A Request from the Rector: Togetherness and Unity Transformed
Church of the Redeemer is a worshiping community who seeks to know Jesus and grow in Love. From day one of this quarantine we sought to be guided by the central question: “What does it look like to be church during this time?” It’s been essential that we are not asking how we are supposed to be until we can be church again? What do we do in the meantime? We are church right now.
We are a people who thrive on in-person worship and are meant to be nourished every week by the Eucharist. So, this work has been challenging and has required transformation from all of us. I am beside myself and humbled by the stunning, creative, wholehearted, faithful online worship opportunities that Church of the Redeemer has made available. They are changing the way we understand worshiping God and transforming our understanding of togetherness and unity. Our online worship does not replace or nullify the fundamental importance of gathering in person, nor has it proven that Eucharist is a mere symbol. We are missing something right now. It’s painful. It’s real. But we are not taking a break from church. We are not skipping out on worshiping God and we are not hitting the pause button on being reconciled to one another in Jesus’ name. I thank God for our worship team and ministries who glorify Jesus and demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit every week. We continue to be a worshiping church. Right now. I invite you to join us throughout the week, and worship with your community.
And I invite you to give at this time to the Church of the Redeemer. As you might imagine, with no in-person gathering on Sundays, and with people not seeing their beloved church building week in and week out, giving has gone down. Our ministries are facilitated primarily by your giving. More than 2/3 of our operating budget comes directly from your financial commitment, your faithfulness and generosity. Our staffing and programming decisions are made based on your gifts.
I ask you to please give to Church of the Redeemer so that we can continue to draw people together to worship during this unprecedented time.
