en Connecting an ancient faith to a modern world http://www.cherryvalleypc.org © Copyright 2000 - 2008Church Community Builder. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=24 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=24&article_id=74 Unless otherwise noted, we will meet at Cherry Valley Church from 7 to 10 pm. Our dates for this coming school year will be:September 12October 3October 17October 31 (Hero Costume Party)November 14 (Thanksgiving Dinner)December 12 (Christmas Party)January 30February 27March 27April 24May 29June 26 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:13:48 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=24 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=24&article_id=72 Caledonia Friday Night Alive (CFNA for short) is THE place to be for local middle school students on Friday nights. We want CFNA to be a place where young people from different schools, background, churches and traditions can come together and enjoy spending time together. On any given night we may have:VolleyballBasketballFour SquareVideo Games (Dance Dance Revolution, wii Sports, Rock Band, etc.)ChessYouTube Video CompetitionJam Session Currently we meet in the Commons Area of Cherry Valley Church, but our sponsors come from several different faith communities. Below you will find our schedule for the 2008 - 09 school year, and links to directions and forms. We look forward to a great year! Fri, 8 Aug 2008 15:00:54 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=24 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=24&article_id=73 We have an Activity Release Form that needs to be on file for each student who participates in CFNA. Please use the link below to download the form, fill it out, and have bring it with you on your first visit to CFNA. If you have any problems with the form, we will have extra copies at the door. Please bring in your parent or guardian in the event you need to fill out the form. Thanks! 2008 - 09 Activity Release Form For a map to Cherry Valley Church, click here. We're located in the building behind Monterrey Grill next to Famous Flooring. Fri, 8 Aug 2008 10:08:42 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=70 var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript xsrc='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-4907154-2"); pageTracker._initData(); pageTracker._trackPageview(); When you walk through our front door, you will notice a new addition to our worship center: 1,001 prayers that come to us from the Westminster Presbyterian Church of Niles, Michigan. The prayers are in the form of origami birds. The prayers (and the birds) were offered by a ladies prayer circle that met through the late 1950s and 1960s. As they prayed for peace and wholeness both for themselves and their world, they made paper birds which represented the prayers they lifted to God. For two generations, these birds hung in the entry of the church in Niles. From where they hung, they would occasionally take flight as a gust of wind swept in from the front doors. Their flight was a reminder that the prayers that had given birth to the birds were still being offered. Last year, Westminster Presbyterian Church closed. They generously donated their church furniture to Cherry Valley. Their one stipulation was that if we took the furniture, we also needed to take the prayer birds and give them the opportunity to fly again. One of our members (Deanie Pettengill) lovingly restored each individual bird, then arranged them on a mobile designed for our entryway. Today the wind still occasionally catches them and they take flight just like they have done for more than two generations. They remind us that the prayers we lift to God join with prayers offered by people in different times and places. We're connected through our prayers though separated by time and distance. So the next time you come into our worship center, look up! Sat, 5 Jul 2008 14:45:47 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=23 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=23&article_id=71 From time to time, Pastor Clint posts various ramblings and musings on a blog. You can view it (at your own risk) by clicking here. Tue, 1 Jul 2008 05:21:23 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=9 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=9&article_id=68 Pastor Clint Cozier, Cathy, Brendon and Emma came to Grand Rapids from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They have a diverse church background, having worshiped and lived in Baptist, Anglican, non-denominational and presbyterian communities both in the US and overseas. Clint holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield in Great Britain. His area of expertise is Jesus' parables and the use of "story" as a teaching tool in the ancient world. What in the world is a New Testament scholar doing in a Presbyterian NCD? Well, Clint also has a passion for making a connection between the stories of the Bible and our modern lives. Our bible really lives in two worlds, one ancient and the other very modern. It was written to specific people to address specific needs at specific points in history. On the other hand, it is our sacred word, and speaks to us today in our world. My task as a preacher is to make the connection between those two worlds, the ancient and the modern. Once the connection is made, people can come into the texts themselves and hear God's voice to them in their lives. