What? Me Volunteer! - by Sandy Hrostowski

Yes, that was me asking the question, three years ago.  I was looking for a new Church family, and ended up here at Redeemer.  Well, let me rephrase that. I was waiting upon the Holy Spirit to lead me to a new Christian church, and was led here to Redeemer. 

On my second visit to the church, an announcement was made, asking for volunteers for the Food Pantry.  Now, I had no idea what the Food Pantry was even about.  My interest was stirred.  I sign up at the volunteer counter, and my journey began.  I could serve those in need and at the same time discover an area of my life that needed to come forth. Serving the Lord with the Spiritual gifts He entrusted to me of compassion, hospitality and simply serving others.

As I began serving, I discovered an added benefit for myself.  I have found that once you open your heart to ways of serving others, your personal relationship with God grows.

There is so much work and so many ways to serve here at Redeemer.  I invite you to check out all the many ways of getting “Plugged in”.  Your heart and eyes will be open in ways you never imagined. 

To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.     Josephine Billings

Prayer is Powerful - by Kelvin Fizzell

It has been my privilege and personal blessing to have been a member of the Prayer Ministry Small Group at Redeemer Church since the summer of 2009. It has provided me, and the other members of the group, the opportunity to grow in the Spiritual gift of Prayer and to witness first hand God’s faithfulness in answering prayer offered on behalf of others.

We have seen God provide some answers almost immediately, others have taken years…but the answers did come. Sometimes the answers came as we asked for…in others, the answer God gave was far better than anything we thought to ask for. And yes, sometimes the answer given was not what we wanted or hoped for. And yet, we always found peace in the knowledge that God knew best…that even when we did not understand the outcome…God would reassure us… encourage us to trust in His faithfulness.

Each Sunday, members of the DeWitt Redeemer Church congregation fill out a communication card. Many people take this opportunity to offer a prayer request for themselves or for someone that they know. The Prayer Ministry small group is committed to spending time in prayer, collectively and individually every week, asking God to grant these requests. (These concerns are kept strictly confidential.)

We encourage members of the congregation to use the communication cards and offer their prayer requests. When you see God working in your life, or in the lives of others, as he responds to these prayer requests, please share these experiences on the communication card. As God continues to be faithful to us, the group would like to offer him thanks and praise for answering these prayers.

The need for intentional prayer, on behalf of members of the Redeemer congregation and the surrounding community, continues to grow. We are looking to form a new Prayer Ministry small group dedicated to praying for people each week. There will be an informational meeting at Redeemer Church Wednesday night October 22, 2014 at 7:00 pm in the church lounge.

If you long for a prayer life that is deep, fruitful, and real, this new prayer group will help you develop a relationship with God beyond anything you ever imagined. We want to help you discover prayer as a powerful lifeline to God…the source of all abundant blessings. Prayer can change lives like nothing else can.

Luke 11:9 NLT “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

If you have any questions, please contact Kim Metzer in the church office at 669-3430 Ext 116 or by e-mail, kim@dewittredeemer.org.

Growing Spiritual through Christian Books - by Diane Lantzy

Many of you may already know that I love to read.  I did think that when my children were older (and by older I mean 30 and 26 – how did that happen?? – I know I am not old enough to have kids that old!J) I would find much more time to read but often that is not the case.  Lately, I have been especially interested in reading historical fiction.  I find that by being able to put historical events in the proper cultural context allows me to understand it better and to remember it longer.  This is true for secular historical books as well as Christian historical fiction.  The one that I am currently reading is “Lineage of Grace” by Francine Rivers.  This is how the publisher describes this book:

In Lineage of Grace, we meet the five women whom God chose—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each was faced with extraordinary—even scandalous—challenges. Each took great personal risk to fulfill her calling. Each was destined to play a key role in the lineage of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.

Francine Rivers is a gifted story teller who keeps you intrigued with the story while retaining great Biblical and historical accuracy.  In reading the story of Tamar (who appears in Genesis but whom I did not remember from previous Bible studies/readings) I learned some great lessons/insights.

·         Tamar was an ancestor of Jesus

·         Bad things happen to good people but good can come from evil, even if we can’t see it

·         A childless woman in that culture had to depend on the generosity of others for her very survival

·       There were religious practices (outside of the Jewish faith)  during that time that seem quite unbelievable to me today

·        Often, God’s children are asked to risk much – including their lives – to remain faithful.  Most of us have not been asked to risk our lives for Him, but He does ask us to take risks on His behalf to further His kingdom on earth

Though historical fiction may not be what particularly interests you – there are many Christian books and resources that can further your spiritual walk.  I encourage you to explore these to see how enriching they can be.  Pages & Prayers Bookstore inside DeWitt Redeemer Church is one place (but certainly not the only) where you can discover not only Christian fiction, but Bible studies, Christian Living, parenting, devotionals and much more.