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Congressman Ellison held a forum in the Redeemer sanctuary on Wednesday night, August 16th. Congressman Ellison invited multiple people to speak at the forum and share their stories and thoughts about an issue that has seriously affected the North Minneapolis area for years. However, taking into consideration the recent changes the U.S. is now facing, Congressman Ellison stated, “This is not the time to cut back, this is the time to move forward,” in response to the budget cuts the Environmental Protection Agency is currently experiencing among other issues. The forum addressed some important concerns like how North Minneapolis has the highest hospitalization rate in all of Minnesota and has had more cases of lead poisoning reported than Flint, Michigan. Among the various speakers was a mother from the North Minneapolis community whose son suffered lead poisoning when her and her family moved into an apartment that had issues with lead and the landlord failed to notify her of this. Her tragic experience led her to begin her fight with Congress that she is still fighting today. At the end of the forum a speaker closed with a few encouraging words about the positive movements that are being put into place for better air and water and for a better environment as a whole.
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On Sunday June 11th, Redeemer celebrated its 108th anniversary as a church. Members of the community shared a delicious meal, stories and spoken-word. We also celebrated the high school graduation of Beatrice and Aaron!
On Sunday May 21st, 25 volunteers from Calvary Lutheran Church joined Redeemer’s garden coordinator Beatrice Kahnake and other members from the Redeemer community for a workday. Volunteers planted hostas outside Venture North, prepared new beds for planting and raked up sawdust. The volunteers ranged from approximately one to 65 years of age and were seemingly unfazed by the rainy weather. Check out this photo of Beatrice and Northside Leader Maddy planting tomatillos with some of the young volunteers.
Beatrice is always looking for volunteers to help out in the garden. She’s there Wednesday afternoons starting at 4pm or Sundays after church. Interested in donating supplies or finding a different time to volunteer? You can contact Beatrice at beatrice@redeemempls.org or call the church at 612-374-4139.  On March 1st, Ash Wednesday, we began the forty day journey that leads to Easter. The forty days in Lent are an opportunity to spend time in reflection and contemplation about our faith. We invite you to come and enjoy the company of community, great soup, and a thought-filled worship space each Wednesday night throughout the Lenten season. During these six Wednesday nights of the the season of Lent, we’ll gather around tables in the fellowship hall for a time of breaking bread and sharing rich conversation and worship. The meal begins at 6:00pm but arrive when you can get there. At 7:00pm we will sing, pray and participate in table conversation. This year we will hear from voices from within Redeemer about their faith journeys. In our table conversations, we’ll reflect on our own spiritual lives––the struggles, questions and experiences that have led us to where we are now. We hope you’ll bring the honest questions and longings that are on your heart. We also hope that you will invite friends and family for these great gatherings. We hope to see you there! Events During Lent 3/8 Week One Soup Supper, 6:00pm — Holden Worship, 7:00pm 3/15 Week Two Soup Supper, 6:00pm — Holden Worship, 7:00pm 3/22 Week Three Soup Supper, 6:00pm — Holden Worship, 7:00pm 3/29 Week Four Soup Supper, 6:00pm — Holden Worship,7:00pm 4/5 Week Five Soup Supper, 6:00pm — Holden Worship, 7:00pm 4/9 Palm Sunday Prayer & Praise, 10:00 am, Worship, 10:30 am 4/13 Maundy Thursday Worship, 7:00pm 4/14 Good Friday Worship, 7:00pm 4/16 Easter Sunday Sunrise Service, 7:00am Worship, 10:30am On January 21st, Alyssa Schwitzer and Kent Goodroad from the Redeemer music team along with their partners/Redeemer community members, Elizabeth Hanson and Irene Fernando, marched in Washington D.C. in solidarity with the "Women's March On Washington." We joined close to 1,000,000 other marchers seeking affordable heath care, reproductive rights, equal pay for equal work regardless of gender identity or race, racial justice, safe spaces for immigrants and refugees, full inclusion for members of the LGBTQI+ community, among other issues. It was invigorating to see so many people galvanized towards creating a more just and equitable world. We were so excited to see so many other marches happening in the U.S. and around the world, including the march in St. Paul. For many participants and observers, the march was a starting point. Our hope is that we will continue this work in our daily lives, and show up for communities striving for equality. Thanks to everyone who continues to stand up for justice everyday!
