Pastor’s Corner October 2007

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

The dedication of a church building marks an important moment in the life of a church- it represents a time of new vitality and life for worship, instruction, fellowship and mission.

It was June of 2006 when ground was broken to begin the construction of Redeemer’s new sanctuary. So it is, that
October 7, 2007 will be the day the completed sanctuary will be fully dedicated to the glory of God. This final dedicatory act will be the culmination of a weekend of celebration.

The act of dedicating a sanctuary dates back to the time of Solomon’s Temple. Dedications specifically for church buildings began happening in the early fourth century A.D. after Constantine legalized Christianity. Such dedications serve to set a particular place apart for a precise purpose. In the life of Redeemer, the weekend of October 6-7 will be a special time to dedicate the new sanctuary to the glory of God. I sincerely hope you will join us Saturday night and Sunday morning for this once-in-a-church’s-lifetime event. We can add a few more last minute attendees, so please call the church office before October 4th if you are not yet signed up.

Here’s a rundown of the weekend’s events:

Dedication Dinner and Service on Saturday, October 6 at 6:00 PM
• A catered, buffet-style dinner will be served at 6:00 pm in the gymnasium. This will be a “Dressy Casual” dinner.
• Special guests like our founding pastor, Mike Milton, will be in attendance, as well as various participants in the construction of the new sanctuary.
• There will be testimonies from various members of Redeemer throughout the evening.
• Two pictorial presentations will be shown during the evening- one is a historical look at the people of Redeemer, the other depicts the process of constructing the new sanctuary from beginning to end.
• After dinner, there will be a short dedication service in the sanctuary.

The cost of the dinner will be covered by your donations. Suggested donation is $15 for adults and $10 for children. If you cannot give this amount, please give what you can.

Dedication Brunch on Sunday morning, October 7 at 9:45 AM
• For this special day, instead of Sunday School, we will have a church-wide brunch in the gymnasium.
• The pictorial presentations will be shown again during the brunch. (See food assignments on page 2 of newsletter).

Worship Service with final building dedication on Sunday, October 7 at 11:00 AM
• As part of the regular Divine Service of Covenant Renewal, there will be a special dedication litany for the new sanctuary.
• Our founding pastor, Michael Milton (current Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, TN) will be our guest preacher.

In the Lamb,
Pastor Tony Felich