FaithMatters. from pastor Kelly Chatman // A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH

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FaithMatters A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH - November 2017-1800 glenwood ave, minneapolis mn 55405 612.374.4139 admin@redeemermpls.

// I was recently in a dinner conversation when one of the pastors shared a discussion she had with an Islamic cleric.

I suppose this religious leader could have also asked about domestic violence, prejudice, or any number of things.

Bishop Will Willimon offers a sobering critique to congregations that talk about a dead God who once upon a time did some wonderful things and that the church s job then becomes to try to remember

By the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit, God is in our midst. We believe Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is alive, active, and on the move among us.

1 FaithMatters A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH - November glenwood ave, minneapolis mn admin@redeemermpls.org from pastor Kelly Chatman // SAVE THE DATE // New to Redeemer Fellowship & Lunch / Nov. 12 Fellowship Hall After Worship what difference does it make? // I was recently in a dinner conversation when one of the pastors shared a discussion she had with an Islamic cleric. During their intimate conversation, the Imam asked the pastor a deep and penetrating question: Do the people who gather and worship in your congregation receive what they need to say No to opioids? I suppose this religious leader could have also asked about domestic violence, prejudice, or any number of things. No matter what, the penetrating question is always, when we gather, are we receiving what we need to say no to sin and yes to healthy living, justice, and the abundant life for everyone? Bishop Will Willimon offers a sobering critique to congregations that talk about a dead God who once upon a time did some wonderful things and that the church s job then becomes to try to remember and imitate what those things were. Christmas Store / Dec. 9 Upstairs 9-11:30am Christmas Pageant / Dec. 10 during worship At Redeemer, we strive to give witness to God who is not dead but living! By the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit, God is in our midst. We believe Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is alive, active, and on the move among us. In response, we join and partner with others in witness to how God cares about everybody, and how Jesus, God s son, died on the cross in order that all might know God s love for them. This belief is the foundation of our mission to be a beacon of hope in our North Minneapolis community. But we don t dare stop there: We carry our mission and our belief with us when we worship and when we return to our home, our jobs, and in our families. Our faith and our lives do make a difference! The month of November is the end of the church calendar year, and the last Sunday the beginning of Advent and the new church year. This month, church council will be preparing the 2018 budget for a congregational vote on in December. Children in Sunday school will begin planning for the Christmas Pageant. And - mark your calendars! - we ll be hosting our Annual Christmas Store on December 9th. Beginning November 12, and the second Sunday of each month thereafter, we will host an informational meeting for new members and friends who are new to Redeemer. H-Cubed / Dec. 15 The Living Room 730pm November is a wonderful time for YOU to be prayerful about the financial and leadership support God is calling you to share at Redeemer and the non-profit, Redeemer Center for Life. Maybe the greatest question is not so much, What difference does it make, but, What difference do I make, as we stand witness to a God who is not dead but very much alive and active in the world.

She said that for months she was so hungry and thirsty, but she couldn t get anything to pass below her esophagus and so instead of gaining weight during her pregnancy she lost it.

2 from vicar Matt Canniff-Kesecker // what are you thirsty for? // I recently heard a member of our congregation describe a health complication she experienced during her pregnancy that made it impossible for her to eat or drink. She said that for months she was so hungry and thirsty, but she couldn t get anything to pass below her esophagus and so instead of gaining weight during her pregnancy she lost it. She talked about the pain she experienced, her longing to have her thirst quenched, and the relief that finally came when a doctor diagnosed the issue, prescribed intravenous feeding, and set her on course for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. What are you thirsty for? This was the question Pastor Kelly posed to those of us gathered for the Come Together worship and prayer walk a few weeks ago at Christ English Lutheran Church. Come Together is a monthly event conceived after the killing of Philando Castile where people gather in solidarity across lines of race and faith to be a presence of peace and reconciliation in the greater community. October s event was organized and hosted by the Northside Lutheran Parish, a collaboration of ELCA congregations in North Minneapolis that includes Redeemer. We read from scripture, Exodus 17:1-7, the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, parched with thirst and grumbling, Is the Lord among us or not? before God instructed Moses to miraculously draw water from a rock so the people could drink. We heard piercing reflections on the text from Pastor Laquaan Malachi of North United Methodist Church and our own Pastor Babette Chatman, both on the meaning of being thirsty and looking to the Lord to provide for us and lead us. And then Pastor Kelly led a conversation, where we turned to our neighbors in the pews and listened to the longings of each other s hearts. We were thirsty for an end to gun violence, for compassion, for moral leadership in our government, for friendship, and the list went on. After our sharing, Pastor Kelly said, Just as we are thirsty here, people are thirsty out there, in our neighborhoods. What would it mean for the church to be an oasis in a dry land, a place where people s deepest thirsts are quenched? This profound question was still echoing in my ears when we walked out Christ English s doors and headed one block west to the corner of Lowry and Penn. There we gathered around a makeshift memorial to Le'Vonte King Jason Jones, a two-year-old killed on that corner by a drive-by shooter in We carried with us small stones and a glass jug of water, signs to remind us of God s miracle among the Israelites, and as we formed a circle on that holy ground, Pastor Kelly invited us to offer prayers for the thirsty as we dropped our rocks into the water. On two sides of us were a crowded bus stop and a busy liquor store, and it wasn t long before our circle grew with curious newcomers. A man approached me and asked what we were doing and I told him we were praying for victims of violence. I invited him to share a prayer if he d like and offered him my rock which he accepted immediately. To my surprise, he walked directly into our circle, stood next to the jug with the rock in his hand raised above his head, and began listing aloud the names of his family and friends killed by gun violence. His stone splashed into water and his Amen became our own. Like the Israelites, we know for certain that the Lord is among us even as we wander in the driest of deserts. Just as God used Moses to draw water from a rock, so God uses the church as an oasis through the gifts of peacemaking, reconciliation, and real community. What are you thirsty for? Who has God sent to be your Moses, to draw your water from a rock? How will God use you to quench your neighbor s thirst? In Christ, Vicar Matt Canniff-Kesecker Page 2

