Today is Sunday, 5 February, 2012

Welcome!

Redeemer Lutheran Church is a Christian community in the Lutheran tradition. We welcome all to come and journey with us in faith. We take seriously the Gospel tradition that all are justified by God's grace through faith. We do not earn our salvation. God's grace is not limited to some, but is available to all. We are a diverse community and welcome all people regardless of ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, physical disability, or economic situation. We would love to have you come worship with us. Christ's peace.


Questions for Those Leaving the ELCA

By Herbert W. Chilstrom

By the end of 2010 several hundred congregations (an estimated 2-3% of more than 10,300) will have left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to form other Lutheran church bodies. I have three questions for those leaving:

First, what is it about sex that pushed you over the edge?

Since its founding more than twenty years ago the ELCA has wrestled with a number of complex issues, never binding anyone’s conscience, but helping us think about them. Included among them have been studies and statements on abortion, the death penalty and war. These three issues all involve the potential for taking a life. That seems far more serious than getting upset about two adults of the same gender who, like most of us straight folks, chose to live peacefully in a life-long relationship - the only such pairing the ELCA has approved. Like their straight neighbors, they live peacefully, go to their jobs every morning, pay their taxes, volunteer for good causes and, in many cases, worship with us. What is it that upsets you about this?

The only answer I seem to get from those leaving is that "this was the last straw." But that still begs the question, "Why sex?" Surely some other divisive issue will come along - as it always does in every human institution - that could be "the last straw" in a new church body.

Second, why are you organizing new churches?

The picture is confusing. We hear of one called "Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ" (LCMC) and another named "Lutheran Church in North America" (LCNA). This seems wasteful to those of us standing on the sidelines. Why not join an existing Lutheran church that agrees with your views on sex?

There are many choices: the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (headquartered here in Mankato), the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, and Church of the Lutheran Brethren - to name just a handful of more than two dozen in the United States. Surely there must be one among them that would welcome you. Why go to all the unnecessary expense of setting up an entirely new structure with officers, boards, committees and institutions?

I suspect the only reason is because none of them ordain women. Well, it’s good to know that you welcome women to your clergy ranks. But have you forgotten that it was only a short time ago when Lutherans fought intensely over that issue? Many were certain that neither the Bible nor tradition permitted women to be ordained. Why not drop your insistence on the ordination of women for the sake of unity with some existing church body?

Third, what will you say to your sons and daughters, sisters and brothers and others in your churches when they tell you they are homosexual?

You will no doubt suggest that they seek "reparative" therapy, even though more than 95% of professionals in the field tell us there’s nothing to "repair" because they are no more abnormal than the rest of us. Or, you may tell them they must simply remain alone, denying them of a life-long partnership.

All of which brings us back to the first question: What is it about sex that pushed you over the edge?

I am both sad and relieved that you are leaving. Sad, because this was not what we hoped for when the ELCA was formed some 22 years ago. We believed we could be a church where we held to the essentials and allowed for differences on non-essentials.

But I am also relieved. Now those of us who remain in the ELCA can get on with our primary mission of telling everyone -- everyone, "Jesus loves you. You are welcome in this church."

(Herbert W. Chilstrom, a resident of St. Peter, was the first presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.)

This article is from the Mankato Free Press, Mankato, Minn, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010

Worship and Sunday School Schedule

Redeemer is located at 1555 S. James Road, near I-70, on the East Side of Columbus, Ohio. Phone our office at 614/237-1263 or view our Contact Us Page for further information.

Our Sunday morning schedule is as follows:
  • 8:30 AM - Holy Communion
  • 9:45 AM - Sunday School
  • 11:00 AM - Holy Communion


Sunday Worship -- What to Expect

We thought a front-page website for a congregation needed to be quite direct as to what you can expect when you come to worship with us. We all have an idea of what we like and don't like before we show up for worship in any congregation. We are a liturgical congregation that follows the ancient order of worship in Christian communities, but we take the liberty to add and delete portions of the liturgy during various parts of the church year. This is done to better reflect the mood of a season. Here are some general and specific aspects of Redeemer's Sunday worship.

  • Sunday worship is at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. from the first of September through the end of May. Our average worship attendance is 160+ (50-70 at 8:30 and 100-120 at 11:00).
  • During the summer we move to one liturgy at 10:00 a.m. Summer worship attendance can range from 95 up to 150.
  • Holy Communion (Lord's Supper, Holy Eucharist) is available every Sunday at all liturgies. If your young children usually take the meal, they will receive it here!
  • The Rite of Healing is included during the distribution of Holy Communion on the second Sunday of every month. This is an option for worshippers. A healing team of two is made up of the lead person, who will lay hands on your head, and the assistant, who will stand behind you and lay hands on your shoulders or upper back.
  • Throughout each month, we use three different liturgies:
    • On the 1st and 3rd Sundays we use Setting 2 in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). An organ accompanies hymns and the musical parts of the liturgy.
    • On the 2nd and 5th Sundays we use Setting 6 in the ELW. This is a jazz/gospel setting and is accompanied by piano and often cello.
    • On the 4th Sunday we use a setting written by Marty Haugen from the Hymnal Supplement 1991. Piano, guitar, and flutes lead us.
  • Worship is formal but relaxed. That means many things. The pastor wears liturgical vestments and puts on communion vestments for the celebration of the meal. We begin and end the liturgy with a procession led by the cross and followed by banners and the worship leaders. Knowing that visitors can become lost as we move through the liturgy, part of our worship hospitality involves some minimal direction to pages or hymns on an as-needed basis. The use of a worship book is an intentional decision to limit the waste of paper.
  • Dress: what matters is that you come to worship. Yes, there will be everything from suits to shorts, from dresses to slacks. As you would expect, be sensible.
  • Children in worship: Each week a children's lesson takes place during the offering. Children come forward, and all that matters is that they hear and experience the unbounded word of love that is our God in action. We have a nursery but encourage parents to bring the children in for the children's lesson and Holy Communion. Our narthex (gathering space) is served by our P.A. system for those times when parents need to remove a child from worship for those "special parental moments" we all know so well.
  • Music is vital to our worship. We are a singing congregation that makes the hymn singing a real joy. Our Senior Choir sings from September through May, and during the summer we invite talented members and friends of all ages to offer music in worship.
  • The diversity of the saints will be apparent. You will worship with singles, traditional families, elders of the congregation, single-parent families, interracial families, same-gender couples, long-time Lutherans, those who are not sure what "Lutheran" means, and of course -- visitors!
  • After each liturgy, there is a fellowship time in the narthex (gathering space), and you can stay and share a drink and a few cookies or feel free to be on your way.
  • Because we are a real community of ordinary folks, there will be times when you will experience the grand laughter of those filled with joy and hear the sobbing of those in pain.
  • During Advent (the four Sundays prior to Christmas Day) and Lent (the 40 days prior to Holy Week), we offer Wednesday evening worship at 7:00 p.m. The order of worship is called Evening Prayer, from Holden Village.
Redeemer offers a sign-language interpreter on Sundays at the 11:00 service (10:00 in summer) as well as during most special services, such as midweek Advent and Lenten services. Please contact Redeemer for further information.
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Read Volume 16, Issue 5 of Reflections, our weekly newsletter.
Listen to the Sermon from The Fourth Sunday in Epiphany recorded on 29 January, 2012 by Pastor Al Debelak in MP3 Format.
Read the February Calendar of Events.


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