Ministries: Our Reach into the Community

Also known as the men’s group, the Lutheran Laymen’s League adopts specific projects from time to time to further its goals. One such project is preparing boxes of items that support the personal needs of our troops in the Middle East, such as toiletries, snacks, writing and reading materials, plus personal messages from our congregation members. The LLL mails these to Chaplains in the theatre for distribution to individuals of their choice. The men’s group collects aluminum cans and recycles them for revenue to support its projects.

Mission Statement: The mission of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League is to assist each woman of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, in affirming her relationship with the triune God so that she is enabled to use her gifts in ministry to the people of the world.

Redeemer Lutheran LWML is an active society conducting meetings on the third Monday of each month in our activity center. In addition to the “mite box offerings” that have funded tens of millions of dollars in mission grants since the inception of the LWML in 1942, our local society has contributed to Redeemer Lutheran Church and School through various fundraisers—most notably our annual rummage sale. The LWML also participates in various functions of the church and school through food, service, and fellowship.

All women who are members of Redeemer Lutheran Church are also members of the LWML. We observe LWML Sunday with a special service, and members of the league participate in this service.

Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, his praise in the congregation of saints. . . . Praise him with the sound of the trumpet; praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs . . . . Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” — Psalm 149-150

The focus for the music ministry at Redeemer is on worship: praising God. We worship God because He is worthy. He is worthy because He created us; because He is mighty; because He is merciful; because He delights in us; and because He has redeemed us! We worship with passion because, after all, if God takes delight in us, the least we can do is take delight in Him.

Our music director’s vision for worship is to see all of the congregation’s creative gifts used in worship: musical instruments, drama, and visual arts, as well as vocal music. He wants to incorporate all levels of ability. Mr. Glenn Blank espouses this view: “If someone can only play one note well but is serious about worship, I will arrange the music in such a way as to include that one note.”

We worship with God as the focus—in fact, that is the definition of worship. The point of music in worship is to sing what blesses God’s heart. And what blesses God’s heart is the attitude of our hearts! The music we sing should reflect those emotions that are an appropriate response to God’s relationship with us. When we worship through music saturated with praise, we should experience the joy of God’s presence—as we get lost in His presence—while God receives the glory.

” Some of us plant seeds, some of us water the seeds, but only God gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)

The outreach committee spearheads projects designed for Christians to execute the Great Commission in ways compatible with their talents. One of the easiest is Operation Christmas Child. Each year, we assemble shoe boxes filled with gifts that are distributed with the Gospel message of Christ to children around the world through Samaritan’s Purse. Outreach also periodically delivers flyers announcing vacation bible school, 4th of July picnic, Rally Day, and other special events. The committee meets at flexible times to discuss and develop ways that we Christians can personally connect with others, as well as pray for the Lord’s guidance and direction.

The outreach committee also maintains the racks of booklets found at the back of the church and in the school’s hallways. The booklets are free, and they provide encouragement and support from The Lutheran Hour Ministries concerning a variety of challenges that people face. For immediate assistance with specific life issues, free pamphlets are available for download in PDF format from Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Project Connect website.

You may make requests to the prayer chain in several ways: prayer request cards in pews, a book in the church office, communication to the prayer facilitator listed on the back of the bulletin, and requests to members of the prayer chain via the Contact page. Thanks to the faithful praying friends at Redeemer for their prayers!

The members of this ministry knit or crochet shawls for people in need of comfort. We pray as we do our needlework. Then, several times a year, the pastor leads the congregation in prayer over the completed shawls, usually on “5th Sundays.”

The congregation participates by presenting shawls to people and praying for them. This opens the door to conversations about God’s love and the special place he has in our lives. The shawls are a gift that says, “We are praying for you and care about you.” It is our way to share God’s love in a tangible way. Please contact us if you know of someone who would benefit from a shawl and our prayers. It doesn’t have to be a person who is critically ill, but rather anyone who needs a little extra encouragement or comfort.

Christian education is one of Redeemer Lutheran Church’s primary ministries. In fact, it is so important that Redeemer Lutheran School warrants its own website.