What Redeemer Lutheran Church Means to Me:
Marge Hogan
“Redeemer Lutheran was chartered as a “mission church” in June of 1909, reaching out to the surrounding neighborhoods of Harrison and Bryn Mawr. The congregation was soon able to support itself enough to purchase an older church building, but after 20 years of fast growth was able to build the beautiful church now standing at the corner of Glenwood and Logan in north Minneapolis. The community was primarily Scandinavian working people eager to find a church home. The congregation grew steadily, probably reaching its peak attendance in the mid– to late-60’s.
After many of the original members had passed on and their children had married and moved on, many of the once single-owner homes were subdivided or torn down creating a more transient community than the stable one during the church’s growth. Redeemer’s congregation declined, but the members who remained agreed that the community needed a strong church presence and opened its doors to the whole community as a “beacon of Hope”. With this new more transient membership, Redeemer returned to the status of a mission church.
Being an active member of Redeemer for eighty-plus years, I have witnessed the changes in the community as well as in the church. To me, being part of a growing church is great. What a wonderful group of clergy, interns, youth leaders and musicians have made their way to Redeemer. However, the progress being made could not have been possible without the help of many faithful mission partners. I’, certain that Redeemer’s presence and activities are helping to stabilize the neighborhood and that Redeemer has really become a “Beacon of Hope” to a very diversified community!”
-Marjorie Mindrum Hogan
Cindy Stenson
“I was baptized as an infant at Redeemer, and then we went to a friendlier Baptist church closer to our home. Mom and Dad were married at Redeemer and Dad was confirmed here in the early 40’s before he joined the Navy during WWII. Dad left the family when I was five so Mom had to find a closer church. I was happy in the Baptist church and Mom saw that we went every Sunday even after we moved back into the Harrison Neighborhood. As I grew older in the church I came to realize that people were not always nice to other people-even Christians. When the Baptist church moved out to Maple Grove because they didn’t like the people in North Minneapolis , I decided that the church really didn’t have a place for me so I quit going to church.
Even though I had left the church God would not leave me. He nagged at me to return to community and to receive communion with His people. I lived only two blocks from Redeemer and my aunt and uncle still went there, so I would go over, get lost in the LBW and get the communion that God said I needed.
After my uncle died my aunt became more involved in Redeemer’s church politics and I knew that the church would be deciding soon whether or no to close the doors forever. In 1990 my aunt came and said that Redeemer had decided to call a new pastor and that I might be interested in coming back to the church. I said that I didn’t think that a new pastor at Redeemer would make much difference. She then told me that he was African American from Chicago . Knowing Redeemer as I did I said that this was something I had to see. Pastor Partee was an amazing preacher and I came every Sunday to get God’s message, I even told Pastor that too often it was as if he was preaching to me. Pastor Partee convinced me to join the Lutheran church and said that he saw in me a leader. I was not so sure but I joined and had my quiet pew sitting life changed. I have grown in faith and leadership here at Redeemer and not all of it has been fun. Pastor Partee left in 1995 amid hurt feelings and misunderstandings. We had an intern pastor for a year and continued to see Redeemer evolve into a multi cultural church. Pastor Lomen came and with him the vision of Redeemer Center for Life started to take shape. When Pastor Lomen left I felt the need to leave, I don’t like changes and at Redeemer change happens quickly. But God was messing with me again and Pastor Kelly Chatman answered our call and I truly believe that God has but me here at Redeemer for His purpose and not my own. God continues to bless Redeemer with Partners in all kinds of places and we are coming to see that we in turn can bless our Partners, all we have to do is keep our eyes on the prize-God.
May He continue to Bless you at Zion and may you continue to do God’s work whether it seems like it’s working or not, remember it is in God’s time not our own.”
-Cindy Stenson, President of Redeemer Congregation
Harriet Oyera
“I come from Northern Uganda that suffered war and violent conflict since 1986. I left Uganda in 2005 without having any idea how and when I would leave my country. I mean it was a hard decision to reach at. I am here to rebuild my life and live in safety and peace.
When I connected with Redeemer Lutheran Church, the people here made coping with my new life possible and easy. The Senior Pastor – Kelly Chatman inspired me with his wonderful sermons and his day-to-day relationships with the people, especially the children. By serving his congregation and the community around it, I felt this was the real body of Christ at work. I did not stop thinking of getting to this community each time I thought of my faith developing needs. I thought of the unconditional warmth of welcome, love and compassion of sharing peace and love among the members in the church.
