It’s been a active summer - by Rod Kalajainen

On July 1, I began my 28th year as your Pastor - my 38th year overall in the West Michigan Annual Conference. We had another successful run of Monday night worship services – averaging 92 over the first 13 weeks.

I continued to meet with pastors and leaders from various churches in both West Michigan and Detroit Annual Conferences – serving as a Ministry Coach and Consultant.

Our youngest daughter, Whitney, was married here at Redeemer on August 14. And we welcomed Stephen along with Logan and Raelyn into our family. Jan and I celebrated 40 years of marriage on August 23. 

I spent a week at Christian Athletic Camp (CAC) – a sports camp for over 200 middle school and high school youth and 40+ staff – that I have been involved in either as a coach or administrator for 37 years. I’ve been asked why I’m still involved.

I wish all of you reading this could experience CAC. Then you would understand completely. It is very rewarding – not only to see what God has been able to do over the years because of strong leadership and a dedicated staff to bring life change to so many students – but to have had a part in it. God’s hand has truly been on this ministry.

Jan and I have been reflecting lately on how blessed our lives are. We are busy and we’re at the age when many people think it’s time to slow down. But for us, being involved in building the Kingdom of God is still our top priority. We want to make the most of the time God has given us…and there is no greater investment of our time and energy than to “Connect people with the love and life of Jesus Christ.”

Witness the Change - by Jack Hanneman

With summer coming to a close and Welcome Weekend (September 13th) inching closer here at Redeemer, some exciting things have been happening here this summer. From kids and adults returning from several summer camps (Christian Athletic Camp, Haiti, Wesley Woods, as well as our adult mission trip to Kentucky) and all the exciting stories. Changes have also been occurring within the church, with the expansion of our adult ministry room / conference room, and fresh coats of paint, to the new carpeting in the sanctuary coming soon. And, we must not overlook all the wonderful outreach programs, which are all made possible because of our generous congregation. We are truly blessed. So come join us for our Welcome Weekend celebration and invite your friends. Witness the changes God has made here at Redeemer.

How’s Your Garden? - by Sue Campbell

In the past few years, I’ve become more interesting in gardening.  I love digging around in the dirt to find the right balance of color, height, and texture of flowers.  This summer, it’s occurred to me that I’m seeing a lot of analogies between creating a more beautiful garden and keeping life in balance.  For instance, every spring, I look forward to the ground warming up and plants starting to sprout, just as it seems my spiritual and physical energy is renewed.  

I get excited about buying annuals and adding to perennials, just like planning new summer activities and tweaking family traditions.  As spring goes into summer, things start to heat up – the plants in the garden take off in a spurt of growth and we jump into full weeknights and weekends. 

Everything’s humming along and then the weeds in my garden start showing up.  Sometimes I’m not even sure something IS a weed, so I let grow until I can tell.  Similar to what happens in my daily routine – I let some things distract me or throw me off balance ---just a little ‘sin’ – seemingly innocent.  Just like my garden, I’ll get to those ‘weeds’ when I can – when I’m not so busy, when I feel like it… 

But, just like when my garden seems dry or cluttered with weeds, when I’ve missed worship, my daily devotion or prayer time with God, I can tell that my soul needs some tending to as well - some spiritual watering and pruning of some of those distractions that are pulling me off center.  Time to spend time on what really matters.  That’s when it all comes together.  When I take the time to water, prune and weed, the real beauty of my garden shines.  I can see the uniqueness and fragile strength of each flower and how together they reflect the brilliance of God’s creation. 

That’s how it is with me - when I keep my ‘weeds’ in check and my soul refreshed with a balance of reading, prayer and worship – I can appreciate God’s abundant blessings and be better equipped to reflect His glory and love to others.