Sunday 8 AM, 9 AM, 11 AM and 5 PM

  2944 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208  ·   (513) 321-6700  ·         Give

The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
  • Welcome
    • Children
    • Service Times
  • About
    • What We Believe
    • Vision Statement
    • Community Covenant
    • The Way of Love
    • Our Clergy & Staff
    • Vestry
    • Calendar
    • Latest News
    • Wedding Guidelines
    • Contact Us
  • Worship
    • Our Worship
    • Worship Online
    • Worship Weekdays
    • Bulletins
    • Music
    • Families in Worship
    • Children's Liturgy
    • Sermons
    • Prayers of the People
    • Ministry Scheduler
  • Serve
    • Mission Ministries
    • Mission Minded Forum
    • Reconcilers
    • Ministry Discernment
  • Care
    • Healthy Church
    • Stephen Ministry
    • Creation Care
    • Dementia Inclusive Cincinnati Initiative
    • Obituaries
  • Learn
    • Family Ministry
    • Redeemer Preschool
    • Book Group
    • Downtown Bible Study
    • Library
    • Theology Circle
    • Thursday Morning Bible Study
    • CoR After School
  • Connect
    • Holy Week 2023
    • Events
    • Church Directory
    • StorySharers
    • Becoming Beloved Community
    • Scotland Pilgrimage and Choir Residency
    • Second Half Ministry
    • Young Adults
    • Membership
    • Calendar
    • Contact Us
    • Giving
    • Planned Giving
    • CoR Portal
  • Media
    • Redeemer Online
    • Rector's Blog
    • Podcasts
    • Annual Report
  • Give
    • Commitment 2022
    • Stewardship
    • Endowment Fund

The Gift and the Work that Follows

This blog is also available as a podcast

If you’ve been around the Church of the Redeemer the last few months, you’ve likely noticed that our grounds have never looked better. This was no accident, and in fact there’s a beautiful story behind it. It started with a dying tree. One of the real centers of peace and joy for our community is the Cloister – the courtyard area at the literal center of our building. With its running water feature, it’s austere cross, ivy climbing up the walls, and views of the stained glass, steeple, and choir room, it is a beautiful space. Sitting outside in our cloister gives one the sense of being gently held by the church itself.

Except for the dead tree.

Yes, one of my favorite parts of the cloister was a tree in the corner back near the doors to the library. Its branches reached up to the second floor of the church building, and during the Fall, you could see the leaves changing from the office windows. And last year (2020, of course) the tree died. Our faithful group of garden volunteers – the Lay Weeders – immediately got to work to find the best solution for that space in the cloister. Sidenote: Lay Weeders is hands down the best-named ministry at Church of the Redeemer, and there’s no close second. Anyway, as part of their work they met with the Landscape Architect who had designed the plantings for the cloister at its creation.

Her name is Sharon Floro and she is a remarkable talent, a kind soul, and an amazing gift to our community as well as to the whole city.

When Sharon met with Lay Weeder Mike Krug, she remarked that she loved working with us so much before, she’d love to work with us again, and – unsolicited – offered to design the landscape for our whole grounds (and not just the cloister) at no cost. When I spoke to Sharon about this, she mentioned how meaningful collaborating with this community had been for her, how wonderful our Lay Weeders were, and she mentioned with great passion and gratitude her appreciation for the presence and ministry of our wonderful Associate of Pastoral Care the Rev. Joyce Keeshin.

Sharon wanted to give us a gift during a difficult time. This was an act of loving kindness: Landscape architecture as embodiment of God’s grace. The Lay Weeders were so excited they enlisted parishioners to donate money for the plants themselves, so the whole glorious transformation would not impact our pandemic-tightened operating budget.

How could we say no to this? Well, we couldn’t – but we still had to talk it over. Because that’s what organizations do: They talk over the things that seem obvious. But that’s how it goes. And, honestly, I’m so glad we talked it over, because it helped me see something about God’s grace I’d never really noticed before.

In the midst of considering the logistics, one member of our Administrative Committee asked the good question: Once we receive this gift of new landscaping, what is our plan for maintaining and caring for it? Will we expect our Lay Weeders (who are, of course, volunteers) to just do more work, or will we pay more for professional gardeners? And this is when a very simple idea took root in my heart. It’s been slowly growing ever since.

Appreciating a gift requires work.

That’s all. That’s the simple idea. But think about it: this magnificent gift of transforming our grounds doesn’t mean anything if we don’t take care of the things that are planted. They are alive now, and like that beautiful tree in the cloister, some of them will die and will need to be replaced, and all the while they’ll need to be fed, maintained, trimmed, nourished. This gift requires work.

To be as clear as possible, I am not complaining at all. How else could it be? What gift does not require work? If someone gives you a wonderful book, you have to actually read it. Children are a gift. And also more work than is conceivable. Come to think of it, every relationship that is truly meaningful and transformative is a great gift and requires work on your part if you’re to really appreciate it.

There is something deep within us, some unspoken default setting, that seeks neat and tidy solutions. We like to check boxes, measure progress, eliminate problems. It’s as if we think we can cross something off the list and not look back. Replace the dead tree and call it a day. We crave this on a spiritual level. We think that, with God’s help, we should just be able to get past some fault of ours, and never worry about it again. On a practical level, this has worked for us approximately zero times – but we keep believing that’s how God works.

