Vestry Papers March/April 2010 Bonus Article

Newcomers from Far and Wide
by Elizabeth Grover

At the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati, we have just completed the celebration of our centennial year. Founded in 1908 by a young seminarian named Max Long, this parish has grown to one of the largest in the Diocese of Southern Ohio – and one that continues to welcome even more newcomers from near and far. Our mission statement tells of this intention: We invite all to know and love Jesus as part of our faith community and to reach out with love and support to those in need. 

 Reflecting on our centennial, we speculated that those who attended the first service at Redeemer most likely walked to this neighborhood church. They probably lived close by, since they heard about the service from a handout on the street. Now, one hundred years later, we continue to draw lots of neighbors. Over 40% of our mailing list is in the church’s 45208 zip code. Many others used to live nearby and continue to attend after their move to the ‘burbs.                             

 However, some of our parishioners – even newcomers – live quite far from Redeemer. You might think that because of the distance, these folks don’t get as involved. But one parishioner’s family lives in Lebanon (28 miles from church), and she is a chalicist. Another who lives in Mason (19 miles) is on the Altar Guild and the Flower Guild. And the Campbells – who live 37 miles away in Hamilton – were newcomers in 2005 and now faithfully travel to Redeemer for Bob to be both a lector and an usher! How did they come to Redeemer from so far away? And why did they stay? The Campbells were happy to be asked to think about that question. Here is what they had to say.

Thank you for asking about our commute to Redeemer (50 minutes one way!). We began looking for a church almost five years ago when we were planning on being married.  Rather than simply “eloping” as older couples might do in our situation, we felt it was absolutely essential to be married in a church where the presence of God was strongly felt. We visited a number of churches and met with several clergy before making the decision. From the time we both walked into Redeemer and met with Charlie [Brumbaugh], we knew this would be the place we would come to worship God.

Why are we here and still attending almost every Sunday? At the top of the list of reasons is the spiritually uplifting feeling that we have each time we are there. We feel connected to God within these walls — that is most important to us. Also we just greatly enjoy Charlie and Bruce. Charlie married us almost four years ago; Bruce provided inspiring guidance as we went through the new member class. They combine a deep faith in God and Jesus Christ along with good humor, humility, charisma, individuality, and genuineness.

We support diversity, openness, and acceptance of all people into the house of God. We find support for that philosophy at Redeemer. Although the Centennial service (replicating a 1908 service and therefore with no female clergy) was a fun and meaningful experience, Lee especially appreciates the contemporary reality that enables women  to serve in any capacity to which they aspire in the church. Lee has known how it feels to be in another place of worship where women do not have equality of opportunity.

We are excited to see the many outreach programs and activities carried on at Redeemer. There is an energy and commitment to people less fortunate, whether it be work at the Freestore/ Foodbank or Habitat for Humanity, to name a few of the many activities. We believe in the scriptures that state our faith must be accompanied by work in the name of God and for his people. 

We enjoy the people who make up the Redeemer community. A considerable number of them, of all ages, have greeted and welcomed us with enthusiasm, warmth, and genuineness. We thank them wholeheartedly for that.    – Bob and Lee Campbell

So what are we doing right? We are welcoming, we are connected to God and we show it, we are open, we are active, we are committed, we are warm. It may sound too good to be true, but in fact it is nothing more than just allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to be truly in us.

Elizabeth Grover is the membership coordinator at the Church of the Redeemer in Cincinnati, Ohio.