Redeemer Announcements + Prayers | August 13th, 2021

WATCH OUT FOR PHISHING EMAILS FROM PASTORS // For a few years now, churches & pastors across the country have been dealing with the consequences of data breaches. One of the most persistent results is that congregants and people on church mailing lists receive email requests for direct cash transfers and gift cards. They do this by searching church websites for pastor’s names, creating new, fake email addresses in or with the pastor’s name, and then sending the cash/gift card requests to mailing lists they hacked access to years ago. There is nothing we can do to stop the emails because the addresses are not owned or controlled by anyone at the church. What we can do is remind congregants that you will never receive an email from a Redeemer pastor requesting financial assistance or gift cards. If and when we do a capital campaign or request gifts for, for example, the Christmas Store, they will come from an @redeemermpls.org email address. We never ask for gift card codes to be emailed. If you receive an email from someone that appears to be a church pastor or leader asking for gift cards, always check the email address. If it is not from @redeemermpls.org, do not reply or purchase anything. 

PARKED CAR WORSHIP at 10:30am on SUNDAYS // Join us each Sunday in Redeemer’s Backyard for parked car worship at 10:30am. If you are unable to join us in person, we hope you’ll join the livestream through Facebook Live -- you do not need to login to a Facebook profile to view our livestreams! 
 
COVID-19 DELTA VARIANT & VACCINATIONS // We still hope and plan to begin gathering indoors in Redeemer's sanctuary this fall, and will continue to listen to the guidance of both the CDC, State experts, and Synod directives as cases of the COVID-19 Delta Variant continue to surge across the nation. As such, we remain committed first and foremost to the health and safety of our church family and community, and so we encourage everyone to get your COVID-19 vaccinations if you haven't already! They are free and available to all people aged 12 and older. As we gather, we will continue to practice social distancing and mask-wearing to protect the unvaccinated and the most vulnerable among us who cannot be vaccinated yet.
 
REDEEMER LUTHERAN CHURCH is HIRING! // Our office coordinator Amy Koopman is moving on to her seminary internship as of this Friday, August 13, 2021. The Office Coordinator of Redeemer Lutheran Church is a part-time position (20 hours per week, ideally, 4 hours per day) whose chief responsibilities include representing the church as the first point-of-contact for phone, email, and in-person visitors; coordinating office responsibilities; and supporting relationships with church congregants, our ministry partners and our Harrison neighbors. Familiarity with gmail, google drive, canva, imovie (or similar filmmaking software), garageband (or similar audio manipulation software), microsoft and apple office platforms, and all social media platforms are important. Curiosity, flexibility and humor are vital! Check out the full job description here Please contact Pastor Peter Samuelson (612-259-8976) for more information.
 
BREEZE ONLINE DIRECTORY SMARTPHONE APP // Good news! Our church management software program, Breeze, is available as a smartphone app, making searching for other members and congregants easier than ever on your mobile devices. Search for the Breeze ChMS app in your device’s app store. When you log in the first time, it will ask for your congregation’s subdomain/ID, which is redeemermpls. Then you can use your same username and password to log in and find each other. If you have questions or need a Breeze login, email the office and they’ll send you one!
 
FAMILY & CHILDREN EVENTS THIS SUMMER // Redeemer’s Edu-Youth Team invites families of Redeemer to some really cool events this summer! The next big one is August 23-27: Camp Noah -- Registration is now open to kids rising to grades 1 to 6! Camp Noah is a nationally acclaimed resiliency and preparedness program that is fun, free, and highly recommended by past participants! Camp Noah will be held at Christ the River of Life from 9am to 3pm daily during the week of August 23-27. Reserve your spot now at www.campnoah.org or contact Pastor Deanna Kim for more information (612-234-5655 / crolpastor@gmail.com).
 
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for PARKED CAR WORSHIP // Along with needing weekly lectors to read the week’s first and second readings and Psalm, we are also looking for volunteers to help with set-up each Sunday morning (arrive by 9:30am) and to learn how to run the sound system and livestream videography for when Dave is unavailable. Contact  Pastor Peter to sign up and volunteer! 
 
