From the Pastor

August 2008

Time and time again, I hear people say that youth are the future of the Church. I could not disagree more.

Youth are the Church—right here and right now. When we nurture our youth here at Holy Redeemer, we are teaching them about the faith in order to equip them to be active and faithful disciples for their whole lives. We serve as examples for them—all of us, not just pastors, parents, and baptismal sponsors.

Our youth have wonderful gifts and talents, and with encouragement, they use these things in some amazing ways. The youth of Holy Redeemer lead worship, they play instruments and sing in worship, the older ones encourage the younger ones, and they volunteer their time in service to others.

I was delighted to have so many of our young people take part in the recent opportunities we had to serve in our community. We were able to help with some flood relief in so many different ways, and it was great to see them all pitch in and help.

Thank you for all the ways YOU nurture and encourage our youth! Please take the time to speak with them. Ask them about their lives and share some of yours with them. As we look ahead to the next ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans in July 2009, now is the perfect time to get to know some of our high school youth, and to support this upcoming trip through your prayers and donations.

You are also always welcome to come to WinGS and take the opportunity to see what some of our youth are up to on Wednesday nights. Or…take a chance and become a Confirmation mentor! Opportunities abound to nurture our youth, which is part of what we as a congregation promise to do each time we participate in a Baptism. They will remember that someone took the time to talk to them, their future discipleship will be strengthened, and you will be enriched by the experience.

In Christ,
Pastor Brenda