It was in September, 2007 when I got to Redeemer Lutheran Church, and as days went by, I started getting it hard to commute on the bus from South Minneapolis to Redeemer because winter was by the way. As I announced, of the difficulty, Pastor Kelly assured me of availability of someone with a car to give me a ride to and forth on Sundays. At the end of the service, Janet Hagberg who was sitting in front of me got closer to me and assured me of her being available to transport me on Sundays to Redeemer Church for service.
The availability of the varying activities at Redeemer Lutheran Church not only arose my love and desire to belong to this community. This period of my live was a period of recovery and healing in my journey of life. As a widow, and single mother with number of orphans, the children at Redeemer Church without knowing, partly fulfilled the longingness of my children and the orphans I left back in my home country. I have not been dependant on other people for many years, and waited too long to be useful to community and be independent. I felt nice, with lots of enthusiasm to begin learning quilting, which I got involve into more than I can believe myself. I love it. Quilting added to my feeling of – this is where I needed to be.
In March 3, 3008, Pastor Kelly needed an assistant, and I was looking for a job which was not easy to get at the time. On learning that I had a long work experience, skills and a career, I was given job as Executive Assistant at Redeemer Lutheran Church. Without expectations, Redeemer Church did not only give me apartment, but provided me with all that one needs to start a home, including furniture. I could not believe it, but still give thanks to God for His wonderful unconditional care, love, work, and interpersonal relationships at this church.
Getting to know me well and knowing the community well, in late July, 2008, I started a Community Garden from which the community was able to get some healthy egg plants, tomatoes, squash, green beans, reddish, peas, cilantro. We are planning, preparing and hoping to have a better Community garden that will involve people of all ages around.
Through RLC/RCFL and its leadership my spiritual dreams is coming true, because I am now attending Spiritual Deepening classes at Christos Center for Spiritual Formation which is unfolding many things I experience in my life journey. I am thankful to God; for all the leaders of this church are doing their best to the community, and using Marilu – the Executive Director/RCFL, who sponsored my classes to guide my spiritual life journey path.
Redeemer Lutheran Church and Redeemer Center for Life is a place that treats a human being as one expect to be treated. A place where one is able to utilize his/her skills, talents, learns new things, find out hidden potentials and get to know his/her values, and value of others in community. It is a place that gives hope to the needy people. It is also a place for reformation and transformation. A place to call HOME! For example, I had never known that I am an artist and did not have any vocabulary for needle, pieces of clothes, sewing machine, but now I am. I love and enjoy the teambuilding style of leadership at workplace. I feel my search for belongingness is fulfilled.”
-Harriet Oyera
Councilmember Don Samuels
“Redeemer Lutheran Church is a unique contributor to the lives of the people of the Harrison Neighborhood and beyond. Very few churches have Redeemer’s vision to include the wider community in its embrace. And very few congregations become such effective advocates in the civic life of their neighbors.
This would be admirable in any place and time, but here in North Minneapolis, even more so. Here, the fabric of our community is tattered after many years of out-migration as our most progressive residents literally graduate from our community to pursue the American Dream in other, more prosperous communities. In addition, we continue to be a Gateway Community as disparate strangers arrive from faraway lands to learn our culture, customs, with intense needs for service and orientation. But perhaps our greatest broken threads are those of arriving families seeking a better life from troubled communities around the country. They arrive here as single family units, often just mother and kids, without the support of extended family, without church affiliation and isolated by poverty and disorientation. This concentration of disparity creates unsustainable communities and demands infusions of good will and capacity to balance the our predictable deficits. Our families require intense outreach, authentic hospitality and sustained spiritual support. This is the role redeemer plays and that is why, as council member for this community, I appreciate the work of this compassionate pastor, congregation and all the caring supporters that surround them.”
-Don Samuels, Minneapolis City Council Fifth Ward
Jeanne Halonen
“When I became engaged to Eddie Halonen, life long member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, having been confirmed in 1936, I took classes at church to learn about Lutheranism. I joined Redeemer Lutheran Church on Palm Sunday in 1948. I had been raised Catholic but had the blessing of my parents and my godmother who was a Nun. They agreed that a married couple who would have children were better off being of one Christian religion. We married in May of 1948 and except for going two years to other churches in our neighborhood at that time, we have been members of Redeemer Lutheran Church. Redeemer is the only Lutheran Church West of downtown Minneapolis until you reach golden Valley. This gives us the unique opportunity to reach many people. Redeemer reaches out to seniors, adults, teens and children with its many programs. We are blessed to have Mission Partner Churches and other organizations that recognize what we do for our neighbors in the Harrison Neighborhood of North Minneapolis and support us with workers, leaders, their prayers and also financial support. Praise God!!!
