Rector's Blog: A Place for This Church in Your Life

This blog is also available as a podcast.

It seems like we're supposed to preface everything these days with, "I know this not how we'd like things to be but..."

We have an understanding, of course, that our lives have been radically upended by this pandemic, and that church has had to exist in our lives in a completely different way than before. And we know, of course, that we miss “the way it was” and hope to be back together in our commonly accepted fashion before too long. And we are aware that we are in the midst of a sustained trauma not just to our church, but to our country, culture, and way of being in the world. All this is true, and we should not need to pretend everything is hunky-dory.

And yet. And yet! I am so excited about being part of Church of the Redeemer right now, and I’m beside myself with anticipation for the diverse and exciting ways we are deepening our connections to God and to one another in this new program year.

Let me step back and say this: Program Year is church-speak for that time that roughly correlates to a school year. This is traditionally when our worshiping community schedules most of its opportunities for you to get involved in its ministries. While you are obviously being shaped by your relationship with God year-round, we use the program year to focus more intentionally on how you participate with your church in that relationship. Some call this spiritual development or discipleship. Whatever you call it, it’s a lot of what people think of when they think of being church.

Speaking frankly, I had concerns going into this past summer that we wouldn’t really be able to have a program year. Our need to remain physically distanced for much longer than initially thought was becoming increasingly clear, and our staff was putting in inordinately long and strenuous hours trying to keep the congregation connected and engaged throughout the spring. I was worried our leadership would be too exhausted by the pandemic to really creatively engage people in the fall. I know, that sounds a little dark and anxious, but hey, we have all been prone to darkness and anxiety these last months, and I’m no different.

Friends, I was mistaken. I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited by the opportunities Church of the Redeemer is offering for you to get involved, to stay connected, to make a difference, to be church. And I don’t mean, I’m excited considering the circumstances. I’m saying, I’m excited. Full stop. If you want to follow Jesus, if you want to share life with your community, if you want to remember that you are not alone, and if you want to spread love and make a difference in your neighborhood, that is to say, if you are interested in your own discipleship and growth – you will find a number of paths at Church of the Redeemer.

I’m not going to use this space to sell one or two ministries to you. There are too many beautiful things happening, and honestly, what I may feel like promoting may not be where God is calling you to connect. Instead, I want to say a little about how we understand ministry at Church of the Redeemer: We break our ministries down into five areas: Liturgy (our worship), Pastoral (our care for one another), Mission (our engagement with our neighbors), Education (our learning to articulate our faith), and Stewardship (our care for everything God has given us).

Do you feel yourself gravitating towards one of those areas right now? Whether it be to serve in one of them, or just to be served and cared for in one of these areas, you will find a place to connect at Church of the Redeemer in the coming months. And you don’t need to worry about if it’s how you would normally connect with the church, or how you would normally get involved with a ministry. There’s nothing normal about right now. You don’t need to pretend otherwise. Ask yourself, and ask God, where do you need your church right now, and if you have the energy, ask where your church needs you. If you’re not sure, but you know you want to be a part of things, email me. Seriously. Email me and either I or one of our team will help you figure it out. There is a place for you in the life of this church. And there is a place for this church in your life. We’re in this together, you know.