Revised Redeemer Reporter

November 2019

From Jonathan Clodfelter,

An autobiography for my new friends at Redeemer:

Born and raised in Missouri in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, I grew up the second of five children in the often-conflicted world of the Bible belt. My mother, adopted by a Presbyterian couple of Kansas Mennonite background, was the infant child of a young unmarried Roman Catholic mother and an unspecified biological father. My father, the son of Southern Baptist sharecroppers, did everything he could to get off the farm and keep his children away from farming. I changed churches only once in my family of origin, moving from fundamentally focused Methodism to a big program-focused Presbyterian Church in the suburbs of St. Louis.

I spent summers on either the paternal family truck farm on the rocky hill country above the rich Mississippi River bottom lands; we had five acres, each worse than the adjoining. We grew potatoes, popcorn, tomatoes, and had a small orchard. I spent my summers weeding rows of produce and hilling potatoes. When I could break away, I'd walk to the creek, catch frogs, and swim in the bigger holes.

Staying with the maternal side of the family was very different. My grandparents were stiff and strait-laced, with a severe way of looking at the world. My grandfather was a retired Army doctor, with significant WWI experience as a Navy Corpsman and WWII service as a surgeon. They retired to a community in Northern Arkansas where they did their level best to do nothing that seemed remotely interesting to a teenage boy. When my grandmother died, I often spent long periods of time with my grandfather. His primary vocation was building a little Presbyterian Church near his home; he and I would spend several hours each day focusing on some aspect of the construction. I lived with him until his needs escalated and assisted living was necessitated.

In the city, I worked, dated girls, and hung out with my few good friends, fishing from the banks of the Meramec River, a dioxin permeated river with three eyed catfish and edible smallmouth bass. As a teen, I supported myself by working alternatingly in kitchens and greenhouses. The greenhouse work was hard, but steady and clean in its dirtiness; the restaurant experience serves me well today. I camped, hunted, and fished in the Ozarks; I look back on those years with incredible fondness. Now I live out my love of fishing in the east branch of the Brandywine.

When I was 21, I enlisted in the US Army. My intention was to become an armor crewman and eventually a tank commander, but the powers-at-be learned of my colorblindness and transferred me into intelligence. After school at Ft. Huachuca Arizona I was assigned to the 7^th Special Forces Group (Airborne). I was promoted several times until I decided that I wasn't really a "special operator" and transferred to Intelligence Directorate at the Headquarters of the US Army in Europe in Heidelberg, West Germany. I was assigned to the Czechoslovak Desk and was trained to become the expert on the non-Soviet Warsaw Pact forces in what is now the Czech Republic. While it seems so irrelevant now, I was one of only a few in the intelligence community that thought and published that the Czech people were not a threat to the United States.

I married my wife of 34 years, Liese (my younger sister's best friend) while I was in the US Army; two of our daughters were born in Italy during our first overseas tour together. Our youngest joined us when I was assigned at the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington. It was and continues to be a wonderful life that my bride and I have built together, always under the watchful eye of our loving God.

I have been told that I have a gift for language, but I'm not sure it is really a gift; I have worked hard at learning first German and Dutch, then Czech and Russian.

I think I have done well with German, though I can often sound as though I understand better than I do because of a particular study method that I use focusing on the repetition of phrases and words as I learn. I think half of language study is learning the geography, history, and culture, as language and culture are inextricably linked. Later I graduated from the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Liese and I studied Italian in a small class with native speakers. Our focus was more on culture rather than precision and we took away a great love of all things Italian. Today, I can celebrate the Eucharist in Spanish and can understand - usually - what is said to me.

We try as hard as we can to travel to Italy every other year. Our son lives in Missouri which was both Liese's and my home before we began traveling with the Army. Our eldest daughter has made me a grandfather and I treasure the time which I get to spend with my three grandchildren. One of the best things about being a grandfather is watching each member of my family grow into their new roles, grandmother, mother, aunts and uncles. It is a beautiful thing to be in the hands of the living God!

I was called to ministry in Northern Virginia from a small family church with a big presence in Alexandria where I had finished my Army career at the Pentagon and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Upon graduation from Virginia Seminary my first call was at the Thompson Children's Home serving all of North Carolina. From there we reversed the trek northeast along the Great Wagon Road through the Shenandoah where the first Clodfelter was born in 1743. And we ended up in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, were I served as the rector and priest in a challenging urban community for these most recent 17 years.

