September 3, 2010

Alpha

As we move into fall, we have several Alpha opportunities to present. This course, offered for a number of years around the globe, has been very effective as a place to address questions of life in conversation with Faith. Church of the Redeemer sponsors several different Alphas throughout the year to help us to continue reaching out to with the Good News.

Alpha begins September 21st and will meet Tuesday evenings at Tom and Ricki Rosengren's in Wilmette. People are needed to help with this course in a variety of roles, so please contact Ricki.

The Youth Alpha is underway and is meeting on Sunday mornings at 9am at Redeemer. This course is designed for students in Jr. High on up, and the class is open. This week in Youth Alpha we will be discussing the question, “Why did Jesus die?” All students from 6th – 12th grade are welcome to join us for this time of fellowship and in-depth discussion. Breakfast will be provided.

Also, mark your calendars for the Youth Alpha "Day Away": Friday night – Saturday afternoon, October 15th – 16th.

Alpha in the City will begin next week, reaching out to youth, some of whom are gang-involved, ex-offenders or teen parents. We are helping to provide food for this Alpha, led by Jon Greener and offered in partnership with Youth for Christ's Aspire center.

Please pray for all of these important connection points with those outside of our church.

All Church Picnic

Everyone is invited to join together under the big tent following our worship service on September 12th for our annual picnic. This year we'll be next to the garden, and enjoy a cook-out/potluck lunch.

The potluck portion of the lunch will be divided as follows:

A-F Salad for 8
G-L Side-dish for 8
M-Z Dessert for 8
(college/graduate students may bring a dish for 4).

Since we will be ordering some of the food, please RSVP by Thursday, September 9th (whether coming or not coming) to the church office at (847) 681-2872 or redeemer [at] redeemernorthshore.org. Be sure to bring a blanket or lawn chairs on which to sit.

We hope you will join us for this fun event and invite some friends to come along.

Children's Ministry Training Seminar

As school begins and summer draws to a close, it is time to meet together for a time of fellowship and equipping. Please join us for our training session on Saturday, September 11 from 9:00 am to 10:30 am. We'll meet at Redeemer Lutheran for a short but vital opportunity to prepare our minds, hearts, and bodies for ministering to and with our little ones this fall.

Seminar Schedule:

8:45 – 9:00 am — Arrive at Redeemer Lutheran and drink a cup of coffee (our treat!)

9:00 – 9:20 am — Learn about our new curriculum (Living the Good News, from Morehouse Education Resources), and get an overview of how our ministry in the nursery is becoming more intentional.

9:20 – 10:15 am — Seminar on Biblical Storytelling. Learn about ways to invite children to enter into scripture with their spirits and imaginations. Judy Bayley will help foster discussion, and you will have opportunities to practice finding your voice as you tell God's Story.

10:15 – 10:30 am — Meet in sub-teams for discussion and prayer (Nursery; 2-4 Yr. Olds' Class; K – 5th Grade Class).

**For anyone who would like to stay after, we will be doing some cleaning and decoration projects.**

Please let Emily (emily.cool.greener [at] gmail.com) know if you'll be able to participate, and specify if you would like childcare. Open to anyone interested in learning more about our Children's Ministry, or about Biblical storytelling!

Confirmation

Register now for our confirmation class to begin on September 12. This will be a time of preparation in advance of Bishop John's visit October 24th. The class will be discussion with outside reading assignments. Confirmation is an important step for the mature, baptized Christian, reflecting a desire to be committed to Christ and to the Church, which is signified by the laying on of hands by the Bishop.

Please contact our office to sign-up for the classes that will be help each Sunday morning at 9am.

Sonrise Benefit

We're now about two months out from our annual Sonrise Benefit, the major single supporting effort for Sonrise School in Musanze, Rwanda. Please be asking people now to set aside the date of Oct. 23rd to join you for this important night. It will be the last one involving Bishop John Rucyahana, the visionary leader who launched the school. We'll celebrate by bringing one of the older students from Rwanda to our banquet to share with us their own story.

Sonrise's first graduation has now been planned for late March, 2011. Invitations to the benefit will be mailed Sept. 7, but you don't have to wait to begin inviting people to participate. Be praying for the effectiveness of this time.

We're now about two months out from our annual Sonrise Benefit, the major single supporting effort for Sonrise School in Musanze, Rwanda. Please be asking people now to set aside the date of Oct. 23rd to join you for this important night. It will be the last one involving Bishop John Rucyahana, the visionary leader who launched the school. We'll celebrate by bringing one of the older students from Rwanda to our banquet to share with us their own story.

Sonrise's first graduation has now been planned for late March, 2011. Invitations to the benefit will be mailed Sept. 7, but you don't have to wait to begin inviting people to participate. Be praying for the effectiveness of this time.

Giving

Here's our latest giving update. As is usual for the summer months, our income is behind expenses, even as we have carefully controlled costs for our ministries throughout the year. We have made this up in the fall in previous years, but we don't presume upon God's goodness or your generosity. So we pray for God's provision in our budget, and for our faith and obedience in sacrificial giving. Thank you for your important part in this area of our life together.

Offering last week: $2,865
Average amount needed each week: $6,700

Redeemer at Ravinia

The 2010 Redeemer Ravinia outing happens this coming Monday September 6 (Labor Day).

Park opens at 4:00 PM.

Music starts at 7:00 PM!!

This is the annual Tchaikovsky spectacular, including the 1812 Overture, with real cannons!

Bring friends, family, acquaintances.

We're going to have a BLAST! (so to speak)

Hope to see you there!

Many Hands…

Are you looking for a way to get involved in a ministry at Redeemer? The best way to do that is to offer to serve in an area where we have an important need. Consider the following options:

— we need people for set-up and clean-up on Sundays. This is really critical to our worship, and those with servant hearts will find great satisfaction in this kind of leadership.

— in our Children's Ministry, we are in need of the following:

— Nursery Care: Nurture, play and pray with the littlest members of our Redeemer family

— Teach or Assist in 2 – 4 year-old Class, or 5 yrs – 5th grade Class: Teachers commit to serving for one-month at a time; assistants rotate on a weekly basis.

Contact our office to get involved, or speak with one of the ministry leaders listed in our Sunday bulletin.

Calendar

— Monday, September 6 Redeemer at Ravinia
— Saturday, September 11, 9:00 – 10:30 am – Children's Ministry Training Meeting??
— Sept. 12, our All Church Picnic. We decided to move this a few weeks later to be able to welcome those who come after the school semesters resume.??
— Sept. 12, Confirmation Class begins, 9am??
— October 2, Ride for Refuge (Geneva, IL) – Contact Jason or Danielle Miller for more info
— Saturday, October 9, Growing Leaders Gathering??
— Saturday, October 16 – Parents' Night Out (Kids' Journey to Rwanda)
??— October 23rd, our Sonrise Benefit
— October 24, Worship and Confirmations with Bishop John Rucyahana ??

Please pray for . . .

— Alpha courses that we will offer this fall
— the election of a new Archbishop for the Anglican Province of Rwanda
— new small group opportunities at Redeemer
— those who will enter process for Confirmation