Letting Go... with a :)It’s taken a few months, but I’m finding it easier to smile these days. And I think that has a lot to do with my gradually
letting go – of all kinds of things. Pastor Carol’s departure from Redeemer for her new position as Assistant to the B
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 10:41 PM
Mid-Wave UpdateWe are currently about half-way through the three-year
Next Wave Campaign. When Next Wave kicked off in May of 2006, Redeemer members pledged $340,000 in support of our five-year plan to double our size, double our reach, make needed buildin
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 10:34 PM
Keeping in "Constant Contact"At the end of October we announced that we would be changing from a paper newsletter to an e-mail format. Once again, here’s why: a lot of time and effort is required to lay out the pages of the print newsletter, then to copy it, fold the pages, asse
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 10:30 PM
Holy Week and Easter Approaching …AND FASTThis year, instead of our normal Palm/Passion Sunday celebration, we’ll be wrapping up the Old Testament section of the
Word on the Street – which is a fitting way of putting the whole story of Jesus within the context of the Big Story of sa
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 10:16 PM
We Just Caught a Great Wave!At the end of January, Emmanuel Jackson, Brandon Cunningham, and Pastor Fred were able to distribute 525 large-print, easy-to-understand
Free On the Inside Bibles at Stateville Prison in Joliet.
It was a wonderful experience, as n
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 10:05 PM
Evangelism: It’s All About RelationshipsOur pastoral intern Emmanuel Jackson and about a dozen other Redeemer folks have just launched a Relational Evangelism initiative. They’ll be reading and discussing Bill Hybel’s book
Just Walk Across the Room, praying for people already in
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 10:03 PM
Encounter Band - On Retreat and in the StudioIn addition to the regular schedule of practices and worship services, the Encounter Band has had a couple of bonus activities in the last month.
The first was a two-day retreat to Camp Manitoqua in Frankfort, IL. During this time together
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 9:59 PM
Reimagine Worship Meets Sanctuary CafeImagine taking some of the best features of our
Reimagine Worship gatherings (active participation, conversation, and multi-sensory worship) and combining them with some of the best features of our
Sanctuary Cafe Coffeehouse (great
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 9:49 PM
Women Connecting...The Women of Redeemer Have Been…connecting with God at the third annual
Common Ground ~ Women of Faith Retreat held January 19-20, 2008, at the Warrenville Cenacle. Eighteen women from Redeemer and St. Paul of the Cross churches connected wi
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 9:42 PM
Because Family MattersYoung married couples face unique challenges and opportunities in their life together (navigating the ups and downs of their relationship, balancing work and personal life, the art of parenting, etc).
Because this stage of life is too imp
[More >>]-added 03/12/08, 9:36 PM
The End...aka Theological Foundations III...is NearTheological Foundations III is coming. After a nice late winter break, the final six sessions of our Theological Foundation class will resume on Wednesday evenings @7:30pm. Once again, we’ll be using Shirley Guthrie’s wonderful book, Christian Doctri
[More >>]-added 01/23/08, 10:35 AM
The BIG STORY in 24 WeeksThe Word on the Street is…
for those who’ve never read the Bible, for those who’ve read it too much, for those who’ve bogged down in Leviticus, for those who want to grasp the big picture, for those who want a fresh, witty,
[More >>]-added 01/23/08, 10:15 AM
Reimagine Worship – Strategic ShiftAfter eight months of hands-on experience, thinking. conversation, careful assessment and prayer, we’d decided to make a strategic shift in our Reimagine Worship gatherings. In order to keep our momentum going and focus our energy and creativity, we’
[More >>]-added 12/08/07, 10:58 AM
Pastor Carol Takes New PositionOn November 4th, we bid Farewell and Godspeed to Pastor Carol as a called pastor of Redeemer and celebrated with a luncheon. After seven and a half years of loving, bold, faithful, and effective pastoral ministry among us, Carol has left for a new po
[More >>]-added 12/08/07, 10:24 AM
Practical StepsAs a recent Sunday message reminded us, nobody said working for God’s justice in the suburbs would be easy. It’s hard to turn hearing into doing, and the sometimes overwhelming problems into do-able, practical steps. Becoming part of the ONE Campaig
[More >>]-added 08/22/07, 10:23 PM
Book Release Party at RedeemerEven if you're not planning to attend the Midwest Emergent Gathering in a few weeks, you are invited to attend the After-Party. Baker Books is sponsoring a book release party for Will and Lisa Samson's new book, Justice in the Burbs, the next in the
[More >>]-added 07/07/07, 12:05 PM
Spencer Burke to Preach at RedeemerOn July 22nd we'll welcome Spencer Burke, author and founder of theOOZE.com, an online community of 150,000 monthly visitors, dedicated to exploring religious and spiritual issues. Spencer is in town to take part in a conference on the Emerging Chur
[More >>]-added 06/25/07, 4:49 PM
Cornerstone 2007 is ComingThis year’s Cornerstone Festival will be held from June 27 through June 30 in Bushnell, Illinois (about 3 1/2 hours from Chicago). Cornerstone is one of the largest underground and alternative Christian music festivals in the nation, attracting more
[More >>]-added 05/11/07, 1:41 PM
Worship With Imagination - And SitarOn April 1, as part of our reimagine worship roll-out, we welcomed the musical group
Aradhna to Redeemer. Aradhna means “worship” in the Hindi language, and the music we heard (and sometimes sang!) consists primarily of
bhajans[More >>]
-added 07/04/06, 12:07 AM
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
It was weird. It was wonderful. It was eerie. It was riveting. And it absolutely, positively made you think. Two weeks ago, my friend Dave and I went to see the Body World 2 exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. Along with hundreds of others [More >>]
-added 05/11/07, 12:27 PM
Jones, Burke to Speak When Midwest Emerging Groups Gather
A church of 10,000 people that meets in a mall...
