2022 CedarCreek Annual Report

What God has called us to.

FROM PASTOR

In our 27th year of ministry at CedarCreek, we’ve continued to see God move, and our hope is this Annual Report will shine a light on the ways he continues to work through us. So, if you count yourself among those who give financially and serve on the DreamTeam, well done! This is the adventure God has called each of us to, and you play a vital role in the stories of impact for the communities and people we serve.

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS…

We believe you – that’s right you – were created on purpose for a purpose! We need you to believe that too, and then lean into living it out on a daily basis. But the truth is this will look different for each one of us, and that’s ok. That is the beautiful picture of God’s Church: each one of us using our unique gifts and abilities to serve one another. So, if you know your Purpose Statement, that’s awesome! Now we need you to lean into living it out in your daily life. If you don’t know your Purpose Statement, now is the time to go through GrowthTrack and lean into how God has created you to impact the world around you. Our time is now! We were placed here on purpose by God for such a time as this! There is work to be done, Jesus is the answer and the local church is the hope of the world.

Thank you for allowing God to use you and CedarCreek to continue to introduce people to Jesus and the life-changing adventure with him.

LET’S GO!

The mission

THE Y

Receiving God’s grace and more every day.

Engaging authentic relationships that help us get through what we’re going through.

Realizing your past, personality, all have with

CE.

Using the life God has given to his

Our structure defined: TeamTHE

The CedarCreek structure for governance, ministry, and business of the church is based around our commitment to clarity, accountability and transparency. These values have been the foundation of our structure since the beginning, and they continue to this day with our current governance and structure.

ExecTeam — Establishes and brings alignment around CedarCreek’s mission, vision, values, strategies, and structure.

LeadershipTeam — Leads our staff and brings perspective on key organizational decisions.

StaffTeam — Is committed to leading a movement of people used by God to make a difference in the communities we serve by helping every person to know they matter.

DreamTeam — Believe no matter the role, we are here to help someone take a next step in the adventure God has for them.

receiving God’s grace and trusting him more every day.

As part of the global movement of Jesus followers, every weekend we get to share who God is and how trusting

Right here, right now, right in the midst of our everyday lives.

matters far beyond todayand Jesus chose us to do it. We reflect on how far we’ve come, but also how far an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, God: new families

Equipping for the journey

Through our weekend messages this past year, we’ve helped people to both know God better and live out that authentic faith in bold ways. We offered spiritual principles to help people understand and experience the power of prayer; live out a better biblical sex life; find freedom from our toxic thought life; awaken the whispers of God that are all around us; discover the God who leaves us speechless; be at their best in every dimension of their life; see that God’s word and spending time at church can be fun; see God’s hope when we feel stuck; move from belief in Jesus to following Jesus; understand the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus; see how they can have impact right where they are; increase their personal connection with God; experience the freedom and grace of God in their everyday lives; and so much more!

Camps

“Abby just graduated from High School, and has been attending CedarCreek for a while. This past year, she had been distant and not engaged with serving like she once was; however, she registered for High School Camp and was excited for what God was going to teach her. While at High School Camp, Abby realized that she had not been living life the way she had wanted. She had been doing it on her own. She had been baptized a few years prior, but strayed away, and Abby realized that she wanted to recommit her life to Jesus! On the last day of High School Camp, Abby made the decision to get baptized, right there in the lake at Michindoh Conference Center, in front of 50+ DreamTeam members and friends! That next week, Abby got to lead a cabin of about 10 middle school girls at Fusion Camp. She was able to use her story to lift up the girls and point them to something bigger than themselves.” This is just ONE story from HUNDREDS that we experienced at Student Camps 2022. What a year!

What’s amazing about this adventure with God is that, in some ways, we’re introduced to Jesus and the life-changing adventure with him again and again as we take steps to know him. He is a God who wants to be known.

Travel companions

Freedom: FIND

Engaging in authentic relationships that help us get through what we’re going through.

God designed us to be in relationship with him and with each other. At parks, homes, coffee shops, offices, art studios, fitness clubs, online… we gather to encourage one another, share Scripture, pray, and take steps on the life-changing adventure. As we trust what Jesus says is true, together we experience the life of freedom that only he can offer.

total people in groups

481

adult groups

70+ projects 766+ serves

Follow: to engage in as a calling or way of life.

Jesus’ invitation to follow him never stops. As we trust what God says and experience his freedom in our lives, our hearts grow to love and serve others. Every second Saturday of the month, we provide simple, meaningful projects that meet a tangible need to make a difference in someone’s life.

Show: allow or cause (something) to be visible.

Events: a thing that happens, especially one of importance. There’s something special about getting together to experience God with others. Our hope is that events like our Women's Event last November and Marriage Event last February would be catalytic reminders of how important it is to keep taking steps to know God more and be in community with each other. Large group gatherings are only as good as their inspiration to be in a smaller Group regularly, where real life-change with God and others is possible.

