Consider Inviting a Friend to Redeemer's Christmas Eve Service

Redeemer Family,

All of us have family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who are either unbelievers or Christians who do not currently have a church home. Our Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols service is a low-bar of entry for anyone who is outside our parish. 

Think about it: 

• It’s Christmas Eve. Even those who have never darkened the door of a church are familiar with some of the songs and stories of the season. 

• Lessons & Carols is not nearly as complex or intimidating as our normal, Sunday morning Eucharistic liturgy. If someone asks you what the service will be like, the answer is delightfully simple, “It’s just 7 readings and 7 carols/songs.” 

• It is a sensory service. Lights, candles, music, art - a feast for the senses! 

• It’s short! Less than 1 hour. 

• The Gospel message will be accessible and clear. At the end of the 7 lessons and carols, I will give a very brief (5-7 min) homily that ties the whole service together and presents the good news of the Gospel. This is especially important for people who are lonely, suffering, or grieving during this season. 

Pause for a moment and make a mental (or physical) list of people you know who are either unbelievers or Christians who do not have a church home. Consider inviting all of those people to come with you to either the 4:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. service. 

Advent is drawing to a close and the Feast of Christmas is nearly here. This is not only a moment of waiting and celebration, but also a moment of hospitality. Just as we sing “let every heart prepare Him room,” we may also prepare our calendars and homes with room for our neighbors. 

I’ll be inviting my friends from outside Redeemer and I’d love for you to do so as well.

In the Father’s love,

WELCOME → FORM → SEND—Missional Movements in our Parish

Dear Redeemer Family,

There are so many good, missional movements happening within the life of our parish. Consider what we are participating in together just in the month of November:

• WELCOME: This past Sunday, November 6, we witnessed the baptisms of 12 children and adults. In the baptisms of these dear people, we joyfully welcomed them into the fellowship of the Church.

• FORM: This coming Sunday, November 13, we will celebrate 29 adults (bringing with them 14 children, 43 total people) into membership through Confirmation. Having completed the 7-week Foundations Class, passed their membership interview, and made the threefold commitment to Small Group participation, volunteering, and financial giving—these households have been engaged in gospel formation and are prepared to actively follow Jesus here as members of Redeemer’s Parish.

• SEND: The following Sunday, November 20, we will commission 60 people (36 adults and 24 children) to leave Redeemer in order to plant All Souls Anglican Church in the Manchester neighborhood, South of the River.

Now pause with me for a moment and consider these movements.

WELCOME & FORM

New people are coming into our parish and making their home in Christ and His Church here at Redeemer. Our family is growing. As with any growing family, this is both a thrilling joy and a difficult change. When a new baby is born and a family of four becomes a family of five, everyone must adjust. Old ways and habits are exchanged for new ones. Rooms are rearranged. Space is created for the new humans that are present.

All growth means change, all change means loss, all loss is painful.

So growth is painful. I feel this. Do you?

I used to know every single person in our parish. I knew most of your middle names. I knew a lot of your birth dates. I knew details about your jobs, homes, families, hopes, dreams, and disappointments. I didn’t have to ask how to pray for you because I just knew. We didn’t have to catch up, we were always caught up.

Now I struggle to get my brain to remember a new person’s name because there are So. Many. New. People!

Now, this may cause some of us to think (or even say out loud!) things like, “Redeemer is getting too big, I miss the days when it was smaller…”

I hear you, but growth is not only painful, it is also a great joy! Remember when you first arrived here? I do. It was a great day. I’m so glad that you are here! I wouldn’t have wanted the doors to be close to you. We need you and we wouldn’t be us without you.

And so as we witness baptisms and confirmations, we may appropriately reminisce about the good old days when Redeemer was a small parish of 100 people who all knew each other. I’m a nostalgic kind-of-guy and you have permission to be nostalgic as well!

However, we can also rejoice at the good, healthy growth and the wonderful new people it brings to us. Let’s not stop being the warm, good-hearted, hospitable people that we know we are called to be in Christ. Let’s not only welcome these new people in the liturgies of baptism and confirmation, let’s welcome them into our homes and lives.

SEND

Just as Jesus gathered the disciples to Himself in order to send them out to minister to others, so we welcome in people only to turn around and commission them to go forth into the world proclaiming and embodying the good news of the Gospel.

We do this every week in our worship liturgy, where we are all sent to our homes, our jobs, our neighborhoods, and our small groups as bearers of the good news of God’s love in Jesus.

When we commission the team of 60 people to leave Redeemer to plant All Souls Anglican, we are doing this in a heightened form. Church Planting is simply a more extreme and intense form of the week-in-week-out commissioning that we do together every Sunday.

As we send friends, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters - we will all feel the bittersweetness of living as missionaries here in the city of Richmond. There is a real bitterness to planting new churches. The challenges of raising money and drafting strategy pale in comparison to the challenge of saying farewell to people we love so dearly.

And so to everyone who is going with All Souls, we love you and we will miss you!

But in the bitterness there is also a note of honey. This is not an eternal farewell. We shall all be reunited sooner or later, and we know that the parting of ways is necessary and good. It is the tree that lets go of the apple so that it might fall to the ground, roll a little ways down the hill, sink into the soil, sprout, take root, grow up, and bear new fruit.

Just as the first church we helped plant, Church of the Incarnation in the West End, is bearing new fruit that Redeemer could never cultivate, so we have every expectation and hope that our second plant, All Souls Anglican, will produce wonderful new fruit for the glory of God and the common good of the city.

Redeemer family, I’m so grateful for these missional movements within the life of our parish. Let’s participate in all of this together, the highs and lows, the bitter and the sweet.

In the Father’s love,

In Review: Youth Fellowship Fall Retreat

Last weekend, our Youth Fellowship ministry took 15 students to Smith Mountain Lake for our first ever Fall Retreat. To give you a glimpse into our weekend, it was filled with laughter, games (including an egg toss), food, singing, swimming, hiking, and studying scripture together. Smith Mountain Lake is one of the most beautiful places I have been, and it was fitting to be able to enjoy such a beautiful part of God’s creation together on our retreat.

Our theme for the weekend was “experiencing scripture” and we did this by practicing Lectio Divina together. Throughout this time, we were sharing and discussing what stood out to us and how we related to the passage. One of the most special parts of the weekend was Saturday evening worship and Lectio Divina. This was our third session of worship and Lectio Divina for the weekend. In previous sessions during the weekend, mostly just the leaders were sharing. Saturday night was different. This was the point in the weekend where we had felt like we had been together for way more than the 24 hours we had been (if you have ever been on a youth retreat, you probably know what I am talking about). We spend every Wednesday night together, but having the extended time on a retreat brings groups of students closer in a different way. It felt like we had reached a point where we all felt comfortable with each other.

Christian (our Director of Youth Fellowship) led us through Luke 15:11-24 (The Parable of the Prodigal Son) and our group was small enough to be able to have a discussion all together. Both leaders and students were sharing and asking questions and we had a deep and rich conversation about the passage. The coolest part of this was that it did not feel like adults trying to explain the passage to students but rather just brothers and sisters discussing scripture together. In a group where the age range was 11 to 65, it was really special to fellowship in this way together. I was amazed at the honesty of students during this time. Leaving this discussion it felt like our community had deepened.

Another one of the best parts of the weekend was our Saturday afternoon swim in the lake. We had a beautiful, sunny and 70 degree October day and the group decided to head out to the dock for most of the afternoon. This consisted of swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, jumping off the dock, throwing the football around, laying on the water trampoline. When we weren't in the water, we were playing the Hot Ones hot sauce game in which you try to see how hot of a hot sauce you can withstand (and by “we”, I mean everyone else).

Swimming in the lake and hanging out on the dock gave us an opportunity to have everyone together in one place and it felt like it brought the group together. The water was indeed freezing (if you were to ask me), but we spent hours out there. It was such a gift to have nice enough weather to be outside and in the water. Not everyone wanted to swim, but it was special to be all together laughing and playing for hours. For a few minutes I was pretty far towards the middle of the lake on a paddle board and I could hear the beautiful sound of faint laughter and chatter coming from the dock and the water around it, which was a sweet picture of our weekend at Smith Mountain Lake.

The best part of the fall retreat was being able to fellowship with one another and encounter God together. Taking part in community with our students for an entire weekend and getting to build and deepen relationships was such a gift.

—Natalie Gillesse, Young Adult Fellowship Volunteer Leader

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Do you Sing, Play an Instrument, or Have a Good Ear for Music?

Dear Redeemer Family,

We are blessed to have Orlando Palmer as our Artist-in-Residence. Not only is he writing and recording fantastic new songs, but he also works with musicians, vocalists, and sound techs here in the parish to create beautiful music for our Sunday morning worship services.

As we prepare to send out our second church plant—All Souls Anglican—in just a few weeks, we are realizing that we are sending many of our best musicians, vocalists, and sound techs! This leaves some significant roles open that you could fill.

So,

Do you love to sing and have a decent voice?

Do you play a musical instrument?

Do you have a good ear for music?

If the answer to any of the above is “yes,” then I would encourage you to contact Orlando and schedule a practice session with him.

You don’t have to be a professional or expert. We’re looking for folks with a modicum of skill who have the desire to serve the Lord and the church with their talent.

Thanks, Orlando, for putting together such great teams every Sunday morning and thanks in advance to you new folks who might be willing to jump in and help!

In the Father’s love,

Save the Date: Parish Town Hall, December 11, 7:00 p.m.

Dear Redeemer Family,

There are a handful of times each year where it is vitally important for us to pull together as a church to look back in celebration of what God has done and to look ahead in anticipation of where the Lord might be leading us next.

Two ACTION ITEMS: Please pause right now and:

1. Reserve the evening of Sunday, December 11 on your personal calendar.

2. RSVP online for the Town Hall so that we can provide enough food and drink for everyone.

What happens at the Parish Town Hall?

• A presentation of the annual report from the Finance Team and Vestry.

• A remembrance and celebration of the goodness of the Lord to us this past year.

• An update on our hopes for owning a church building in a permanent location.

• A presentation of fresh vision language from our Rector, Dan.

• Open Q&A on all of the above.

This promises to be a fun, informative, and encouraging evening together! As our parish continues to grow and flourish, let’s ensure that we are setting aside time to both celebrate with gratitude and strategically look ahead with hope.

See you there!

In the Father’s love,

Your Vestry
Your Finance Team
Your Rector

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Vestry

• Matt Morgan, Senior Warden

• Jim Reynolds, Junior Warden

• Halle Basco

• Bethany Lansing

• David Williamson

• Sarah Byrd

Finance Team

• Webb Estes, Chair

• Ben Gurley, Treasurer

• Jeff King, Senior Director of Operations

• Steve Godfrey

• Sean Rutherford

• Kerri Swaim

Rector: The Rev. Dan Marotta

A New Bishop

Dear Redeemer Family,

This past Saturday was an important day in the life and history of our church as the clergy and lay delegates from parishes in our Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic (Virgina, D.C., Maryland, West VA, and Delaware) voted to elect The Rev. Chris Warner to be our next Bishop—effective February 18, 2023.

*Note: For further reading on the role of a Bishop in the Anglican Communion, see this helpful article.

As many of you will know, The Rt. Rev. John Guernsey currently serves as our Bishop and he is planning to retire in early 2023 after faithfully serving and leading us since 2011. Our Diocese has been through a year+ discernment process in search of our next Bishop and, after hundreds of hours of research, careful vetting, prayer, interviewing, and (on Saturday) voting, we are relieved and delighted that the process has concluded.

