About – Cedar Creek Church

Beliefs

We believe that the Bible is the inerrent word of God.

Cedar Creek Church is an interdenominational church affiliated with the Minnesota Baptist Conference and Converge Worldwide (Baptist General Conference).

The Trinity The Bible says there is one living and true God who lives forever as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit (The Trinity). These three persons are distinct in their roles, equal in their positions and unified in their actions and goals. (Genesis 1:26; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1,3; John 4: 24; Romans 1:19-20)

God, The Father The Bible says there is God, the Father. He is an eternal spirit-person who is concerned about us, and who hears and answers our prayers. He calls us to be reunited with Him by admitting our sin and asking His Son, Jesus, to remove sin from our lives. (Matthew 23:9; John 3:16-17; I Timothy 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3)

God, The Son The Bible says there is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, who created all things and lives eternally as God. He became fully human, was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to a virgin named Mary. He lived a sinless life, taught the truth of God and performed great miracles. His death is the only possible payment to free us from sin. He has risen from the dead, ascended into heaven and will return someday to take us with Him. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John l: 1; John 20:30-31; Acts 1:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

God, The Holy Spirit The Bible says there is the Holy Spirit, who is our counselor and guide. He has been sent by God to reveal truth, convince people of their sin and separation from God, transform those who decide to commit their lives to God and empower them to live obediently to Him. (John 14:14-17; John 16:7-14: Romans 8:26; Titus 3:5-6)

The Bible The Bible says it was written by faithful followers of God who were directed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God’s Word, without error in its original writing, and is the ultimate standard of truth about who God is and what He wants from us. (Psalm 119:1-16, 105; John 8:31-32; Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

People The Bible says that every person naturally chooses to rebel against God and go their own way (sin). Because of that, every person is separated from God and destined to live for eternity without Him. However, those who completely depend on Jesus’ death to pay for the wrong things they have done and turn away from their own selfish desires will have a new relationship with God and will live with Him for eternity. (Jeremiah 17:910; John 1:12-13; Romans 5: 6-8; Romans 6:9-10; Romans 8:8,13-14; Titus 3:5-7)

The Church The Bible says there is one worldwide spiritual family of God (The Universal Church). It consists of all people who completely depend on Jesus’ death to pay for the wrongs they have done and who dedicate their lives to obey God. We also believe in smaller local spiritual families (The Local Church), these families are members of the worldwide spiritual family of God, and exist to praise God through beginning and deepening a relationship with Him, belonging to His family, becoming active in service and befriending others. (Matthew 28:18-20: Acts 2:42-47: Ephesians 2:19-22: Hebrews 10:24-25)

The Lord’s Supper and Baptism The Bible says Jesus gave the Church practices in the form of pictures that are meant to remind us and show others what God has done for us. One “picture” is called communion, or the Lord’s Supper. This is meant to help us remember that Jesus died for us. The family of God shares bread, which is a symbol of Jesus’ body, and wine (or grape juice), which is symbolic of the blood of Jesus. (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26) Another “picture” is baptism. It tells those around us of the change God has started in us. When the person is submerged under the water it illustrates dying to our old life, then coming back up illustrates receiving new life and rising from the dead to live as a new creation. (Matthew 28:18-20: Acts 2:37-38; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:4-6;

The End of the World The Bible says that Jesus is personally coming back to earth to physically remove all true believers from the earth. Some will still be living and others will be resurrected from the dead. All people will face God’s final judgment and will be declared innocent or guilty. Heaven and hell are real places and all people will spend eternity in one of those two places. (Matthew 16:27; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5;1 Corinthians 15:20-24, 35-58; I Thessalonians 4:14-18; Revelations 20:4-15)

A Biblical Definition of Marriage and Cedar Creek Church.

