February2013
A monthly publication of redeemer bible church
event calendar details, details don’t miss out!
get involved Chop! chop! Do something
Financial update
word oF god page 4
ready
reach release
page 5
get the facts! by the numbers
q & A with
John Sweet missions director
Gospel Missions the
changes
The gospel is the good news of what God has done for us through His son, Jesus. When God created the world, He created us in His image to rule the earth under His authority. Instead, through Adam who represented us, we preferred to be the rulers ourselves and rebelled against God by breaking His command. Because of that, God brought about consequences, namely death and hell, for people who are rebels, which is all of us. But because God is loving, He didn’t choose to forget His creation, of which we are a part. Instead, He decided to remake it. He chose to remake everything through Jesus Christ, the eternal son of God who became man. Jesus was the one who lived the life we ought to have lived, and died the death we deserved to die, so that, if we put our faith and trust in Him, turning from our sins and our rebellion, He remakes us new. He remakes our vision for the world and enables us to fulfill our calling in the world. Through Jesus, God is restoring everything.
contents February
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vision update
5 6
meditate
Redeemer’s vision for transforming the Twin Cities for the gospel by 2030.
Why the word Bible is in our name and our commitment to the Word of God as a church.
event calendar
Stay in the loop! Don’t miss out on upcoming events at RBC!
8 Photo courtsey of ClearlySeen.org // © Bill Walsh
Welcome We are a church with a mission. Our mission is to proclaim, embody, and enjoy the gospel of Jesus Christ so that unbelievers are convinced of the gospel, believers are built up in the gospel, and culture is transformed by the gospel to the glory of God. Because the gospel is at our heart, we want all that we say and do as a church to honor and reflect Christ. Part of that includes making sure you are able to consistently and clearly know the vision and direction of Redeemer. That’s where Momentum comes in. On the first Sunday of every month, everyone will receive a copy and be able to stay connected to the pulse of Redeemer. Inside each monthly issue, you will find a meditation from Pastor Glenn, an update on the church’s vision goals, and learn more about a different ministry. You’ll also read about where you can help serve and get involved, as well as be updated on things like church finances, new members, and church activities and programs throughout the month. Redeemer is a church on the move, and it’s the gospel that is moving it forward. The gospel is our passion, our motivation, our moving force. It’s our momentum.
q & A with john sweet
Go behind the scenes with John Sweet as he talks about the missions ministry at Redeemer.
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get involved
Get plugged in! Redeemer needs your help.
11
Financial update
Get an update on our Expanding Our Gospel Vision Program.
credits Design/Direction: Chuck Forsberg Content Manager: Lorie Schnell Writer: Brittney Westin Copy Editor: Anne Lynn Cover Photo: Bill Walsh
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
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vision update
ready
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re l ease
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by 2030 by r w glenn
REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
When you’re working to realize a vision for the future, especially a long-term vision like ours, it is easy to get overwhelmed at the sheer length of time involved. It’s one thing to dream a dream to be realized over 20 years from now; it’s quite another to know where to start. There is an answer to the question about where to begin. And it’s found in that old, proverbial Q & A about consuming pachyderms: Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bite at a time. The first thing you need is a basic strategy. We get ours from Matt 28:19-20, where the Risen Christ gives the church our marching orders: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” From this text, we can discern three prongs to Jesus’ strategy to transform the people of the Twin Cities into his disciples: Reach, Ready, and Release. 1. Reach. Jesus commands us to go. Not to stay. Not to rest on our laurels. Not to wait for the people of the Twin Cities to come to us. Therefore, our call is to reach non-Christians with the gospel of grace that they might become committed followers of Jesus Christ.