Pending the consent of the Anglican Church in North America’s College of Bishops in January, Bishop-Elect Warner will be consecrated at The Falls Church Anglican in Falls Church, VA on February 18, 2023.

Our future Bishop is currently serving as the Rector of the Church of the Holy Cross, Sullivan’s Island/Daniel Island, SC. Prior to his time as Rector, he was an Associate Rector at Church of the Holy Cross, Rector at St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center, and Curate at Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, GA. He married Catherine in 1993, and they have three children (27, 24, and 23).

After the election, The Rev. Chris Warner addressed the delegates saying:

“I’m honored and humbled to have been selected to serve DOMA as bishop-elect. I’m aware that those of us who serve the Lord in vocational ministry must never believe we do so because we ‘qualify.’ We serve because the Lord calls. And those whom He calls, He then equips. This keeps us dependent upon the Lord and Jesus receives the glory he rightly deserves. I ask your prayers and I pledge my prayers for you. I’m truly excited to see what God will do as we serve together in the years to come.”

I hope you all will join me in thanking Bishop John Guernsey and his wife Meg when they visit us for the last time on Sunday, November 13, and in welcoming Bishop-Elect Chris Warner and his wife Catherine when they visit us in the spring of 2023.

In the Father’s love,

Planning Ahead: Special Sundays This Fall

Redeemer Family,

Good afternoon! I hope this finds you well. We have a number of special Sundays approaching through the Fall as we head towards the season of Advent and so I’d like to take a minute to give you a preview of what lies ahead. Take a look and mark your calendars appropriately.

Oct. 23—Lane Cowin’s First Sermon

• Lane joined our staff on Sept. 1st as our Senior Director of Ministries. Her primary responsibilities include overseeing the majority of our ministry staff and providing shepherding care for parishioners in need. Because Lane is a gifted teacher and theologian, we are also inviting her to join the preaching rotation and anticipate her preaching a few times per year.

• Sunday, October 23, will be her first sermon here amongst us and I’m taking the opportunity to note this because I know there are a few of you who may be unaccustomed to hearing a woman exposit scripture from the pulpit in a Sunday worship service. Some of us may celebrate this as a victory for women’s rights and others may fret over it as a departure from traditional, conservative polity. To both categories of folks, I would like to cheerfully communicate that both interpretations would be a mistake.

• Redeemer remains, as it always has, unswervingly committed to the historic, orthodox faith found in the Bible, passed down through the church. This high view of both scripture and church leads us, at the very same time, to value the ministry leadership of women while celebrating the complementary, Image-of-God-Reflecting differences between men and women. This is a both/and situation, not an either/or situation.

• If any of this is concerning or confusing, please come to me directly and let’s talk about it over coffee.

Nov. 6—Baptism Sunday

• What a joy to welcome new people, young and old, into the family of God through the Sacrament of Baptism. If you or your child are not yet baptized and would like to be, you can register to be baptized here.

Nov. 13—Confirmation/New Members Sunday

• And the very next Sunday, our Bishop, The Rt. Rev. John Guernsey, will be here with us to preach to us and to pray for new members! If you would like to become an official member of Redeemer, you can register here.

Nov. 20—Commissioning All Souls Anglican Church

• It is with great joy (and also very natural heartache!) that we will commission The Rev. Danny Hindman and over 50+ Redeemer members to go forth to establish a new parish in the Manchester neighborhood South of the River - All Souls Anglican Church.

• The hardest part of planting new churches is not raising the money, or determining strategy, or figuring out logistics, it’s saying goodbye to people we love! And so, to all of you who are preparing to depart Redeemer to plant All Souls, we want to say that we love you and will miss you! We are absolutely thrilled for what the Lord has in store for you in this new adventure and we are committed to praying for and supporting you every step of the way.

• The Rev. Tuck Bartholomew, the Canon for Church Planting for our Diocese, will be present to help lead this service

Nov. 27—First Sunday of Advent / Redeemer turns Six!

• With the beginning of a new church year, our little parish (now, not so little anymore) turns six years old! I can hardly believe it. Let’s celebrate this together!

Dec. 4—Tee Feyrer Preaches

• As college students head into their final exams, we thought it would be appropriate to invite one of our college ministers, Tee Feyrer, to preach to them and to all of us. Thank you Tee!

Dec. 11—Parish Town Hall

• This Sunday evening, 7-9pm, all adult members are invited to gather in the basement of 2715 Grove Ave. to hear a presentation of Redeemer’s Annual Report, to ask questions, and to gain clarity on our mission as a parish. This is always a highlight of the year, so please mark your calendars and RSVP here!

Dec. 18—Lewis Lovett Preaches

• Church Planter-in-Residence #3, Lewis Lovett, will preach for us this Sunday. Lewis and his family are preparing to establish a new parish in Midlothian in the Spring of 2024. You can read more about their family and their plans here.

Dec. 24—Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols

• It’s not too early to mark your calendars! We will have two identical Lessons & Carols services at 4pm and 6pm.

Dec. 25—Christmas Day

• Continuing our (almost) six year campaign to Take-Back-Christmas, we resist the cultural trend of putting presents and nuclear family at the heart of Christmas, and instead practice putting Christ at the center of our celebrations by actually gathering for worship on Christmas Day. Join us!

In the Father’s love,

What Does Baptism Do To Us?

Dear Redeemer Family,

On Sunday, November 6, All Saints Sunday, we will celebrate the sacrament of baptism and joyfully welcome new people into the resurrection family of Jesus. These are always some of my very favorite days of the year. Whether we are baptizing an adult convert, a teenage or college student professing faith for the first time, or a young child born into a Christian family - it is a transcendent joy to witness a soul united with Christ through water. 

Traditionally, the church has baptized people on four special Sundays in the liturgical calendar. 

• All Saints Day (November 6)

• Epiphany (January 9)

• Easter (April 9)

• Pentecost (May 28)

Now, I know that many of you are relatively new to the Christian faith and new to participating in a local church - especially a local church that practices ancient traditions like Redeemer does! So let me say a word about what Christian baptism is:

• Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. – John 3:5

• 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. – Matt. 28:19

• Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:4

• Because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 3:20-21

In Christian baptism, a person is united with Jesus in His death and resurrection. We call baptism a Sacrament because it is a physical, tangible, material ritual that is filled with a spiritual, intangible, immaterial grace. Something physical is happening—the person is either being immersed in water or having water poured over their head. Something spiritual is happening—that person is, mysteriously (in a way that we can only barely begin to comprehend), being joined together with the Lord Jesus and, therefore, becomes a part of the church - the body of Christ. 

The Story of Baptism spans the entirety of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. 

• The Old Testament prefigures baptism: In the creation of the world, in the salvation of Noah and his family from the flood, in the exodus of the Israelites through the Red Sea, and in the Israelites crossing the Jordan River out of the wilderness and into the promised land. (There are a lot more, but these are the big ones). 

• Christ commands us to be baptized and to baptize others. 

• The New Testament authors teach on the centrality of baptism in a Christian’s life. 

So who should get baptized?

1. Any person, young or old, who wishes to put their trust wholeheartedly in Jesus for their redemption. 

2. Any child of a baptized adult Christian who will raise that child in the faith as a part of the church. 

Why do we baptize infants as well as adults?

“We start talking to our children not because they understand us, but so that they will. Baptism is God's language whereby he starts talking to his children and initiates a relationship with them. Sacraments are a word after all.”

– Peter Leithart, The Baptized Body

We baptize children, not because we think that an adult profession of faith doesn’t matter (it does, and should come at Confirmation - the other side of the coin to infant baptism), but because we seek to raise Christian children within the church. 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.” We take the Bible at its word that little children can come directly to Jesus, they do not have to grow up first. 

For Further Study

I would heartily recommend Peter Leithart’s excellent little book The Baptized Body to anyone who has serious questions about Christian baptism (especially baptizing children) and would like to learn more about it. 

If you are a teenager or an adult, have never received Christian baptism, and you would like to - please email me. I would be delighted to get together and talk with you about it. 

If you are a parent and your child has not been baptized - same invitation! It would be a joy to baptize your little one. 

In the Father’s love,

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Redeemer is hosting a baptism class on October 17 for anyone who would like to learn more.

Why Our Church Needs Vocational Deacons

Dear Redeemer Family,

On Saturday Evening, November 12, we will witness the ordination of our parish’s first Vocational Deacon - Steve Byrd! You can register to attend here.

Steve, congratulations brother. You have long served the Lord, the church, and the city of Richmond in humble, patient, gracious ways. We rejoice to see you respond to the Lord’s call on your life by submitting yourself in service to Christ’s church. Well done.

As we celebrate Steve’s ordination, it seems the right time to let everyone know how much we need vocational deacons to serve here in our parish.

Are you called to be ordained as a vocational deacon?

If you are interested in learning more about what this means, sign up here to come to a lunch meeting after worship services on Sunday, October 2 at the Parish House.

Now, I would imagine that many (if not most) of you are wondering, “What is a vocational deacon?”

A vocational deacon is a “deacon for life.” In other words, someone who is ordained to serve out the remainder of their days in the church as a deacon, and who does not sense a call to move on towards the priesthood. A vocational deacon is typically a man or woman who is not on paid church staff, but rather works in the marketplace full or part-time while serving the church in an unpaid capacity.

Note: In the Anglican tradition, everyone who is ordained starts as a deacon, and then some deacons are ordained as priests, some priests are ordained as bishops, etc. You might think of Anglican ordination a bit like a Russian doll. Inside every Archbishop is a Bishop, inside every Bishop is a priest, inside every priest is a deacon. There are stories of deceased Anglican Archbishops asking to be buried in their deacons robes - symbolizing that, at the heart of all ministry, is humble service.

The following description is lifted from our Diocesan website’s general Application for Holy Orders.

What Is a Vocational Deacon?

From the very earliest days of the church, Deacons were understood to occupy a special place in the Christian community, set apart along with the Bishops and Priests for a servant role modeled on that of Christ himself.

According to the Ordinal of the Anglican Church in North America, “It belongs to the Office of a Deacon to assist the Priest in public worship, especially in the administration of Holy Communion; to lead in public prayer; to read the Gospel, and to instruct both young and old in the Catechism; and at the direction of the Priest, to baptize and to preach. Furthermore, it is the Deacon’s Office to work with the laity in searching for the sick, the poor, and the helpless, that they may be relieved.”

Vocational Deacons are called and empowered by God, ordained by the Bishop, and dedicated to a Christian ministry of service, sent out by the Bishop with the authority of the Church to engage in servant ministry for others. The particular order of vocational Deacon carries with it the intent of permanency, in contrast to a transitional Deacon, who is further called to the Priesthood.

In addition to the liturgical ministry of Word and Sacrament, the Deacon leads the Church into the world as an example and as a reminder that Christ calls us all to go out to serve him as we serve others. While vocational Deacons may be employed by a local church or Christian ministry, most vocational Deacons have secular employment. They live out their office and ministry in a variety of callings. For example, vocational Deacons serve in a wide range of servant-ministries, including:

• Pastoral care to the aged, homebound, poor, homeless and relationally broken

• One-on-one spiritual support/discipling/counseling

• Ministry in prison

• Evangelism and outreach

• Healing Prayer

• Community Chaplaincy

• Administration

• Worship Leader

• Parish support

• Cross-cultural missions

• Teaching

• Art & Music

All those exploring ordained ministry should consider whether God might be calling them to the ministry of the vocational Deacon.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

—Philippians 2:5-8

Church family, Redeemer needs vocational deacons in order to be a healthy parish. This calling is not to be taken lightly. It is a serious, life-transforming vocation. I pray that the Lord will raise up among us many men and women to serve the people of our parish and our city in the name of Jesus in the years to come.

