While most churches scurry . . .
in East Falls, there’s no hurry
Redeemer members passed our locked church for the fifth Christmas and gathered into the welcoming home of one of our members to celebrate Christmas together.
It will be the fifth “bleak” midwinter in East Falls locked out of the church—but we had a wonderful time catching up. As usual, much of the world was represented even in our small group. Our Christmas chatter included talk of how Christmas is celebrated in England (the youngsters opened “crackers”) and in the Mideast and Africa. We spent no time remembering Christmas past at Redeemer because we live in the present. Our ministry today counts. Many of our members will be traveling in the new year. Several have new jobs or business ventures. We are still the talented, eclectic and diverse community the ELCA doesn’t know what to do with while they try to establish diversity on their terms.
The direction of 2×2 was discussed. We grew threefold this year. We now have a community of more than 200 daily readers and we are still just starting. We already have the widest reach of any congregation in SEPA Synod. By the end of next year we may have the largest reach of any church in the ELCA! And they think we don’t exist!
One of Redeemer’s remarkable traits is the ability to build on the interests of the present. That hasn’t changed. The young people spoke of their interest in archery. Out came two bows and lessons on how to hold the bow and draw the string. It’s safe, SEPA. We didn’t get out the arrows!
Redeemer is still a fascinating Christian community.
So, while other churches rush to create a typical Christmas Eve experience for typical people who look for a typical church to attend on Christmas Eve, Redeemer is already moving into the new year. We are eager to see if the Epiphany Season presents the Lutherans of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—an epiphany! We’re betting that the point of Christmas will be lost. Again.