A small urban community that meets in an art gallery...
An African-American church on the South Side of Chicago...
Web communities that connect tens of thousands of people...
And o [More >>]
-added 05/11/07, 1:26 PM
It's Official
After nearly two years as our ‘unofficial” (and unpaid) worship leader, Peter Schwich has been hired as Redeemer’s part-time worship leader. Peter has just finished his degree at Valparaiso University, will be taking on a 7-month intern position at t [More >>]
-added 01/23/08, 11:00 AM
Everyone on the Same Page
When you pick up a copy of the Daily Texts for 2008, you become part of a tradition dating back more than 250 years. Currently, more than 1.5 million Christians around the world read the Daily Texts each day—which means 1.5 million [More >>]
-added 12/08/07, 9:38 AM
Redeemer to Host Missional Roundtable Discussion
On Thursday, September 27th we’ll be hosting a roundtable discussion with Spencer Burke, Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch, Denise VanEck, and Ron Martoia on the question "Missional: Has It Been Shrink-Wrapped Too?" Come hear these well-known authors and leader [More >>]
-added 09/14/07, 9:20 PM
PADS Project Update
Earlier this year, people at Redeemer signed a statement saying that they support a one-night-a-week shelter in Park Ridge for people dealing with homelessness. We collected 67 signatures, along with the unanimous support of our Vision & Strategy Tea [More >>]
-added 08/30/07, 9:38 PM
ELCA Singles News
ELCA Singles (ELCAS) started things off in June with a wine tasting held at Redeemer’s very own Sanctuary Cafe. We sampled reds and whites, shared a few laughs, and brainstormed ideas for future events. July went by rather quickly, but in August we h [More >>]
-added 08/30/07, 9:34 PM
A Night to Remember
It really was a night to remember on Chicago’s West Side: blacks and whites meeting and greeting each other; sixty ex-convicts trying to get straight with God; white and black pastors from the suburbs and inner city speaking on the topic of “Some [More >>]
-added 05/11/07, 2:04 PM
Are You Ready? It’s Time To Be a Two-Talent Christian
A little over a year ago, we handed an envelope to every one of the youth in our congregation. Inside were two $50 bills and a note. Here;s what the note said...
Because we trust you…we’re giving you two $50 bills as a symbol of the ta [More >>]
-added 03/26/07, 10:06 AM
Pastor's Message: Shopping for the Word of God
My son Peter and I went to Borders in search of just the right Bible for…well, that was the question. Was the perfect Bible the one that’s easier to read straight through or the one that’s translated more faithfully and so is better for probing stick [More >>]
-added 03/26/07, 9:29 AM
Making a 'Real Difference' for Real People
Redeemer sent about 25 of its members and friends in 2006 to southeast Louisiana to help News Orleans-area residents continue the long and difficult effort to clean-up and restore their homes in the wake of flooding and wind-damage from Hurricanes Ka [More >>]
-added 01/17/07, 11:10 AM
Redeemer Is Approved for Sabbatical Grant
The people of Redeemer have had much to celebrate during October. Not only did we enjoy the 75th anniversary of the founding of the congregation, but the congregation has also received a grant of $37,000 from the Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis.
< [More >>]
-added 05/30/06, 9:16 PM
Pastor's Message...What Would Make Your Heart Sing?
Make that question your own. Stop and think and make it personal. What would make your heart sing? Where would you go? What would you do? How would your life unfold…not just for a day or a week, but for a season? What would refresh, renew, r [More >>]
-added 05/30/06, 8:59 PM
New CD in Development!
Again, as part of our Next Wave campaign to double our reach and size, we will be creating and distributing a new outreach CD to be mailed this spring. The CD is intended to be a gift of Christian music and will feature music from our own band, from [More >>]
-added 01/23/08, 10:29 AM