The church can never remain static. As an organization it is ever in need of restructuring and reorganization, and as an organic body it is ever-growing, expanding and moving toward its final end. Therefore, in CP&R we want to take time to consider Scripture, church history, and missiological approaches old and new to evaluate how Cedar Crest may continue to faithfully fulfill its calling to participate in the Great Commission. So please consider joining us for this 11-week discussion-based class as we read weekly articles, reflect on prepared content, and ask important questions about what each one’s part is to play in seeing churches strengthened and new faith communities established in the Lehigh Valley and beyond!

Teachers

Nathan Trommler: Born and raised in Eastern Lancaster County in PA, Nathan is grateful to have been involved in a ministry in Scotland in pursuit of church planting in Reading, PA, and now has moved to Allentown to assume this current role. He is married to Melissa with four children (Enoch, Hope, Haddon, and Odelia). They love good food, movies, and family hikes. He is slowly learning the art of bonsai.

His formal training is in history/theology and biblical counseling (MTS, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary). Nathan especially love reading/writing in biblical counseling, early church history, and missiology.

God has created all things, including money. This class will offer a biblical framework to understand a topic loaded with tension and misunderstanding. The aim of this class is to be interactive and cover broad theological topics around money, giving, financial stewardship and security, as well as some practical financial planning techniques that should be relevant for all ages.

Teachers

Benjamin Schleicher: Ben is a “son of Cedar Crest” attending as long as he can remember. He and his wife Sam have been married since 2014 and have three wonderful children. Ben currently leads a Life Group and teaches 2nd and 3rd grade boys at Family Night on Wednesdays. Financial Planning and Investment Management has been his career at American Heritage Credit Union for the past decade in the King of Prussia area.

Conflict is a normal part of the human existence. But the Lord calls his people to be peacemakers. Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9) Many of us wrestle with how to do this, and we too often respond poorly to conflict by avoiding or fighting. This course will help the participant understand what Scripture teaches regarding resolving conflict, and to begin to see conflict as an opportunity to glorify God. By applying God’s principles of peacemaking, the believer can turn conflict “into an opportunity to find lasting solutions to serious problems, to experience significant personal growth, to deepen relationships, and, best of all, to experience and demonstrate the love of God in a new and life-giving way.”

Teachers

Scott Allen: Scott currently serves the church as a Biblical Counselor and a Life Group Leader. He and his wife Debbie have been at Cedar Crest for nine years and married for 41 years, and have three sons and four grandchildren. He has a seminary degree in Biblical Counseling and took an early retirement in order to serve in an expanded role here at Cedar Crest. He is passionate about helping believers grow in Christ through the personal and corporate ministry of the Word.

The church in Corinth had many problems—idolatry, adultery, drunkenness. But we are now the beneficiaries of the Corinthian church. On this side of history, we can glean from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, inspired by the Holy Spirit, which corrected their wrong thinking, attitude, and conduct at home and in the church. This class will reveal how the struggles the Corinthians faced are not unlike ours today, and how the remedy in the gospel remains the same.

Part 1 studied 1 Corinthians 1-10. Part 2 will cover into 1 Corinthians 11-16.

Teachers

Dean Ressler: Dean was born and raised on the mission field. After completing undergraduate work at Prairie Bible Institute and Calvary Bible College, he obtained a graduate degree from Columbia International University. In 1980, he returned to the southern Caribbean, to the island of Bonaire, to a church development and leadership-training ministry for 24 years. Since 2004, Dean has been serving in the Missionary Personnel Department of Fellowship International Missions (FIM).

The Psalms reflect every aspect of our lives. As one early church father put it, this collection of Hebrew poetry embraces the whole life of man, the affections of his mind, and the emotions of his soul. But how often do we turn to God with our affections and emotions? In our modern life, do we know how to sing praises to God while also crying out in pain to Him?

Join me as we take a journey through the Psalms, learning how the Psalmists expressed their emotions and thoughts to God. We will look at 10 different types of Psalms, studying their structure and flow of thought and emotion. We will write our own psalms, both as a class and as individuals, giving God praise for who He is because of and in spite of our circumstances. Finally, we will also take time in each class for personal and group prayer and praise. Come join me as together we learn how to lift the affections of our minds and the motions of our souls to our great God and Savior.

Teachers

Dan Waterman: Dan graduated from Millersville University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and then from Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies. Dan works as a district manager for Securitas Security Services. Dan and his wife Kristina have been attending CCBFC for over 25 years. They have been married for 35 years, have 11 children and 10 grandchildren. Dan currently serves as an Elder, a Youth Group leader, and teacher for Discipleship Institute classes.