` INSIDE THIS ISSUE: THE MESSENGER The Newsletter of Redeemer How to Thrive in a Non- 1 July 23, 2021 Lutheran Church Christian Workplace Weekly Devotion with 2 Pastor Dave Miner Church Flowers SED LCMS Summer 3 Video Conference Strategic Planning Meeting How do you exhibit Christlike behav- How to Thrive ior in the workplace? Are you the Student Station Summer 4 type to invite a coworker out to Program in a Non-Christian lunch? Do you try your best to keep a Workplace Farewell from Debbie positive attitude when adversity Schuldaski strikes? Do you pray for your super- Nada Romero Thank you RLC Staff 5 visor and coworkers? It can be such a difficult journey, and we all slip at Brisben Center Breakfast 6 times, but just trust that our Lord and Ministry Savior Jesus Christ is with us every Life Thoughts step of the way. He will guide us in Saturday & Sunday 7 saying the right words to our ene- Worship Services and mies. He will comfort us when we feel Sunday Bible School overlooked or passed up for that pro- motion. He will strengthen us when Stay Connected 8 the days feel long. Keep shining your Redeemer Giving light and pressing forward. “You are Birthdays and 9 ife isn’t always easy when you the salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:13 Anniversaries are a Christian amongst a group L Attendance and of non-Christian coworkers and When we serve and pray for our co- Contributions colleagues. Why is that? Why workers, I believe joy and peace are does it sometimes feel like it is byproducts, or fruits of the Spirit. I harder for us to gain respect, believe these joy and peace virtues MISSION trust, and friendship in the are what motivates us to keep press- STATEMENT ing forward in the non-Christian workplace? Why does it feel like “Our God given mission is we are the ones being watched workplace. to connect people so closely? with Jesus. Keep pressing forward. Our vision sees people The truth is, our non-Christian connected with Jesus coworkers ARE watching us through a discipling closely. They are unsure of who process that gathers them we really are. They are either into our fellowship of waiting for us to slip and be- believers where we are come more like the world, or nurtured in the Christian faith, as we go into our remain steadfast in our Christ- neighborhoods and beyond like values and virtues. “The to do the work of our Lord reason the world does not know and Savior.” us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1 Page 2 Page 2 WEEKLY DEVOTION WITH PASTOR DAVE MINER Devotion No. 1 Journey with Jesus (Matthew 13:53-57; Revelation 13:8) We begin our journey with Jesus at a logical place: his lineage and birth. Luke 3:23 tells us, “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli”. Both Matthew and Luke gospels give us the family tree of Jesus. Matthew traces Jesus’s lineage through Joseph (legally, though not biologically his father), while Luke traces Jesus’s lineage through Mary. Like Jesus, each of you has a family tree. You have ancestors, some of whom were probably very colorful. But no matter what surprises you might find in your family tree, God has had his hand in every step along the way. He has overseen the wrong turns of your ancestors, but worked it for his ultimate purposes, includ- ing bringing you to this very day. You have a divine purpose rooted in God’s plan. You were born in such a way as to fit uniquely and by design into a great purpose shared by no other person – past, present, or fu- ture. God’s plan has always involved people just like you – ordinary people through whom he can showcase his grace and mercy. God has used some of your ancestors in the past (just like Abraham, Isaac, David, and oth- ers in Jesus’s past). But right now, at this time in history, God can use you. It is no small thing to be used as a masterpiece of his grace by living for his glory and sharing his goodness to our neighbors. Who in your life most needs to see God’s glory right now? What can you do this week to help this per- son see God’s glory? Church Flowers Flowers this week are given to the Glory of God in honor of Stan Dawgert’s birthday on July 23. Page 3 Page 3 Online Summer Outreach Conference online Thursday, July 29 and Friday, July 30, 2021 at Thursday, July 29 and Friday, July 30, 2021 7 p.m. followed with the opportunity to choose one of 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. two panel discussions. Additional workshop opportuni- Mike Evenson ties will be available ON DEMAND, throughout. Work- shop updates will be posted on the SED website. Folks, I signed-up Redeemer Lutheran Church for a summer outreach video conference on Thursday, July The cost of registration is $10.00. 