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SUNDAY READINGS
Isaiah 44: 1-8
Psalm 104:25-37
Acts 2:1-21
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
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May 29, 2009
Rwanda Coffee Journey—this Saturday Night
Don't miss this upcoming opportunity to join the journey as Church of the Redeemer travels to St. Michael's Church is Rwanda. Our team leaves June 14th, but the celebration begins now, with coffee, music and time together.
The Newport Coffeehouse in Bannockburn (get directions) is opening its doors to host this event, Saturday May 30th from 6-9pm, which will include fresh-roasted coffee from Rwanda, live music, and an opportunity for you to send video greetings to our sister church parishioners and students of Sonrise School. You will also have opportunity to make a contribution to help meet the costs of this trip, currently about 60% covered.
We are praying that God will grow us in our outreach this year, and Saturday night is a perfect opportunity to bring friends and neighbors. The story of suffering and hope in Rwanda is compelling, and a coffee shop is great 'neutral' ground for sharing our heart as a church. So bring some friends and drop in on this great event.
Newport Coffee
1121 Half Day Road
Bannockburn, IL 60015
Journey to Rwanda
We have other needs and opportunities associated with this visit next month, as well. The Rev. Jay Greener, Jason Miller and Mark Rosengren will be traveling to Rwanda's capitol city and the Ruhengeri area in northwest Rwanda to spend time with church leaders, meet those involved with St. Michael's (our sister parish) and Sonrise School. They will be absorbing all they can so that we can learn as a church what God is calling us to in this relationship. Their time there will also involve laying groundwork for a follow-up Redeemer visit next year.
Join the team by getting involved in the following:
Pray
The Church of the Redeemer prayer team would like to invite all members of the congregation to join them in support of this ministry effort. There are several opportunities for the COR family to support Jay, Jason and Mark in prayer. One opportunity is to commit to a specific time and day of the week to lift each of them up in prayer for their safe travels and that the Lord's will be accomplished on the trip. Another opportunity is to join with others at the Wednesday night prayer service held from 7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. at the EC church in Highland Park. A third opportunity is to select a day to pray and fast for the ministry team. A fourth way to support the ministry team is to faithfully pray through the prayer card provided to the congregation. Continue to look for more detailed prayer requests in future announcements.
Give
For us to physically go to Rwanda will speak volumes to the people there about our intention to be in relationship over time. This is the 15th anniversary of the genocide, so it is an important time to stand with them. It is not cheap to go, but it is the only way to communicate the value of this partnership, and also to receive what they have for us. Your specific gift to this work, over and above your tithe, is a gift directly to that relationship and the work of encouragement in the Gospel. Thank you. You can make a check out to Church of the Redeemer, and list "Rwanda Trip" in the designation line.
Any funds received in surplus will go towards future Rwandan visits for Redeemer.
Join the Conversation
We'd like to introduce our new weblog (blog) to not only document our trip, but to provide room for your feedback and comments. As we are able we will upload reflections and photos to the blog, and you can chime in. Visit the conversation often, especially after June 14th.
www.redeemernorthshore.org/rwanda
One more note...
We will be taking an all-church photo together right after this Sunday morning's worship, to present to St. Michael's during our visit. Please stay for just a few minutes to make this happen.
June Party in the Park—Highwood
Redeemer kids would like to invite the entire Church of the Redeemer family to Party in the Park. It will be held during the afternoon of Saturday, June 27 at Everts Park in Highwood.
Please join us for fellowship, lunch, storytelling, games, crafts, and lots of fun!
This is a major outreach event for our church this summer and a great opportunity to get involved. We are looking for those who would love to use their creative abilities to assist with crafts, music, decorating, storytelling or acting, taking photos, or planning the lunch. Please contact Allyson Entner at allysonentner [at] yahoo.com if you would like to be a part of planning this exciting summer event!
Stewardship at Redeemer
Giving is an important spiritual activity, not just a way to pay the bills. The Bible speaks often about stewardship and what it means in terms of the Kingdom. It's something we can all grow in, and our church and ministry will be blessed and vital as we learn the lessons God has in front of us.
Beginning June 14th at 9am a class will be offered based on Randy Alcorn's book, "Money, Possessions and Eternity". The six-week course will condense material from the book that deals with the Biblical approach to materialism, giving, and related matters. Come and grow together as God calls us to the next level of faithful stewardship at Redeemer.
Thank you for praying and giving sacrificially that God's provision will be poured out in abundance.
Offering last week: $3,372
Offering needed each week: $6,600
Call to Worship
Are you a skilled musician with a heart for worship? Or perhaps you have the ears and desire to work behind the scenes to enhance our worship by running sound? The music team is always looking for individuals to join our team as worship musicians or sound technicians, helping to lead our congregation in worship each Sunday. Even if you are unsure about how your gifts and enthusiasm for worship might fit in with our weekly worship, come to learn more about other opportunities to serve our congregation in music and worship. If you are interested in joining the team or in hearing more about other ways in which you can serve our congregation in worship, we invite you to come to a brief informational meeting on Sunday, June 7th, immediately following the service.
Newcomer Lunch
Newcomers to Church of the Redeemer are invited to lunch on June 14 to get to know others in the community and to learn more about the church and opportunities to be involved in its work. If you are new to Redeemer and are interested in becoming more fully integrated into the life of the church, please join us after worship for a light lunch and conversation. Please RSVP to Matthew Andris at (312) 208-9897 or at matthewandris [at] gmail.com.
Notes...
— We will be honouring our High School graduates this Sunday during the worship service.
— May 31st — Like to help with our Sonrise Benefit Banquet in October? People are needed soon, so attend a brief meeting following worship. Contact Michele.p.becker [at] comcast.net
— Our June Vestry meeting has been moved to Tuesday June 9th.
Redeemer Calendar Access
Redeemer is beginning to keep a public calendar which you can access and subscribe to using Google Calendar and other applications. Eventually, this information will appear on the Redeemer website as well. The following links are for you early adopters.
Access in a web browser. If you have a Google Calendar account you can easily add the COR Public calendar to your account by clicking the button at the bottom of the screen.
For other applications (or to manually add to Google Calendar), consider subscribing or downloading the COR calendar using these links:
Access in iCalendar format (especially helpful for Mac owners using iCal)
Access in XML format
Please pray for . . .
- The mission and vision of Church of the Redeemer
- Prayers of thanksgiving for God's faithfulness
- All those who need healing and employment
- Our graduates and their families
- St. Michael's in Rwanda and Sonrise School, and our team visit
- Prayer, Discipleship and Outreach through Redeemer
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