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  Redeemer Life

October 2012 Issue 38
FG header
One Fellowship Group in action!

Hi, Redeemer Hoboken!

 

With the arrival of fall and the start of the new ministry year, it's time once again to focus on Fellowship Groups! FG Sunday is next weekend, and this newsletter focuses on the role of FGs in our church. 

 

In this newsletter, you'll find:  

  • a list of upcoming events,
  • Pastor Tony's reflections on the Congregational Meeting
  • testimonies about Fellowship Groups,
  • an announcement about children's ministry, 
  • and information about church finances.

Enjoy! And please let me know if there's anything you'd like to read or write about in an upcoming newsletter.  

 

headshot of Jenny Bellik

Sincerely,

 

Jenny Bellik    

Communications Coordinator

Redeemer Hoboken

[email protected] 

 

 

 

 

What RH Members Are Saying About
Fellowship Groups 
 

"I've always been amazed that the Bible always speaks to me in different ways at different points in my life. So even if I have read the gospel of Johnmany times, it speaks to me now in different ways. I think it works that way in small groups too. That's the amazing thing about studying the Bible in community versus just doing it on your own. I am always learning new things from new people." 

 

moms group

 

"Fellowship Groups are a great place to connect to the people that you worship with on Sundays!"  

 

"It's a consistent time for fellowship, prayer and learning about the Bible. I appreciate the friendships made more and more as time goes by."  

 

emily fg

 

"I have gained knowledge of scripture, seen firsthand Christ in others, and have found a great support system."  

 

"It has become a time of the week I look forward to. Meeting with like minded people, learning more about our beliefs, and sharing our burdens."


--collected by Jenn Groff
Upcoming Events 
  • 10/14: Fellowship Group Sunday
  • 10/19: ISI Dinner & Bible study, 6:30-8:30  
  • 10/19: Social Event at Masina, 7pm  
  • 10/28: Children's Ministry informational session 
  • 10/28: James 5 Service, 6pm   
  • 11/2-4: Women's Retreat 
  • 11/9-11: Men's Retreat 
For details, see Church Calendar or Church Announcements.

Scripture

 Current Sermon Series: "God Is..."

"Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
(John 14:6)    
Announcement from Children's Ministry

 Policy Guide, training, and informational session

We've recently revised our policies and procedures for the children's ministry and held a training session for all childcare work
ers and  teachers last Sunday, September  30th.  We're also hosting an important informational session regarding these
kids at apple picking
policies and procedures for parents on Sunday, October 28, following the service.  During this meeting, we'll also review the responsibilities for those serving as assistants in our classrooms.  Lunch and childcare will be pro vided.  Hope to see you there!
--Rachel Chan
 
Last Month at Redeemer Hoboken

Apple Picking at Masters Orchards

  An assortment of people picked apples together on a damp Saturday at the end of September, during an outing organized by Rachel Chan. "The kids enjoyed the luxury of throwing the apples," Rachel says.

apple picking family
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Congregational Meeting: Tony's Reflections 
 

Our recent Congregational meeting was my favorite so far, a jewel of a meeting revealing what I love best about our church: its sense of shared ministry and purpose. At that meeting:  

  • we presented to you our church's ministry leaders;  
  • we fed you and provided childcare (always a good idea);  
  • we gave you a budget that will support those leaders for the upcoming year;  
  • and then we did something we haven't done before-- 

--we asked you to help us to discern God's will for what comes next for our church.

 

Asking a large group of people an open-ended question is risky; it is easy for a meeting to get sidetracked and devolve into an unharmonious chorus of pet peeves, conflicted agendas and soapbox diatribes. Thankfully, and in strong contrast, I thought our meeting had a distinct underlying sweetness and unity to it. What struck me was the basic harmony within our church, your shared desire to see it grow and flourish, and a strong sense of your support for our existing leaders.

 

The Elders took notes on all your comments and we have compiled all your written notes, for which we are grateful.  

 

Our intention, in broad outline, is to begin a process this Fall which starts with Elders praying together through all your ideas and comments, grows to include the input and prayers of all Redeemer's leaders and members and culminates in a church wide retreat sometime in the New Year where we share what we believe we are hearing from God.  

 

A church that is willing to take risks to listen for God's voice is a beautiful thing. I am proud and honored to be your pastor.
--Tony Hinchliff 
Life Outside of the Sunday Service: Fellowship Groups
:
A Coordinator's Testimony about the Power of Fellowship Groups

My name is Jenn Groff, and I have been a Fellowship Group Coordinator at Redeemer Hoboken for a several years. I have always been passionate about Fellowship Groups.  

Jenn Groff headshot

 

The community of Fellowship Groups and leaders who have invested in me has had the greatest impact on my life as a believer. When I think about my faith journey, the first faces that come to mind are women in college who spent hours week after week meeting me for a meal, talking to me about practical implications of the gospel in my life and praying for me. Cherie, the woman who discipled me during me senior year of college, was instrumental in helping me understand my ministry gifts. She helped me realize that whatever my career path was to be, I needed to set up a life of ministry, and God can use my gifts in a variety of ways.

 

During my senior year of college I prayed for the Lord's direction about the next step for me. I was living in North Carolina, and was finishing up my degree in Elementary Education. I was passionate about children's education and also had a real desire to disciple women. I went to a conference about missions-it was a long weekend where I was invited to look at job descriptions all over the world and see if any of them seemed like a good fit for me. I stumbled across one ad asking for a Kindergarten teacher who would also be willing to disciple high school girls...in Costa Rica. Sold! I couldn't wait to get back to campus and tell Cherie about this opportunity. She was so excited for me, and she just so happened to have a friend, Andrew Groff, who had studied abroad in Costa Rica, so she put me in touch with him. He ended up being a great contact, and a few years later, a great husband!

 

Small groups and discipleship were a big focus for me during the two years I spent in Costa Rica, and when I moved to Hoboken in 2003, that focus continued. Andrew and I have been involved with several Fellowship Groups as they have evolved over the years, and I really enjoy my role as one of the coordinators of Fellowship Groups.

 

I love that our church was founded as a Fellowship Group and that we continue to keep them as a focus of who we are as a church. Fellowship Groups offer us opportunities to encounter the gospel, pray for each other, be known, and care for others. If you would like more information about getting involved in a Fellowship Group, please contact me at [email protected].  

--by Jenn Groff
A History of Fellowship Groups

A Founding Member Remembers

 

Jenn Groff: I wanted to know more about the history of fellowship groups at Redeemer Hoboken, so I asked Jason Battaglia (one of Redeemer Hoboken's founding members) to tell me more about how it all began. Here's what he had to say:

 

"In the fall of 1997, I got plugged into a Redeemer New York fellowship group that met in Hoboken. They were getting too big (25 or so) to continue meeting in one group, so they had their first "multiplication" shortly after I joined the group. Seeing the interest in Hoboken growing, Redeemer NY began making plans to plant a church soon thereafter. Redeemer Hoboken launched in 1999, and Tony Hinchliff (who was the Fellowship Group Director of Redeemer NY) became our pastor in 2003."

--Jason Battaglia 

 

Church Nitty-Gritty

Budget, Giving, and Session Minutes

 

We want you to be able to understand and participate in every aspect of church life. To that end, the newsletter includes  

  • minutes from the last meeting of the Session (elders) [link to pdf]
  • an update on recent giving relative to the church's budget [see graph below],  
  • and a summary of the church budget [link to pdf].  
budget/giving chart final

As always, please contact an elder if you have any questions.