Thoughts from Your President ......
Kay Pushman
April 2023


Message from Our President…

Dear Members and Friends: 

        The purchase of three new doors was approved by the Church Council at the last meeting held in the Conference Room. These new doors will replace doors that have been weather beaten not only by this year’s record storms, but also many past years of use. They were a problem not only in opening and closing, but were warped to a high degree.

        Please keep praying for Pastor Lynda Elmer. She now has a new home at Sunrise which is just across the freeway from Leisure World on Seal Beach Blvd. The care unit is right next door to the Ayres Hotel. Also keep Cedric in your prayers as he enters a new and very different phase of his life.

        Pastor Jennifer Zahnow will be our guest Preacher and Presider on Sunday, April 23.

        Everyone knows the old statement, “The glass is either half full or half empty.” I recently heard someone say, “Isn’t it a shame we are welcoming only half of what we used to on Sundays for Worship.” I disagree, sort of. Although it would be wonderful if we still seated the same number, I think we should thank God for his blessings in giving us a dedicated group of believers in Christ. Though smaller in number, we compose a really large statement of faith. And I truly believe that, little by little, our attendance numbers will be going up as they already have started to. Let’s remain vigilant, keep the faith, and our Lord will continue to bless us.

Jerry Brady
Council President



May 2023


Message from Our President…

Dear Members and Friends: 


        Have you noticed?


        Our Sunday morning attendance at our Worship Service is steadily going up. In fact, on the Sunday after Easter, our attendance count was 60, a number that we had averaged back before Covid. (The Sunday after Easter is known by all churches as notoriously low). We are also experiencing new faces in our pews, a really good sign. So, praise the Lord and pray that we continue this blessed upswing.

        Carmen Leslie will serve as the chair for our 60th Anniversary Committee, assisted by Wendy Alfageme and Phyllis Mackey. The committee will meet in the Conference Room on May 8 at 10:30 a.m. We will need volunteers to do all sorts of different things. Please come to the meeting or volunteer with Carmen, Wendy or Phyllis.

        In talking to the Church council and many members of our congregation, everyone was pleased with our guest Pastor, Rev. Jennifer Zahnow a few weeks back. Hopefully, she will serve us again in the near future.

        As you all know, the aging process can be humbling. What a blessing it is to know that our caring Lord strengthens and sustains us through all the seasons of our life. Jesus Christ carries us through all the changes and challenges of life until that day when he will carry us through the valley of the shadow of death to our eternal home. While we are here, our mission is to share with others the Good News that Christ is our Lord and Savior.

        See you in church!


Jerry Brady
Council President

June 2023


Message from Our President…

Dear Christian Family: 
We had an impressive number of attendees for our init6ial meeting of Redeemer’s 60tyh Anniversary Committee chaired by Carmen Leslie. Plans were discussed for the October event including the Service itself when Bishop David Nagler will preach and the celebration Anniversary Luncheon which will follow. More details will be announced soon.
Another big event upcoming soon will be the observance of Pastor Gil Moore’s 70th Anniversary of Ordination in the Ministry of Serving the Lord. It will be a special service on September 17, with his family in attendance. Again, more details will be announced soon.
The Memorial Moment and Service for Pastor Lynda Elmer on Sunday, May 21, was an inspiring and moving experience. Our prayers continue for Cedric and his family.
Since Pastor Lisa was unable to take her scheduled Sunday off in May because of events necessities (Mother’s Day, Pastor Lynda’s Service, Pentecost, etc.) I suggested to her that she take a two week break in June (something she has never done since her installation as our Pastor.) She agreed to this, so Pastor Jennifer Zahnow will preach and preside on Sunday, June 4 and yours truly will do the same on Sunday, June 11. Pastor Lisa will be back in the pulpit on Father’s Day, June 18.
The balance of the year 2023 will be a busy and most exciting time in the life of our congregation.

God Bless,
Jerry Brady
Council President




July and August 2023


Message from Our President…

Dear Members and Friends:

        Wendy Alfageme has been elected Vice-President of the Council. At our last Council meeting we accepted with regret the resignation of our Vice-President Carl Keene who will be devoting his time with his wife Jessica who has some health concerns. Carl was such a valuable member of our Council. He will be hard to replace. He served as President for two years and as Vice-President for one and a half years. We will certainly miss his outstanding work and hope he can return to the Council in the near future. We will continue to keep Carl and Jessica in our prayers.