2. Ready. What do you do with the folks you reach? Well, you have to develop them, equip them, or, as Jesus puts it here in Matthew 28, you have to teach them to observe everything he commands us, beginning with baptism. Readying the people we reach, therefore, is the clear second prong of Jesus’ strategy to save the world. 3. Release. The third prong is an entailment of the first. Our mandate is to teach people to observe all that Jesus commanded, including the command to go! This is why we chose the word “Ready” for the second component of Christ’s strategy, rather than something like “Equip” or “Develop.” While “Ready” implies equipping and developing Christians, it also carries the connotation of preparation – being prepared to be released into the world as gospel pace-setters. So as we look to 2030, pray that our church would fulfill our mandate to Reach, Ready, and Release the people of the Twin Cities for the glory of the grace of God, and for the good of the people Jesus loves. //RBC
meditate
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by r w glenn Redeemer Bible Church hasn’t always been called Redeemer. Once upon a time, it was called Maranatha Bible Church. Then it became Woodland Hills Bible Church. And after I arrived in 2002, because we shared our name with another church with which we were getting more and more confused, we became Redeemer Bible Church. Betty Cooper, one of our founding members, observed that even though we’ve had three first names, we’ve always had the same middle name – Bible. And we’re glad for this. But we’re not committed to orienting our life and ministry around the Bible because we see the Scriptures as an end in themselves. We love the Bible because the Bible relentlessly points outside itself to the Person who loved us and gave himself up for us, Jesus Christ (see Luke 24:27, 44-49). Another way of saying it is that we value the word of God because the word of God is the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, our commitment as a church is to teach, preach, and apply God’s word to every heart and in every circumstance that we may know our Savior more and more intimately. //RBC
REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
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THE GOSPEL
THE GOSPEL
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
word of god
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
6
February sun
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MON
4
morning Worship | 9 & 11 AM redemption | Youth Sunday School 9 AM
TUE
WED
5
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women’s book study 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
redemption | Youth Group 6:45 PM wednesday worship 7 PM
no community groups
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event calendar
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morning worship | 9 & 11 AM redemption | Youth Sunday School 9 AM
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women’s book study 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
sunday school training 5:30 PM redemption | Youth Group 6:45 PM
newcomer’s lunch 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
wednesday worship 7 PM
Evening worship | 6:00 PM REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
no community groups
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baptism sunday | 9 AM morning worship | 9 & 11 AM (Including the Lord’s Table)
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women’s book study 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
redemption | Youth Group 6:45 PM wednesday worship 7 PM
redemption | Youth Sunday School 9 AM community groups | Various Times
24 morning worship | 9 & 11 AM redemption | Youth Sunday School 9 AM community groups | Various Times lost & found clean out | Items left will be donated to charity.
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women’s book study 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
redemption | Youth Group 6:45 PM wednesday worship 7 PM
Details, details. THU
FRI 1 an evening of worship 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
sAT 2 ice castle tour 6:30 PM
an evening of worship 7 PM-8:30 PM | Meets in Church Auditorium Evening worship concert with Jake Armerding, David Ward, and Ben Rosenbush. Tickets: at the door or http://www.thousandtongues.org/tickets
Friday
FEB 1
ice castle tour
6:30 PM | Meets at Mall of America | Hilltoppers (40’s, 50’s, 60’s +), you are invited to a fun social event at the Ice Castles at Mall of America. RSVP & tickets: yorkp711@yahoo.com or 952.473.5196
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women’s book study 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
FEB 2
Saturday
9 baby shower for cali! 10:30 AM snow tubing day 3:00 PM
baby shower for cali 10:30 AM | Meets in Kathy Schwandt’s Home, 15810 Seaton Place Minnetonka, MN 55345 | Redeemer ladies, The Minnetonka Community Group wants to invite you to come join them for brunch and to share in Cali’s joy as she prepares for a little girl or boy!
Saturday 14
15
FEB 9
snow tubing day
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3 PM | Elm Creek Reserve, Maple Grove & RBC Fellowship Hall | RBC family, you are invited to an afternoon of snow tubing. Dinner will follow at 6 PM in the RBC Fellowship Hall. RSVP: kirsten@ redeemerbiblechurch.com or 952.935.2425
women’s book study 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Saturday
FEB 9
newcomer’s lunch 21
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1:00 - 2:30 PM | Attend the next Newcomer’s Lunch at the Glenns’ Home. Please RSVP with Laurie Summers at lsummers@redeemerbiblechurch.com.
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Ladies night 7:00 - 8:30 PM
Sunday
FEB 10
sunday school training 5:30 PM | Church Building | The Children’s Ministry has a mandatory Training Session for RBC Sunday School Teachers and Shepherds titled: Including the Gospel in Every Lesson, taught by Debbie Hansen. The meeting will include a light dinner and breakout sessions for each specific age-group.
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Wednesday
women’s book study 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
FEB 13
Ladies night
7 PM - 8:30 PM | Church Building Breakout sessions: 1. The Sovereignty of God; taught by Debbie Hansen. 2. Shepherding a Child’s Heart; taught by Kara Beck. 3. Vintage Skills & Fellowship
Thursday Photos taken by Josh Hway
FEB 21
REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
8
q&a with
missions
director
John Sweet
Photo courtsey of ClearlySeen.org // Š Bill Walsh
interviewed by brittney westin
9
We currently have six supported missionaries: - Mike and Helen Wicker serve the continent of Africa, primarily through a leadership academy for African pastors; - Marty Pagano Jr. and his wife, Selena, serve in Asia with EFCA; - Ed and Kelly Boehm also serve in Asia through Wycliffe Bible Translators; - Sky and Michelle Taing are another couple serving in Asia; - Jai Pandy and his wife, Lotta, serve in Fellowship Bible Church in India; - Karise Pagano, our newest missionary, is serving in Sicily, Italy with a missions support team. Besides supporting our missionaries financially, what are other ways we can offer them our support? As the missions team, one of the most important things we feel we can do is establish a connection between the Redeemer congregation and the missionaries out in the field. We want our congregation to know who our missionaries are, where they are, and what their goals are. Besides financially, we envision this support coming to them through prayer, which is the most important thing. We also want to establish relationships between the Redeemer congregation and our missionaries out in the field through writing. And when our missionaries are home on furlough, we really want to welcome them into the Redeemer congregation and extend a great deal of hospitality to them too.
