CityEdge Church Holds Kids' Summer Kickoff In Lakewood Park

Children were treated to free face painting and snow cones at the Kid's Summer Kick-off on Saturday

Children in Lakewood Park were treated to games, face painting and hundreds of free snow cones on Saturday afternoon, June 18, as City Edge Christian Church celebrated the warm weather with their Kids’ Summer Kickoff event.

CityEdge Christian Church is a new church in Lakewood with a focus on public service and community outreach. According to lead minister Kevin Rush, events like the Kids’ Summer Kickoff are one of many ways CityEdge Church seeks to enrich the lives of Lakewood residents.

“Our mantra at CityEdge is ‘Love Beyond Reason,’ said Rush. “What that means is that we are here to serve the people of the city, to help them, to listen to them and, ultimately, to love them, no matter where they come from or where they are in their personal spiritual journey.”

Sunday services are part of the CityEdge identity, but the real work happens in small group meetings, called CityGroups, where residents who live in close proximity meet as a community, planning ways to make their community a better place.

“We have ‘church’ services, but we also meet in CityGroups throughout the week,” said Rush. “These groups live in community, caring for one another, and are sent out to serve others with Jesus' love. We’re planning to launch our second CityGroup in July. They really are at the core of what we do.”

In addition to planned events like the Summer Kickoff, and the Lakewood Family Fun Fest (a planned back-to-school party for children), CityEdge often conducts what they call random acts of kindness.

“Recently we set up outside the Lakewood Post Office, handing out free stamps,” said Rush. “We also held an event we called ‘Laundromat Love’ where we showed up for a few hours and paid for people’s laundry. They are small gestures, but they let people know that we care about them and want to be a part of this community.”

CityEdge is currently ramping up for the launch of its first public services on September 11, 2011 at Garfield Middle School.

To get more information on CityEdge, visit www.cityedge.org or call the office at 216-236-3970.

Kevin Rush

Kevin Rush serves as the Lead Minister for CityEdge Christian Church. He graduated from DeVry University with a B.S. in Electronic Engineering and is currently working towards his Masters in Theology at Masters International School of Divinity. Kevin met his wife, Sondra, while managing a coffee house right out of college. They are the parents of two beautiful girls named Selah (3) and Aliyah (1) and they are expecting their third child in October. Kevin has served in a variety of churches for the past 6 years, gaining a wealth of leadership experience. Most recently Kevin spent a year at Momentum Christian Church on the east side of Cleveland, preparing to lead and plant a church on the west side of Cleveland. Kevin's dream is to change lives, our city (Cleveland), and the world through gospel planting. [Visit Kevin's Blog]

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Volume 7, Issue 13, Posted 8:02 AM, 06.29.2011