'What do you mean? How do I pray?' But now I’m understanding that it’s not about asking for things, it’s about building a relationship with God. That’s it. It’s a relationship." - Aaron Read more of his story at cpconline.org/aaron

"God’s been moving on my heart, impressing upon me to pray, 'Help me to love your church.' For me, I love to pray and I love to be in the Word and I love theology. But I can also tend to be the Dead Sea—there’s no outlet. It’s focused on self. It’s all good stuff, but I’ve been good at NOT doing things to some extent. So one day I’m praying, 'Lord, fill me with love for your church,' and then the next I’m signing up to work with Commitment Class [9th grade program]! . . . I’m learning that kids are kids and that they hunger for Jesus. There are so many more distractions today, more overload, less peace—the kids are feeling this. And the antidote, the answer is Jesus." - Scott Read more of his story at cpconline.org/scott

Last weekend during worship services, two CPCers were interviewed by Pastor Emily to share about their experience taking Go!Trips through Missions at CPC. We offer these opportunities because we believe in the power of coming alongside, of learning, of encouragement, and of fellowship with the people who are working on the ground. We believe that when we focus on building relationships we hit the sweet spot for transformation—both out there in the world and also in our own hearts and lives. Katie Peterson made the decision—as a busy working mom—to travel with CPC to Nicaragua in 2014 to gain insight into the work Opportunity International was doing there. Watch the clip for a glimpse into the impact this trip made in her life. Info about upcoming Go!Trips will be available on our website soon, but in the meantime, we’d love for you to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to take one of these trips yourself!

Pastor Petey concluded our "This I Believe" sermon series by talking about what it means to live our lives with full dependence on Jesus. He also took some time to clarify what the Bible means by "good works." For a five minute mini-sermon, watch the clip below. Or catch the whole sermon or any from this series at livestream.com/cpc.

Two weeks ago, Pastor Melissa unpacked the meaning of "atonement" and how we are saved through true faith in Jesus’ atoning blood. If you missed it, or would like to give it a second listen, check out this clip, or watch the whole sermon at livestream.com/cpc.

Last week, Pastor Rich answered the question of "Who Saves Us?" with Jesus, explaining that He is able to do so because He is fully human and fully divine, blameless and without sin. Watch the clip below, or see the whole sermon at livestream.com/cpc.

Last weekend, our Transition Pastor, Ron Hawkins, continued our "This I Believe" series by preaching on the danger of sin and the good news our Savior and God's forgiveness. Watch a clip from Ron's sermon below, or hear the whole thing at livestream.com/cpc.

This weekend we had the opportunity to welcome our 9th graders into membership at CPC as they declared their commitment to Jesus! Carrie preached to them, and to all of us, about what it means to belong to Jesus and to know what really matters. If you weren't able to be with us, get a snippet from her sermon with the clip below, or watch the whole thing at cpconline.org/watch.

For two thousand years, Christians have passed down traditions that prepare the soul, mind, and body for Easter. Join us tonight (7PM), tomorrow (7PM), and Saturday (9PM) for sacred gatherings that journey through the last week of Jesus' life. Let's remember His death together as we prepare to celebrate His resurrection.

Pastor Petey taught this past weekend on Jesus' warning about the narrow & wide gates from Matthew 7:13-14. Hear what Petey had to say in the clip below, or watch the whole sermon at livestream.com/cpc.

Pastor Melissa took us back to Genesis during her sermon this past weekend to help us understand the context of Jesus' words to "ask and you will receive." She reminded us that the greatest gift God gives us is a relationship with Him. Check out the clip below or watch the whole sermon at livestream.com/cpc.

Are you ready to make church smaller? Give the small group experience a try with one of our six-week Lenten small groups or get connected to a small group that meets throughout the year: cpconline.org/groups.