E-Redeemer September 2, 2010

The church office and campus will be closed on Monday, September 6, for the Labor Day holiday. Office hours after Labor Day are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Weekly Reflection

When was the last time you took the time to watch the sun set? To stop whatever it was you were doing, so you could be wholly immersed in the glory of "our fragile island home" spinning away from a blazing star 93 million miles away, at hundreds of miles an hour? To watch the optical illusion of that bright, bright orb, on whom our earthly existence depends, sinking ... slowly ... slowly ... slowly ... down ... down ... down ... as colors of blue, violet, pink light up the sky around it ... down ... down ... down ... and ........ Gone. Gone from our sight ... for now ....

Last Saturday evening, I had the joy and the human privilege of doing just this. I was one of a group of twelve who spent the weekend at Bethany Beach, DE. Our hope, as we hit the road on Friday and headed to the coast, was to get some good work and planning done for the Redeemer Youth Group (RYG); to get to know one another better and enjoy being together in community; and to relax and have fun at the beach. Accompanying me were Jan Schroeder and Maggie Kallmyer, youth group leaders extraordinaire, along with nine members of the RYG Planning Committee: Mary West Burke, Gardner Eager, Laura Hodges, Tom Heaver, Hooper Neale, Louise O'Neill, Will Richardson, and Elliott and Tyler Wakefield. (We were without the presence of Gia Grimm, Sarah Wallack and Anna Windsor, the other three RYG Planning Committee youth members, who could not attend).

On Friday evening, after arriving at our weekend retreat house (a few of us having survived a car ride that featured the most inappropriate radio commercial EVER to be aired at 1:30 in the afternoon -- "Just my luck," I thought to myself as I kept driving and waiting for the commercial to get better or to end, knowing that switching the channel would have been even more awkward!

With the turning of the seasons comes a mixture of longing for the season just past and expectation and excitement over new beginnings. We are truly excited to welcome you and your children to a new season of Sunday School and Confirmation Class here at Redeemer! It is our hope each Sunday to create a caring and nurturing environment where children can experience what it is to be a beloved child of God in a community of faith, and to help build a strong spiritual foundation on which they can stand throughout the seasons of their lives. I do look forward to meeting and getting to know you and your children, and to sharing in this new season with you! Please assist us with our preparations for the new program year by completing this registration form. We could still use a few Sunday School teachers (and substitutes) to help fill out our teaching teams. The curriculum is set and support for new teachers is readily available. Please email me if you are interested or would like more information.

Below are a couple of important dates and events to mark on your calendars. Please feel free to contact me or to stop by my office with any questions, or simply to say hello! May God's Spirit continue to inspire and enrich your days as we turn towards the fall.

Peace and blessings,
Cristina

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September 12 - 9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. Sunday School teachers meet with Cristina in the Women's Council Room

September 19 - 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School & Confirmation Class Begin (Sunday School: Age 3 to Grade 7; Confirmation Class: Grades 8 & 9). Service begins at 10:00 a.m. Children will rejoin their parents in the service at approximately 10:30 a.m. ***Parents/ Caregivers: Please plan to arrive with your children a few minutes before 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 19 to allow time to locate your children's classrooms and meet their teachers. Also, please note that Confirmation Classes meet at 9:30 a.m. this year (changed from last year's time). Immediately before the Peace at the 10:00 service we will commission everyone working with children and youth this year.

September 26 - 9:30-9:50 a.m. - Parents/Caregivers are invited to meet Cristina and to discuss Christian Education at Redeemer. Coffee and bagels will be provided! (Room TBA).

Parish Picnic

Please join the Redeemer community for a picnic
following the 10:00 service on Sunday, September 12.
A great time to reconnect with each other after summer vacations and to welcome The Rev. Cristina Paglinauan.
Food, fellowship and fun and games for children.

If your last name begins with A - M, please bring a side dish (salads of all kinds, baked beans, veggie trays, etc.). If your last name starts with N - Z, please bring a dessert. Please sign-up for your food contribution after the 10 a.m. on September 5 or email Lucy Neale Duke.

Haitian Choir to Sing at Redeemer

Les Petits Chanteurs ("The Little Singers"), the renowned young people's choir of the now - destroyed Holy Trinity Music School of Port au Prince will perform at Redeemer on Monday, September September 20 at 7:00 p.m. The 30-voice choir, accompanied by a string ensemble from the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra, will be touring the United States and we have invited them to Redeemer. The focus of the tour is to raise awareness in the United States about the rich musical traditions in Haiti and the importance of rebuilding Holy Trinity Music School (where over 1000 students studied before the earthquake), a keystone in the life of the country. Les Petits Chanteurs is a select group of performers ranging in age from 8 to 18. It is currently under the direction of Nicole St. Victor.

Over the years, representative groups from Holy Trinity Music School have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Lincoln Center in New York City, Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with the Chicago Children's Choir, and at more than 90 churches across the United States. Holy Trinity Music School is the only music school of its kind in Haiti and depends upon charitable support to sustain its mission to all the people of Haiti. Its buildings are rubble now, as is the surrounding Holy Trinity Cathedral complex, but the choir and orchestra are rising again!

There is a great need for volunteer help to guide this concert toward success. There will be no admission fee; a free-will offering will be taken. Our hope is to fill the church.

In order to be good hosts and make this concert a success, we need volunteers for the following areas:

20 host families for choristers and musicians overnight on the evening of September 20.
Feeding the group supper at the church
Organizing a post concert reception
Helping with set up and clean up

Please send send an email to Barbara Hart to voluteer for any of these needs. If you are interested in being a host family, you may either email Barbara or speak to Leigh Lowe after the 10:00 service this Sunday.

September at Redeemer

Mark your calendar!

September 11: All are welcome at Faith@Five for special prayers on the anniversary of 9/11. Additionally, some may choose to participate in the annual Peace Path along Charles Street taking place between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. Click here for more Peace Path information.

September 12: First weekend after Labor Day. Welcome back from summer! On Sunday, September 12 at 10 am we return to the main church for worship. Following the service we will enjoy a parish picnic on the grounds. Great food and children's games and a great way to offer a warm welcome to the Rev. Cristina Paglinauan as our new clergy associate. In addition to the familiar picnic fare brought by the parish there will be a sampling of traditional Filipino culture including food and other surprises. Please note: There will be no Sunday School on September 12. All Christian Education offerings will begin Sunday, September 19.

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September 18 and 19: The Rev. Sandra Etemad's last services at Redeemer. We will have a reception following the 10:00 service on Sunday to honor Sandra and to thank her for her ministry among us. She leaves us to become Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

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September 19: Christian Education begins for all youth and adults. Adult Education at 9:00 a.m. welcomes the Rev. Canon Daniel Webster, Canon for Evangelism and Ministry Development for the Diocese of Maryland. Sunday School and Confirmation classes will meet at 9:30 a.m.

Worship This Week