In the Father’s love,

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One Day Left to Sign Up for the Foundations Class!

Dear Redeemer Family,

This coming Sunday evening, at 5:30 p.m. in the basement of 2715 Grove Ave., we will kick off Foundations Class for the fall semester.

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS CLASS?

There are three different kinds of people who should participate in this class.

• People who are curious about Redeemer and want to learn more about our parish.

• People who are sure that Redeemer is their church home and want to become members.

• People who are already members and want a refresher course to help them re-center their lives on practices that will help them grow and thrive.

WHAT IS THE CONTENT?

The class is focused on the seven practices of Gospel Formation for Missional Presence.

• Telling the story of the Bible as the true and better narrative in which to understand God, ourselves, each other, and this world.

Q: What story am I in?

• Embracing a new identity in Jesus that is received, stable, and secure.

Q: Who am I?

• Finding belonging in the church community and extending hospitality to strangers.

Q: Where do I belong?

• Cultivating virtue through redemptive habits.

Q: How do I change?

• Seeking to understand our context in the city in this cultural moment.

Q: Where do I make my life?

• Laboring in renewed vocations for the common good.

Q: What is my purpose?

• Reordering our imaginations through beauty.

Q: How do I love?

WHY DOES IT COST $25?

I have found over the years that we only care about things we pay for. In other words, in order for something to really impact us, we need to have some skin in the game. Therefore, for these types of classes here at Redeemer, we charge a small fee. The $25 doesn’t even come close to paying for the cost of the class (which includes a 50+ page workbook, a 2019 Book of Common Prayer, 7 dinners, and 7 nights of child care), but it does help the participants take the class more seriously.

Note: If the $25 is financially impossible for you or your family, just let me know and we’ll adjust it downward or drop it altogether.

As of right now, we have 45 adults and 23 kids signed up for the class, which is great! If a few more of you would like to jump in, you have one day left to register.

You can register online by clicking this link.
See you on Sunday!

In the Father’s love,

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Five Things To Know About Our Fall Kickoff

Dear Redeemer Family,

This Sunday, August 28, is officially Redeemer’s Fall Kickoff!

Here’s what that means:

1. A New Sermon Series: We will begin an 11 weeks series on the Old Testament book of Daniel called Faithful Presence in the City. In this series we will see how the book of Daniel shows us what it means to be a faithful follower of God even when living as a minority in a pagan context. My hope is that we will draw much comfort and encouragement from this series. I am praying that our imaginations will be fired up with creative ideas for how we, as followers of Jesus today, can be faithful citizens of the Kingdom of God even as we make our lives here in the city of Richmond.

2. Small Groups Re-Start: If you have not yet signed up for a Small Group, please stop everything and do so right away by clicking here. We have 34 groups meeting on Sunday-Thursday evenings all over Metro-Richmond. I’m sure you can find a location and time that works for you.

3. Youth Fellowship Re-Starts: Next Wednesday, a week from today, our Youth Fellowship re-starts its weekly meetings. If you have a child 6th-12th grade, please make it a priority for them to participate every week!

4. Redeemer Kids Classes Resume: Our Kids ministry makes a big switch from Summer Worship & Play to Fall Classes. If you are a parent with young children, we have a fantastic curriculum led by wonderfully thoughtful teachers who are ready to engage with your children on Sunday mornings.

5. College Ministries Re-Start: While we are still on the search for our next CCO campus minister for VCU, our ministry at the University of Richmond just had their kickoff event this past Monday with 77 students gathering in the Feyrer’s backyard!

I’m looking forward to a great fall semester.
We’ll see you on Sunday!

In the Father’s love,

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How To Claim The Fall Calendar

Dear Redeemer Family,

We all feel it. The summer is winding down and the fall semester is nearly upon us. For many of us, there are so many things that will begin to clamor for our attention as we head into September. Our calendars will fill up and before we know it, we’ll be saying things like, “I don’t know how I got so busy!”

This happens to the Marotta family as well! One way that Rachel and I have found to combat the back-to-fall business is to sit down with our family calendar before the summer ends and make sure that the most important things get scheduled first. For us, the spiritual health of our family and the church is the most important thing. Everything else is negotiable.

So, first on the calendar goes church commitments:

1. Sunday Morning Worship

2. Saturday Sabbath

3. Wednesday Night Youth Fellowship

4. Newcomer’s Dinners

5. Thursday nights for hosting people within the parish.

6. Sunday evening Foundations Class.

7. Men’s & Women’s Fellowship Events

8. Vestry & Staff Meetings & Retreats

Next on the calendar go important dates for our little family:

1. Birthdays and holidays

2. Days of rest and play

3. Trips to visit relatives and friends

4. Quarterly overnight get-a-ways for me and Rachel without the kids

Next goes important School dates for the kids:

1. Monday-Friday classes

2. Field trips

3. Recitals and special programs

Next go Youth Sports:

1. Soccer practices and games

2. Swim meets

3. Basketball practices and games

4. Rock climbing (indoors, our kids love it on a rainy day!)

I could keep going, but I’ll stop there. The point is, we have found over the years that unless we proactively claim the calendar for the spiritual, relational, emotional health of our family and the church, then someone or something else will claim it for us. This helps us know how to navigate calendar conflicts and to consistently choose what is best for us and the church over what feels easy in the moment.

Example #1: Most weekday evenings, I don’t feel like I have the energy for much besides getting the kids to bed and perhaps reading a book before falling asleep with the lights on. However, if I’ve already scheduled a Newcomer’s Dinner, or an evening to host some key leaders in our church, or a Small Group gathering, then I find myself led by the calendar into something that is genuinely good for my soul. And afterwards, I’m always glad that I did.

Example #2: Often we have to choose between multiple good things. Should our child go to soccer practice or youth fellowship? Should I take Saturday off or work on Sunday’s sermon for a few more hours? If I wait until the last minute to decide, I will be swayed by whatever feels like the path of least resistance. However, if I prayerfully and thoughtfully plan out my calendar ahead of time, I am more likely to make a wise decision.

So, here’s what I am asking all of us to do: take some intentional time in the next few days and claim the fall calendar for the spiritual well being of your family and church:

1. Sunday Worship: First, schedule every Sunday morning for worship.

2. Small Group: Second, schedule one weekday evening for Small Group and sign up! Here’s the link.

3. Sabbath: Third, schedule one day per week for Sabbath rest. Ideally Sunday or Saturday, but it could be another day depending on your work schedule.

4. Fellowship & Service: Depending on your situation and life stage, mark your calendar for church fellowship and service opportunities:

   1. Wednesday Night Youth Fellowship

   2. Young Adult First Fridays

   3. Men’s & Women’s Fellowship Events

   4. CCO college ministry at VCU or U. of R.

   5. Justice & Mercy Partners service opportunities.

   6. Volunteering with one of Redeemer’s ministries.

Some of you already do this so very well and you’re probably way ahead of us!

Others of us are not yet accustomed to committing to things (especially church things) in advance. Consider this an invitation to try it out for the first time and see if it bears good fruit in your life.

Looking forward to a great fall together.

In the Father’s love,

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Everything You Need To Know About Our Church Planter In-Residence Program

Redeemer Family,

Over the past few months, a number of you have reached out with questions about our Church Planter-in-Residence program. I’ve spoken on this a number of times and have written a few things here and there, but I thought it might be helpful to put it all down in one, concise document. So, here goes folks - this is everything you need to know about Redeemer’s Church Planter-in-Residence Program!

MEET THE PLANTERS

CHURCH PLANTER #1
The Rev. Steven Breedlove
The concept of Redeemer hosting a Church Planter came about in the Summer of 2017 when our parish was just 9 months old. I had the opportunity to meet with three Bishops (very intimidating!) to discuss the potential of a new Anglican church planter moving to Richmond in the following year. We decided together that the best and healthiest way to help this new person get started was to bring them “on board” (so to speak) and then send them out. Our hope is that this would communicate to those within our Anglican movement and to our neighbors here in the city that our church plants are not in competition with each other, but rather partnered together.

This is how Steven & Courtney Breedlove ended up spending February 2018 - May 2019 here at Redeemer before launching Church of the Incarnation in the West End. It was a wonderful privilege to have Steven and his family serve “in Residence” with us for a season and we are grateful to have a small part in the story of Church of the Incarnation.

CHURCH PLANTER #2
The Rev. Danny Hindman
A short time later, through the kindness of a few mutual friends, Danny Hindman and I got connected with one another. At the time he was serving as a college minister at the University of Wisconsin. He expressed interest in planting a new Anglican parish in the Metro-Richmond area and, after much deliberation with Redeemer’s Vestry, we formulated a plan to bring the Hindman family to Richmond in the Summer of 2021 as our second Church Planter-in-Residence. Danny has been a wonderful blessing to our parish during his time here with us and we are excited to send him out to plant All Souls Anglican Church this Winter 2022/23.

CHURCH PLANTER #3
The Rev. Lewis Lovett
In the Fall of 2021, our family had the opportunity to spend a weekend in the mountains with some of our dearest friends, Lewis & Maggie Lovett and their four girls. One late evening, over glasses of bourbon, Lewis and I discussed the idea of him joining Redeemer’s team as our third Church Planter-in-Residence. Weeks later, the Lovetts decided to accept the position and in June of this year (2022) they uprooted their family from Lexington, VA and moved to Midlothian. While Lewis’ timeline for planting a new church has not yet solidified, we expect that it will likely be in 2024.

THE STRUCTURE

• SELECTION: How do we select our church planters? The application process is long and thorough. Not only must our church planters undergo an interview process with Redeemer’s search team - comprised of staff, vestry members, and personnel team members, but they must also interview with our Bishop and the Diocese. In a good church planter, we are searching for men or women who fit the following profile:

  • Deep, sincere Christian virtue and character.

  • Experience in ministry leadership with evidence of good fruit.

  • Desire and eligibility to be ordained in the Anglican Communion.

  • Personal chemistry with Redeemer’s leadership.

  • Relational gifts to gather and lead people.

• OVERSIGHT: To whom does the church planter report? A church planter at Redeemer reports directly to The Rev. Tuck Bartholomew, the Canon for Church Planting in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

• EMPLOYMENT: For whom does the Church Planter officially work? A church planter is technically an employee of the Diocese, not of Redeemer. This is why we call them “in-residence” and not “on staff.”

• FUNDING: How is the church planter funded? The planter receives a stipend from Redeemer for five years: $15k / year for Years 1-3, $10k for Year 4, and $5k for Year 5. Additionally, they receive a stipend from the Diocese and are then personally responsible for raising the rest of their funding.

• LOCATION: How is the location for the next church plant chosen? When a prospective church planter is being interviewed, they are given a list of neighborhoods in Metro-Richmond that would benefit from a new church. The planter has the freedom to select a neighborhood location from the list.

THE WHY

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is, “So why are you helping to plant these new churches?” Here are the real reasons and, just for fun, here is some clarity on what the reasons are NOT:

REASONS TO PLANT NEW CHURCHES

• Metro-Richmond is growing rapidly and church growth has not kept pace with population growth. Purely based on population growth, there is a legitimate need for more churches.

• Metro-Richmond has far more church buildings than healthy, thriving congregations. New church plants can revitalize the spiritual health of a neighborhood.

• Active followers of Jesus are a minority in Metro-Richmond and new church plants are one of the most effective strategies for reaching new people with the good news of the Gospel.

• Recruiting, training, and sending church planters is one of the most effective ways to develop the next generation of pastors/priests.

REASONS NOT TO PLANT NEW CHURCHES

• Redeemer is getting too big, we need to off-load some of these people.