We believe all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect because each of us bears the image of God. An LGBT person deserves this dignity and respect no less than any other, and is just as welcome to attend Cedar Creek Church as all others are. However, we also believe that marriage is the exclusive, covenantal union of one man and one woman, which union was designed by God. Genesis 2:24 states, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. Jesus Christ affirmed this in Matthew 19:4-6: “And He answered and said, ˜Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.’ We will faithfully follow this scriptural definition of marriage in the teachings and practices of this church, and therefore, for example but not limited-to, this church will not officiate, solemnize, perform or host a marriage or marriage-like ceremony involving anything other than the union of one man with one woman as instituted by God.

Mission

The mission of every church should be the one from Jesus in Matt 28:19,20 and Acts 1:8 which says, to make disciples, starting in Jerusalem, then moving out to Judea, Samaria and the World. Our Mission statement, based on those Scriptures, communicates how we intend to make disciples of our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the world. Our mission is “To inspire people to follow Jesus, by embracing them to know, encouraging them to grow and equipping them to go.“

Staff

Pastor Barry Durkee joined Cedar Creek Church in September, 2020. Born in Kansas, he most recently served as a Pastor in Karlstad, MN along with his wife of 35 years, Jenn. Barry enjoys disc golfing, refing high school sports, holding his grandson and custard filled Bismarck’s.

Our Administrative Assistant, Gina Moser, grew up in rural Minnesota. She has attended Cedar Creek Church since 1999 and has worked for the church for since November of 2004. Gina and her husband enjoy living on a small farm. She is married to Dan and they have three adult children (and 3 grandchildren).

History

Cedar Creek Church was born in the hearts of four area families who had a vision for a new kind of outreach in the community for sharing the love of Jesus. The group that started our church initially began praying about the idea in the fall of 1992 and began meeting for prayer and Bible study in February of 1994. They continued meeting for Bible study, did demographic studies and began to seriously consider calling a pastor in the spring of 1996. This involved putting together a call committee, which included the four Hayfield families, two people from Bethel church in Owatonna and one from Elim Baptist (now Oasis) church in Rochester. In November of 1997, the first worship service (at that time called Hayfield Community Church) was held in a home and one month later at the Hayfield school. Paul Heppner was then called to be the pastor of this new church in April of 1998. During the next nine months, the church met privately to restart, cast vision, choose the name Cedar Creek Church and then hold two preview services at the School in late 1998. Our first public service for Cedar Creek Church was officially held on January 24, 1999 in the Hayfield High School. We continued services there the next eight years until a donated former bank building was renovated into our new church home. Our first worship service was held in our present building in February of 2007 with a grand opening celebration in March of 2007. Shortly after this milestone event, Pastor Heppner announced his resignation to start a new church in Faribault, MN. In February of 2008, we called Pastor Aaron de Neui as our new pastor. Pastor Aaron moved with his family to Hayfield and began ministry in March of 2008, serving faithfully until resigning in the summer of 2019. After a 2 year search, Pastor Barry Durkee accepted the call to serve as our third pastor in September of 2021.

From the beginning, the vision for a new work in Hayfield included doing church non-traditionally, with an emphasis on Biblical practical teaching, outreach to youth, contemporary worship, and relevant small groups. God has also called us to reach not only our community, but also beyond. We believe the Great Commission from Jesus compels us to reach out to the World in word and deed, starting within our four walls, moving into our community and around the world from there. This “near and far” outreach includes:

Feeding children from the community, physical and spiritual food, through our Wednesday night KAMP Kid’s Club program
The Hayfield Community Food Pantry at church
Partnering with other churches and our community in reaching the less fortunate through the “Thanksgiving in a Bag,” “Share Christmas” Programs and the Hayfield School Backpack Program
Partnering with “Together for Good” in reaching out to local families in distress and vulnerable children with safe options
International outreach through “Operation Christmas Child” and “Our Legacy” in Ukraine.
Cedar Creek has also, as God has led, come alongside other ministries such as “Destiny Rescue”, and their ministry to young girls caught in the sex trafficking industry in Asia.