 On Sunday December 4th, members from Redeemer, Salem, Christ English and River of Life Lutheran Churches gathered together to celebrate the season of Advent. The four churches are part of a Northside collaborative ministry where they share ideas, money and a staff person. The collaborative approach to ministry flows out of the belief that ministry on the Northside of Minneapolis is done better together than on our own! The Advent festival included live entertainment from Northside church members, Christmas caroling, games and food.
For the past several weeks, Redeemer has offered its backyard as a space to process wood for Standing Rock. Learn about the effort through our photo timeline and story below. Why wood for Standing Rock? Thousands of protestors, or "water protectors" as they call themselves are currently camped on or near the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota in protest of the Dakota Acess Pipeline (DAPL). The pipeline was set to cross Lake Oahe in North Dakota, just 0.5 miles south of the reservation. Water protectors protest the fact that the pipeline could contaminate their drinking water and the extent it represents decades of oppression against Native Americans. On Sunday Dec. 4, after eight months of protesting, the Department of the Army announced that it would not grant the easement allowing DAPL to cross Lake Oahe. While this was a cause of celebration, DAPL is saying that it will drill anyways and feels comfortable that it will get the support it needs under the Trump administration. In the meantime, many water protectors are committed to staying at Standing Rock for the long hall. This week at Standing Rock, temperatures are already dipping below 0 degrees with wind chills skirting below -25. With Standing Rock's location in the plains of North Dakota, the wind can be brutal and there are no good sources of wood nearby. Every yurt, tipi and structure there is heated by wood – wood is literally the fuel this movement needs to continue. Redeemer is playing an important role by hosting a space where thousands of logs can be processed and sent to North Dakota. On Nov. 19, H-Cubed celebrated its one-year anniversary with “Meet Me at the River: the People are the Power” at Juxtaposition Arts in North Minneapolis. H-Cubed, a monthly open-mic, meal, and story share, was formed by young leaders in the Redeemer community. The event typically takes place at Venture North but, four times a year, H-Cubed collaborates with Intertwine Northeast, a new religious-based community in Northeast Minneapolis. This third “Meet Me at the River” collaboration featured four panelists who spoke on four key areas of oppression: environment, economics, education and mass incarceration. Audience members engaged in dialogue, asked questions, and enjoyed live music and snacks. The next H-Cubed will be 6pm Friday Dec. 30 at Venture North. Food for the Soul
by Tom Fiebiger At the Soul Food Dinner on October 30, 2016, the people were fed. Souls were fed. In a packed basement we did what Lutherans often do––share meals and conversation. Ah, but the Redeemer soul food dinner. No hot dish or jello at our church. Soul food that was lovingly made, delicious and comforting for stomachs and souls. Thanks to all who lovingly prepared and served this feast. Before sharing the soul-filled meal, we had our hearts filled with soulful music, led enthusiastically by Trai and the Redeemer singers. We had new members intentionally say “yes” to joining our Redeemer family. Our Redeemer family warmly received them and asked God to help and guide us. Amen. We also listened, as part of worship, to an audio of various scenarios that lifted up the way white privilege and systemic racism permeate our everyday life––from our work, to our schools, to our social interactions. How it is present both in ways that are readily apparent, and in ways much more subtle but no less disturbing. There were some technical difficulties that prevented the video from being projected in our Redeemer basement. Yet, that did not seem to matter at all. During the audio presentation, you could have heard a pin drop. Folks were clearly engaged. That engagement continued as Pastor Kelly invited us to share honest and real conversations at our round tables about what we had just heard. More importantly, he encouraged us not to intellectualize what we heard, but to speak from our emotional self. To speak from our hearts, not our heads. How did what we heard make us feel? People jumped in at my table and, from what I heard, other tables as well. Truth telling of painful, racist and white privilege experiences were generously shared in a safe, Redeemer family setting. People allowed themselves to be seen, to be vulnerable and human. People listened. What a gift to be able to share in such moments where God is truly present among us. People shared with the whole group the words they would use to describe the topics they tackled at their respective tables. People used terms like “racism,” “white privilege,” “soul filled,” and “relationships.” Moving into real and honest dialogue about white privilege and racism in the safety of our church family and loving God, in whose image we are all created, is both challenging and necessary as we continue our journey to become a truly beloved community. Oh, in case you were wondering, the desserts were my favorite. |
1800 Glenwood Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55405
admin@redeemermpls.org Phone: (612) 886-1468
Limited In-Offices Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10:30am-2:30pm
admin@redeemermpls.org Phone: (612) 886-1468
Limited In-Offices Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 10:30am-2:30pm