• Redeemer is exporting its “brand” to more neighborhoods in Metro-Richmond.

• Anglican churches are better than other kinds of churches and so we need to plant more of “our kind of church.”

  • *Not only are these not true, they’re also dumb. Don’t believe anyone who says that these are the reasons why Redeemer is planting new churches.

YOUR ROLE

Now, what does all this mean for you? Well it means a few things:

• PRAY: Pray for our church planters, for their leadership, for their pastoral ministry, and for the healthy and vitality of the parishes they lead.

• ENCOURAGE: Encourage our church planters. Call/text/email them to let them know that you support their work and see it’s worthiness.

• GIVE: Give to our church planters. You might consider giving a financial gift to help them raise the support they need. You can give to Church of the Incarnation directly via their website and to Danny and Lewis via the Diocesan website.

SHOULD YOU LEAVE REDEEMER TO GO WITH A CHURCH PLANT?

This is a very real question that some of you are considering. What a great question!

When we sent out the Rev. Steven Breedlove to plant Church of the Incarnation, we sent Redeemer members with them. These are dear people who faithfully participated in the life of our parish, and now they are doing the good work of establishing a new parish. We love them. We miss them. We rejoice at the new work they are called to do.

As the Rev. Danny Hindman prepares to plant All Souls Anglican and as Lewis Lovett prepares to plant in Midlothian, I imagine that a number of you might consider leaving Redeemer to go with one of them. While it is always hard to say farewell to people we love, it is also a privilege to commission people.

So, how to do this kind of spiritual discernment? (And how not to go about it!)

THREE GOOD CRITERIA FOR GOING

If the three following criteria are met, then it is possible that the Lord may be leading you to leave Redeemer and to go with a church plant:

• LOCATION: You live in, or are planning to move to, the neighborhood where the new church is being planted. Local outreach in the immediate neighborhood of the church plant is critical. Therefore, physically living proximate to the people the new church plant is seeking to reach is essential.

• DESIRE: Your heart is genuinely pulled towards the work of planting the new church. There is something in your spirit that comes alive at the thought of rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work of establishing a new parish. You are ready to dive into things like: arriving early to set up chairs, volunteering in children’s ministry, inviting new visitors over for dinner, cooking food for church events. New church plants need people who do not only live proximate, but are emotionally all-in. They want to be there.

• RELEASE: Your season of participation and work at Redeemer is at a close and you are released to go and begin a new work. In other words, you didn’t recently just start a new form of working/serving/volunteering at Redeemer. You want to complete the work you are currently doing before moving on to the next new thing.

THREE LAME CRITERIA FOR GOING

The following are super-unhealthy and won’t do you (or the new church plant) any good in the long run.

• SELF-IMPORTANCE: All of us want to feel important. The reality is that sometimes we bring that desire with us to the church and demand that the church be a place where we can feel important. If we don’t get the kind of attention we feel we deserve, then we leave and move on to another place. If, in your time at Redeemer, you haven’t felt like you’ve received the attention, credit, accolades that you deserve, the answer is not to leave, the answer is to stay and continue to ask of the Lord, “How can these needs be met in you - Jesus.”

• BOREDOM / NOVELTY: New things are interesting and exciting! Staying in the same place for the long haul can be dull and boring. It’s true for churches just as much as it’s true for homes, marriages, and jobs. However, if you want to cultivate long-term intimacy, stability, and health… then you’ve got to stay in the same place, with the same people, doing the same thing. Changing churches to “keep things interesting” won’t lead to spiritual health any more than changing spouses will lead to marital health.

• STYLISTIC PREFERENCE: Each pastor and church has their own unique feel/vibe. A great temptation is to think that, if I finally found the right pastor, with whom I can connect emotionally/relationally, and the right worship service and church programs that fit my stylistic preferences and tastes…. Then (and only then) I would thrive spiritually! Alas, this is not the path to God, this is the path to the self.

So, to summarize, if you live in the neighborhood of the new church plant, you have a genuine desire to serve that neighborhood, and you are released from your work at Redeemer, then going with one of our church plants might just be the thing the Lord is leading you to do! If that describes you, please let us know so that we can pray for you and support you.

If, on the other hand, you are feeling some of those other things…. Then perhaps not.

And of course, there are many of us who enthusiastically support the work of our church plants, but know that we are called to stay at Redeemer. This is, funny enough, the exact boat I find myself in. I am thrilled for the good work that our church planters are doing and will do! There is something in me that rises up and wants to go with each of them! But I know that my role is to be on the sending side of things.

As always, if anything in this article has stirred up questions within you, please just reach out and let me know.

Redeemer family, I am so grateful that we have the remarkable opportunity to participate in the work that God is doing here in Metro-Richmond in establishing His Church. Thanks be to God and God bless our church planters.

In the Father’s love,

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Introducing Two New Volunteer Staff

Dear Redeemer Family,

One of the unique features of our parish is the use of what we call our “Volunteer Staff.” If this has ever struck you as a bit of an oxymoron, along the lines of “Jumbo Shrimp” or “A cool Summer day in Richmond,” then you’re not crazy - it does sound like two things that don’t go together.

Here’s what we mean by Volunteer Staff: We mean a key lay leader in the parish who has generously agreed to donate a significant amount of their time towards leading an area of ministry. In order for them to lead in their ministries in integration with the other ministries of the parish, they have a seat at the table with the rest of the staff - participating in staff meetings, retreats, etc.

Here are our current Volunteer Staff:

• Christa Vickers-Smith - Care Team Coordinator

• Alex Riffee - Chaplain

• Rachel Yowell - Justice & Mercy Coordinator

• Marie Jeffery - Parish House Coordinator

• Matt Rose - Men’s Fellowship Coordinator

This Summer, Chaney Widmer, who has been serving faithfully as our Volunteer Women’s Fellowship Coordinator, has transitioned out of this position. Thank you Chaney for your leadership and service! Well done!

Now, joining the team at the end of the Summer are two new volunteer staff:

Nancy Reynolds | Women’s Fellowship Coordinator

Some of you will remember that Nancy actually served on paid staff as our Redeemer Kids Director (back in the day, before Casey Cisco stepped into that role). We are delighted to have Nancy back on the team!

Celeste Meadows | Young Adult Fellowship Coordinator

Now that FIRST FRIDAYS, our monthly Young Adult Fellowship is up and running, we need someone to step into the roll of running point for that gathering and for helping integrate new young adults into the larger life of our parish. Celeste and I have been talking about Young Adult ministry at Redeemer for quite a while now and we think she’s the perfect person to take the lead here. Welcome Celeste!

If you are interested in volunteering to help with Womens or Young Adult Fellowship events this year, please reach out and contact Nancy or Celeste.

Thanks!

In the Father’s love,

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How Do I Support Our Children’s Ministry At Redeemer?

If you have attended a Sunday service at Redeemer you will know that the Lord has blessed us with many, many young children. There are currently around 170 children 12 years-old and under at Redeemer (and more on the way!). To love and serve our parish is to love and serve the youngest among us as well. So what does it look like to care for such a large percentage of our church body? Here are four suggestions on where to start:

Pray

The most obvious and natural way to care for our children is through regular, intentional prayer for their spiritual formation. These little ones who run through the pews on Sunday mornings and doodle in the margins of the liturgies will one day be the leaders of the body of Christ! The importance of these formative years as they worship in church with their families and friends cannot be overstated. Pray for the parents, guardians, church staff, Redeemer Kids volunteers, and nursery staff as they all come together to do the hard and beautiful work of investing in the spiritual life of the children in our parish. If you would like to join our Redeemer Kids prayer team, please email me!

Take the Child Safety Training

Whether or not you are able to actively serve in our children’s ministry or are unsure of how to get started, this training is a wonderful way to support our ministry. The more godly adults in our parish who are equipped on how to keep our children safe from the very real dangers that exist in our fallen world, the more effective our ministry can be. This training empowers us with the tools needed to identify and address specific threats to the most vulnerable members of our parish. Come join us one Sunday afternoon, eat lunch, and learn how to keep our ministry accountable and equipped to be a safe place for children and the adults who serve them! Register here.

Donate or Create Children’s Ministry Supplies

We are always on the lookout for beautiful, durable materials for our children’s classes and would love your help! Creating costumes for creative play, building shelving for craft supplies, and designing beautiful art for our classrooms are just some of the creative ways to love our kids in a very practical way. We have a wish list of materials that would enrich our ministry; just reach out if you’d like to chat about it!

Volunteer!

Here is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak—the work of being physically present and active in the often messy work of children’s ministry. This is the heartbeat of our ministry and where the work of setting up effective safety measures, stocking beautiful, stimulating classrooms, and preparing thoughtful, intentional lessons comes to fruition. In short: showing up. Children’s spiritual formation happens when godly adults show up and invest in their lives on a regular basis. It is the embodied work of showing them that they are seen, known, and matter. We do not have a children’s ministry without volunteers. There are many ways to connect, but here are a few below:

• Nursery volunteer—once a month at one service, caring for the children under 3 years old for the length of the service.

• Classroom teacher—connecting with a team of adults to lead thoughtful lessons every week and invest deeply in a small group of children on a regular basis on Sunday mornings.

• Classroom assistant—coming alongside teachers to manage and care for Sunday morning classes and taking care of practical needs of the class on Sunday mornings.

• Monitor—patrolling the halls and spaces when Sunday Redeemer classes are meeting, taking up attendance sheets, and helping to escort kids to the bathroom during classtime when needed.

The Lord is doing good work here in our children’s ministry and I am encouraged by the amazing people I have the opportunity to partner with in this work here at Redeemer. I would love to chat with any of you if you have thoughts, questions, concerns, or unique gifts to bring to our ministry. Please reach out to me and let’s meet up or click the button below to indicate how you’d like to participate.

In Christ,

Casey Cisco
Director of Redeemer Kids

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What Does It Mean To Be People With Roots?

Dear Redeemer Family,

One of the most frequent things that I hear people say when they move to Richmond and visit Redeemer is that they are looking for (amongst other things) this elusive thing called “Roots.” To the best of my understanding, what I think most people mean when they say this is that they are looking for:

• Stability, in a rapidly changing culture and world.

• Security, in a hostile and threatening social landscape.

• Confidence in belonging, when so many relationships feel transactional.

These are good things. Essential things. Without these, life feels unstable, insecure, and deeply lonely. But how do we get them?

I imagine that a few of us have felt something like tumbleweeds, blown about from city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, maybe even church to church, in search of a people and a place and way of life that won’t dissolve or suddenly shift under our feet.

There are many ways in which we might seek to slake this thirst, but one of the most clear answers offered to us by Jesus is to make our home in Him through making our home in and amongst His people, the Church.

Let me say that again, slowly, just to be perfectly clear.

We make our home in Jesus through making our home in His people, the Church.

In other words, your average Christian would likely agree with the sentiment of making our home in Jesus. (When in doubt, Jesus is the answer, right?) However, the rub comes when it is suggested that the means by which we do this is by making our home with people as ordinary and uninspiring as church people. And thus so many of us have spent years attempting to make our home in Jesus apart from His local body. This has left many chronically disappointed and discouraged - still longing for roots, but now even less sure that they will ever get them.

On the other hand, there are plenty of us who have never thought to look for Roots in Jesus (that does, after all, sound like a vague spiritual abstraction) and instead we have sought Roots in the American Dream Combo of: City/Neighborhood/House/Career/School/Social Status.

If this is you, I just have one question, “How’s that going?”

The offer on the table (literally) from Jesus is something altogether different, a home in Him through a home within His Church. This is wonderfully simple; so simple that we’re liable to miss it.

