Our elders, deacons and staff want to serve Redeemer well. To help us determine how we can serve our church family well, we have put together very short survey that we would love for you to take. 

How can we help you grow?

First of all, this survey is anonymous. So please answer the questions honestly so the data is accurate. We are looking for answers that reflect the general pattern of your life. We recognize that this past week or month may not reflect what is “normal”. With that said, answer in a way that reflects what is most “normal” for you. Our hope is to get accurate responses so that we can be more helpful in resourcing our church, with the ultimate goal of us looking more like Jesus.

No matter what your answers to the survey are, rest in Jesus' accomplished work on your behalf.

Secondly, rest in Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, your identity and worth is in Jesus, not in how you respond to this survey.

The survey will take you no more then three minutes of your time. So please click the follow Spiritual Survey Link and get started. 

This week’s post is by Brandon Adent, a deacon at Redeemer Church. He likes music, words, and words about music.

Hey Redeemer,

I have the honor and privilege to get to serve you as a musician, and I love it.

No matter how many times I’ve been through the songs in a given week, there’s something unique and special that happens when we all sing these songs together, and that’s a major reason I love serving the way I do.

I just love hearing you sing. There’s a couple reasons for that, but one in particular that I really want to highlight.

Up and Out

When we gather to sing, we do so in a few “directions”. I mean, they all resolve “up”, but there’s a few ways to get there.

First, as I mentioned, there’s a direct “upward” orientation to our singing; we sing directly to God, praising Him for who He is and thanking Him for what He's done.

Second, there’s an “outward” orientation. This is when people that don't know Jesus get to overhear our praises, not just in the words of the songs we sing, but in how we sing them. Hopefully, they get to hear changed hearts in raised voices, hearts that cry out “Abba, Father” (Gal 4.4-6). Hopefully, they see the goodness and grace He has extended in the gift of His Son and join their changed hearts and voices to ours as family in Jesus.

Singing Inward

In addition to “upward” and “outward” singing, there’s an “inward” orientation to our singing as well, where we get to encourage our sisters and brothers in Christ in our praise to God.

The Apostle Paul writes in the letter to the Colossians:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3.16)

One of the main reasons I love hearing you sing, from the platform or not, is that we all get to hear “the word of Christ” dwelling in us richly. On the surface, we're "just" a bunch of people singing. But united in our songs and praises to God, when we consider the Holy Spirit moving in our hearts and causing us to worship Him, we realize that something profound is occurring in the ordinary.

I get to lift my voice with you to sing and hear that God is holy, holy, holy, whose glory sinful people can’t see apart from Jesus.

I get to sing and hear where your hope is built, and on Whom you stand and are secure, though we’re prone to wander and leave the God we love.

In the midst of my frailty, I get to sing and hear of God’s amazing grace, that He would bear my cross, that He’d lay down His life so I could be set free.

I get to hear about the cross, the empty tomb, the risen and ascended Lamb, His victory over Satan, sin and death. That forever He is glorified, forever He is lifted High.

And when things don’t seem to be going so well, I know that before His throne I have a strong and perfect plea.

All these things remind me who God is, who I am, and what He’s done for me in the gift of His Son.

Our singing gives glory to our Father in heaven, and strengthens and encourages us until either when His Son returns or our time on this planet is done.

All that said, thank you.

Thank you for singing. It is deeply encouraging to me as I try to figure out what it looks like to love and serve Jesus.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really like to hear you sing.

 

Each week, Redeemer is going to post 2 blog posts each week from a dear family who has been a part of the Redeemer Church family for years who moved to Africa to do medical education for 9 months. The Sund Family, Greg, Stephanie, Ella, Biniyam, and Mekdes have lived in Burundi for the last 8 months and we wanted you to be up-to-date on all that they are doing and all that is happening in Africa.

Below is the Sund's blog post in September from Africa called "Well Sent". You can find more blogs from there personal blog here > Beyond Our Backdoor 

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One thing about our time in Burundi that I don’t feel like we have properly addressed yet is that fact that behind our family coming here are a great number of people back home who sent us.  We were sent in many ways and by many people.  And I am sure many of the people reading this blog are the same people who provided for us with financial donations, prayers and words of encouragement as well as support in many other ways.  Here are some of the ways in which we were “well sent”.

1. Many people donated generous financial gifts to help our family with the cost of airfare, visas, malaria meds and countless other pieces of this trip.  We are deeply grateful for all of your support.
2. My anesthesia group (Bellingham Anesthesia Associates) gave me the nine month sabbatical to make this trip a reality.  Our CEO also worked on many pieces required for this trip to come to fruition, including health insurance, credentialing paperwork and malpractice insurance issues.
3. Our children’s teachers in Bellingham were generous with their time in helping prepare our family for this time and specifically for helping Stephanie prepare to enter the world of homeschooling.
4. My band back in Bellingham “Runaway Truck Ramp” hosted a surprise party/fundraiser for the hospital here in Kibuye.  It was such a wonderful time with friends from work and our local church attending and giving generously toward the Kibuye hospital expansion project (https://www.whm.org/project/details?ID=19170)
5. The staff at the hospital where I work  threw another party two nights before we left for Burundi and took up a collection for our trip.  Again, we felt so deeply loved by the thought and effort that went into these two parties.
6. The hospital where I work also donated many supplies which I was able to bring with me to use in our work here.  We have already started using the ear tubes!
7. Our friend Ethan volunteered his time and skills as a real estate agent to help us rent our house while we are away.
8. As we were driving toward the airport on our way to Burundi, our dear friend Kim stood with her son Harper on the overpass by our house with a giant sign saying “We love you to Burundi and back!”.  
9. My parents have provided much support for us in many ways, one of which was allowing us to move in with them for the six weeks prior to our departure while our house was being rented.  
10. We have received many e-mails, phone calls and other personal messages of support and encouragement in the weeks and months leading up to our departure.
11. The week before we left, the elders of our local church (Redeemer) had a going away party for us.
12. And on our final Sunday in Bellingham, our church family (Redeemer Church) gathered around us, laid their hands on us and prayed for our family and for God’s work in Burundi. (redeemernw.org)

There are many other ways we were blessed by our friends and family and we want to again say, thank you, thank you, thank you.  We truly feel loved.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers .... Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:16,18)