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:20:21 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=36 Wed, 21 May 2008 12:56:05 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=7 If you're at a place in your life where you are ready to explore the Christian faith for the first time, or become a more dedicated follower of Jesus Christ, we just might have the perfect place for you to plug in and grow with us. On Sunday mornings at 10:30, we gather together to celebrate God's presence in our lives through worship. This is the weekly high point of our life as a community and is a great chance for you to feel and know the presence of God in your life. Our worship is a mix of old and new. If you've grown up in the church, you will recognize some of the hymns and prayers we use. If you're new to church worship, our music tends towards the contemporary so you'll feel at home. Many people experience our community first through a small groups. We offer groups that center on Parenting Skills and Marriage Enrichment. Throughout the year, we offer many Bible and topical studies in a small group format. For those interesting in exploring Christianity, we offer the Alpha Course. Finally, we have many teams that perform acts of service both in our community and within the larger mission work of our denomination. If you want to make a difference in our world, we can offer you a place to put your talents and passions to work. Cherry Valley has a place for you. A place to grow, to connect with others and to serve. Come join us and we'll grow together! Wed, 21 May 2008 12:56:05 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=4 Cherry Valley Church is a great reflection of the whole community of Caledonia: we're young, we're growing and we're discovering lots of things as we travel along. We've been meeting together to celebrate worship for over two years. We're a cross section of families and single adults, young kids and young at heart used-to-be-kids. As a group, we're at different points in our journey, but we have in common an experience of God's love which allows us to be the people God created us to be . . . it allows us to be ourselves. We don't think of ourselves as traditional or contemporary, old-fashioned or progressive. We simply believe that God speaks to our world today . . . in ways we can understand. In our faith community you'll find a mix of the old and new, our faith is both deeply rooted in the ancient beliefs and creeds of the church yet given expression in our here and now world. Wed, 21 May 2008 12:56:05 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=1&article_id=1 Welcome to Cherry Valley! We hope this site will give you a taste of our life together. We are a community of people all gathered together to explore what Jesus Christ means for us in our world. We don't claim to have answers to every question, but we do find it helpful to explore the great questions about life and faith together. As a community, we draw from each other's wisdom and experience. We are an intentionally diverse group and we enjoy the richness which grows from diversity. Thank you for being our guest here today. Please let me know if I can ever be of help to you on your journey. Wed, 21 May 2008 12:56:05 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=9 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=9&article_id=6 Kathy Larson comes to Cherry Valley Presbyterian with years of musical experience and a heart for experiencing God. She has extensive experience teaching general music and choir in Kentwood Public Schools, and just took a new position this year at Lakeside Elementary in East Grand Rapids. She has directed music for John Knox Presbyterian Church, and has performed solo in many churches in the greater Grand Rapids area. Kathy and her husband Eric live in Caledonia with their two children. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:50:56 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3&article_id=2 We believe that Jesus Christ makes it possible to know and experience God, each other, and our world in a new way. Jesus' life, teaching, death and resurrection make it possible for us to connect to God, and once that connection is made then our lives are changed. From there, we can also connect to our selves, our families and friends, and the world around us. By experiencing God's love, we find a way to express love and grace in our world. Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be the people we've always wanted to be . . . to be ourselves. Our authentic selves. Our passion is to help people connect . . . first to God, then to their authentic selves, and finally connect to the world around. That is our passion, our calling. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:00:24 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3&article_id=3 Our vision is to reach our community and make a difference in the lives they live through the good news of Jesus Christ. We believe we can accomplish this through helping people discover God's purpose for their life through teamwork, creativity and excellence. Tue, 3 Jul 2007 08:54:37 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=2 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=2&article_id=15 The central idea of our mission and our core values is connection. By "connection” we mean that in Jesus Christ, God makes it possible for us to experience significant connection with each other and with God. We believe that the following Mission Statement captures our understanding of what we are about in our world: As a community of faith we exist to connect: • To our world so that we can show and share God's love; • To each other so that we can support, enjoy, and nurture each other; • To God as the source of life and light. Our Core Values are the things that provide definition and boundary for our life together. As a community of faith, we hold these values as central to our understanding of how God works in our lives and our world: Connecting to each other Behaviors 1. Change and growth takes place in small intimate groups 2. We will practice healthy living within our communal life 3. We will respect and strengthen community structures 4. We will grow through conflict Phrases 1. It's OK to say no. 2. We will never leave in silent disagreement Connecting the old with the new Behaviors 1. We will be students of Christian faith traditions 2. We will be students of our own cultures 3. We will integrate what we believe into how we live. Phrases 1. Every culture needs to hear God's message 2. Ever learning....ever growing 3. Know ourselves, know our neighbors Connecting diverse communities Behaviors 1. We seek diversity to achieve wholeness 2. We will seek first to