        Amazing as it sounds, we will have two different Bishops occupying our pulpit during the next several months. Our former Bishop Murray Finck will preach at Pastor Gil Moore’s special observance on Sunday, September 17th. It will mark Pastor Gil’s 70th Anniversary of being ordained as a Lutheran Pastor (and his 96th birthday). His family, friends, and neighbors will be here for this special occasion. The Worship Service at 10:30 a.m. will be followed by a lunch.

        Then, of course, Redeemer’s 60th Anniversary Celebration will be held at 10:30 a.m. on October 15 with present Bishop David Nagler delivering God’s Word. Again, a luncheon will follow.

        We never mention enough our heartfelt thanks for truly one of God’s great gifts to Redeemer Lutheran Church, our secretary, Margo Geesing. Her insightful monthly articles in our newsletter and her constant ability to get everything done (including the seemingly impossible) are really impressive and have been for yeas! Thanks, Margo!

God Bless,
Jerry Brady
Council President


September 2023


Message from our President ...
Dear Redeemer Family:

        To bring you up to date on the status of our beloved Pastor Lisa Rotchford. A special meeting of Redeemer’s Church Council was held on Thursday, August 24. At that point, Pastor Lisa’s health was improving, but not helped at all by her contracting Covid, so at this writing, both she and Collette were in quarantine. She also had two more appointments with specialists the following week.

        The Council placed her on sick leave. We don’t know at this point when she will be able to return, but please send her a get-well card. If you’ve sent one already, send her another one. I know, from personal experience, how tremendously uplifting they can be.

        We have lined up an impressive list of guest preachers for the month of September. They are:
                            September 3 – Kelly Frankiewicz, M. Div.
                                                    (Lay Minister at Community Church in Leisure World)
                            September 10 – Pastor Brad Stienstra
                            September 17 – Bishop Murray Finck
                                                      (to celebrate Pastor Gil Moore’s 70th Anniversary as a Lutheran Pastor)
                            September 24 – Kelly Frankiewicz, M. Div. will return.

        Our Church Council has welcomed Michael Vanvales as a new member. Michael is a 12-year member of St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church and is a great addition to our Council.

        Pray in earnest for Pastor Lisa and for our congregation in this difficult time. We have the Lord on our Side! What could be better?

See you in Church,
Jerry Brady
Council President



October 2023


Message from Our President…

Dear Redeemer Family:

        We are all looking forward to Redeemer Lutheran Church’s 60th Anniversary of serving Leisure World with the powerful message of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. It will be held in our Worship Service on Sunday, October 15 at 10:30 a.m. with our new Bishop, David Nagler preaching and presiding.

        Immediately following, a celebration luncheon will be held downstairs in our Fellowship Hall.

        Unfortunately, our beloved Pastor, Lisa Rotchford will be unable to attend as she is still in rehab at this writing recuperating from her recent health problems. The good news is that she is doing much better, is getting stronger and is anxious to return to her congregation. Please keep her in your prayers.

        If you haven’t filled out the form that will update our Church records, please do so. It will help us greatly with information that may have changed over the years.

        I want to repeat something I said in my sermon on October 1. We have an additional obstacle in our adding new Church members with the absence of our Pastor for an extended time, but that should increase our efforts and zeal. No matter who is in the Pulpit, God’s precious Word will be preached faithfully. With your continued prayers and your support, this congregation will thrive and we will reach the people here in Leisure World who really need to hear the wonderful news – the message that Jesus Christ died for our sins and the path to Heaven has been achieved.

Here's to another 60 years of our Lord’s blessings!

God Bless You,
Jerry Brady
Council President

November 2023


Message from Our President…
Dear Redeemer Family:

        Part 1 of our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held immediately after our Worship Service on Sunday, November 12. It will be a short meeting which will present our proposed budget for 2024 as prepared by Kay Pushman, Redeemer’s Financial Chair. We will also elect members of our Church Council. The Council is recommending: Betty Lucero, Phyllis Mackey, and Kay Pushman for re-election, as they are willing and eligible to serve three-year terms again, and Doris Weinert to serve her first three-year term. Nominations from the floor are also most certainly welcome.

        At our October meeting, the Council discussed and approved returning to celebrating Holy Communion every other week. When there are 5 Sundays in the month the Lord’s Supper will take place on the first, third, and fifth Sundays with a Service of the Word on the second and fourth Sundays. This is what we used to do and what most Lutheran Churches in the country do. This procedure will start on Sunday, December 3.

        The Lord has been so good to us. While Pastor Lis is rehabbing, we have been able to secure Bishop Murray Finck to preach and preside at all of our Worship Services in November and December starting on November 12.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of Redeemer’s 60th Anniversary Service, especially to Carmen Leslie who chaired the event.