I pray that when I am no longer here, Redeemer will still be “A Beacon of Hope in the Harrison Neighborhood”. Isn’t that a great Mission Statement?
In God’s Love,”
-Jeanne Halonen
Bill Dexheimer Pharris
“I grew up in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, a small town near Madison. After majoring in Spanish at UW-Madison and spending my junior year abroad in Spain, I came to the Twin Cities in 1979 to study at Luther Seminary. After graduating in 1983 I made my first trip to Latin America, living in Mexico for half a year. For the rest of the 80s I was involved in work with churches south of our border, my longest stay being in El Salvador from 1986-89.
I returned to Minneapolis in 1990, met my future spouse Maggie Pharris, and settled into this place I have called home ever since. An ordained ELCA pastor, I have worked the last 13 years as a staff chaplain at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. Maggie is a professor of nursing at the College of St. Catherine. We live with our daughter Maya in the Homewood neighborhood about 10 blocks away, a 15 minute walk from the church going northwest. Our other 2 children, Nick and Anastasia, live a bit farther away with their families, in Seattle, Washington, and Stockholm, Sweden.
Music has been a real passion of mine since I was a child. I played trumpet through college (concert and marching band) and seminary, and have sung in various choirs around town including the Minnesota Chorale and the National Lutheran Choir. I first learned to play guitar in Mexico, and ever since that time have had a special interest in Latin American folk music, particularly hymns that are centered in themes of social justice and peace. In 1989-90 I helped lead music at the ELCA Global Mission Events with my friend Guillermo Cuéllar of El Salvador. Today I’m proud to be an active member of our choir at Redeemer; it’s a privilege to be able to sing under our wonderfully gifted director, Yolanda Williams.
Maggie and I joined Redeemer not too long after Pastor Kelly Chatman came. We had been gently but persistently invited to come by our neighbors Ruth and Luther Peterson. Ruth kept telling us “you just have to come and hear Pastor Kelly preach, and the people are so friendly!” So we started to attend Redeemer and loved it. Not a lot of time had passed before we joined; I distinctly remember that this happened with no previous thought given to it. One Sunday Pastor Kelly spontaneously invited anyone who was so moved by the spirit, to come forward to be accepted into church membership. It wasn’t quite the “normal” way of joining a congregation of the ELCA, at least not in my experience. But then, a lot of things at Redeemer don’t happen in a normal way!
Maggie and I have found Redeemer to be a congregation that cares for its people, but it defines “people” as being not just those who come through the church doors on Sunday, but rather the whole surrounding community. Through the many programs of Redeemer Center for Life, and involvement with community organizing through both ISAIAH at the city-wide level and the Harrison Neighborhood Organization, members of Redeemer and our mission partner congregations are intimately involved in creating what Martin Luther King called the “beloved community”.
One other characteristic of Redeemer and RCFL that has impressed me is how they attract gifted young persons to be on staff, both paid and volunteer, from the local area and across the country. Whether as pastoral interns, Lutheran Volunteer Corps workers, seminary contextual education students, or RCFL staff, many who could easily have chosen more lucrative options for their vocation have come to spend time with us. Pastor Kelly fosters an atmosphere where these young persons can grow in their leadership skills, nurturing their own gifts for ministry. Some move on to positions of leadership in other places, while others decide to stick around and sink their roots deep into this place they now call home. Redeemer serves as a training ground for leadership-a gift to the wider Church.
I’ve been involved at Redeemer in a number of ways: as vice president of the council and now stewardship chair, on the intern support committee, and as a member of the choir. As our congregation moves into its 100th year and begins a challenging capital campaign to build a secure foundation for the next 100, I thank God for the people of Redeemer Lutheran Church and all the wonderful partner churches-such as Zion- who lend a helping hand to our efforts to be a “Beacon of Hope” in the Harrison Neighborhood and beyond. Thank you for your faithful support of this important and life-giving ministry!”