understand, then to be understood 3. Living out the Kingdom of God today draws us together. Phrases 1. Diverse by design 2. Kingdom Living Connecting other people to God Behaviors 1. We see God in every person 2. Our actions share our Faith 3. Stories communicate the truths of our lives and God's message Phrases 1. Living True 2. Spirituality is a journey and not a destination Connecting to the needs of our world. Behaviors 1. We will listen and respond to community needs 2. God's Kingdom calls us to promote wholeness and oppose injustice 3. Mission involves seeing the Gospel in the world Phrases 1. God's hands and heart Tue, 3 Jul 2007 08:48:18 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16&article_id=40 It's hard to believe that Cherry Valley has been in our new building for almost six months. What started out as a store front worship center is taking on a life of its own. One of the most fascinating things about any place that is used for worship over time is the growth and change that takes place. Over time, each new generation will leave a mark or an imprint. Our God is living and dynamic; it fits that a place of worship is likewise living and dynamic. What was just carpet, paint and some chairs six months ago is developing into a rich and beautiful place to celebrate God. We don't have a "central plan" for the various projects. Much along the lines of a cathedral, people are simply adding their voices to what is already here. It has been tremendously rewarding to watch this work of art take shape. Below you will find a few highlights of our journey thus far. You should of course know that we don't just use the building for worship. Our whole church community has been enriched by having a place to call home. Wed, 30 May 2007 03:06:04 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16&article_id=43 One of the most exciting parts of having a permanent place to worship was the potential to have more visual symbols in worship. We knew we wanted a cross in the worship space, we just weren't sure where. For four months we waited for inspiration to strike. Finally, on the Saturday before Easter, a member of our community (Dorothy Haworth) walked into the worship area and pointed to the wall opposite the main entry door. "That's where we should put the cross." That afternoon, Dee and Jerry Bradley built and mounted the cross for our Easter worship 2007. When one of our younger members first saw the cross on Easter Sunday, she asked why we didn't put Jesus up on the cross. I explained that a few days before that would have been right (Good Friday), but now we were at the place in the story where Jesus wasn't on the cross any more. Tue, 29 May 2007 18:41:29 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16&article_id=42 Because of the extensive use of video in worship, controlling light in the Worship Courtyard was critical. One of the nicest things about the new building is the amount of light that baths the worship area from an entire wall of south facing windows. We initially planned to put up blinds, then someone (Deanie Pettengill) had a great idea. Using tension rods, cloth in liturgical colors and paper cut outs, she gave us wonderful windows that we can change with the liturgical season as well as changing the symbols that cast shadows on the material. Cool stuff! Tue, 29 May 2007 18:38:03 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=16&article_id=41 On Pentecost Sunday 2007, we dedicated a new communion table, baptismal font and pulpit. The new pieces of furniture began their journey to us when Westminster Presbyterian Church of Niles, Michigan closed in January of 2007. One of their final acts as a church was to donate their communion table and baptismal font to us. Several people contributed resources, but the furniture was designed and built by Bryan and Greg Doornbos-Ross. I think you'll agree that these pieces are a unique picture of our life together, a mixture of old and new. Tue, 29 May 2007 18:33:17 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=6 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=6&article_id=12 As a church, we talk a lot about "connecting." For us, connecting is an important word and expresses what we think God has called us to be as a community of faith. Any time we can connect with each other or with new people is a moment where God is alive in our life. We welcome those who are seeking to connect with our vision of growing spiritually and connecting to others in the faith. We see ourselves as a unique body of believers, not caught up in the physical building of a church, but a group of individuals seeking to grow in Jesus and spread the Word! Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:51:51 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=6 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=6&article_id=17 The various teams which are available for joining consist of the Praise Team which leads music worship, Care and Share team, meeting temporary needs of our members by serving meals, transportation or child care, or other needs that may arise unexpectedly, Timothy GET Connected Group which is the Steering Committee of the church, and Youth Education Team, organizing our children's worship, and outside activities. There is also a Prayer Team which meets on Wednesday evenings to pray for the needs of our friends at Cherry Valley. Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:43:51 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3&article_id=14 Defining worship is difficult since it's something most of us have been doing throughout our lives. Worship is also greatly influenced by our culture, so much so that there is a tendency to feel that in worship 'anything goes' as long as people within a given culture and context find it meaningful. While cultural and personal backgrounds do go a long way towards shaping our vision of "proper” worship, I do think that within Scripture there is a stable, working definition of worship. In the Christian and Jewish traditions, worship is a heartfelt response to God's saving actions. Worship is an expression which grows from both emotion and intellect; it is the response of both heart and head to God's saving actions. Words like fear, awe, reverence, praise, and joy are used throughout the worship of Israel and the early church. Worship in the Old and New Testaments is never just about what we know, but about our feelings in the light of our knowledge. Worship is always a response; it is a reaction to God's actions. Some of the verbs used in the Old and New Testaments talk about a personal and direct response. To worship is to bend our knees in awe before God, to raise our voices in praise to God, to state publicly our allegiance to God, and to fall on our faces before our God in reverence. Worship is not a "general” response to God, but it is a heartfelt response to God's saving actions on our behalf. In the Old Testament, the covenant with Abraham and the deliverance of Israel in the Exodus are the terrific stories of God's saving acts. Israel responded to God because God had moved and was still moving in history to deliver them. The church saw the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as God's ultimate saving act. Worship is our response to what God has done to rescue us from ourselves and from the power of sin. God is active in our daily lives creating in us something of eternal beauty and value. Worship is our response to God's saving acts: what God has done in the past, what God is doing in our lives today, and what God promises to do for us in the future. Principles of Worship While the definition of worship is the same throughout the story of Scripture, the expressions of worship vary greatly with time and culture. The people of Israel worshipped God as a community in a Tabernacle while wandering in the wilderness, in three distinct temples in Jerusalem, and in various synagogues scattered in Jewish communities throughout the ancient world. The New Testament church worshipped both on the Sabbath in the synagogue or Temple and on Sunday in celebration of the resurrection. What they were doing was always worship, but where and how varied. So, how we respond to God's saving acts depends on our situation. There are general principles that guide appropriate worship within a given culture. The four principles that Cherry Valley follows are: Cultural Relevance If worship is about everyone in a community responding to God's saving actions, then worship must make use of language, words and forms that come out of everyday life. Jesus took items from everyday life to teach His followers about responding to God's grace: lambs and sheep, wine and bread. The focus of a worshipping community must always be on God, the forms and words take on new meaning as they are directed towards the God who acts to deliver and recreate. Responsive and Participatory Worship finds its reality in relationships: the relationship of an individual to God and the relationship between a community and God. In worship, we respond to God's saving actions both as a community and as individuals. Worship takes place on many levels at the same time; we worship both as individuals who have experienced God's saving actions and as members of a community which has experienced God's grace. Comes from God's Story of Salvation In both Testaments of the Bible, the development of worship is built around the story of God's saving acts. The Jewish year was measured by feasts and holidays, preparation and celebration; the stages of life were measured through rites of passage within the worshipping community; and the structure of worship itself grew from the story of God's saving acts. In this sense, all worship was developed around the story of what God had done to save the worshipping community. Our worship reflects the story of what God has done to deliver us. Like the worship of the first disciples, our worship grows from what God has done for us in Jesus Christ and finds its roots in the worship life of the Old Testament community. Enhanced by Technology At its heart, worship involves communication. God's saving acts are communicated in worship and our responses are themselves acts of communication. Technology that enhances either of these acts of communication honors God and takes a proper place in worship. Technology must never be the focus of worship but when it enables response it can be an effective partner for worship. Thu, 29 Sep 2005 01:50:56 MST http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3 http://www.cherryvalleypc.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=3&article_id=16 Cherry Valley Presbyterian Church embraces mission as its central reason for existence. Mission is a process that involves stripping away the cultural and contextual material that was used to communicate God's message to specific people at a specific time. We understand that God always speaks in historical and cultural contexts; these contexts produce language which contain a mixture of Divine and human elements. The process called "decontextualizing” involves separating the human and Divine elements found within God's message as given in scripture. The message stripped of its cultural elements is often called the "kyrigma,” mirroring the Greek word used in the New Testament to denote the content of the apostolic witness (see for example 1 Cor 15.14 for such a use) in contrast to the instrument of delivery. The inverse process is used to understand the significance of God's message in the modern world. The process called "contextualizing” involves taking God's message and understanding it within a specific cultural and historical setting. Once God's message has been translated into a new historical and cultural setting, issues often still remain in translating it into the various layers that exist within any given culture. Class and gender issues often mean that different strata within a culture have different frames of reference even though they share common cultural values. The process of contextualizing God's message must often move beyond a specific culture and consider contextualizing the message into targeted strata within the chosen culture. Thu, 29 Sep 2005 01:50:56 MST