What if we began to let go of the idea that our lives were problems to be solved? What if we saw them as gifts to be cared for and appreciated - with the acknowledgment that appreciation requires work? What if our life with God, our life with one another, what if that beautiful life was not like boxes being checked, but like a living landscape that is meant to be tended, cared for, admired and worked on with gratitude?

This idea is the gift that Sharon Floro gave to me when she looked with favor and kindness upon our beloved Church of the Redeemer. Her work is beautiful, by the way, and I hope you see it. Christy Borneman and Mike Krug and Kris Woolf and Mary Jo Schottelkotte and the rest of the Lay Weeders and the thoughtful Administrative Committee all responded to her gift with their loving efforts. I look forward to the work we do together to appreciate this gift in its fullness.


Tags: Rector's Blog

Sermons

  • Mar 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    The Present Past
  • Mar 12 | Tym House
    Direct Access to Grace
  • Mar 6 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Being Righteous
  • Feb 27 | The Rev. Melanie W. J. Slane
    Two Sides of the Same Coin
  • Feb 20 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Superman Transfigured

Rector's Blog

  • Mar 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, When God Feels Like It
  • Mar 17 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, But Through Me
  • Mar 10 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 2
  • Mar 3 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Conversions - Part 1
  • Feb 24 | The Rev. Philip DeVaul
    Rector's Blog, Better Not Easier

© 2023 The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
2944 Erie Ave. · Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 321-6700
Privacy Policy · Powered by Membership Vision

  View Entire Post

Service Times

We welcome you to join us at the church building or online.

Learn more about our worship services using the button below.

Our Worship

Please join us online by using the button below!

Online Worship

Location

The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
2944 Erie Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45208

Contact Us
(513) 321-6700

Newsletter Signup

Welcome Children Service Times Membership Contact Us

Welcome to Church of the Redeemer! We invite and welcome ALL to join us in worship and community. In addition to worship, we have a vibrant music community, a fun and welcoming community for children and youth, plus offerings for everyone from young adults to seniors, covering many varied interests.

The Rev. Philip DeVaul, Rector

WHAT WE BELIEVE

We love children, and children love Church of the Redeemer!

Children are at the heart of life at Church of the Redeemer. Children learn about the word of God through our Children's Christian Education programs; they are involved in worship services, they play music in our services, and they form lifelong friendships with each other through their experiences.

LEARN MORE

On Sundays we have an 8:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite I service, a 9:00 am Holy Eucharist, Rite II service (which is also livestreamed), an 11:00 am Banquet Eucharist service and a 5:00 pm Celtic Eucharist service.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we offer Morning Prayer on our Online Worship Podcast.

On Wednesdays, we offer Holy Eucharist, Rite II at 6:00 pm in the Chapel.

LEARN MORE

The community of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer welcomes you! We are glad that you have chosen to explore your faith here and hope that this document can answer some of the questions you may have about Church of the Redeemer. We seek to be an open, inviting community. Our invitation to you is to join us as we grow in faith and reach out in love to others. At Church of the Redeemer we are always seeking to know Jesus and grow in love. We hope that in whatever ministries you undertake will strengthen your relationship with him through your ministry and fellowship here.

LEARN MORE

PARKING: Parking is on the street. Please pay attention to the signs indicating proper parking zones. Handicapped parking is available in the front on Erie, in the back parking lot, and on the south side of Raymar.

ACCESSIBLE REDEEMER: The front entrance has a ramp and there is an elevator inside the back door and to the left. Accessible restrooms are located in the Lobby inside the front entrance.


CONTACT US
Make a Donation Altar Flowers Endowment Fund Commitment 2023 Planned Giving

Thank you for supporting the mission and ministry of Church of the Redeemer!

To give a one time gift, click the button below. To make a financial commitment for 2023, use the Commitment 2023 tab above.

Donate

Flowers in our holy worship spaces are a beautiful gift to God and those who attend services at Church of the Redeemer as well as those being honored or remembered. A contribution to the Flower Fund is a meaningful way to honor or remember a loved one for special life events such as birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, confirmations, thanksgivings, or in memory of a loved one.

Donate

The Church of the Redeemer is blessed to have received special gifts from parishioners who wanted Redeemer to have permanent savings to care for our facilities and to supplement our pledge income.

Such permanent savings are often called an “endowment.” The endowed funds are permanently set aside by donors or by the Vestry. Some of our donors have specified uses for their endowment gifts. A limited portion of the funds is distributed each year to supplement our general budget. All funds are invested with professional advice.

LEARN MORE

What about your connection to Redeemer changes the way you live in this world? Your financial commitment is a response to the work that God is doing with you here. It is a practical way to ensure that others are able to experience the relationships of holy connection and communion that are shaping your life.

For 2023, we ask that you make your commitment through regular scheduled electronic giving, if possible. Whether it be weekly or annually, giving electronically is a safe and sustainable way to ensure your continued financial support.

MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT NOW

Your planned legacy gift to the Church of the Redeemer is a practical way for you to empower generations to come. It is a powerful witness of faith, love, and gratitude. This type of gift recognizes the heritage left by those who came before us and acknowledges that we bear a responsibility to the future faithful - to insure the continuation of God’s work within and beyond Church of the Redeemer.

Read More