CHURCH STAFF OFFICE HOURS // Through the summer months, Pastor Peter will be in the church offices on Wednesdays from 1-4pm and Fridays from 10am-noon. Mondays will be their day off when offices are closed. If you need to stop by the church at any other time during the week, let Pastor Peter know and she can make arrangements to meet.
 
TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION for POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY & SYSTEMIC CHANGE // Now that we have a police accountability victory, let’s work toward true systemic change so that no more people are killed by police and no more police go to jail. One way to enact enduring systemic change is through legislative advocacy. We ask you to contact your state representative and senator to support the bills in the linked document. We all have “response-ability” for what happens next and advocacy does not take a lot of time. Please read, act, and pass this document widely through your contacts and ask those you know to do the same.
In the Spirit,
Redeemer Service+Advocacy and Outreach+Evangelism Ministers,    
Holly DeSouza, Sally Ankerfelt, Pastor Babette Chatman 
 
THE HEALTH COMMONS is a drop-in health and wellness space here in North Minneapolis whose services are FREE and open to everyone. They offer Zumba classes every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6pm. They also host book clubs and healing circles outdoors, along with Health Q & A's online (Facebook Live) or in person with social distancing. For more information and questions, visit their facebook page or contact our Community Liaisons: Bertha 763-843-9988 | Angela 651-529-6003
 
COVID-19 PREVENTION & VACCINES // The best protection from the various mutations of the COVID-19 virus—whether you are vaccinated or not—is to: 
-- stay 6 feet away from others in public spaces; 
-- wear a mask (or two) so that there is adequate filtration and a snug fit over the bridge of your nose, cheeks, and chin; and
-- wash your hands often and well. 
See the MN Department of Health COVID-19 site for more in-depth and current information about symptoms, testing, and vaccines. Minnesotans 16-years of age and older are eligible to be vaccinated.  Vaccine demand often exceeds the supply. MN Department of Health offers a vaccine locator site. You can also attempt to access vaccines through community pharmacies (Walgreens and CVS) or your healthcare provider. When you receive a vaccine appointment, be sure to dress appropriately so that your upper arm is easily accessible (for example, wear a short-sleeve t-shirt under your sweater/jacket). ​

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Rooted in Christ and sustained by the Spirit, we offer our prayers for the church, the world, and all of creation.

God of wisdom, enlighten your church. Guide us as we seek greater knowledge and invite others into deeper understanding of your grace and love. Teach us to ask faithful questions and open our minds to new ideas. We pray for our church council and other leaders in our congregation, and continue to pray for the call committee in search for the pastor to lead us into the future you have prepared for Redeemer. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of creation, mend the earth. Cool warming oceans and preserve melting ice caps. Increase our awareness of changing climate patterns and reveal new approaches to the ecological challenges we face. Shield those in the path of hurricanes, tropical storms, wildfires and other natural disasters. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of all nations, direct our leaders. Grant them courage to lay aside political grudges and renew their determination to address difficult conflicts. Guide them in the work of reconciliation. We pray for the legislators who are working on the policies and funding priorities that will best help all in our society flourish. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of compassion, tend to the wounded. Rescue those tormented by mental illness or mired in addiction. Ease the anxiety of those struggling with dementia. Come quickly to help all who are grieving and all those who suffer (Mark Jacobson, Jane Frendshuh, Sharon Peterson’s brother Steven, Rufus and Caroline Campbell at the death of an extended family member). God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of beauty, inspire artists. Bless those whose visual and musical gifts enliven this assembly. Bless the creative work of poets, hymnwriters, composers, painters, sculptors, and others that enrich our worship and daily life. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of peace, we pray for a reduction in the gun violence in our neighborhood and in our city.  Lord, this has hit especially close to home this week for us as a young man – whose name is unknown to us – was shot near our church and died in our back yard last Sunday, the very place we were worshipping you on that day and do worship you today.  May you receive him into the arms of your mercy, O God – and may we honor him by doing what we can to bring peace into our neighborhood, our church, our city, our world. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of resurrection, bring us to new life. Give us the living bread from heaven through which we abide in your love, and on the last day raise us with all the saints to eternal life. God, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We lift these and all our prayers to you, O God, confident in the promise of your saving love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.