• It’s as concrete as staying put in one place for a very, very long time.

• It’s as dynamic as the relationships with the people in the parish.

• It’s as stable as the historic Creeds of the global church.

• It’s as secure as God’s love for you in Jesus.

• It gives a kind of belonging that cannot be found anywhere else, not even in a nuclear family. Where else do people gather weekly to recommit and pledge themselves in fidelity to one another?

• This all leads to a kind of confidence that cannot be found anywhere else - where else can you: know exactly who you are, what kind of story you are in, where you belong, what your purpose in life is, how to grow, and how to love?

So friends, if you’re already a member here, cheers!
I’m so glad we get to put down roots in Christ together as His Church.

If you’re reading this and you’re new, then consider sticking around.
Rent an apartment, buy a home, settle in, make some friends, adopt new habits.

Life can feel inherently unstable, insecure, and lonely.
But when we put down our roots into the life of Jesus in and amongst His people in our own time and place, we can experience a stability, security, and belonging that cannot be shaken.

In the Father’s love,

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Responding to Roe with Clarity, Conviction, and Compassion

Dear Redeemer Family,

Unless you’re even more disconnected from the news than I am, you’ve no doubt heard that the Supreme Court recently reversed its decision on Roe v. Wade. This effectively removes a constitutional right to abortion and places abortion laws in the hands of the States, with some states quickly seeking to pass legislation banning abortions and other states seeking to secure abortion rights with the same urgency. As of now, to my knowledge, there has been no change to abortion laws in Virginia.

Now, one of the strange things about serving as a pastor in our current cultural moment is that it seems I am expected to weigh in and provide commentary on current events and political legislation. For the most part, as you’ve surely noticed, I tend to ignore this expectation—for two reasons:

I don’t read, watch, or listen to the news. I am far more interested in knowing, praying for, and responding to what is happening locally—in your lives, and in the lives of my neighbors.

I am thoroughly convinced that our attention as a parish is better spent caring for our literal neighbors, coworkers, and family members. I’ve previously written on this here.

Notwithstanding, whenever I sense concern, confusion, or angst within our Parish around a particular issue, then it seems appropriate to speak up and provide a bit of direction. So, with that in mind, since Redeemer is a politically diverse congregation, I want to help us all understand a few things regarding the recent Supreme Court ruling.

True to form, I have three points, and they all begin with the letter “C.” (I can hear some of you chuckling already…)

CLARITY

When the Bible doesn’t directly speak to an issue or scriptural interpretation seems a bit vague, then it is appropriate to leave an issue in the proverbial “gray area.” We would call these kinds of issues non-moral or amoral issues. For example, “What style of music should we play in a church worship service?” Of course, this is important and most people hold strong beliefs on this, but Biblically-speaking it is not a moral issue because scripture’s teaching is not ethically prescriptive on this.

However, the issue of abortion is of a different kind and order. According to the Bible, abortion is a moral issue because all human beings are made in the image of God, human life is sacred, and abortion ends a human life.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

-Psalm 139:13-16

If you have the time, you might also consider looking up the following verses. I won’t put the full text in this post in order to keep it reasonably short.

• Exodus 20:13

• Jeremiah 1:5

• Psalm 127:3-5

• Genesis 1:27

• Proverbs 6:16-19

• Psalm 8:5-7

• Job 31:15

• Psalm 22:10

The very same Biblical theology that undergirds our belief that we are to labor for racial healing, mercy for the poor, and justice for the oppressed also leads us to believe that all abortion is evil and that we are to work for justice and life for children.

If you are a member at Redeemer or someone considering membership, it would be good for you to know that we seek to be absolutely clear in our Biblical anthropology (what the Bible teaches about human beings). We want to be clear that, because all human beings bear the dignity of God Himself, racism, abuse of the poor, violence against women, and yes, abortion, are evils that are to be opposed on all fronts.

Let me also be clear that we hold these beliefs based upon an unswerving loyalty to the Bible as the Word of God and not to any particular political party or tribe. If you’re reading this and you’re thinking that somehow I’m tipping my hands towards the right or the left… you really don’t know me very well. Let’s get coffee and change that!

CONVICTION

Now, a word about how we hold our convictions. Two people can believe the same doctrine, and yet hold their convictions with very different attitudes: one prideful, the other humble. We, at Redeemer, seek to embody the latter. This means that, while we hold our Biblical convictions about a comprehensive ethic of human life, we do so acknowledging our own sinful complicity in the injustice and corruption of our society and world. In other words, we do not keep our distance, imagining ourselves standing on some sort of culturally neutral ground, and pridefully condemn the wickedness of others while proclaiming our own righteousness. Rather, we admit and confess that we live out our days embedded and intertwined with this sinful world.

None of us is innocent. No one. Not one.

All of us have, pardon the graphic metaphor, blood on our hands. I know that I am not only guilty for wrong things I have done - for ways I have actively (knowingly or unknowingly) participated in injustice (I suspect the cotton T-shirt on my back as I write this came from a sweatshop in Vietnam… yikes). But I am also guilty for all the good things that I have not done! The help I did not give. The love I did not extend. The refuge I did not provide.

Therefore, my conviction about the Bible teaching a comprehensive ethic of human life must also be held along with my convictions about my own sin and need for the grace and mercy of Jesus. I am not better than a woman who chooses to have an abortion or superior to the doctor who performs the violent procedure.

As the Apostle Paul writes, “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” - 1 Timothy 1:15

When you and I truly know the depths of our own brokenness and sin, we will lose any and all feelings of superiority towards others. This will transform the attitude with which we hold our convictions about abortion. This will not weaken our convictions, not at all! If anything, humility should make our convictions all the stronger and more resolute. This is because they will be founded, not upon personal feelings of moral superiority, but upon the Word of God in the Bible and the Word made Flesh in Christ Jesus. This is a far firmer foundation.

COMPASSION

As we move forward to greet whatever future the Lord has in store for us, we must be prepared to compassionately care for mothers (and fathers) who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant and do not have the desire or the resources to raise a child. This kind of compassionate care may take many forms. It certainly includes, but is not limited to:

• Prayer.

• Giving financially to and volunteering at crisis pregnancy centers.

• Being trained and serving as foster parents.

• Adopting a child.

• Supporting couples and families who serve as foster parents or adopt children.

Some of you may know that Redeemer has a number of Justice & Mercy Partners, one of which is Anglicans for Life. If you’re ready to get involved in compassionate care for mothers, children, or families in need, I would highly recommend contacting either:

• Redeemer member contact for Anglicans for Life: Johnston Moore.

• Justice & Mercy Coordinator: Rachel Yowell.

Redeemer family, if anything that you’ve read today causes alarm, frustration, concern, or surprise, please know that you are always welcome to reach out to me. More than writing an online blog post, I prefer to talk about these things over a cup of Colombian Finca El Obraje at Blanchard’s on Broad St.

First cup is on me.

In the Father’s love,

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What Does It Mean To Carry The Message To Garcia?

Redeemer Family,

I have a friend who once took a college course in which the professor assigned a very short book (a pamphlet really) to the entire class on the first day of each semester. The book’s title is A Message to Garcia (You can read it for free here, it takes less than 5 minutes.)

The book contains piercing insight into our human tendency to abdicate responsibility and how vitally important it is for every society to have men and women who can get the job done, no questions asked. Whenever the professor was away from his office, he would leave a note on the door that simply read, “Go find Garcia.” It was his way of encouraging and challenging his students to figure out the answers to their questions without his help.

A good friend first put this book in my hands back in 2006 and it has become an annual re-read for me. I have also begun to inflict this little book on our staff here at Redeemer. The word Garcia has become, for us, a kind of short-hand for, “Work hard, don’t complain, no flaking, get the job done.”

*Flaking, for the uninitiated, is the technical term for not-really-doing-the-job-with-the-excellence-and-attentiveness-it-deserves. It comes from the Greek word flakio` and was historically used by Galilean fisherman to describe someone who said they would go fishing with you, but wasn’t willing to get up before sunrise to meet you at the boat.

Now, please don’t misunderstand and imagine that the work environment amongst our staff is one of ruthless productivity at the cost of kindness, warmth, and grace. Not at all! Rather, we are seeking to cultivate the kind of atmosphere where we can truly depend on each other, take one another at our word. A follow-up phrase to the word Garcia that we use has been, “If a Redeemer staff person says they’ll do something, you can consider it done.” If we live this way with one another, trust is built and all of our jobs and relationships actually become simpler, easier, and less stressful.

Now, here’s the pivot. Are you ready?

What if that wasn’t just the culture of Redeemer’s staff, but of our whole parish?

What if, when a member of Redeemer said they would do something, you could consider it done?

What if you knew that, if you asked a fellow member for help with something, you knew they would not only say a polite “yes,” but that they would really come through for you?

In other words, what if we knew, in the depths of our bones, that each other was trustworthy, dependable, reliable, and steadfast?

How much lighter would your own burdens be if you lived in a church family of men and women upon whom you could count to be there for you at a moment’s notice?

Let’s pivot again.

What if our neighbors, coworkers, and fellow Richmonders became aware that we were the kind of people who could be depended on, no exceptions?

How much lighter would their burdens be if the Christ-followers around them were utterly and predictably reliable and trustworthy?

In Matthew 5:37, Jesus famously says, “Let what you say be simply Yes or No.”

In nine short words, Christ calls us to be the sort of people who, with our words and our correlating actions, carry the proverbial message to Garcia.

• We do this when we agree to bring a salad to Small Group and actually bring said salad.

• We do this when we say we’ll read the next chapter before Book Club and we fully read the chapter, beginning to end.

• We do this when our week to serve in Kids Ministry rolls around and we show up, on time, Volunteer T-shirt on, lesson plan prepared, ready to go.

• We do this when we text someone, “I’m praying for you…” and then we physically drop to our knees and speak a real prayer to the Lord on their behalf.

• We also do this when we arrive late, and instead of inventing an excuse, “Did you know I hit every red light on Boulevard from the stadium to Grove?” we simply apologize, “I’m sorry I am late, I did not plan enough margin in my day, please forgive me.”

Every day, in the thousands of interactions between the hundreds of church members, we are either cultivating an ethos of Garcia or an ethos of flakiness.

Church family, let’s be a parish of people who carry the message to Garcia.

In the Father’s love,

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Christ In The Psalms

Redeemer Family,

Summer is nearly here! And with it comes a return to our annual practice of preaching through the Psalms through June, July and August. During this time, it is my practice to take a step back from preaching in order to focus my attention on prayer, study, and preparation for leading our parish in the coming year. I will still be present here through the Summer and plan to return to preaching in Mid-August. 

This is also a wonderful opportunity for us to all listen and learn from new and different voices from the pulpit. We have a fantastic lineup of preachers, from both inside and outside our parish. Take a look below! 

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REDEEMER SUMMER PREACHERS

The Rev. David Comeau

• Date: June 19

• Text: Psalm 57

Tee Feyrer

• Date: June 26

• Text: Psalm 58

The Rev. Danny Hindman

• Date: July 3

• Text: Psalm 59

Claude Atcho

• Date: July 10

• Text: Psalm 60

Lewis Lovett

• Date: July 17

• Text: Psalm 61

Bethany Hoang

• Date: July 24

• Text: Psalm 62

The Rev. Alex Riffee

• Date: July 31

• Text: Psalm 63

David Bailey

• Date: August 7

• Text: Psalm 64

Church family, I will genuinely miss preaching to you for the next ten weeks! However, I think this is a healthy practice for me and for our parish. I will be sitting in the pews listening, taking notes, and learning right alongside you. 