Women’s Event, Barb Roose Marriage Event, Beth and Jeff McCord

Tiaras AND ENNEAGRAMS in attendance in attendance

Discover: find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search. We each have purpose within the life-changing adventure because God put us here on purpose for a purpose. What makes our God-given purpose so unique is that it’s shaped by our past, personality, passions and place. No two people have exactly the same past, personality, passions and place. It’s impossible!

What is possible is how God can use all of these things to give us great purpose in our every day, opening the doors to the unique ways only we can serve.

Discover Purpose: realizing your past, personality, place and passions all have potential with God.

DISCOVER

purpose

When we share in God’s dream to see more people know him, it’s a dream that not only lasts far beyond any one of us, but also takes every one of us. As a DreamTeam, we bring everything God has given us and use it to grow his family.

It’s what makes serving our way of life and gives everything we do eternal significance. When we are introducing people to Jesus and the life-changing adventure with him, we're making the biggest difference in NW OH and beyond. Make: form (something) by putting parts together or combining substances; construct; create. a difference: current DreamTeam

SERVE DAY

Serve: to be of use; answer some purpose.

Growing God’s family isn’t just about people coming into the building we call church. It’s when God’s family lives out that the church is us and we can make an eternal difference no matter where he takes us.

While that’s an everyday opportunity, each July we intentionally come together to be reminded through Serve Day. We get to show the love of Christ to the communities we call home, and we can do it more when we do it together. Summer Group leaders plan a project for their Group alongside campus projects that all came together on July 23 around NW OH to simply show the love of Christ. No strings attached.

Day: a period of twenty-four hours as a unit of time. peopleprojects

The Tabernacle

Food and education are foundational needs for families in our region. In partnership with The Tabernacle, over the past year, CedarCreek has supported a food pantry that served 8,138 families, 24,411 individuals, and 219,699 meals. In addition, we've assisted educational initiatives serving 100 high school students through a Workforce Development program during the 2021-22 academic year and 679 students through summer school, summer camps and after-school programs. Shoeboxes

One real, tangible way we show people they matter is by donating shoeboxes full of thoughtful and fun gifts to children whose families could use some extra support during the Christmas season. In December 2021, CedarCreek donated 97 shoeboxes to Findlay City Schools, 522 shoeboxes to Toledo Public Schools and $13,500 to “adopt” families for Christmas.

Association of Related Churches

ARC exists “to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus” - and that's a heartbeat we resonate with! They recognize the importance of existing churches in providing steadfastness, and they see the pivotal role new churches play in bringing fresh life, help, and hope to cities. For the past 20 years, ARC has come alongside church planters, providing guidance, ongoing coaching, and resources to help them launch and grow life-giving churches.

This year they surpassed 1,000 churches planted around the world, and CedarCreek’s financial investment in ARC has played a role in the eternal impact of these church plants! of Hope

Since 2020, CedarCreek has partnered with Convoy of Hope to respond during times of natural and humanitarian disaster with tangible aid and compassion.

PARTNERSHIPS meals

By doing this, hurting people receive the help and strength they need to get back on their feet. Convoy is committed to helping as much as possible, for as long as possible. Over the past 12 months, Convoy has responded with things such as food, hygiene kits and sheltering supplies, baby care kits, and water to numerous disasters including:

• 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti Hurricane Ida

• Flash flooding in Middle Tennessee Volcanic eruption in the South Pacific

• Locust infestation in Tanzania 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Guatemala

• Drought in the Western U.S. War in Ukraine CedarCreek's financial investment in Convoy plays a role in their growing impact:

MISSIONS

Through our ongoing partnership with Great Commission Latin America love of Jesus and tangible ways the of CedarCreek Church the following

GCLA CDI Afterschool Afterschool have CDI Afterschool

Total Clinics: America of

PURPOSElanting

Over the next two years, CedarCreek is providing $350,000 in support to help launch Purpose Church.

Taking a leap of faith is never easy, but it’s always worth it when it’s God’s call. When we made the decision to move from our hometown to Phoenix to launch Purpose Church, we had no one confirmed to go with us and had no idea what the future was going to hold.

As we draw closer to our January 22nd, 2023 launch, we are expectant to see all that God is going to do through introducing the people of Phoenix to Jesus.

We would never be where we are without the influence, encouragement, and financial support of CedarCreek Church.

You will always have a special place in our hearts and you will always be our home church. Thank you for your generosity and your heart to expand God’s kingdom!

Josh Whitlow, Lead Pastor people joined the launch team and are moving to Goodyear people attended the first Purpose Church start-up party in Goodyear, AZ raised for launch expenses

How we slice the budget pie.

Fuel for the mission

Giving to the local church through CedarCreek is a step on the Spiritual Journey of trusting God. We celebrate and thank you for giving back to God through CedarCreek. Look what we have been able to accomplish together.

LEGACY

In 2019, we launched a new DreamTeam called the Legacy Team for those with the spiritual gift of giving. The Legacy Team is about connecting people with the gift of giving to their Kingdom purpose through the local church. Since that time, over $325,000 has been given to fully or partially fund over 20 Legacy Team Projects.

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” projects were fully funded this past year

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