SANDPOINT — Several hundred members of the Cedar Hills Church congregation will be putting their faith into action on Sunday.

As part of the event, dubbed "Serve Sandpoint," instead of meeting for their regular services, church members will be heading out into the community to perform acts of service, church officials said. 

"We want to be a church that's known for what we're for. To let the city know that not only are we for them, but more importantly, Jesus is for them,” lead pastor Eric Rust said. "And so we're gonna show up, we're gonna group up, and we're gonna head out in teams of people and just love on the city in which we live."

Cedar Hills Church is a "come-as-you-are community" where everyone's welcome, whether they are long-time Christians or "just kicking the tires of faith" That spirit of welcome and faith made holding the event the perfect expression for the congregation to showcase what people of faith are about, officials said.

"We meet people where they're at — no judgment, no pressure — just real people following Jesus, doing life together and trying to make North Idaho a little bit better," they added.

In total, several hundred members of the congregation will be helping more than a dozen area non-profits and as many or more projects, Cedar Hills officials said.

This initiative, dubbed "Serve Sandpoint," will see church attendees engage in various community service projects across the community, from the food bank to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall to the senior center. Instead of gathering for their regular Sunday schedule, participants be doing everything from holding a food drive to stacking firewood and more. 

Also taking part will be Kaniksu Land Trust, Kaniksu Community Health, Sandpoint Middle School, Bonner General Health's Healing Garden and Forrest Bird Charter School.

Family-friendly projects include cleanup at the Healing Garden, participation in the Cedar Hills prayer team, grounds work and clean up at the charter school, the middle school, Bonner County Fairgrounds, and Selkirk School Crews at the church also will be writing cards, volunteers at the sled hill will be working on trail maintenance to make sure the site is ready for winter.

The wood-cutting project requires those with experience and the necessary tools, according to the church website.

"We want to express our love and appreciation to this community and the surrounding area, so we will have teams of all ages serving Sandpoint, Ponderay, and Kootenai," they said on the church's website.

Cedar Hills officials said they are excited to serve the community through "Serve Sandpoint" and can't wait to put their faith into action by helping their friends and neighbors.

"The most important thing about this project is just the connections it forges," said Michele Murphree, who helped come up with possible projects for the day of service.

Volunteers are asked to show up at the church at 8:30 a.m. to meet with project team leaders. A prayer will be held at 9 a.m. before teams are sent to the various project sites. Work at the various locations is expected to run from 9:30 a.m. to noon. 

While some have signed up in advance to take part in the day of service, all are welcome to take part. They do not have to be a member of the congregation, church officials said.

Community members who want to join the congregation in the day of service can contact Kim Crofoot at the church. Crofoot will be checking for phone and email messages on Saturday and Sunday to ensure all who want to take part can do so. Those wishing to take part should call 208-265-8500 or email [email protected].

For more information about Serve Sandpoint, go online to cedarhillschurch.com/sandpoint.

    TJ Clary, Heather Draggo (right), and Heather Lies (left) worked in the dry clay in the West Virginia Appalachian Mountains doing foundation work for a family of seven whose trailer burned to the ground.
  

    Cedar Hills has an annual tradition of meeting on an early frosty November morning to cut and stack wood for the local VFW. The service project garners more and more support each year with kids, teens, and participants of every age ensuring our veterans have wood for the winter.