When you’re dedicated and faithful enough, the seeds will always grow!

It just isn’t true, but, we wish it were so! Pastors & businessmen alike talk about some of the major myths of growth like: (a)If you are dedicated enough your church will al-ways grow and (b) all God ever expects is faithfulness. They speak about church growth conferences where dedicated pastors finish leaving feeling more guilty, frustrated, inade-quate than when they arrived. These men and women are faithful to God’s Word! They pray feverently! They are solid preachers! Sometimes their churches just refuse to grow. Why? Maybe it’s just a poor fit? Or, maybe the pastor is running out of gas? Perhaps the leaders have the will, but not the updated skills nor right tools? Maybe the timing is bad? Maybe the church just doesn’t pray hard enough or work hard enough? Let’s change the metaphor: If you’re dedicated and pray hard enough, your life and your job and your men-tal health will all always be fine! Tell that to the thousands who have now lost their jobs, to the man/woman who’s spouse just died, to a young child cancer patient, to a person drown-ing in the giant spiderweb of depression & inactivity! Where’s my growth? Where’s God?

What do today’s lessons really tell us? All of Mark chapter 4 is about sowing and producing: the parable of the sower, then today’s Gospel: the soil producing grain by itself and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel warns us to “be careful how we use our towering strength lest it be cast down according to its own wickedness.”

So what can we learn from these stories? (1) Good things can indeed begin in small sizes. In the Arab world today the phrase, “as small as a mustard seed” is still commonly used. Often the tiniest seed sprouts to gigantic heights of 14 feet or more. (2) Of course the disciples were discouraged! Their initial flurry of growth had given way to increased opposition, disappointments and then abandonment. That’s why it says in Mk. 4.33, “He spoke the words to them as best they were able to hear it.” So,Jesus told the disciples today’s parables to encourage them never to give up! We’re inspired not to get sucked into the contemporary demands of instant results, numbers, success. (3) You and I and the disciples are reminded that God’s growth takes time.His timetable will never be the same as ours. (4)As Biblical and contemporary writers remind us, God wants us to be faithful, warns us not to abuse our gifts and asks for our loyal trust and patience.

So,thinking about all of this and Redeemer what can we say? First, after 15 years, you know that Fr. Fred is only basically interested in your spiritual growth & personal well being. He doesn’t care about numerical growth nor regular church attendance! Am I not right?? Almost? Perhaps I should adjust a little and admit that he wouldn’t mind if we had both, spiritual and numerical growth. Of course, the two do go hand in hand! That’s why we have Redeemer’s Strategic Parish Plan -spiritual & numerical growth. Second, this all ap-plies to the parish as a whole, but perhaps most intentionally to: the Saturday night Con-
temporary Service, Sunday Hispanic Mass, Small Group Ministries development, greater overall parish mission and sharing opportunities. Redeemer continues to be very interested in all spiritual and numerical growth in the total parish, but perhaps now especially in each of these four above mentioned areas.

Finally, let me add an important aside. Obviously, one commonality in all of Redeemers areas of spiritual (and numerical) growth is the pow-erful presence & action of God’s Holy Spirit within & amongst us. Without His presence there is no growth. Clearly to me God’s Spirit is alive and well at 7: 30 and
9: 00 and 11: 00. But, how He expresses Himself in the Men’s Ministry Groups or the Saturday Night Contemporary or the Sunday Hispanic Masses continues to be both a challenge and an opportunity for Redeemer! Put another way,God’s One Spirit certain-ly fits all, but perhaps one size may not completely!

Now what can we say about ourselves and today’s Gospel and Ezekiel’s pro-phesies? Can we really believe that good things do often start in small packages? Can we faithfully handle the inevitable disappointments and frustrations of life plaguing us all? Canwe resist the temptations to always look for immediate rewards and growth? Are we patient with God and ourselves? Do we gratefully accept our God-given gifts, yet always careful not to abuse or overuse them? Do we believe, as the saying goes, that “ you only have one life to live ” or can you see it all more as a series of interconnected, but not predetermined new beginnings ,each filled with its own tasks & possibilities, joys & despairs, yet all designed to lead in the same direction-towards happiness & fulfillment? How do you see your life ?? How do you travel ?? It makes a difference!

