A Gospel-Presence in Charleston, SC
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.
From Megan Busch, a member of the downtown community group:
For about three months, Redeemer’s downtown community group has been praying for God to bring us a ministry designed specifically to serve the people living in our little city. We were presented with the opportunity this past week to organize a Perichoreo event.
Perichoreo is an outreach mentorship program with Burke High School and Burke Junior High School run by Olivia Hines—one of our community group members—and a few of her close friends. The term perichoreo describes a doctrine of the reciprocal inherence of the human and the divine nature of Christ, and the word was chosen to represent the ministry because it references the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Olivia explains, “You can think of this relationship as a dance—with each member evenly encircling others. No member of this divine dance of the Trinity dances around the self. Our God is a relational God, and if we are created in the image of Christ, then we are created for relationship and community.”
The downtown community group’s goal in supporting Perichoreo is to create a bridge between the lower-income community in Charleston and the Christian population (that’s us!) living on the peninsula. To do this, we are starting small. This past Tuesday, our team met at Hampton Park equipped with Frisbees, cookies, chips, and a willingness to meet new people. Olivia reached out to the kids who were already participating in her Perichoreo mentorship program, and five students arrived at the park to play, to fellowship, and to simply be silly. Even though many of them had never thrown a Frisbee in their lives, they were good sports (and most were much, much better than my very-non-athletic self). As we move forward in support of this ministry, we pray that the Lord continually sends these same young people back to our events and brings us new kids with whom we can form relationships.
In the fall, the core team at Perichoreo will be looking for mentors—Christians who are willing to spend time during the school year befriending the [awkward, lost, lonely, crazy, youthful, ambitious, fun] teenagers at Burke Junior High and High. We hope that Perichoreo becomes a ministry not just through the social events that our downtown group organizes, but also for others at Redeemer looking to mentor a student, helping him or her learn the love of Christ.
Keep up with the Perichoreo ministry by liking their Facebook page.
From Leslie Paladino, who attended last year’s women’s retreat:
Most of us can remember a time when we were “the new kid”–in school, at camp, in sports, at church, you name it. And, we never really shake those feelings, do we? We may grow older, and more mature, developing skills to cope with the nervousness and anxiety that come with being “the new kid,” but those feelings are still there. Will they like me? Do I look weird to them? Are they going to make fun of that thing that makes me self-conscious? Will they accept me just the way I am? Do I laugh too loud? Will they see my nervousness?
Being relatively new to Redeemer and knowing nothing about last year’s women’s retreat or what to expect, I was a little nervous when I signed up to attend. In the short time we had been attending Redeemer as a family (about five months then, since May 2013), I feel like we were really fortunate to have made several friends and had gotten to know a few people; but I still had a lot of those “new kid” feelings. Now, transfer those feelings to a completely different town, and staying in a hotel with a ton of other women from other PCA churches, and rooming–no, sharing a BED–with women I barely knew. Get the picture? OK, maybe I was more nervous than I initially let on.
But, I signed up. Why? Why put myself through all that anxiety and self-consciousness? Why put myself in such an uncomfortable situation? Why not wait to go until I knew these people a little bit better to decide whether or not they are worth getting to know?
You may find it odd that when the women’s retreat was first announced last year, there was no question in my mind: I was going. I signed up, paid my deposit, and put it on the calendar, warning my husband that I would be gone that weekend; and he’d be watching the kids by himself. I was in. I was committed. Why? Why, when I was so nervous?
The answer isn’t simple, and yet it is. I am part of the body of Christ–a living, breathing extension of God’s Spirit on this earth. If I allow my own insecurities and feelings of anxiety to get in the way of experiencing the LIFE of being part of this incredible Body, then I’m robbing myself and these other women of incredible blessing.
Romans 12:4-5, 10-13 NASB For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another…. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
Doesn’t that sound amazing? I want to be part of that. That’s why I went on last year’s women’s retreat, and why I will be going again this year, too.
Aside from the blessing I received from getting to know my fellow Redeemer sisters better and sharing in prayer and worship together, I was incredibly blessed by the worship and teaching of women I had never met before! In a word, Nancy Guthrie’s teaching was A-MAZ-ING! I could listen to her exposit the Word of God for hours and hours. There were times my heart was a little overwhelmed by the beauty of the worship and the teaching and the beauty of God’s creation that was literally right outside the large conference room windows.
My feelings of being “the new kid” were not going to go away on their own. And I wasn’t going to feel any less of a “new kid” by not going on the retreat. Missing out on this shared experience with the other women in our church would only have made me feel more like an outsider. But going with them and sharing with them in this fun, worshipful, surpising, encouraging experience was such a blessing to my own spiritual journey and to my relationships with the other wonderful women in our church!
Join us at this year’s Palmetto PresWIC retreat in Myrtle Beach on October 3-5, 2014!
Want to join the Redeemer family? Redeemer will hold the next inquirers’ class, the first step toward church membership, on Saturday, August 23 beginning at 8:30 am with a continental breakfast. This class is an informal opportunity for asking questions, hearing the story of God’s faithfulness to Redeemer, meeting other folks who are new to the Redeemer family, and enjoying fellowship. Find more information about the class here.
Since lunch is served, please RSVP here to reserve your spot. Contact Gray Morgan with any questions. And we look forward to getting to know you better!
Out on beautiful Wadmalaw Island, the men of Redeemer pitched their tents along Bohicket Creek last weekend for an evening of fun and fellowship–with kids included. Between boat rides and treehouse climbs, the kids enjoyed camping with the men.
Last Saturday night the women of Redeemer gathered for fun and fellowship at their Clothing Swap. Everyone brought clothing and accessories that she wanted to give away or get rid of. Then the “shopping” began! We tried on outfits and dresses, shoes and necklaces. With no money exchanging hands, the shopping experience was pleasant and easy. All the leftover clothing will be donated to a local charity.
To welcome the Cru summer project students who will be pouring into Charleston over the next week, we’re hosting a welcome breakfast on Sunday, June 1 during the Christian-Ed. hour beginning at 9:15 am. Read more here about our past summers with Cru students. Bring your best breakfast foods–casseroles, muffins, yogurt, fruit, etc., and join us for breakfast as we welcome the Cru students.
We’ll use the Christian-Ed. hour to greet the students, fellowship over breakfast, and introduce them to our study of Romans that we’ll continue this summer.
If you’ve signed up to host Cru students on Sunday afternoons for their time in Charleston, then the welcome breakfast will be a perfect place to meet your students. Contact Kurt Brewer if you’d like to host students.
Redeemer and the team going to Uganda this summer hosted a fundraising event this past Friday, May 16 in the Fellowship Hall. With live music, delicious food, and a silent auction, the family-friendly event drew a crowd. Between ticket sales and bids from the silent auction, over $5,800 was raised for the team’s trip to Uganda this July.
If you missed the fundraising event, you can still contribute to the mission trip this summer by making a donation here.
Jason Moore (on keyboard) and friends provided some great entertainment with their live music!
Attendees crowded into the hallway to get a peek at the silent auction items, place their bids, and edge out the competition before the auction ended.
Party-goers enjoyed delicious fish tacos with plenty of rice, beans, slaw, and all the fixin’s. Delectable desserts and a smattering of other goodies rounded out the meal, served with Ugandan tea.
In addition to silent auction items, we offered the beaded necklaces from the Banda women. The necklaces also made a colorful display on the centerpieces of some tables. Small Uganda flags and facts about the people supplemented the table decor as well.
You can still contribute to the mission trip this summer by making a donation here.