Week of February 24th, 2019

Here’s what’s happening at Christ the Redeemer:

(*spoiler alert: Discipleship Process will be changing!… Read on to find out more info.)

Lent Begins on March 6th

Take some time now to prepare for the Lenten season:

  • Palm Crosses – Gather your palm crosses from last year’s Palm Sunday; we will begin collecting them in the baptismal font. The palms will be burned at our Shrove Tuesday gathering, to use as ashes for Ash Wednesday.
  • Discipleship Hour – There will be a Lenten class reading through Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton. We would love for you to read along with us, as well as participate in the class if possible.
  • Thursday Morning Women’s Group – Beginning March 14th, they will be reading through Preparing for Easter, Fifty Devotional Readings from C.S. Lewis.  All women are welcome and childcare is available.  If you need childcare, please speak to Janis Campbell (janiscampbell58@gmail.com).

Upcoming Events

  • Global Student Friendship (GSF) International Prayer and Training: Saturday, March 2nd, 8:30am – 11:30am at CtR. This will be an ecumenical time of focused prayer for international student ministry, and a training on ministering cross-culturally to international students/scholars.
  • Quarterly Congregational Meeting: Sunday, March 3rd, immediately after worship. There will be a Potluck lunch.
  • Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner: Tuesday, March 5th, 6pm. Please respond to the Evite if you haven’t already! If you didn’t receive it, send an email to Sydney at ctrsec@gmail.com.
  • Ash Wednesday Service: Wednesday, March 6th, 6pm.
  • The Basics Program: Tuesday, April 23rd, 11:30am through May 21st. This will be a five-week class for parents and caregivers of children from birth to age three. For more info. click here, or contact Sydney at ctrsec@gmail.com.

Exciting Changes to our Discipleship Process 

The Staff team and Leadership Council believe that now is the time to take the next step in the development of our Discipleship Process at Christ the Redeemer; in fact, a two-sided ‘step’!

In September of 2019 we will shift the Children’s Sunday School from its present time slot (between the Gospel reading and the Peace during worship) into the Discipleship Hour that precedes worship. Additionally, we will create a ‘Children’s Chapel’ program to be offered to our elementary-aged children during the ‘Gospel to Peace’ time slot.

This double-sided action will help us do two things primarily:               

  1. It will clarify and solidify our rhythm of life in this area by making the Discipleship Hour the primary place we come together as a community of faith (adults, youth and children) to ‘Learn Christ Together’
  2. It will allow us to add a worship-focused dimension to the discipling of our children.

We are excited about the possibilities for growth in Christian formation and maturity—especially for our children–as we live into this development.

However, we are also aware that change—even exciting change—is difficult; it raises questions and awakens concerns. To that end, we will devote our next Quarterly Congregational Meeting to presenting and discussing the plan of action.  Please reserve Sunday, March 3 immediately following worship for this meeting. We will begin with a Pot Luck lunch, hear a presentation concerning the shift, and then address any questions or concerns you may have about this development.

I am looking forward to hearing from you and working with you as we take this exciting new step together!