May 14, 2021

Living out the Word and healing ministry of Jesus.

First, congratulations to our 8th Graders preparing to celebrate the Rite of Confirmation. Confirmation marks a big step in a person’s faith journey. On Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. Worship Service, our 8th Grade youth will stand up before us as a Redeemer family to say, “YES” to Jesus’ call to discipleship.

In addition to recognizing our youth, it is also a day to acknowledge all of the adults who have walked beside them on their journey -- parents and grandparents, Maria Devenport, our minister of youth and families, and all of the youth leaders who have shepherded them through the years. Thank YOU for being the example, demonstrating what it means to live out the Word and healing ministry of Jesus.

Speaking of our mission, we are now officially counting down the days until one of our biggest Servant Leadership events of the year -- Give to Give Sunday on May 23rd.

Whether you are an individual or a family, we have projects for every age and physical ability both indoors and outdoors. We’ll start Give-to-Give Sunday at Redeemer with our 8:30 a.m. Worship Service before heading out into the community. If you enjoy Worship online from home, we invite you to meet us at your project site.

No matter how you volunteer, we look forward to living out the Word and healing ministry of Jesus together.

Speaking of discipleship and raising up our Redeemer members... We're excited to share that Reese Rountree has returned to Redeemer this summer as our Ministry Intern.

Most recently, Reese was awarded Concordia University Irvine's Eagle Pride award -- nominated by his peers for demonstrating unconditional caring and kindness to other students. Reese is living out the Word and healing ministry of Jesus.

For all of these reasons, Reese is this week's Redeemer Ministry Spotlight.

A favorite verse that I go to a lot is 2 Corinthians 12-9, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

Thank you for sharing with us today, Reese. We look forward to having you on staff this summer. You are truly a blessing to Redeemer and we know God has great things planned for you as you continue on your faith journey.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Redeemer has adhered to the health and safety guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Governor Inslee's Office, and the Spokane Regional Health District. We continue to follow the guidance of these organizations.

Beginning today, Washington state is among a handful of states that have lifted mask and social distancing restrictions for fully vaccinated people, with just a few exceptions (hospitals, travel on planes, trains and buses).

What does this mean for Worship and ministry events at Redeemer? It means if you are fully vaccinated (per the above), you now have a choice as to whether or not you wear a mask indoors and outdoors. You may also sit with other fully vaccinated people without social distancing.

If you have any questions, please call our Church Office (509.926.6363) or connect with Trisha Rountree, Director of Human Resources, at trountree@redeemeralive.org

And as always, we'd love to hear from you in general! Please feel free to submit your updates, stories, questions, photos, and videos to our Director of Marketing & Communications, Susan Baldwin at sbaldwin@redeemeralive.org. If appropriate and with your permission, we'll feature them here and/or on our social media channels.

Happy Friday Friends,

This Sunday, we'll be talking about the Good News. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most simply put, the Gospel teaches us that Jesus loves us.

Next Sunday, is Give to Give. We've already got more than 80 people signed-up, ready to go out into the community to serve as Jesus served. People sharing the love of God unconditionally, no strings attached. Living out the Word and healing presence of Jesus in tangible ways like raking leaves, pulling weeds, painting fences, and even making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the hungry.

And this Sunday is Confirmation Sunday. We have a dozen youth prepared to stand before us to be Confirmed in the Good News of Jesus.

It is in this moment, I'm drawn back to a small church in Towson, Maryland, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, as I recall my Confirmation. A Pastor, also named Dave, placed his hand on my head and quoted this passage from Romans 1:16...

My mom and dad gave me a Bible for Confirmation that I still carry today. My mom wrote Romans 1:16 in the front of the Bible and it fills me with great hope reading the verse in her handwriting. On that same day, Christ wrote the Good News of Jesus on my heart.

Knowing this Good News and sharing this Good News with those around me, makes a difference in how I see the world. And it can also make a difference in your life -- viewing the world through the Gospel lens of Jesus Christ's love.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we talk about the power of the Gospel and why we shouldn't be afraid to share it in big, bold ways.

You can enjoy my full Friday message below.

Blessings,

You can register quickly and simply at this LINK.

This year's theme is "Follow Me!"

Using Psalm 23 as our map throughout the week, we will follow Jesus at the trailhead, in the valley, through the forest, to the summit of Calvary hill, and on the descent as we are called to share news about our amazing guide to everlasting life with God.

Important dates for your calendar:

Staycation Bible School Kit Pick-up in the Redeemer Lobby -- please bring your kiddos, we'll have picture opportunities and we want to see and meet your children!

You'll want to visit our website each day for updates (redeemeralive.org) and stay connected through our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Again, you'll find everything you need to know about Staycation Bible School 2021 at this LINK. You can also contact our Children's Minister, Erica Barton at ebarton@redeemeralive.org or call our Church Office (509.926-6363).

We invite you and your family to join us for Give-to-Give Sunday. Many hands make light work and we need your hands!

on our website at this LINK.

You can also connect directly with Doug Weinrich, Minister of Servant Leader Development at dweinrich@redeemeralive.org.

Again, we hope you and your family will join us in living out the Word and healing ministry of Jesus in the community. You can sign-up to volunteer, quickly and simply, at this LINK.

A few additional notes, on Give-to-Give Sunday (5/23) we will head out into the community to serve after the 8:30 a.m. Worship Service. Projects are designed to wrap-up by noon. If you choose to Worship with us online on Give-to-Give Sunday, you are welcome to go directly to your project site after service and we will meet you there.

Please connect with Doug with any questions -- dweinrich@redeemeralive.org.

We are preparing to celebrate our 8th grade Confirmands this Sunday while on May 27th we’ll be honoring our High School Seniors with a proper send off. Congratulations to ALL!

As we close out the school year and launch into Summer activities please remember to visit redeemeralive.org to learn more about our Youth Mission Trip opportunities and stay tuned for a full calendar of Youth Events to provide our Middle School and High School Youth with opportunities to join together for FELLOWSHIP, Bible Study and a whole lot of FUN throughout the summer months!

If you have questions about any of our Youth activities please contact Maria at mdevenport@redeemeralive.org. And if you'd like to learn more about available scholarships for our mission trips, please contact Trisha at trountree@redeemeralive.org.

Rite of Confirmation (Redeemer)

Give-to-Give (Redeemer/Out in the Community)

Senior High Youth Send-off (Redeemer)

Senior High Youth Summer Mission Trip (Shoshone)

Staycation Bible School kit pick-up -- bring your kiddos! (Redeemer Lobby)

Middle School Youth Summer Service Week (Shoshone)

Summer Family Ranch Camp (Shoshone)

Middle School Youth: Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (thru 5/26)

Senior High Youth: Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (thru 5/26)

Adult Bible Study: Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (thru 5/26)

Women's Bible Study: Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Men's Beer & Bible Study: Mondays at 7:00 p.m.

If you'd like to share your gifts in support of Redeemer Lutheran Church's ministries, you can do so online at this link or via any of the options listed in the image below.