The Collect for Today: [ Perhaps this is helpful!! ]

“Keep us, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through
your Grace we may always proclaim your truth with boldness and justice and compassion.” Prop.6

The Church of the Redeemer in downtown Sarasota invites the public to join in the discussion — Is God a Delusion? Redeemer will be screening two films — “The God Delusion Debate” and “Science and the God Question” on consecutive Sunday evenings — November 30 and December 7, respectively. Both programs are free and open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m., in Redeemer’s Gillespie Hall located at 222 South Palm Avenue. Short discussions will follow and light refreshments will be available.

The first program, “The God Delusion Debate” was taped in 2007 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and showcases two powerful and well-known speakers — world-renowned atheist, Professor Richard Dawkins and Christian apologist and scientist, Dr. John Lennox — debating one of the most important issues of contemporary culture.

Dawkins is regarded by many as the chief spokesman for the “New Atheism.” Heralded by Europe’s Prospect Magazine as one of the world’s most important intellectuals, Dawkins is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. He has written numerous best-sellers, most notable among them, his recent book, The God Delusion.

Dr. John Lennox is a popular Christian apologist and scientist who travels widely speaking on the interface between science and religion. He is a Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science at Green College, University of Oxford. He is the author of God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?

The second film, “Science and the God Question,” includes interviews with Anglican theologian and molecular biophysicist, Alister McGrath along with Lennox.

For more information contact the Church of the Redeemer at 955.4263.

Connie Snyder, Director of Child Care at the Center, said, “This will definitely enhance the children’s preschool experiences. We love to do art, have lunch and to do special projects outside. These tables will allow us to resume these activities with the children.”

The Women’s Outreach Ministry donated nearly $24,000 to local charitable organizations over the last year. The Ministry raises funds for local and global charities throughout the year by holding bazaars, plants and baked good sales, and through the operation of its ministry-run Episcopal Thrift House on Second Street in Sarasota.

The child care center at the Pines was originally created solely for the use of Pines’ employees, but has since opened its doors to the community, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

October 3, 2008 / Sarasota, FL — On Sunday, October 19, several downtown churches are hosting an “Organ Spectacular,” as part of an international event initiated by the American Guild of Organists and designed to celebrate the magnificent music of organs and the talented organists who play them.

Ann Stephenson Moe & Dan Cartlidge

The Sarasota Organ Spectacular will be a progressive recital of Widor’s Symphony No. 5, performed in five movements, by five area organists, on the organs of four downtown churches.
Charles-Marie Widor was organist of Saint Sulpice in Paris in the late 1800s. His organ symphonies were notable for the translation of orchestral sounds into organistic terms.

The community is warmly invited to this free recital, which includes an opening reception.

The Organ Spectacular will begin at 6:00 PM with a wine and cheese reception at the Church of the Redeemer, located at 222 South Palm Avenue; followed by a 7:00 PM Evensong service with the special work being the performance of the First Movement – Theme and Variations — of Widor’s Symphony No. 5, played by Ann Stephenson-Moe, Redeemer’s Organist/Choirmaster.

The recital will then progress to an 8:00 PM performance of the Second Movement — Allegro cantabile — at the First Presbyterian Church, 2050 Oak Street, performed by Carol Hawkinson, Organist.

At 8:25 PM, Dr. Robert Reeves, Minister of Music at St. Boniface Church on Siesta Key, will perform the Third Movement – Scherzo – at the First United Methodist Church, located at104 Pineapple Avenue.

At 8:50 PM the recital will progress to the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1031 South Euclid Avenue, where the Fourth Movement — Adagio — will be performed by Gregory Chestnut, Organist/Minister of Music and Fine Arts.

At 9:15 PM the recital will return to the Church of the Redeemer for a performance of the final Fifth Movement — the famous Toccata –by Daniel Cartlidge, Assistant Organist/Choirmaster for Redeemer.

With the exception of the 6:00 PM reception, all times given are approximate. A nightcap of coffee and dessert will be offered in Gillespie Hall at the Church of the Redeemer after the final recital.

For more information about this event, contact Ann Stephenson-Moe at the Church of the Redeemer (941.955.4263) or contact any of the churches and organists identified in the bio/background detail which follows this press release.

The theme of this year’s Vacation Bible School is “For I Know the Plans I Have for You.”  Activities include interactive study of lessons from the Bible, water-sliding, painting, singing, and more.

Don’t miss this opportunity to enroll your child in a stimulating, Christian “summer camp” environment conveniently located in downtown Sarasota.  The entire week-long session requires only a $10 registration fee and includes a mid-morning snack for the children.  Some scholarships are available to those in the community who have need of financial assistance. 