100% will be do- 29 and Friday, July 30. The big screen TV will be set- nated to the mission ministry of Inglesia Luterana Naz- up in in the Fellowship Hall. All are welcome to at- aret, Baltimore, MD. tend. Please see the details below from the Southeast- ern District, LCMS. This conference can also serve as Thursday, July 29th 7:00-9:00 p.m. - Jock and Dave a big kick start to the “For Our Neighbor” program Ficken will challenge us with the Shapes of Disci- now that the COVID restrictions have been lifted. pling, how we, as disciples, become more intentional in being real-life real-time followers of Jesus. After the If you are unable to come to the Fellowship Hall and presentation, there will be an opportunity to choose would rather register yourself, please use this link: one of two groups: a panel discussion of becoming a disciple who disciples and a second discussion with Being Intentional Neighbors in Gospel Outreach Sum- those who have been in the discipling journey. mer Outreach Conference (constantcontact.com) Friday, July 30th 7:00-9:00 p.m. - Rev. Tony Cook, along with members of his team, will help to unpack the Lutheran Hour Ministries "Better To- gether" resource, how do we engage our neighbors. Following the main presentation, will be the oppor- Being Intentional Neighbors in Gospel Outreach tunity to choose a panel discussion about neighbor- hood ministry or a discussion by folks who are in- BINGO Summer Outreach Conference will be "live" volved in neighborhood ministry. Strategic Planning Meeting Saturday, August 21, 2021 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Randy Mayer Congregational President Members of Redeemer are asked to “Save the Date” of Saturday, August 21 to participate in Redeemer’s Strategic Planning Event. We will meet between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to talk about what Redeemer’s future should look like and how we can make that happen. Past planning events have led Redeemer to bring on a Director of Christian Education (DCE) and look at childcare options that facilitated our creation of Student Station when Covid came along. We have moved this event from January to August to be closer to the congregation’s budget cycle. Further infor- mation will be published as we get closer to the event. Page 4 Page 4 he Student Station Summer Session has three T and half more weeks of fun summer activities for your children. Theme-based activities are or- ganized throughout the day and are provided in a safe and loving Christian-based environment. Activities over the next three and a half weeks will include the following themes: WEEK THEME July 19 - July 23 VBS Rocky Railway July 26 - July 30 Olympic Theme August 2 - August 6 Jurassic Theme August 9 - August 11 Carnival Theme To register, please contact: Redeemer Lutheran Church, Phone: 540-898-4748 or Email: [email protected] Farewell Dear Pastors John and Dave, Church Family and Board of Elders, It is with much sadness that I will be leaving Redeemer Lutheran Church and Virginia and relocating to Pennsylvania. I have been richly blessed by our God and Redeemer. God our Father, Son and the Holy Spirit have given my life much more meaning, faith, and blessings by connecting me with Redeemer. I am a true testa- ment of the power of prayer, blessings, and love from God and Redeemer. I have so much I want to say, yet keeping it short. I truly hope my gratitude, love, prayers, and blessings are received by all of you. With much love, prayer, gratitude, and blessings to each and every one of you, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love, Debbie Schuldaski Page 5 Page 5 Redeemer Lutheran Church Staff Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, For the past 17 months, our world has been tossed about like a small fishing boat on a stormy Sea of Galilee. During this time, we had to close our building, go online, reopen with all manner of precautions and safety protocols, and finally, try to return to some sense of “normal”. Throughout this journey, our staff has gone above and beyond our expectations to maintain church op- erations and worship services by taking the action necessary to do so, while asking themselves if they had done enough. Worship services transitioned from no service, to online service only, to offering one to four services a weekend.