A Gospel-Presence in Charleston, SC
Our newest community group had a wonderful turnout for their first gathering last week! The West Ashley (Thursday) Community Group enjoyed a delicious meal before studying and discussing God’s Word together. Tonight, October 9 is their next gathering if you’re living in the West Ashley area and looking for a community group to join. Find details for this group and all our other groups around the Charleston area here.
St. Andrew’s Church in Mt. Pleasant presents An Evening with Fernando Ortega. This local concert on Friday, October 10 at 7:30 pm at St. Andrew’s Ministry Center is sure to please! Redeemer regularly sings several of Ortega’s songs including Sing to Jesus and Great Is Thy Faithfulness.
We’re welcoming lots of babies at Redeemer this year, and this month we have an opportunity to celebrate with Lauren Pepin! We’ll enjoy this unique women’s event with fellowship, food, laughter, advice, stories, and much prayer for Lauren, her husband Paul, and their little one on the way. Part of our ministry to the women of Redeemer is celebrating and rejoicing with one another through showers of blessings. As always, if you’d like to bring a gift, feel free to bring an anonymous, unwrapped gift for inclusion in the mother’s gift basket.
Make plans to join the women of Redeemer on Saturday, September 27 at 10 am at Lauren Martin’s house (1974 Treebark Dr., 29414), as we ask for God’s blessing on this precious family. If you’d like to help provide food for this event, contact Lauren.
Last Sunday night the Uganda Team gave a beautiful report of God’s exciting work in Uganda and the specific ways that Redeemer has been given to serve within that country. The RPC Charleston Flickr page is where the team is compiling all their beautiful pictures from the trip.
Celebrate with us this Sunday night as we hear stories of God’s faithful work around the world! Make plans to attend our Missions Night on Sunday, August 24 where our Uganda Team will share about their July trip. Plus others from the Redeemer family will share about their short-term missions trips this summer!
We’ll start the evening at 5:30 pm with a potluck supper in the Fellowship Hall, so bring some food dishes to share. The Uganda Team’s full report will include stories of God’s faithfulness through the various training sessions, evangelism opportunities, hospital ministry, Banda Slum visit, and more–plus, of course, more gorgeous pictures like these.
All day Sunday will focus on missions around the world beginning with our adult Christian-Ed. class that morning at 9:15. (We’ll break from our Romans study.) Come hear how the “young people” on the Uganda Team went to 15 schools and shared the Story of God presentation (which included a giant felt board) with over 3,000 students. We look forward to hearing about God’s work around the globe this summer!
From JaiLynne Wood, a women’s retreat perspective and exhortation from a former I’m-not-into-women’s-events woman:
Those of you who know me are probably surprised that I am writing to you to plug the women’s retreat. I was surprised myself when I got the email requesting that I share my story. I seriously thought about just saying no, and then, I gave Gray an opportunity to tell me “never mind.” But of course she didn’t. So, here I am.
For those of you that don’t know me as well, I am not exactly known as the poster child for women’s ministry. It’s not that I am anti-women’s ministry. I am married; I fully understand that there are differences between men and women and specific ministry needs. It’s just that attending a mother-daughter tea or reading through a book titled Strong Women, Soft Hearts does not exactly appeal to me, especially if they occur on a Saturday in the fall when there is college football on. Then, there is the women’s retreat…on a Saturday, in the fall, when there is college football on.
For four years, every year, Gray would try to get me to go to the retreat near Myrtle Beach. And every year, I had a convenient reason–not an excuse–a reason not to attend. 🙂 I either had a paper due for school, or I had a baby that I was not willing to travel with or leave behind. Finally, last year, I had no legitimate reason not to attend. School was done, and the kids were old enough. Thus, I went…And it was good.
When I was asked to share about the retreat, I began pondering what in the world should I say about it. I could tell you about how great the teaching was, and it was, but that doesn’t help much since it won’t be the same speaker. So, here is what was so great about the retreat regardless of the circumstantial components like the speaker, music, cafeteria food, etc. I am a wife and a mom of two young children. They are fabulous children, but young children are young children, and moms don’t get much of a break. For 36-48 hours, I did not have to wear the hat of mom or wife. I could just be me. I could truly put on the hat of disciple and friend, and pull them down over my eyes if I wanted. It was a rare opportunity to listen and worship without the distraction of trying to keep my 5-year-old quiet during prayers and worrying if my two-year-old has had an accident in the nursery. I could take the time to dwell on and digest the word of God. I got to have real conversations with friends that you can’t have on Sunday mornings between services or even at small group over dinner. Women that I only kind of knew, I got to know better; and to my surprise, I met a few people from our church for the first time. I was even able to catch a little college football during lunch in the cafeteria.
Now I realize that not every woman is a mom or a wife. But almost all of us feel busy. Almost all of us constantly manage some level of distraction. Ladies, go on the women’s retreat. Step out of your everyday life. Give yourself the opportunity to experience God and meaningful friendship in a different, hopefully more fruitful way than you are able to day to day.
To get all the details about the women’s retreat October 3-5, 2014 in Myrtle Beach, click here.
From Caroline McGill of the West Ashley community group:
The West Ashley community group gathered for an outreach cookout last Thursday evening at the Millses’ home in the Gadsden Green neighborhood of downtown Charleston, SC. Equipped with a grill, a few dozen hotdogs, a few dozen cookies, and some fantastic sides (even Mac&Cheese!) we braved the August heat to enjoy an evening of fellowship with neighbors and friends new and old. The kids had a blast playing in the dirt and eating as many sweets as they could sneak! We met folks from down the street and around the corner and even a few new faces from the West Ashley area. Todd Christian manned the grill, and Ian and Jamie Mills were gracious hosts offering their home for bathroom breaks and an escape from the heat and pesky bugs. We even topped off the evening with some cold watermelon from a friendly neighbor!
We really enjoyed it, and it has sparked some of the neighbors to start an evening walking group and to try to make gatherings like this a regular thing to build community in our neighborhood. Since Ian is home all day, he knows more of the neighbors than I do, and it was great for me to have an opportunity to meet some, too. –Jamie Mills
Redeemer is now registering women for our annual fall women’s retreat October 3-5 in Myrtle Beach, SC. Find the details here about registration, plush accommodations, a beach vacation, and study in Revelation!
If you’re new to Redeemer or women’s events, then read Leslie’s account of why you should come. We look forward to spending a weekend away, and we hope you’ll make plans to come with us!
Join the West Ashley community group and others for a hotdog cookout this Thursday, August 7 at 6 pm in the Gadsden Green neighborhood–just a few blocks north of Redeemer’s Ansonborough location in downtown Charleston. Ian & Jamie Mills live in Gadsden Green, and they’ve sent over 40 invitations to their neighbors. So help the Millses and the West Ashley community group meet the neighbors, fellowship, and build connections with our downtown neighbors. Contact Tony Paladino of the West Ashley community group for participation details.
Since the end of May, Redeemer has been the church family for these 11 Cru students who spent their summer serving the Charleston community. We said goodbye on Sunday, and we heard one student share of her life-changing experience working at a local McDonald’s, as the incarnation of Christ became more real and vibrant to her through working and sharing life outside her comfort zone. We’ve enjoyed the energy and passion of these young students in our children’s ministry this summer and the opportunity to host these students on Sunday afternoons for lunch. Pray for these Cru students as they travel back to their homes and colleges this week.