My role as I saw it was to stand firm in the muck and mire of this highly transitional neighborhood and effect changes that would make the community better than when we began. I performed hundreds of adult baptisms, engaged huge numbers of folks on the streets, and did my level best to lead the little congregation to become the best that it could be. We did that together.

These passages of Scripture have driven me in all that I have done and continue to as I begin my new ministry at Redeemer.

The first tells us that we will know Jesus is the Messiah by his actions, not his words. The passage which best describes that to me is in Matthew 1 .

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

From there, Jesus tells his disciples what the church is to be doing as recorded in Matthew 28.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

And then as a reminder, the prophet Micah shares that we are to keep the main thing the main thing in Micah 6.

With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

And then finally comes the prophet Habakkuk with the simplest of vision sharing the simplicity of the good news of God.

I will stand at my watch post, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.

Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith

From the Priest

I write an essay most every week on something important to me. I will publish them in a variety of ways based on space. I love Baptism Sundays. The energy brings me tremendous joy. The idea that new folks are coming into the church and committing themselves to a life of faith thrills me. My personal call story is linked to infant baptism, though I have baptized hundreds of adults. On All Saints Sunday I had the privilege of baptizing an adult at 7:45 and a child at 10:30 am. Baptism is different for adults and children. As adults we are making the decision to fully belong; as children the decision is made for us; and for those that witness, we reaffirm the covenant that we made with God at our own Baptism.

I was in the Army and assigned at the Pentagon when my older children were baptized, we were transient and returned to my wife's family church in suburban St. Louis for the family event. It was an idyllic suburban church building setting, not unlike that of the Church of the Redeemer. Today that church is a park, which is a story for another day.

In Israel, while immersed in the Jordan River a Kenyan man approached me with his large family and asked me to baptize him and his family, which I joyfully did. When I asked the man - afterwards - why he asked me, he said that God had directed him to me. What an incredible honor that was, that God would direct a Kenyan family to me for baptism.

I am a strong believer in baptism and link my personal call to baptism. When our youngest came along, we knew we needed a church and were able to commit to a church because the priest, and our beautiful Episcopal denomination, had no restrictions on who could be baptized. When we were to eventually commit to a church we committed because the priest was willing to include - even - us in the little family church she led; it was a church not unlike St. Stephen's, Clifton Heights, and we were made most welcome. At the baptism, I held my daughter over the font and the water of baptism poured over the both of us in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I felt, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that God spoke to me through the water of baptism telling me that no matter what happened in my family's life, that it would be alright. The actual words I heard from God were consistent with what I believed that God would say: "peace, I give you my peace."

I believe that Baptism is at the core of what we believe as a church. We affirm through the Nicene Creed that Baptism is acknowledged to be for the forgiveness of sins, but baptism is more to most of us. It is about family and friendships; it is about membership; it is about forgiveness of sins: it is about the unqualified acceptance of all of creation and in particular humanity by God. And it is not to be controlled by our attempts to understand and explain the sacraments in clear clean definitions. Baptism is to be shared as broadly as possible. Because it is through those sacraments that people can come into the presence of God without any further explanation, just prayer and presence.

From the Senior Warden

Our new priest, Jonathan Clodfelter, Jon for short, has only been with us for a short time, but already he is making it clear that he understands our mission and is enthusiastically in support of it. As you know, we have chosen, as our mission, to be a church that welcomes everyone. It is on our sign on Springfield Rd; it is on our website; it is our direction statement; and it shows in how we greet newcomers to our church. In his first letter to us, printed in the bulletin, Jon outlined how he believes in us and how he hopes to make our aspirations happen. He has ideas about how to make the service booklet more accessible to visitors, how to make the language on the website more understandable to people who might not be Episcopalians, and how to engage those who are coming to Redeemer for reasons other than worship. He is already well known to the patrons of the Thrift Shop.

So far, the Sunday schedule with St. Stephen's is working. We have moved our 8:00 service to 7:45 so Jon has time to lead that, go to St. Stephen's for their 9:00 service, and then back to us for our 10:30 service. Jon's energy is infectious; you can't help being around him and not feel an infusion of spirit.