TO BE A MOTHER // by allison woodard To be a Mother is to suffer To travail in the dark, stretched and torn, exposed in half-naked humiliation, subjected to indignities for the sake of new life.

3 TO BE A MOTHER // by allison woodard To be a Mother is to suffer To travail in the dark, stretched and torn, exposed in half-naked humiliation, subjected to indignities for the sake of new life. To be a Mother is to say, This is my body, broken for you, And, in the next instant, in response to the created s primal hunger, This is my body, take and eat. To be a Mother is to self-empty, To neither slumber nor sleep, so attuned You are to cries in the night Offering the comfort of Yourself, and assurances of I m here. To be a Mother is to weep over the fighting and exclusions and wounds your children inflict on one another; To long for reconciliation and brotherly love and when all is said and done To gather all parties, the offender and the offended, into the folds of your embrace and to whisper in their ears that they are Beloved. To be a mother is to be vulnerable To be misunderstood, Railed against, Blamed For the heartaches of the bewildered children who don t know where else to cast the angst they feel over their own existence in this perplexing universe To be a mother is to hoist onto your hips those on whom your image is imprinted, bearing the burden of their weight, rejoicing in their returned affection, delighting in their wonder, bleeding in the presence of their pain. To be a mother is to be accused of sentimentality one moment, And injustice the next. To be the Receiver of endless demands, Absorber of perpetual complaints, Reckoner of bottomless needs. To be a mother is to be an artist; A keeper of memories past, Weaver of stories untold, Visionary of lives looming ahead. To be a mother is to be the first voice listened to, And the first disregarded; To be a Mender of broken creations, And Comforter of the distraught children whose hands wrought them. thoughts from the people, for the people // As I listened to this poem read by its author in the Liturgists podcast God Our Mother, I nearly stopped my 6 mile run and burst into tears. For just over a year, now, I ve been wrestling with the Big Questions: Who is God? What is He like? Where is He in this world of suffering? If God is sovereign and omnipotent, why isn t He reaching down to stop the madness? The madness of police brutality against our brothers and sisters of color; the continual silencing, minimizing, and dismissal of Indigenous cries for justice; the demonization and systematic targeting of immigrant, refugee, and Muslim communities; persistent marginalization, misgendering, maligning of our LGBTQIA family. The madness of the resounding voice of every woman you know proclaiming, Me too! Yes, I ve been sexually harassed and assaulted. Where is God our Father, our Great Protector and Provider and Champion? The God who comes to our rescue and bests our enemies? I struggle to see this God anywhere, and I struggle to believe He s good. This is a God I can believe in. reflect // views from the pews But God our Mother stretched and torn, suffering, humiliated, broken and poured out; God our Mother who hears our cries, bottles our tears, comforts us, and is God to us by sheer presence This is a God I can run to. This is a God I can fall into, get lost in. This is a God who comforts me in the midst of my questions, who can heal the wounds even as the world keeps inflicting them. I m finding it increasingly critical these days to re-imagine God as Mother who bears the full weight of our bodies and burdens, who rejoices over who we are and grieves when we re not allowed to Be who She created us to be. Perhaps you re hurting and disillusioned by God as you ve always imagined him to be. Perhaps your Mother is waiting to hold you, weep with you, and whisper, I hurt too. To be a mother is to be a Touchstone and the Source, Bestower of names, Influencer of identities; Life giver, Life shaper, Empath, Healer, and Original Love. reflection by amy courts poem written for the liturgists podcast God Our Mother available at reprinted with author s permission painting: creation" sergio velasquez Page 3

redeemer announcements // NEW TO REDEEMER Meet & Greet November 12, 2017 // The second Sunday of each month following worship, we will host a

The purpose of the meeting is to introduce people to membership, communion practices and how to become more involved and engaged at Redeemer.

