Dear Church of the Redeemer,
As we celebrate the season of Advent and anticipate the anniversary of Church of the Redeemer’s tenth year of public worship, I will be sharing the primary themes that arose from our summer discernment meetings* and how they are shaping the vision for where God is calling us as a church. This week’s focus is gifts and opportunities within our church in the areas of study and teaching.
Discipleship Opportunities
We are blessed to have many gifted educators at Church of the Redeemer: librarians, home educators, teachers, administrators, and professors who delight in learning and leading others in the pursuit of wisdom and truth. In the church, these gifts most frequently find expression in ministry to children and youth, Bible studies, teaching from the pulpit, and in men’s and women’s ministries. In the discernment sessions we recognized an opportunity for gifts of teaching to find even fuller expression. To realize this vision, we’re offering two new opportunities for study and discipleship among youth and adults.
First, this fall we launched a youth confirmation cohort of ten young people, led by Caleb and Breana Dahl. The youth have been meeting weekly for study of God’s word, introduction to biblical theology, church history, and practice of prayer and mission. The confirmation preparation process is meant to guide our youth in acknowledging the work that God has begun in their lives, equip them for the work God has for them now and in the future, and nurture their reliance upon the Holy Spirit. The process leads to confirmation by Bishop Stewart in May through the laying on of hands and prayer for the blessing of the Holy Spirit to equip them for Christian life.
Second, we would like to create more opportunities to engage our adult members in teaching and study. Opportunities like Jonathan Loopstra’s recent teaching at MinneRevive, Discovering Redeemer, Men’s and Women’s Listening Prayer, and Bible studies are all ways that we are already fulfilling that vision. One new and exciting opportunity that will be offered in the first quarter of 2020 is the launch of adult discipleship groups that will explore how the memory and practices of the Church–specifically in the Anglican tradition–equip us as disciples of Christ. The spiritual garment for all Christians is the same: we put on Christ. But like all church traditions, our discipleship as Anglicans has a distinctive material, weave, and fit. Over six sessions, these groups will use podcasts, selected readings, art and hymns, to facilitate better understanding and appreciation for the ways we as Anglicans follow Jesus. Our anniversary year as a church and the opportunity for confirmation in May make this an especially fitting time for us to be reminded of these distinctives together as a church family. Similar to the youth confirmation process, the adult discipleship offering will serve as preparation for adult confirmation or reception by Bishop Stewart in May.
Join me in praying for the Dahls and our youth confirmation cohort, and for the adult discipleship curriculum as it is finalized. I’m excited for how these opportunities will build us up as disciples of Jesus and equip us for the work that God has given each of us to do.
Blessings in Christ,
Gracious Lord, Creator of the golden light,
You establish the patterns of revolving time,
And as the sun now sets, the gloom of night advances in.
For all your faithful, Christ, restore the light.
from Hymn at the Lighting of the Lamps
Prudentius – 5th c.
*This past summer, three discernment gatherings were convened to consider Church of the Redeemer’s work and mission, and pray about what God might be calling us to in the next few years. Three small groups of church members prayerfully reflected on who we are, where our strengths lie as a congregation, what communities we’re best positioned to serve, what work we’re best poised to take up, and what resources we might need to further that work.