Change is hard. Change can be scary. Yet God expects his people to change — to be transformed more and more into the image of his Son Jesus Christ. In this class we will follow Paul Tripp and Tim Lane’s book How People Change using a series of videos and a study guide to help us. A changed heart is the bright promise of the gospel. When the Bible talks about the gift of a new heart, it doesn’t mean a heart that is immediately perfected, but a heart that is capable of being changed. Jesus’ work on the cross targets our hearts—our core desires and motivations—and when our hearts change, our behavior changes.

Teacher: Scott Allen currently serves as an elder, a biblical counselor, and a Life Group leader. He and his wife Debbie have been at Cedar Crest for about 10 years. They’ve been married for 42 years, and have 3 sons and 5 grandchildren. He is a retired electronics engineer and also has a master’s degree in Biblical Counseling from Faith Bible Seminary. Scott loves teaching the Word of God and helping people apply biblical principles to everyday problems of life. His favorite Scripture is Phil. 3:10, “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

We live in a distracted society that is always “busy.” Busy with what? Work, the daily activities of life? In this class we will use Scripture, the life of Jesus, and John Mark Comer’s book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, along with other resources to explore what “Work/Life Balance” truly means and how we as followers of Christ can model it to the world.

Teacher: Rick Whitmire has been a member of Cedar Crest for more than 15 years. He and his wife Keri have been attending since they moved to the Lehigh Valley in 2006. Since then, Rick has served in several areas of ministry including youth group, college, choir, teaching several Sunday Schools/DI, Deacon Board, and the Elder board. He has also served on the Executive Board for the Bible Fellowship Denomination. Rick has been married to Keri for over 20 years, and they have two fantastic children: Halle Jo and Caleb.

This course is designed to work through four main questions: 1) Does God care about our physical bodies? 2) What value does bodily training have for the Christian today? 3) What does it mean to train? 4) How can we train physically in a way that honors the LORD? At the end of this course, you will practice applying the concepts covered by designing your own training program and partnering with a classmate to help you follow through on executing it. This class is perfect for the novice, fitness enthusiast and anyone in between. 

Teacher: While completing his doctoral studies, Josh Parris received his Personal Training certification (CPT) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). This was the first time that he felt he could apply his interest in biology to his lifelong love of physical training. Since then, Josh has interned for Division I collegiate Strength & Conditioning (S&C) programs, provided S&C services for youth athletic programs and started another personal training business prior to co-founding the Parris Performance Institute, LLC. As a husband and father of three, Josh’s primary motivation to remain fit is to enjoy his family for as long as possible, and dispel the notion that your health has to take a backseat when life gets busy. Through their gym, Josh and Victoria seek to educate his members that purposeful training is accessible, sustainable and fun.

“Who do you say that I am?….You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question of His identity is theologically instructive. He emphasizes that He is both “the Christ” and “the Son of the living God.” Often, we tend to explore the doctrine of Christ through compartmentalizing his deity and his humanity, totally divorced from His identity as the second Adam, the offspring of Abraham, the true Israel, and the Son of David. Peter confesses that Jesus is the “Anointed One,” the Messiah that Israel had anticipated, and that He is the Son of the one true God in one glorious statement.

It is imperative that we let the storyline of Scripture shape our Christology. We must know the whole Christ so that we might love and be fully devoted to Him. Join us as we trace the Eternal Son, who shared the glory of the Father in eternity past to His becoming the Incarnate Son, Who ascends the Hill of the Lord as the Anointed One anticipated by the Psalms and the Prophets, to the glorified Son Who currently reigns in heaven and Who is coming again to reign on earth as the Son of David for all eternity. 

Teachers

Chris Von Holt has been on staff since 2016 and currently serves as Senior Associate Pastor, overseeing adult ministries and the curriculum taught throughout our church. He is a graduate from Maranatha Baptist University and is pursuing his MDiv through the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Courtney have been married since 2013 and have three children.

Dan Everett has been a member since 2021 after having grown up at Cedar Crest and returning from living in north central, PA following college. He enjoys learning theology in order to distill it down and package it in order to share and teach others. He has a particular interest in the Puritans and the theological formation that was happening worldwide in the 17th century. He and his wife Erica have been married since 2017 and have four children.

We view church membership highly because the Bible does. In this class, you’ll learn what Cedar Crest believes about the gospel and the church, along with our theology, values, and much more. Taking this class is Step 1 to becoming a member of Cedar Crest (Step 2, if you choose to move forward, is an interview with the elders).

Teacher: Alex Moyer and his wife, Anna, have been married for 23 years and have two adult children, Chase and Kaden. Alex graduated from LCCC with an Associates Degree in Computer Networking and Kutztown University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. Alex is employed at East Penn Mfg. Co (DEKA) as the Manager of Application Development in the IT Department. Alex, and his family, have been attending Cedar Crest since 2007 and he has been an Elder at Cedar Crest for the last seven years. Alex is the Chairman of the Membership & Baptism Committee and is also a Life Group Leader. He previously served as a Nursery Worker, Greeter, and Youth Group Leader.