June 2020
Message from Our President ...
Dear Members and Friends of Redeemer:
A special thank you to Pastor Lisa and Kay Pushman for the tremendous job they have been doing to keep the congregation, finances, and construction moving forward. Many people have been going above and beyond their “normal” duties to keep Redeemer going: from a special member who has donated masks for those entering the building, to people calling just to “check in” with others, those who have donated to keep us from falling behind financially, others who deliver meals that are needed, those participating in our Communion outreach, to others cleaning in the church. The support of one another and the community at large shows that Christ is alive and well within Redeemer.
We held a special Church Council meeting on May 3, outside the church to approve going ahead with reconstruction plans for our church building. Because we cannot meet as a whole Council at this time, the first order of business approved was an Addition to our By-laws as follows: “Abiding by state and local laws that prohibit meeting in person during a time of public crises and/or when it is physically impossible for members of the church council to meet together, a quorum of electronic / phone votes may be taken and will be equally legally binding.”
Also approved by the Council was the dispersing of funds provided by insurance that covers the repairs necessary due to the rain damage to the building earlier this year. Contracts were awarded to McCormack Roofing for repair and a new slanted roof to prevent problems in the future and to 12:24 Construction for all of the interior work in both the Sanctuary and our Fellowship Hall downstairs. This included new carpeting and the Altar being reconstructed to meet the American Disability Act (ADA) standards. Our sound system has been inspected and improved! MORE good news – the organ has been checked out and is without electrical damage. The weeping walls downstairs and the water seals surrounding the building will be addressed at a later date as it was assessed as a separate insurance claim/problem.
The gift of our new landscaping renovation by St. Theodore was presented by Anne Walshe of the Episcopal Congregation (article on this is on the This Months Events page).
Our drive-up or walk-up Communion Sundays continue from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. Even after we get back into our Sanctuary, present plans call for us to continue this Holy Communion practice for a while, where the elements would be blessed by our Pastor during the Worship Service and then be available in the sealed package to be available at the door as you are leaving for home.
We hope to be back in our Sanctuary soon and we are discussing the various ways this could happen including possibly adding one or two Sunday morning services (which would feature all safety practices including facial mask, social distancing, hand sanitizers, etc.). Another idea is to host several outdoor services in the area by the office door (with the same safety practices being observed).
Not everyone is going to feel comfortable attending Worship at the beginning of Redeemer opening its doors again (and that’s fine, too, if you prefer to stay home).
I know that I’m really anxious to attend services for my Lord and Savior again and to share our faith.
Pray with me that it will be here before we know it! A task force is currently meeting to set up for and plan our Worship eventual reopening.
Jerry Brady
Council President