Advance registration is required and may be done by phone at 941.955.4263, or by visiting www.redeemersarasota.org/vbs.html, and following the instructions for registration.

Between June 4 and 9, fifteen youth from Redeemer worked on several sites in and around Biloxi, doing demolition, painting, general site clean up and removal of waste. They were housed at Bethel Lutheran Church in Biloxi, which has been serving as a Katrina Relief Shelter, providing housing and meals for up to one hundred hurricane volunteers every day. Bethel also functions as a free medical clinic during the week for hundreds of hurricane victims.

In addition to their site work, while at Bethel Lutheran, the Redeemer young people assisted in the preparation and serving of meals for other hurricane volunteers, as well as taking care of kitchen-clean up after each meal.

The group also devoted considerable time at the former site of their “sister church” – the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, which was tragically completely swept away by Hurricane Katrina. The Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota was, in fact, named after the Redeemer Biloxi, and the congregations have exchanged visits in the past.

According to Adelaide Boedecker, 17, and a soon-to-be senior at Pine View School, the mission trip was “a life changing experience.”

“We saw all of the destruction and all of the pain that these people [in Biloxi] went through,” Boedecker said. “We helped a lot of people, but you can see that they still need so much more help …” she added.

The Reverend Richard Marsden, a priest at the Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota, was one of the chaperones for the mission trip. While sifting through debris on the Biloxi Redeemer church site, according to Marsden, one of the adult chaperones spotted a plaque dedicating a pew to Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy who settled in the area and was a member of the parish following the Civil War. The mission group was very happy to be able to return the plaque intact to the members of the Biloxi parish.

The youth also collected hundreds of shards of stained glass from the original church windows. They gave the stained glass remnants to the Biloxi church which may use them in a commemorative stained glass window when their new church is constructed.

Boedecker described the mission trip as having a great impact on all of the Redeemer Youth. “It was amazing for us to see the devastation firsthand,” she said.

“But the greatest impact,” Boedecker added, “was for all of us to see that in the face of losing so much, these folks still have hope.”

While working on the site of one Biloxi family’s home, now just a frame with no walls, the youth recovered paintings, a couch, even the daughter’s senior photo album, all of which had been swept away by the hurricane storm surge into the nearby woods, according to Boedecker. The youth collected the items and returned them to the family, who, in return, made homemade deep-fried potato chips for the youth as a way of thanking them.

The Senior High Youth who participated in the “Building on the Bayou” mission trip include: Patrick Brown, Priscilla Brown, Erin Berg, Adelaide Boedecker, Grier Ferguson, David Pascal-Black, Christoph Stephenson-Moe, Davis Dunlap, William Crouse, James Montgomery, Caitlyn Turner, Lizzy Lewis, Clifton Lewis, Anise Veldkamp, Matt Mercurio.

The Mission Trip was led by Scott Merritt, Redeemer’s Youth Minister, and adult chaperones included Father Richard Marsden, Liz Berg, Jacki Boedecker, Laura Crouse, Jay Crouse, and Tony Veldkamp.

Each morning before beginning the day’s work, adult chaperones would lead morning devotion for the group. At their mid-day lunch breaks they led an informal Bible study and held evening devotions as well. The group attended services at Bethel Lutheran one evening, and Father Marsden also held a special Eucharist amidst the ruins of what once was the Church of the Redeemer, Biloxi.

In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, the Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota collected and donated close to $62,000 to the Episcopal Dioceses of Mississippi and Louisiana for hurricane relief efforts in those areas. Additionally, knowing of the loss of everything at Redeemer, Biloxi, the church school classes of Redeemer, Sarasota, collected materials to completely restock their Sunday School supplies, gathering everything from paper, pencils and markers to costumes for their Christmas and Easter pageants.

For more information about youth activities at the Church of the Redeemer, call 955.4263. The Church of the Redeemer is located at 222 South Palm Avenue, in downtown Sarasota.

Nearly 60 people from the church and Sarasota community attended the talk on Wednesday, 11 January, and many were moved to make donations to Orphans Hope on the spot.

At the end of Gentry’s talk, children from the LOGOS program at the Church presented Gentry with 35 hand-crafted “Dolls of Love.” The dolls were individually sewn, stuffed, and decorated by the children, and women from the parish assisted them with using sewing machines and following the doll pattern.

Each doll had a red heart sewn on to its chest, and was personalized and signed with a message of love and support from a Redeemer child.