RCFL will be hosting an informational and fundraising breakfast on November 14, 2017 from 7-8am in the fellowship hall at RCL.

budget. october: in review // October was a busy month at Redeemer!

4 redeemer announcements // NEW TO REDEEMER Meet & Greet November 12, 2017 // The second Sunday of each month following worship, we will host a gathering for new members and people new to Redeemer. The purpose of the meeting is to introduce people to membership, communion practices and how to become more involved and engaged at Redeemer. REDEEMER CENTER FOR LIFE Informational + Fundraising Breakfast November 14, 2017 // Save the date! RCFL will be hosting an informational and fundraising breakfast on November 14, 2017 from 7-8am in the fellowship hall at RCL. Also be on the lookout as Redeemer Center for Life presents a new website and newsletter to keep community members up to date on RCFL initiatives and endeavors. Sign up for the newsletter at ANNUAL BUDGET MEETING December 10, 2017 // Mark your calendars and save the date for Redeemer s annual congressional meeting to approve our 2018 budget. october: in review // October was a busy month at Redeemer! We joined with other north side congregations for the Come Together worship service & walk to honor Philando Castile and stand in solidarity against community violence. Young Adults of Redeemer and Westwood teamed up for a soup and game night at the Living Room. H-Cubed hosted another incredible open mic night. And we enjoyed an amazing community gathering around Reformation Sunday and the annual Soul Food dinner. Thanks to everyone who made October a great month! Page 4

5 church updates // giving update // actual: budgeted: financial update from Mike Tarras // Psalms 57:11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be all over the earth! The best season of the year is here! Fall is back, cooler weather, school, lots of yard work, the holiday season is right around the corner. As we know, the final three months of the year (Q4) can be hectic, and can bring a lot of work along with it. But, the changing of the seasons allows us to witness the beauty and the power of God s creation. Accordingly, the closing of the church year also brings a chance for our congregation to celebrate new life, and to witness the blessings of the holiday season. We have a lot of work to do to get there, just like with that pile of leaves in my backyard and then impending snow, but it s a blessing to work in God s creation. As always, if you have any feedback at all, you can contact me via phone or mtarras@gmail.com revenue $238, $331, expenses $324, , monthly tithes $12, $17,749 monthly partner giving $1, $4, executive council members // president: Jeff Felton vice president: Phillip Hussong secretary: Yordanos Martin treasurer: Mike Terras council members // Helen Collins (education), Kristen G (evangelism + outreach), Heather Nissen (service + advocacy), Stuart Munk (Property), Amy Brandt (stewardship), Mike M. (worship, arts, & music), Mario Beanie Locust (youth) every week at redeemer // church staff // sun // adult bible study 9am / library mon // tue // health the living room / 3-6pm busy fingers crafting fellowship 9am-12pm / sewing room prayer+praise 10am / sanctuary narcotics anonymous 6pm / fellowship hall health the living room / 3-6pm worship+liturgy 1020am / sanctuary senior pastor associate pastor pastoral intern office administrator & communications bookkeeper communications Kelly Chatman Babette Chatman Matt Canniff-Keseckeer Amy Koopman Laurie Beckman Yetzer Erica S. Schultz wed // thu // $1 venture north 11am-7pm zumba / 6-7pm living room music ministry Kent Goodroad Alyssa Schwitzer Traiveon Dunlap Emander Deward fri // church office closes / 12pm sat // men s group 10am-12pm / upstairs health commons yoga / 6-7pm living room narcotics anonymous 6pm / fellowship hall sunday school coordinator children and youth lutheran volunteer corps Helen Collins Bethany Kyle Seth Wynands Bitta Gordon maintenance staff Tyrone Wade Page 5

1800 glenwood ave minneapolis mn 55405 admin@redeemermpls.

org Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID Twin Cities, MN PERMIT #3170 Return Service

Redeemer announcements October in Review Save the Date Financial Update JOIN US

6 1800 glenwood ave minneapolis mn Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID Twin Cities, MN PERMIT #3170 Return Service Requested Mailing Address in this issue // Pastoral Letters Congregant Reflections Redeemer announcements October in Review Save the Date Financial Update JOIN US SUNDAYS: Prayers & Praise: 10am Worship: 10:30am CHURCH OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Thursday: 9am-4pm Friday: 9am-12pm Pastor Kelly delivers the children s sermon on Reformation Sunday, October 29th

1800 glenwood ave, minneapolis mn from Pastor Kelly Chatman //

FaithMatters A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH - June 2018-1800 glenwood ave, minneapolis mn 55405 612.374.4139 admin@redeemermpls.org www.redeemermpls.org from Pastor Kelly Chatman //