In the Father’s love,

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What Is Pledging And Why Do We Do It?

Dear Redeemer Family,

As many of you know, one of the traditions we have sought to develop is that of intentionally and prayerfully cultivating generosity through the practice of annual Pledging. I’m writing to you today to share with you that our Vestry and Finance Team have requested that all members and regular attenders make a pledge before the end of May. Now, this may be unfamiliar to some of us, so here are some quick need-to-know details:

What is a Pledge?

A pledge is you communicating with our Finance Team what you anticipate you will be able to give to the church for the next fiscal year (Sept 1st, 2022 - Aug. 31st, 2023). You can do this via our website - redeeemerrva.org/give. Click on the PLEDGE button in the middle of the screen and fill out the form. It only takes a minute or two.

Why is it Important for the Vestry & Finance Team?

Redeemer’s fiscal year runs from Sept. 1st - Aug. 31st. So the Vestry and Finance Team will be spending the Summer drafting a new budget for the coming year of ministry. What a gift it would be to them if they knew ahead of time what the congregation planned to give! Your clear communication helps our church draft careful, informed, strategic plans for funding the ministry of the coming year.

Why is it Important for You?

While pledging is imminently practical and helpful for our church leadership, it’s more than that. Pledging is also an opportunity for your heart to be shaped by God. Why? Because how we use our resources both reveals and guides what God is doing in our hearts. When your church asks you to pledge, you are being asked to open your bank account to the Lord and ask Him, “How would you have me use the resources you have entrusted to me?” It’s a wonderful question that all of us should be asking on a regular basis.

What Pledging is NOT

Pledging is not an attempt to raise Redeemer’s Budget or meet a financial shortfall. I’m very grateful to report that our parish is in a healthy and strong position financially. Pledging is not about fixing something that is broken, but rather about us continuing to grow spiritually together.

Deadline for Pledging

Remember, the deadline for pledging is May 31st. Please do not wait until the last minute! Very real decisions and plans for the coming year of ministry will be made based on the pledging data that the Vestry and Finance Team receive.

Church family, Rachel and I will be prayerfully discussing our pledge over the next couple of weeks. We invite you to join us in this practice and let’s all move forward together in cheerful, grateful generosity.

In the Father’s love,

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Introducing Lane Cowin, Our New Senior Director of Ministries

Dear Redeemer Family,

I have exciting news! Our search team has unanimously voted to extend an invitation to a very wise and talented woman, Lane Cowin, to join our staff as Senior Director of Ministries.  (Click to view a video interview with Lane.)

Lane holds an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and comes to us from Charlottesville where she has served for years as Director of Spiritual Formation at Trinity Presbyterian Church and before that as Director of Undergraduate Ministries for Women at the Center for Christian Study at UVA. 

Lane is a gifted Bible teacher, counselor, spiritual director, and leader. One of the things that I have had the opportunity to observe about her ministry over the years is that people tend to thrive under her care.

If you are wondering, “What exactly is a Senior Director of Ministries? I thought we were searching for an Associate Rector.” Then you’re not crazy! Here’s what the position is and here’s how we got there. 

When we began this search process, I thought an Associate Rector (pastor) was the next staff position our parish most needed. Our little church is not so little anymore and there is more pastoral care and leadership needed than I alone can offer. However, as we began the search process, two things became clear: 

1. Most of the things we would be asking this new staff person to do did not necessarily require the person to already be ordained. Therefore, they could be a ministry leader and perhaps not be clergy. We decided that ordination would help the person do the job more effectively, but was not essential to the job. 

2. Most of our top candidates were not already ordained in the Anglican Communion; therefore, no matter who we hired, it would be at least 2+ years before they would be ordained. 

So, our search team decided that ordination was not a prerequisite for this role and we switched the job title to Senior Director of Ministries. 

What does a Senior Director of Ministries do? Think of this position as having two primary “buckets” or areas of responsibility. 

• Responsibility #1: Assist me (Dan) in leading our staff. This means overseeing both individual staff and ministry teams. Many of our staff will now report directly to Lane instead of to me. This will, undoubtedly, be a positive change for many of our staff! 

• Responsibility #2: Provide care and spiritual direction for parishioners. A significant part of Lane’s job will be to meet with anyone in the church who is in need of counsel, care, direction, or simply a listening ear. As you have likely already guessed, there are many folks in our parish and in our city that will find Lane more approachable than they find me! Our hope is that, in hiring Lane, we are expanding our shepherding care for people both inside and outside the parish. 

• Of course, along the way, Lane will do a host of other things as well. She will lead us in the Sunday liturgy from up front, she will teach classes, lead discussions, organize events, preach the occasional sermon, and much more. 

Lane plans to move to Richmond this summer and her official start date is September 1. 

Welcome Lane!
We are grateful for your willingness to join our parish and share our mission. 

In the Father’s love,

Dan & the Search Team

• Andrew Smith — Personnel Committee Member

• Rose Estes — Personnel Committee Member

• Matt Morgan — Senior Warden

• Jim Reynolds — Junior Warden

• Hallel Basco — Vestry Member

• Bethany Lansing — Vestry Member

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Sending Our Best

David Comeau to join Danny Hindman
in planting All Souls Anglican Church

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Dear Redeemer Family,

I can’t decide whether this news is sad, exciting, or both… let’s go with both. Our own beloved David Comeau has prayerfully decided (with his wife Halie and their kids) to join the Hindman family in planting All Souls Anglican Church. This truly is the definition of bittersweet! The Comeaus moved to Richmond in the Summer of 2017 and have been with Redeemer ever since, serving and leading in a variety of roles. And now, a new season begins for them as they join the All Souls team where David will serve as an assisting priest. 

At the end of the Spring semester, David will transition off of CCO staff, which means that we have begun to search for a new CCO campus minister for VCU. (If you or someone you know are interested, please contact me). 

Church family - this really brings us to the heart of what it means to send out new church plants. It doesn’t just mean raising money, carefully strategizing, and casting vision, it means sending out our best people. This is a costly joy. We already knew it would be hard to send out the Hindmans, and now we know it will be even more costly as we send out the Comeaus! 

However, it is also a joy, truly. We have the tremendous privilege of helping launch a new parish. Do we want them to grow and thrive and flourish? Of course we do! Therefore, we are glad to send out our best - for the glory of God and the good of our neighbors here in Richmond. 

David & Halie, we love you and will miss you. We’re glad we get to keep you for a few more months as the All Souls team forms and works towards launching! 

In the Father’s love,

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New Sermon Series & Guest Preachers | Renewing Our Vocation

Dear Redeemer Family,

Christ is risen! What a gift it was to celebrate with all of you on Sunday. I can honestly say that our time of worship together has already become one of my all-time favorite memories. After a long Lenten fast, the sheer volume of your voices, the infectious joy of your laughter, and the bright peal of the ringing bells testified to the glory of our Lord’s resurrection. Well done church family! Your faithfulness ministered to my heart. Thank you!

Here’s what’s coming next: In the weeks ahead, we will enter into a new sermon series during Eastertide, called RENEWING OUR VOCATION. Through the six week series, we will explore the following: 

• Week 1 Renewed Motivation for Our Work Colossians 3:22-24

• Week 2 Renewed Conception of Our Work Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15

• Week 3 Renewed Ethics for Our Work Proverbs 11:1

• Week 4 Renewed Method for Our Work Ephesians 4:28-29

• Week 5 Renewed Power for Our Work Ephesians 3:14-21

• Week 6 Renewed Authority for Our Work Mark 16:9-20 

Now, in order to help us continue to deepen in our understanding and practice of our vocational calling as Christ-followers, I have asked three guests to preach into our series: 

Name: The Rev. Robert Cunningham

Date: April 24

Text: Colossians 3:22-24

Title: Renewed Motivation for Our Work

Connection: Robert is a friend who is currently preparing for ordination to the Anglican priesthood in our diocese and will be planting a new parish in Charlottesville later this year. He has spent many years ministering to college students at the University of Virginia, helping them understand and discern their callings. I am confident that he will help us grasp the magnitude of what it means for us to do all of our work as for the Lord. 

Name: Kate Harris 

Date: May 1

Text: Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15

Title: Renewed Conception of Our Work

Connection: Kate is a good friend, a member of Restoration Anglican in Arlington, VA, and specialist in the area of Biblical Vocation. Kate is the former Executive Director of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, & Culture, and has written and taught for Q conference, Denver Institute for Faith & Work, Theological Horizons, Chesterton House, Comment Magazine, Christianity Today, and more. I am confident she will help us expand our conception of our work as Christians. 

Name: Bishop John Guernsey

Date: May 22

Text: Ephesians 3:14-21

Title: Renewed Power for Our Work

Connection: Bishop John leads our Diocese, is a pastor to me and all the clergy in our Diocese, and is especially gifted in teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is always a special occasion when our Bishop visits; and, since he is retiring next year, this one of our last times to have him with us! I am confident that Bishop John will help us deepen our trust in the power of the Spirit working within us and through us. 

Church family, I’m looking forward to both preaching and listening and learning along with you in this series over the next six weeks. I hope our imaginations are stirred, our doubts assuaged, and our hearts encouraged as we contemplate what it means to go about our daily work in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

In the Father’s love,

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Participating in the Triduum

Dear Redeemer Family,

Good afternoon! A blessed Holy Week to us all. I want to take a few minutes to explain what it will be like to participate in the most important days of Holy Week together. Please, if you can, read the following in its entirety:

STATIONS ON BOULEVARD

From 8:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Monday-Friday, the 14 Stations of the Cross will be posted along Arthur Ashe Boulevard. I encourage you to set aside 30-45 minutes of time to stop by, and spend time praying and contemplating each station. We have put together both a printed and digital guidebook to lead you through this exercise. 

MAUNDY THURSDAY

The Paschal mystery - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - is at the heart of the Christian Gospel. The evening of Maundy Thursday begins the Triduum (the sacred three days). Maundy Thursday receives its name from the maudatum (commandment) given by our Lord: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another (John 13:34).  At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples' feet and commanded them to love one another as he had done. This day commemorates the Lord’s example of servant ministry, the institution of the Eucharist, the agony of the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal leading to the crucifixion. 

• Services are at 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

• No nursery or children’s ministry. Kids are invited to fully participate in all parts of the service. 

• Remember to wear sandals or slip-off shoes (to facilitate the foot-washing portion of the service). 

GOOD FRIDAY

The Good Friday liturgy is the second part of the Triduum. This most somber of all days is appropriately marked by fasting, abstinence, and penitence, leading us to focus on Jesus and the meaning of his Cross. Some churches do not use musical instruments or bells on this day. The church is often darkened. The bare, stark  appearance of the church serves as a reminder of the solemnity and sorrow of the day. The Lord of Life as rejected, mocked, scourged, and then put to death on the Cross. The faithful are reminded of the role which their own sin played in this suffering and agony, as Christ took all sin upon himself, in obedience to the Father’s will. By the Cross we are redeemed, set free from bondage to sin and death. The Cross is a sign of God’s never-ending love for us. It is a sign of life, in the midst of death. 

• Services are at 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

• No nursery or children’s ministry. Kids are invited to fully participate in all parts of the service. 

• Remember to wear black or gray clothing. 

HOLY SATURDAY

This is a day of quiet contemplation. It is important not to start the Easter celebration and feasting too early. Consider eating simple foods and refraining from entertainment. Perhaps, in the morning or the evening, consider praying: 

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

EASTER SUNDAY

As the third day dawns, we celebrate the bodily resurrection of our Lord from the dead! 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The church will resound with the ringing of bells, shouts of praise, and songs of joy! This is a dual sacrament service: with both Baptisms and Eucharist. 