The dolls have no gender or ethnic identifiers – they are meant to convey a message of collective humanity and give the Ugandan orphans a symbol of love and compassion to play with or just hug.

The dolls were made from a pattern provided by Rag Dolls 2 Love, Inc., a nonprofit project devoted to putting “a soft cloth doll in the hands of children” in countries ravaged by war, HIV/AIDS, natural disasters, and the loss of one or both parents. For more information about Rag Dolls 2 Love, visit http://www.ragdolls2love.org.

Gentry is a life-long Episcopalian who has worked as a missionary in Uganda for over 22 years. She spends several months each year in Uganda working alongside her Orphans Hope Project co-founder and Ugandan native, Edward Gitta Mussisi.

Gentry and Mussisi founded Orphans Hope in 1997 as a way to meet this most critical need of Ugandan orphans – education. The Orphans Hope Project provides funding for young children to go to the local schools in their villages. The cost per student is $30 per year for pre-schoolers and $60 per year for students through 7th grade.

According to Gentry, an educated population will help avoid the terrible prospect of genocide in the African country. “When children are not provided with stimulation and an opportunity to learn, they become frustrated,” Gentry said. “Once they become teenagers, that frustration leads to anger,” she continued, “and anger leads to violence.” Through education, she and Mussisi hope the Orphans Hope Project will plant the seeds for work opportunities, financial independence, and peace in Uganda.

To make a donation to Orphans Hope, please make your check payable to “Church of the Redeemer,” including a special notation on the front of the check “ for Orphans Hope Project/Uganda,” and mail to Church of the Redeemer at 222 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

LOGOS is an opportunity for Christian fellowship for children grades K-5, and meets from 4:00 to 6:30 PM on Wednesdays during the school year. LOGOS provides a format for playtime/homework, worship, art, choir and Bible study.

For more information about ECW, LOGOS, or the Church of the Redeemer and its support of various ministries in Sarasota and throughout the world, please visit redeemersarasota.org or call 955.4263 for more information.

In Uganda, where the society is severely patriarchal, children are considered orphans if they have lost their father. They may still live with and be under the care of their mothers, but they are classified as orphans because their father is either dead or absent. In the early days of their collaboration, Gentry and Mussisi found that more than food or clothing, the mothers of these “orphans” wanted their children to be able to go to the state-controlled schools, which cost much more than they could afford. Gentry and Mussisi founded Orphans Hope in 1997 as a way to meet this most critical need of Ugandan orphans – education.

The Orphans Hope Project provides funding for young children to go to the local schools in their villages. The cost per student is $30 per year for pre-schoolers and $60 per year for students through 7th grade. For exceptionally gifted students, Gentry and Mussisi even work to obtain scholarships for advanced schooling past 7th grade. One of the long term goals of the Orphans Hope Project is to establish a technical school where children can obtain training to enter the work force.

According to Gentry, an educated population will help avoid the terrible prospect of genocide in the African country. “When children are not provided with stimulation and an opportunity to learn, they become frustrated,” Gentry said. “Once they become teenagers, that frustration leads to anger,” she continued, “and anger leads to violence.” Through education, she and Mussisi hope the Orphans Hope Project will plant the seeds for work opportunities, financial independence, and peace in Uganda.

But the two missionaries don’t just help children. They also devote their time and resources to helping the widows of the villages become financially independent and able to care for their children. With what Gentry terms “micro-finance projects,” a needy widow is given a sow, chicken, or heifer, with the condition that she shares at least 1 or 2 of any offspring with another widow; she is then free to sell the remaining offspring to earn money for her own household. By sharing the offspring of farm animals, the widows are helping each other to become independent and spreading resources throughout the community.

All of the funds donated to the Orphans Hope Project/Uganda go directly to program initiatives and to the children and widows in Uganda. Gentry and Missusi are completely self-supporting – they pay for all their own expenses, including travel, out of their own pockets. For Gentry, the expense is secondary to the rewards of the work she’s been called to do. “I’ve been so blessed in my life,” Gentry says, “I love this work.”

Gentry lives in Largo, Florida most of the year, and is coming to the Church of the Redeemer to speak as part of the January Episcopal Church Women luncheon meeting. Gentry, whose late husband was ordained as a priest at Redeemer, attended the Sarasota church for several years in the 1970s. She hopes her talk will not only raise awareness about the needs of Ugandan children and widows, but will inspire people to donate to the Project so that more children can attend school within the coming year, and more widows can reach a modicum of financial independence.

