Description

Setting

Sunday, October 09th, 2011, I attended and was scheduled to preach at the Cedar Hill church of Christ in Cedar Hill, Texas. The Cedar Hill church of Christ is located in a growing suburban area. Cedar Hill is fifteen miles away from Dallas and is becoming one of the most popular areas to visit. Many are relocating to Cedar Hill because of the rapid changes that promote spirituality, economics, and community. The mayor of the city is one of the Shepherds of the Cedar Hill church of Christ. He has been mayor for over twenty-five years. With his love for the Lord and his influential position, the city of Cedar Hill is known for being a city that reverences God.
The place of worship for the Cedar Hill church members seems to have an ideal appearance for a traditional church. There are vision statements printed on the walls, common church pews, a communion table, and projector screens on the walls. The church had a diverse population of Caucasian, African Americans, and Hispanics. There is a good balance between season adults, middle age adults, young adults, youth, and pre-teens. The Cedar Hill church is a growing diverse population.

The Action

The song service had a healthy blend of traditional and contemporary songs. Sporadically, the worship leader invited us to stand while praising God in songs. Most of the members didn’t express worship through physical motions, but a few raised their hands and said Amen. While preaching, the audience was verbally expressing agreement and confirmation of the ideas and principles driven from the text.

The Speech

The worship service was led by the men and elders of the church. The elders had more of the leading roles within the worship service. During the welcome, various prayers, song service, and shepherd’s prayers an Elder repeatedly made reference to God’s love and His grace. When I noticed the speech of the Elders throughout the worship service, I began to share my thoughts which reflected on God’s love and His grace for us.

Reflection

As I reflected on my visit to the Cedar Hill church of Christ, I began to realize that this church is a growing diverse congregation that is striving to promote God’s love and be relevant to all men. While it appears that this church is conservative, there are also hints that this church is striving to be flexible. They appear to have an appreciation for the grace of God.  The vision statements that are printed on walls of the auditorium shows that the Elders are striving to be more progressive in their approach to being relevant within the body of believers that consist of the Cedar Hill church and also the residence that live in the city of Cedar Hill. The vision statements printed on the wall is a constant reminder that the church is seeking to “reach beyond the ordinary to serve an extra-ordinary God”.