There are two criteria that we use when choosing missionaries. The first is that we want to focus on unreached people groups that are defined as unreached by the Joshua Project, which is a website that catalogs the people of the earth by how much they’ve been reached with the gospel. We want our missionaries to be focused on a people group that we would consider to be unreached. Second, we are focused on establishing a stronger connection with a fewer number of missionaries. In the last year, we’ve gone from supporting ten missionaries to supporting six. The reason why we’ve done that is because we really felt
like we were spread too thin, and we want the missionaries we support to have a real connection to the Redeemer congregation. What are the para-church ministries that RBC supports and why were those specific ministries chosen? There is one para-church ministry that we support called The Gospel Coalition International Outreach, which is an extension of the Gospel Coalition. Basically, what they do is take books that are written primarily by U.S. theologians, like John Piper and D.A. Carson, and they translate them into different languages. They say their mission is theological famine relief. There just isn’t good teaching in many of these foreign languages so the translation of good, solid theological books is really needed. We decided to support them because we know that we’re in agreement with them theologically, and our leadership at Redeemer has benefitted immensely from the people who have written the books that are in the Gospel Coalition. We felt like it would be a huge benefit to be able to provide those resources to pastors in other countries. What makes you personally excited about the missions ministry at RBC? The most exciting thing to me about our Missions Ministry is to be able to witness from a ten-thousand foot perspective God’s plan coming to fruition in the world. If you go onto the Joshua project website, you can basically look at the world from a standpoint of who has heard the gospel and who hasn’t. It’s exciting to me to see from a global perspective how the Lord is moving in the world to further His plan. Also, the aspect of being personally connected with the people who are really on the front lines of bringing the gospel to these unreached people is exciting. I love hearing the stories of how they minister to people in other countries and meet the needs of these people. In what ways have you seen the Lord working through this ministry? The Lord has raised up a person from within the congregation, Karise Pagano, who is on fire for the Lord and for getting out into the mission field. The last time we’ve had a person actually from the Redeemer congregation be sent out into missions was quite some time ago. It might even be twenty years. The Lord is really working in the life of Karise and has put it on her heart to enter the mission field, so that’s really exciting! //RBC
“The most exciting thing to me about our Missions Ministry is to be able to witness from a ten - thousand foot perspective God’s plan coming to fruition in the world.” REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
What criteria are used to determine if RBC will support a certain missionary?
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
Who are the missionaries RBC supports and in what countries are they serving?
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
10
Get Involved
chop! chop!
Volunteer postions available
DOsomething
Graphic Designers Video Editors Description: Designers must know Adobe Creative Suite and have their own software. Hours: Flexible
Description: Creatively edit footage for use on RBC website, social media, and in services. Responsibilities: 1. Coordinate the production of various promo videos for conferences, sermon series, events, and outreach tools. 2. Work with videographer to capture needed footage. 3. Work under the direction of the Media Director to establish a look and feel for the final cut. 4. Edit footage using Adobe Premier or Final Cut into production quality videos. Hours Per Week: 2-5
Videographers Description: Record footage for various video needs, such as promos for sermon series, events, evangelism tools.
REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
Responsibilities: 1. Work under the direction of the Media Director and Video Editors to capture footage necessary for the production of promotional videos. 2. Successfully shoot said footage and get it in the hands of the editors in a timely manner. Hours Per Week: Depends on project
Church Pageantry Coordinator Description: Select and prepare material for presentation to church. Responsibilities: 1. Select and coordinate a team. 2. Prayer for your team. Hours Per Week/Month: Varies
numbers
financial update
MOMENTUM // FEBRUARY 2013
by the
11
DEC YTD Expanding our Gospel Vision Program
General Giving Fund FORECAST
AWAITING COMMITMENTS GIVING EXPENSES
COMMITMENTS RECEIVED
$ 1,791,623 | 82.2% FORECAST
AWAITING
GIVING RECEIVED
EXPENSES
$ 234,019 $ 260,131 $ 256,084
REDEEMER BIBLE CHURCH // The gospel changes everything
$ 423,770 | 17.8%
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SUNDAY FEB 10 | APR 7 | MAY 5
1 to 2:30 PM Photo courtsey of ClearlySeen.org // © Bill Walsh