Mussisi is a native Ugandan, who lives there with his wife and three children. He was educated in the UK and works in the computer science field.

If you would like to hear learn more about the Orphans Hope Project/Uganda, you are cordially invited to attend the ECW luncheon meeting to hear Gentry speak. Guests may attend either the talk only (beginning at 11 a.m.) or the luncheon as well, by registering through the parish office at 955-4263 by 9 January. The cost of the lunch will be $6.00.

To make a donation to Orphans Hope, please make your check payable to “Church of the Redeemer,” making a special notation on the front of the check “ for Orphans Hope Project/Uganda,” and mail to Church of the Redeemer at 222 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34236.

For more information about ECW and its support of various ministries in Sarasota and throughout the world, please visit RedeemerSarasota.org or call 955.4263 for more information.

The Church of the Redeemer is the first American group to help Santo Tomas and the surrounding Gautier community with its annual bible school program, which provides bible lessons and activities for approximately 150 local children ranging in age from 4 to 15 years old.

The Youth Group arrived in Santo Domingo on Saturday 11 June, and traveled by bus to Andres Boca Chica, an impoverished community on the outskirts of the more well-known tourist destination of Boca Chica, where they stayed in the small bungalow facility of Eco Village. Each morning the group, along with their chaperones, would rise for a 7 a.m. breakfast and morning prayer before boarding a bus to Gautier, where they spent each day working on the church and helping to run the Vacation Bible School program.

Over several mornings, the group was able to repaint the entire interior and exterior of the church. Additionally, working with a few members of the local community, Redeemer youth also painted the exterior of the local public school.

Afternoons were reserved for work at Santo Tomas’s Vacation Bible School. Each day, the Redeemer group was responsible for leading all of the craft activities for the various age groups in the school. In the months before their visit to Gautier, Redeemer youth had carefully planned and designed craft activities, prepared all the materials in advance of the trip, and brought the supplies to Gautier to be used by the children during the weeklong bible school.

The mission team was sponsored by the Church of the Redeemer, with additional funds generously provided by the parish through various Youth Program fundraising activities throughout the year. The Redeemer youth group returned to Sarasota on 17 June.

In addition to Merritt, the youth were accompanied on this mission by Doris Schweppe, Missionary for the Hispanic Mission at the Church of the Redeemer, who served as a translator and facilitator for the group. Merritt and Schweppe were joined by volunteer chaperones Beth Cave and Kelly Watts, who also donated their time in painting and helping run the bible school activities.

The 13 Redeemer youth on this mission trip included: Casey Altier, Adelaide Boedecker, Patrick Brown, Priscilla Brown, Erica Cave, Megan Clark, Victoria Dumbaugh, Lizzy Hamlet, Brad James, Brandon James, Clifton Lewis, Craig Stevenson, and Nick Watts.

This is not the first time the Church of the Redeemer has done mission work at Santo Tomas. Several years ago, the church was nearly destroyed by a hurricane, and the Church of the Redeemer visited Gautier with a construction mission team and worked to restore all the pews and the interior of the church. At that time, the team also built the altar, bishop’s chair, baptismal font, and wooden cross that are used currently by the clergy and parish of Santo Tomas.

The Youth Program at the Church of the Redeemer provides a safe, fun, and educational opportunity for youth to participate in mission and outreach work, on a local and international level, particularly in third world countries. Church youth regularly volunteer their time and energy to such organizations as Habitat for Humanity and Resurrection House, as well as making annual sojourns to other churches where they contribute their time and energy to help improve the lives of individuals in other communities.

The Church of the Redeemer’s Youth Program invites and encourages middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) students throughout the community to come together with other youth from their own age groups.

Middle school students participate in “Junior EYC (Episcopal Young Churchpeople),” which meets on Wednesday nights and high school students have “Senior EYC” on Sunday evenings; both group meetings include supper, and are held throughout the school year. Additionally, bible study breakfast meetings, hosted in a Church member’s home, are held each Friday at 6:30 a.m.

The Youth program runs parallel to the school year and kicks off in August of each year, generally concluding with a day of celebration in late April, when youth members serve as lay readers, speakers, ushers, acolytes, and musicians, during the Eucharist, and end the day with an afternoon of fun, including the annual Wacky Olympics.

To learn more about EYC and Youth activities at the Church of the Redeemer, please call 955.4263 and ask to speak with Scott Merritt, or visit our website at www.redeemersarasota.org.