As we look further into the fall, we will be providing information about the Stewardship Campaign. Be on the lookout for an envelope that will contain a statement of your pledging through September 30, a brochure with helpful ideas, a pledge card, and a letter to explain everything. Redeemer is on the move; you will want to be part of it.

George Baughan

Redeemer Thrift Shop

THANKSGIVING TIME ALREADY!

Halloween is put away and we are ready to move on. We have lots of decorations for the coming festivities plus many warm tops, sweaters, coats and scarves for the colder weather. Don't be a stranger. Come shop for the best deals in town! Volunteering at the Thrift Shop is a truly rewarding and fun job - why not try it?

October sales $2,649

Year-to-date $17,321

Hours of Operation

Tuesdays 10 am - 2 pm

Saturdays 9:30 am - 2 pm

Christmas Treasures and More

Saturday, December 7^th from 9 am to 3 pm

Our biggest fund raiser of the year is about a month away. Here are ways you can help before the big day:

Raffle Baskets: Monetary contributions or a bottle of wine. Money can be given to Carol Kane or Ginny Doyle. Wine bottles should be left on the back pews or in the church office. See Carol Kane or Ginny Doyle for more information.

Silent Auction: Continue to solicit donations for the Silent Auction. The sign-up sheet and donation letters are located at the rear of the church. New items you would like to re-gift will also be accepted. See Janet Barber or Ginny Doyle for more information.

Cookie Walk: Bake your sweet specialty for the Cookie Walk. A sign-up sheet will be in the back of the church. See Patricia Flores-Brown for more information.

Christmas Treasures: Used or new Christmas items may be left on the stage behind the panels or given to Rick Doyle.

Luncheon: If you would like to make soup contact Linda Wren. Donate a case of water. Donate large bottles of soda (diet or regular). Donate hot dog rolls. Contact Linda Wren for more information.

Facebook: Post the event on your Facebook page. Small flyers are on the back shelf of the church which could be copied and added to your blurb.

Sunday, December 1: Help bring up items from the basement to the stage after the 10:30 service.

Tuesday, December 3: Move Christmas items from the stage to tables. This fun event begins at 7 pm and ends when all items are on display on the tables.

The day of the event: Work for an hour or two on December 7. You may even select where you would like to assist. Free coffee for workers!

Stop by to browse, shop, eat. Light breakfast is served from 9-10:30. Lunch is served from 11:30-1:30. Bring your friends.

The Thrift Shop will be open throughout the day - 9am until 3 pm.

LET'S ALL PITCH IN SO THIS YEAR WILL BE THE BEST

CHRISTMAS TREASURES & MORE WE HAVE EVER HAD!!!!!!

SAVE THE DATE - LIFELINE SCREENING RETURNS IN JANUARY

For holiday gift giving remember to use Amazon Smile when you shop online!

To use AmazonSmile, simply go to http://smile.amazon.com/ from the web browser on your computer or mobile device, or go to Amazon and search Amazon smile. On your first visit to AmazonSmile ( smile.amazon.com ), you need to select Church of the Redeemer as your charitable organization to receive donations.

Hurricane Dorian

Episcopal Relief & Development is working closely with dioceses in the path of Hurricane Dorian and other disasters such as the recent wildfires. You can help provide affected communities with immediate and long-term support. Please contribute to our Hurricane Relief Fund at

support.episcopalrelief.org/hurricane-relief

Or, mail to: Episcopal Relief and Development,

PO Box 7058,

Merriffield VA 22116-7058

November Calendar

Community Thanksgiving Service

Wednesday, November 27 7 p.m. - Reception to follow

Covenant United Methodist Church

212 West Springfield Road

Participants from seven different congregations, including ours!

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November to be officially observed as a day of national thanksgiving. He wrote, "The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God." We still observe this day as a day of Thanksgiving, and as we do so, we gather with the larger community of faith to give thanks.

On Wednesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. Covenant United Methodist Church will host the Community Thanksgiving Service. There will be clergy participants from six churches and a combined choir. The offering will go to support the work of the Springfield Ministerium as they care for those in need in our community. A reception will follow. This is a time to remember that there are things we have in common that cross all boundaries of politics and denominations, and one of those things is gratitude to a generous God.