• There are three identical services: 7:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. (But only the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. provide nursery and children’s ministry).

• If you are able to attend the 7:00 a.m. service, please do so! We will likely run out of space at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.. By worshiping at the sunrise service, you show hospitality to visitors who will likely attend the later two. 

• There will be coffee, juice, and donuts across the street near the VMFA sculpture garden after all three services. Stay for a while and enjoy the after-party! 

Redeemer family, I love you all and I’m so grateful that we get to walk through this week together. I hope and pray that our observance, practice, and worship through this time forms the virtues of the Gospel within us. 

In the Father’s love,

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Introducing Our New Vestry Candidates

Dear Redeemer Family,

What a pleasure it is to introduce our newest Vestry members: Sarah Byrd and David Williamson! Welcome to the both of you. I look forward to working closely with you in the years to come. 

In late April, after Holy Week, our two Vestry members who have completed their three year term (Carrie Finch and Fras Bax) will roll off and Sarah and David will roll on. Well done Carrie and Frans, we are so thankful for your service to the Lord and to our parish! 

And a big thank you as well to Jackie Griffith and Alex Burlingame. You are both already serving our parish well in many capacities and we will need the two of you in the years to come. (The vote was close by the way!)

Church family, Holy Week is upon us. If you have not yet volunteered to serve in the coming week, please pause right now and contact one of our staff to do so. We still have needs in the following three areas:

• Nursery and Kids Ministry — Email Casey.

• Hosting Coffee Hour for Easter Sunday — Email Jeff.

• Stations on Boulevard Monday-Friday — Sign up here.

See you in a few days for Palm Sunday!

In the Father’s love,

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Vestry Election This Sunday

Dear Redeemer Family,

I have two quick things for you today: 

First, our annual Vestry election is taking place this Sunday. We have four excellent candidates and must elect two of them to serve a three year term. 

Who are our candidates?

Dr. Jackie Griffith

• Neighborhood: Glen Allen

• Occupation: Therapist

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Teaching classes.

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David Williamson

• Neighborhood: Bon Air

• Occupation: Director of Content Strategy at Unboxed Technologies

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Leading a Small Group

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Alex Burlingame

• Neighborhood: The Fan District

• Occupation: Director of Sales & Marketing at Fringe

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Leading a Small Group

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Sarah Byrd

• Neighborhood: Near West End

• Occupation: Wealth Management Advisor at Alpha Advisors

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Leading a Small Group

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Who Votes?

Voting is for confirmed members only. If you have completed our Foundations Class, been confirmed by our Bishop by the laying on of hands, and signed our Membership Covenant & Commitments then you are a member here at Redeemer and should participate in this election by prayerfully voting. 

How & When to Vote?

You may vote online this week using this link, or you may vote in-person at one of our worship services on Sunday morning. The ballots close Sunday evening. 

Note: Remember that the vestry election is not a popularity contest, but rather a matter of careful, prayerful, strategic discernment. The Vestry shoulders the enormous responsibility of stewarding all the financial resources of the parish. We need wise, virtuous, mature followers of Jesus to step into this role. 

Second, you may have noticed that we originally had five good candidates for this election, but are now down to four. Our beloved Rachel Rigdon has spent the past few weeks in cautious discernment regarding what it means to serve on Vestry and has concluded that it is not a good fit for her particular gifts and talents in this season of life. 

I think this is a great moment to celebrate that we are truly the body of Christ together and that we each bear a wide diversity of gifts from our Lord. No one has all the gifts and no one has zero gifts. Discerning the right place to serve within the body is a spiritual matter and I applaud Rachel for giving serious thought and prayer to this decision. 

That’s all for today. I love you church family and I’ll see you on Sunday!

In the Father’s love,

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All Hands On Deck—Calling Volunteers For Holy Week

Dear Redeemer Family,

Holy Week, April 10-17, is the most important week of the year for followers of Jesus.

Through it, we remember Christ’s entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), His washing of the disciple’s feet and last supper (Maundy Thursday), His crucifixion and death on the cross (Good Friday), and His glorious resurrection from the dead on Sunday (Easter).

It is also the time during the year when we receive the most visitors to our services and, therefore, the time when we have the greatest opportunity to show hospitality to strangers and outsiders.

THE CALL

Therefore, I am asking everyone who is a member or regular attender to volunteer during Holy Week - prioritizing volunteering on Easter Sunday. Now, if you’re anything like me, you probably think of special holidays as a time not to volunteer, because you want to enjoy celebrations with family and friends. I get it. Really, I do.

However, your staff cannot pull off Holy Week (and especially Easter Sunday) alone! I want to encourage all of us to think of Holy Week, especially Easter Sunday, as a time to serve and welcome others.

THE NUMBERS

Consider the following data:

Last year, in March 2021, we had an average Sunday attendance of 200 and then an Easter (April 4) attendance of 488.

Last Sunday (March 20), we had 426 in attendance and 115 of those were kids! I don’t know what we should project for attendance on Easter, but it is likely we will welcome more people than we ever have before!

SIGN UP

Here are some important ways you can serve during Holy Week:

• PALM SUNDAY

  • Nursery or Kids - contact Casey Cisco

  • Host Coffee Hour - contact Jeff King

• STATIONS ON BOULEVARD

  • Sign up to serve for a two-hour time slot.

• MAUNDY THURSDAY

  • Assist with prepping foot washing stations - contact Danny Hindman

• GOOD FRIDAY

  • No more volunteers needed. Thanks!

• EASTER

  • 7:00 a.m. Service

    • Host Coffee & Donuts Hour - contact Jeff King

  • 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Services

    • Nursery or Kids - contact Casey Cisco

    • Host Coffee & Donuts Hour - contact Jeff King

Redeemer family, I’m continually surprised at the growth of our church and the changes it brings to all of us. Thank you for your willingness to roll up your sleeves, pitch in, and help welcome our neighbors so that they might hear and receive the good news of the Gospel.

In the Father’s love,

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Our 2022 Vestry Candidates

Dear Redeemer Family,

It’s that time of year again—time for us to prepare to thank two Vestry members (Carrie Finch and Frans Bax) for completing their three years of faithful service and time for us to vote in two new people.

Our Vestry Election takes place the Sunday before Holy Week, which is April 3rd this year. In between now and then, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider which two of the following five people would be best suited to serve and lead our parish in the coming years.

---

Dr. Jackie Griffith

• Neighborhood: Glen Allen

• Occupation: Therapist

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Teaching classes.

---

David Williamson

• Neighborhood: Bon Air

• Occupation: Director of Content Strategy at Unboxed Technologies

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Leading a Small Group

---

Alex Burlingame

• Neighborhood: The Fan District

• Occupation: Director of Sales & Marketing at Fringe

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Leading a Small Group

---

Sarah Byrd

• Neighborhood: Near West End

• Occupation: Wealth Management Advisor at Alpha Advisors

• Currently Serving Redeemer by:
  Leading a Small Group

---

I can attest that each of these people is a mature, thoughtful, wise, compassionate follower of Jesus. There are no bad choices here! I want to remind us all that the Vestry election is not a popularity contest, but rather a matter of spiritual, strategic discernment.

As a reminder, here is a document that lays out the responsibilities of the Vestry. Please give a read if you need a refresher.

Carrie & Frans, thank you for your three years of service! It has been a joy to work with you! And to these five new candidates, thank you for allowing your names to go forward and your willingness to serve in the years ahead. We are grateful for your courage!

In the Father’s love,

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Introducing Lewis Lovett, Church Planter-In-Residence #3

Dear Redeemer Family,

I continue to be amazed at the tremendous privilege and opportunity our parish has in helping to plant and establish new churches in the Metro-Richmond area.

• It began in 2016 when Redeemer was itself planted by a faithful group of 50+ people.

• It continued in 2019 when we, in partnership with the Diocese of Christ Our Hope and Church of the Holy Spirit in Roanoke, sent out The Rev. Steven Breedlove to plant Church of the Incarnation in the West End.

• It continues now with The Rev. Danny Hindman who is actively working to plant All Souls Anglican in the Forest Hills/Manchester neighborhood. They will likely launch in late 2022 or early 2023.

• And now, it seems, it will continue on with Lewis Lovett, our third Church Planter-in-Residence, who will join our staff this Summer.

Lewis is a native of Knoxville, TN and graduated from Wofford College and Covenant Theological Seminary. Before attending seminary, Lewis worked as a youth director in Charlottesville, VA for 4 years. His wife, Maggie was born in Madison, VA and graduated from Washington & Lee in 2007. Lewis and Maggie were married in Lee Chapel at W&L in 2008 and have four wonderful daughters, Ellie Kate, Ruthie, Caroline, and Betsy.

Recently, Lewis has been serving as a campus minister with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Washington & Lee University as an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He has now transitioned into the ordination process with our Diocese (Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic) in preparation for the Anglican priesthood.

The Lovett family has purchased a home in the Salisbury neighborhood in Midlothian and plans to move in sometime early this Summer.

Some of you may see Lewis and his family around Redeemer occasionally this Spring and you certainly will this Summer. When you do, please give them a warm welcome!

In the Father’s love,

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A New Sermon Series For Lent: Disenchanted

Dear Redeemer Family,

Good afternoon! A blessed Ash Wednesday to you.

As we begin the season of Lent together, I want to take a minute to tell you about where we are headed in our Lenten sermon series. The title of the series is: Disenchanted | Losing & Regaining Our Connection with the Natural World & with God.

This series will explore the ways in which technological advancements and cultural shifts are estranging people from their bodies and the material world, resulting in profound disconnection with God. Leaning heavily on the historic church’s understanding that God has written two books: scripture and creation - Disenchanted seeks to unveil to us the ways in which our lives are missing essential raw, gritty, embodied practices and experiences.

God has given us two "books" that reveal who God is and what God is about. These are the Book of Nature (which is the natural world itself) and the Book of Scripture, the Bible. They complement one another; and both Scripture and the natural world reveal God's truth, as both have God's hand on them. Together, they speak a single truth, and they are, at their deepest level, in accord.

—Saint Augustine

Together, we will consider how reappropriating basic human acts like: assisting with the birth of a child, creating music, experiencing sexual intimacy, growing food, telling stories, and caring for the dying are experiences that connect us to the God who is creator of the material world and author of life.

• Week 1—Re-Enchantment through Birth

• Week 2—Re-Enchantment through Music

• Week 3—Re-Enchantment through Sex

• Week 4—Re-Enchantment through Memory

• Week 5—Re-Enchantment through Death

When we take up these practices, our lives, our homes, and our church will be infused afresh with the mystery and glory of life as creatures of God in a created world.

Download the Lent guidebook here.

See you Sunday.

In the Father’s love,

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A Week That Forms You—Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Dear Redeemer Family,

Next week is a very important, formative time for us in the life of the global and historic church as we celebrate Shrove Tuesday and observe Ash Wednesday.

SHROVE TUESDAY

Also called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, this is a traditional feast day for the church. In the past, the goal was to use up all the fat and sugar in the house in preparation for the austere fasting season of Lent. For us here at Redeemer, we will give a fresh spin to this very old practice. On Tuesday evening, at 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., we will have two seatings for a Southern Chicken ‘n Biscuits Dinner down in the basement of 2715 Grove Ave. And for those of us who have dietary restrictions, fear not - there will be fruit and veggies on hand.

During the dinner we will distribute the guidebook for Lent and talk about how to practice the season of Lent as a church family.

RSVP here and we’ll see you there!

