In the wake of the shooting of Woburn Police Officer Robert DeNapoli and in rememberance of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Redeemer partnered with local clergy, community leaders, and elected officials to host the Woburn Unites Candlelight Vigil on Woburn Common.  An estimated 200 people gathered to express support of our police and first responders. The prayers, blessings, and readings reminded us that, as it says in Psalm 45, "God is in the midst of the city."

This summer Redeemer member, Katie Osweiler, won a national video contest about what it means to live Lutheran. In her award-winning video Katie reflects that the life of faith is not all that different. Actually, they are totally intertwined. Enjoy!

At their recent lock-in, our Youth Group created two videos for the ELCA Living Lutheran video contest.  Contestants are asked what it means to them to "live Lutheran" and to be "freed to serve" others. Learn more on our Youth Group Page!

On Sunday, June 12th Redeemer will welcome The Reverend Laura Everett, Associate Director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, as our guest preacher and presider.  June 12th marks the observance of the Day of Pentecost in the Christian calendar - the day when we celebrate the birth of the church, as told in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

On that day, the Holy Spirit fell on people of all lands and cultures and gathered them together into one church, the Body of Christ. Thus, Pentecost has long been a day to celebrate the great diversity of the church - something that is central to Laura's work with the Mass Council.

One of the viral hits of this past holiday season is this YouTube video of a flash mob singing the Hallelujah Chorus in an Ontario mall food court.· It’s fun, beautiful, and has moved many to tears.· I love it because it breaks down our notions the sacred and the profane - and the false divisions we erect between them.

In December Redeemer welcomed Katie Osweiler as our new Director of Youth and Family Ministry. Katie is an experienced and passionate youth ministry leader, with experience in several congregations. She first visited Redeemer as a newcomer to the area earlier this fall, and saw that our youth ministry could flourish with more support. After conversations with Pastor Keith, youth and their families, and congregational leaders, Katie offered to head up our youth program as a volunteer.

Our church Council accepted her offer, with gratitude for her donated time and expertise. As Director of Youth and Family Ministry, Katie's main focus will be on the education, spiritual development, and faith formation of high school youth.

One of my favorite books about Communion is called Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion by Sara Miles.  It was about her own first communion at the age of forty-six.

Miles was raised by atheist parents, she worked as a chef, then as a journalist and war correspondent. She was happily non-religious, and then one morning for reasons hard to explain, she walked into a church on a Sunday morning and had communion and it completely changed her life.