        Also, special thanks to Anne Walshe, whose Council term will end this year. As most of you know, she has moved up north. As a long-time member of St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church, she has been an invaluable leader for our congregation. We wish her God’s blessings in her new surroundings.

God Bless You,
Jerry Brady
Council President

December 2023


Message from Our President…

Dear Redeemer Family:

        The budget for 2024 was passed by the Congregation at Part One of our Annual Meeting on November 12. We also elected four members to the Church Council. Serving for their second three-year terms will be Betty Lucero, Phyllis Mackay, and Kay Pushman, while Doris Weinert was elected for her first three-year term.

        The Council will elect mew officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) at the next Council meeting on Thursday, January 16, 2024.

        This has been and eventful year, some of its good news and some of it bad.

        As you know, our beloved Pastor Lisa Rotchford had some health problems and, by mutual consent with the Church Council, resigned her position as Pastor of Redeemer. We are currently engaged with the Pacifica Synod in efforts to find an Interim Pastor.

        The Lord was really good to us giving us the gift of Bishop Emeritus Murray Finck who will preach and preside for the rest of the year.
       
        Please continue your prayers for Pastor Lisa. She is recovering slowly and hopes to be back on her feet soon. She served Redeemer faithfully and with loving car for five years.


        This will be my last President’s Message as a new leader will be chosen by the Council on January 18. I thank you for the privilege of serving the Lord here at Redeemer and I pray that you would give the new President and the entire Church Council your undivided support.

God Bless You,
Jerry Brady
Council President

February 2024

Message from Our President…

Dear Members and Friends,

        Redeemer Lutheran Church and St. Theodore of Canterbury Episcopal Church are so honored that The Rev. Murray D. Finck, Bishop Emeritus has agreed to be our Interim Pastor. He and his wife, Rhoda, have brought so much to our church, and we thank him profusely for coming out of retirement to help us as the Pacifica Synod searches for a permanent Pastor for us.

        We have been so fortunate to have had Jerry Brady as President of the church Council for a total of eight times over his 20 years as a member. He always has done a remarkable job, but especially this last term when Pastor Lisa became ill, and he accepted so many extra responsibilities. I am so honored to be elected as your Council President, and with your help, I will work diligently to keep our church a vital part of Leisure World, that welcomes all who want to hear the Word of God.

        We will begin our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday, February 14 at 10:30 a.m. with Holy Communion and the Imposition of Ashes. For the next five [5] Wednesdays through Lent, beginning February 21 through March 20, we will again be having Lenten service, study, and the soup suppers at 4:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Please join us, as we begin having Bible Study again every Wednesday after Lent. There will be more details to come.

Kay Pushman
Council President


March 2024

Message from Our President…
Dear Members and Friends,

        California needs rain for sure, but as of the writing of this article, we are in the midst of another 3 days of it. We have had an ongoing problem for years with the basement flooding. We do have sump pumps that work correctly. However, this water is coming through the walls if the ground is too saturated. For the first two storms, we had cleanup from Wendy Alfageme, Carol and Mickey Costello, Sylvia Makus, and, her son, Dave, who brought over portable pumps. Many thanks to all of them. They are truly appreciated. The Council has voted to purchase two of these portable pumps, which we hope will help with the current cleanup, and avoid some of the need to use the wet vac.

        On February 11, after our second Congregational Meeting, during our coffee hour, we had a thank you celebration for Jerry Brady. Jerry served Redeemer for 20 years, 8 of those years as President of the Council. This last year, after Pastor Lisa became ill, he kept our church going finding Pastors to preach, and filling in himself. We are also blessed that he asked Bishop Finck to accept the position of Interim Pastor. We are so thankful for his dedication to our church.

        We had 30 attend our Ash Wednesday Service with Bishop Finck presiding. So many people remarked that it was such a beautiful service. Bishop Finck is offering five New Member and Re-affirmation Classes at 3:00 on Wednesdays followed at 4:00 with our Lenten Soup Suppers with songs, bible study and fellowship at in the Fellowship Hall. As of this time, we have 25 that are attending. Our members have been so gracious to sign-up for making soup, desserts, setting up, serving and cleaning up. Many thanks to these wonderful volunteers.

        Looking forward to our times together worshiping at Redeemer Lutheran and St. Theodore's Episcopal Church during Lent, and Holy Week.

Respectfully,
Kay Pushman
Council President