ASH WEDNESDAY

The following day, at 6:00 a.m, 12:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. there will be worship services in the sanctuary at 2715 Grove Ave.

All of you are invited to come and receive the sign of the cross in ashes on your forehead. Though it may sound strange, you won’t wash off the ashes right away. Rather, you’ll bear the dirty smudge right there on your face the rest of the day.

Now, why do this? Why participate in an Ash Wednesday service?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a time of penitence, fasting, and prayer, in preparation for the great feast of the resurrection. The season of Lent began in the early days of the Church… the forty days refer to our Lord’s time of fasting in the wilderness; and since Sundays are never fast days, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten Fast.

Throughout the Old Testament, ashes are used as a sign of sorrow and repentance, and Christians have traditionally used ashes to indicate sorrow for our own sin, and as a reminder that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Like Adam and Eve, we have disobeyed and rebelled against God, and are under the same judgment, ‘you are dust, and to dust you shall return’ (Genesis 3:19).

But as we are marked with ashes in the same manner that we were signed with the Cross at Baptism, we are also reminded of the life we share in Jesus Christ, the second Adam (Romans 5:17, 6:4). It is in this sure hope that we begin the journey of these forty days of Lent, that by hearing and answering our Savior’s call to repent, we may enter fully into the joyful celebration of his resurrection.

Church family, I heartily encourage all of you to lean into this coming week. Small Groups, Youth Fellowship, and other church programs are on pause next week so that we can all prioritize feasting together on Shrove Tuesday and repenting together on Ash Wednesday.

YOUR ACTION ITEMS

1. If you do one thing next week, come to an Ash Wednesday service.

2. If you do two things next week, come to a Shrove Tuesday Feast and an Ash Wednesday service.

I’ll see you there. Let’s allow this coming week to form our hearts, minds, and bodies more fully into the image of our crucified and risen Lord.

In the Father’s love,

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Why Redeemer is Both Low and High Church

Dear Redeemer Family,

Have you noticed that our Sunday worship and weekly parish life contain both traditionally high church and low church elements? Have you ever wondered why? Are we a mish-mash of competing philosophies of ministry? Are we trying to “split the difference” between different styles of church? Today I’d like to invite our whole church family in on a conversation that your Staff and Vestry have been having for a number of years now. 

The Book of Common Prayer, which is the foundational document of the Anglican Communion, exemplifies what we might call a “Lo/Hi” approach to practicing the way of Jesus. During the era of the reformation, English reformer Thomas Cranmer labored for years to produce an English language translation of the Roman Catholic Latin prayer book. This was not only the hard work of translation, it was also the essential work of mission. The average person then living in what is now called the U.K. did not understand the Latin mass, nor could they pray with the church on their own throughout the week. But on Easter Sunday 1548, every parish across England began praying, confessing, and hearing the good news of the Gospel in their own vernacular, in their common language. 

This missional move took the riches of traditional “high” church practices, filled with symbolism, metaphor, art, and mystery, and brought them “low” by making them accessible to the average, common person. It was a condescending move (in a positive sense!). In the incarnation of Christ, God condescends to humanity by becoming one of us. And so, if we would live and minister in the way of Jesus, then we must adopt his condescending posture. 

Therefore, this incarnational, condescending, missional posture must be the posture of any church that confesses and proclaims the good news of the Gospel of Jesus. And it especially should be true of an Anglican parish! 

Our shorthand phrase for this posture is LO/HI. 

So, at Redeemer, we seek to embody the tension between low church / high church culture. 

Low

• We seek to create low bars of entry for the average secular, materialist, humanist Richmonder.

• Our front porch is inviting and the front door is easy to open. 

• Our communication, preaching, music, and programming seeks to be accessible and understandable for the average person. 

• We are not a church that only caters to spiritual elites and picky church consumers. 

High

• There is no ceiling for how high you can grow. 

• The spiritual riches of the Great Tradition are the desired destination for all Christ-followers here. 

• We desire for people to move deeper into a liturgically and sacramentally ordered life. 

• We recognize that symbol, metaphor, art, and mystery are key in forming maturity in faith.

• There are no short-cuts on the path to maturity. 

Redeemer family, I hope this helps us all better understand the unique ethos we are seeking to cultivate within our parish (and how it is actually not so unique!).

I hope and pray that in the months and years ahead, we continue to stretch both lower and higher: running further up and further in to the riches of the Gospel embodied in the traditions and practices of the historic church; and stooping lower, doing the hard work of translation to make the beauty of the Gospel accessible to our average, common neighbors.

I believe this stretching in both directions is called - growth. 

In the Father’s love,

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Meet Our New Staff Members!

Dear Redeemer Family,

It’s a pleasure to introduce four new faces to our staff team! I say “new,” but if you’ve been around our Parish for a while, these might be folks you already know…

Sarah Bergh | Parish Administrator

We recently hired Sarah to step into the role of our 10 hr/week Parish Administrator. In this role she assists me (Dan) and Jeff King (our Dir. of Operations) in many behind-the-scenes tasks that keep our ministries and programs running smoothly. Welcome Sarah! 

Brandee Green | Nursery Coordinator

Brandee has already been serving faithfully in our Nursery for the past couple years! Recently, we asked her if she would be willing to take on a bit more responsibility in running the Nursery and managing volunteers and paid nursery staff. Welcome Brandee! 

Matt Rose | Men’s Fellowship Coordinator

Matt has graciously volunteered to step up into the role of coordinating Men’s Fellowship events for the year. These will likely include evening events 4-6x / year and perhaps an annual retreat. Welcome Matt! 

Marie Jeffery | Parish House Manager

Marie has also cheerfully volunteered to step into the role of Parish House Manager. This means that she has the delightful duty of ensuring that the property is clean, orderly, and well cared for. When issues with the Parish House at 3328 Hanover Ave. arise, Marie gets to deal with them! Thank you Marie, and welcome to the team! 

Sarah, Brandee, Matt, and Marie, we are so grateful for your service and leadership. Thank you for selflessly giving your time and energy to the mission of Redeemer here in the city. We trust that your work will yield good fruit both inside and outside our parish. 

In the Father’s love,

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Want To Help Outfit The Parish House?

Dear Redeemer Family,

As you might remember, back in December we purchased 3328 Hanover Ave. as Redeemer’s Parish House! Our staff is hard at work getting the house ready to open to welcome you and for use by the many ministries of our church. If you missed hearing about how the Parish House will be used, check out this vision document. 

As we’ve been purchasing furniture, painting walls, and fixing things up, we realized that there were a lot of folks in the church who wanted to contribute to the house. Artists have offered to loan their paintings, designers have donated their time and expertise, some folks have even offered furniture from their own homes! I’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of our congregation. Thank you! 

For those of you who would like to contribute to outfitting the house, but are unsure of how to help, we have created an online registry with items that you can purchase. You’ll find items as simple and small as can openers and cutting boards, all the way up to items as large and fun as swivel chairs and a 250 gallon smoker! (And, of course, everything in between). 

To be clear, our staff and finance team considered just going ahead and purchasing all of these items. After all, you all have been incredibly generous and Redeemer is in a very strong position financially. However, this house really is for all of us. It’s to be a place of prayer, hospitality, and art for the whole parish and for newcomers as well. Therefore, we thought it would be appropriate (and fun!) to give everyone the opportunity to contribute a little something. 

• If you purchase a bowl, you’re saying, “I want someone hungry to have their belly filled here.” 

• If you purchase a fire pit, you’re saying, “I want someone who feels left out to experience the warmth of fellowship sitting around the fire here.”

• If you purchase a chair, you’re saying, “I want someone who is tired to rest here.”

If you’re not sure what to purchase, you can also make a financial donation and it will be used to purchase whatever is needed for the Parish House in the months ahead.

Also, if you happen to own some particularly nice furniture, art, or appliances and you’d like to donate them, then our team would be glad to consider it! 

*Note: This is not an opportunity to offload that old Cuisinart mixer that only sometimes works. We aim for excellence in hospitality here! If you would consider giving it to Goodwill, please don’t ditch it here. 

Church family, I’ve already moved my study over to the Parish House and have been working here this week. As I’ve walked around the empty rooms, I’ve imagined all the laughter, singing, prayer, teaching, and fellowship that will take place here. 

I can’t wait to open the doors and welcome you in! 

In the Father’s love,

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Why a Sermon Series on Hospitality?

Dear Redeemer Family,

During the season of Epiphany, the church around the world and throughout history gives her attention to the way in which Jesus is revealed to be the light of the world. Therefore, during this time, it is customary for us to read from the Gospel accounts and see how, in the ministry of Jesus, He uncovers His identity as the long-awaited Messiah. 

To that end, over the past few years, we have examined the ministry of Jesus from a variety of angles. We’ve looked at how Jesus was: 

• Revealed in His Stories - 2019

• Revealed in His Questions - 2020

• Revealed in His Miracles - 2021

This year, we will see how Christ is Revealed in His Hospitality. Each week we will read a text from the Gospel of Luke where Jesus shares a meal with someone. We will see how the ordinariness of meals was so often the context for Jesus’ ministry. I have found this both convicting and encouraging as I contemplate what shape my own ministry should take. 

• I find it convicting, because I usually think that, in order for me to be an effective minister of the Gospel, I need to craft extraordinary experiences for other people. The table ministry of Jesus reminds me that, more often than not, transformation takes place right in the midst of life-as-usual. 

• I find it encouraging for the very same reason! I have a kitchen table. It may very well be the most important tool our family has for ministry. 

Ah, and you have a kitchen table as well don’t you? It may very well be the most important tool you own for sharing the love of Christ with others. 

Right now, there are 21 households that are hosting Small Groups. You are opening your doors and your tables to share the welcome and hospitality of Jesus with others. It costs you time, money, energy, emotion, health, and much more. It costs you! And yet, it is a tremendous blessing to the people you welcome. 

Our little parish continues to grow. There are many new people who want to make Redeemer their home. They want to come to someone’s table and experience warmth, friendship, care, and love. 

By my estimate, we need close to 30 Small Groups, nine more than we have right now, if everyone is to make their way to someone’s table. So, one question for you to ask yourself (if you dare) during this Epiphany season is, “How might the Lord Jesus want to use my kitchen table to show hospitality to others?” 

Redeemer Family, I absolutely love the way you show the hospitality of Christ to each other. Well done! 

Let’s continue to find wise and wonderful ways to invite new people to our tables. 

In the Father’s love,

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artwork: Eric Feather, Christ Feeding the 5000

ericfeather.com

Test Positive? Let’s Help Each Other Out!

Dear Redeemer Family,

Surely you’ve noticed, as I have, that there has been a sharp uptick in the number of positive COVID cases in our parish this past week. While we are grateful that most of these are mild cases, there are still a lot of people that are feeling really crummy and are now quarantined at home. 

If you’ve tested positive, or are simply not feeling well and need some help, please let us know! We have a generous Mercy Fund and a fantastic Care Team ready to visit you, pray for you, bring you a meal, or help in some other way. 

You can email me or Christa Vickers-Smith our Care Team Coordinator.

We will help mobilize people who live near you to pitch in and help out. 

Now, you might be thinking, “Oh this isn’t necessary. I have food, heat, and a computer here at home. No need for anyone to inconvenience themselves.” Folks, inconveniencing ourselves for the sake of others is the stuff that community is made of! Sure, we could all buckle down and get through it alone. And if we do, we’ll come out on the other side a little weirder and a little lonelier than before. Or, we can help each other out and use this as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendship (or to forge new bonds!) 

Church family, let’s look for every opportunity to love, serve, help, and care for each other. 

In the Father’s love,

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