The Church of the Redeemer
2022 Annual Report
Annual Meeting

January 29, 2023

The Episcopal Diocese of West Missouri
7110 Highway 9 NW
Kansas City, MO 64152
816-741-1136
redeemerkc.org

Altar Guild
This special group of men and women, prepare for virtually all services throughout the Liturgical year. Currently there are 9 members of the Altar Guild (sadly we lost one member this year, Angie Brown), who rotate through each month and ensure that everything is in place for each Eucharistic Celebration.  Members of the Altar Guild are also responsible for preparing for Funerals, Bishops visits, etc. The whole group works together several times each year to prepare the church for special occasions such as Christmas and Easter.

This year the Altar Guild guidelines have been updated to include pictures of seasonal services like those of Holy Week. This should make it easier for any member to be able to set up for any celebration by just following the guide.

The Communion Bread is baked by two very special gentlemen who alternate months to keep us with a good supply. With the lowering of COVID restrictions this year, we have advanced from using plastic communion set, then disposable cups solely from wine distribution and currently to a combination of disposable cups and a Chalice for Communion.

The members or the Altar Guild feel blessed to be a part of this important ministry.  New members are always welcome!  Contact any member for information. 

Respectfully Submitted, Cora Smith

Cursillo
During 2022 Redeemer’s Cursillo ministry initiated or participated in the following activities:

Hosted a gathering of people (an Ultreya) from various Episcopal churches in the Heartland Cursillo Community  at Redeemer in April. The agenda included prayers, music, food/beverages and a talk about key elements of the Cursillo ministry.

Planned, organized, assembled, and delivered gift bags to Redeemer’s homebound parishioners in May (May Day gift bags).

Participated in the planning, organizing, and presentation of a Grand Ultreya consisting of people from various Episcopal churches in the Heartland Episcopal Community at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral in September. The agenda included prayers, music, table discussions, talks, as well as lunch.

In partnership with the Northland Infant Clothing Center, Cursillo planned and organized the 5th annual Trunk or Treat event in October. Children who participated heard a story from the Bible and received bags filled with Halloween candy and other goodies.

Planned, organized, assembled, and delivered  gift bags  filled with a variety of Christmas items to Redeemer’s homebound parishioners in December.

Redeemer parishioners currently serving on the governing body of the Cursillo Ministry (the Secretariat) include Roberta Coons, David Grosse and Todd Puntney.

To Learn more about Cursillo please visit:
Heartland Website: http://www.heartlandepiscopalcursillo.com/
Episcopal Cursillo Website: https://www.episcopalcursilloministry.org/

Respectfully submitted, David Grosse

Eucharistic Visitors 
A Lay Eucharistic Visitor takes the consecrated Sacrament to member of the church who are unable to be present at church because of illness or infirmity.  Visits are made to members of the congregation that are confined to their home, a nursing home, or hospital.  It is a ministry that is appreciated by members who are unable to attend church either temporarily or for the long term

Good Redeemer Youth Group
2022 was a blessed and active year for the youth!  Thankfully, we were able to come back together in person for the year.  We were able to participate in fellowship opportunities like going ice skating, roller skating, playing at the RUSH Funplex, going to the Liberty Corn maze, and many others.  In July, we had a fun day at Smithville Lake with eating, swimming, boating, and tubing.  In October, we enjoyed a fun and spiritual day with each other and the horses and other animals at Cathy Cowger’s Cedar Lane Farm.  Thank you to Cathy and Anthony Lee for making these events so fun and memorable!  
 
The Good Redeemers have been involved in many service and fundraising projects this past year.  In January, we were able to serve the NICC (Northland Infant Clothing Center) at Redeemer by sorting and hanging clothing.  A few of our members were able to assist a parishioner in moving to a new place and we helped move furniture at Good Shepherd in preparation for new carpet to be installed.  We also served coffee hour at Good Shepherd once this ministry was restarted.  Some of our youth serve as Acolytes, readers, and our middle school class served as ushers for one of the COGS services.   We held at station at Good Shepherd during the trunk or treat in October.  The youth also participated in a Laundry Day in November and went shopping in December to fill up boxes for the Good Shepherd Backpack Program.   

In February of 2022, the youth participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring Program in which we collected money and food items on Super Bowl weekend and donated the proceeds to the Backpack Shepherd program.  The youth collected $30 and 673.51lbs of food.  We will be participating again this year by asking the congregation at Good Shepherd to make food donations the weekend of the Super bowl, February 12, 2023.  Redeemer parishioners are also welcome to donate – please let Laura know if you have any donations that need to be picked up.  

We held our Italian Dinner fundraiser and Dinner for 8 raffle in May which was again a huge success!  We made over $1700!  We look forward to hosting the dinner again this year on Saturday, February 18th at Good Shepherd.  Tickets will go on sale at both churches the weekend of January 28/29th.  We had our Silent Auction in April and made over $1100.  We will be holding this again this Spring.  Most of the money earned from these fundraising events went towards paying for our mission trip and in buying food/other items for youth group activities.
   
This past summer, seven youth and four adults traveled to Port Huron, MI, from June 18th through June 25th for our annual mission trip through Group Mission Trips.  The trip made a huge impact all who attended.  In August, we made a presentation to both churches.   Thank you to both congregations for donating over $950 to allow the work campers to purchase canned goods/hygiene products for a local area pantry.  We also appreciate the donations of paint supplies and other items we used on our sites.  We currently have two adults and four youth planning to travel to East Bank, West Virginia, for our trip this summer in June.  We do have some spots available so if you are interested in attending, please let me know!  

Due to our Diocesan Youth Missioner resigning, no Diocesan activities took place in 2022.  I have been able to serve on a committee tasked with discerning what this new position will look like in our Diocese.  We met numerous times throughout the year and are now currently in the interview process.  I am hopeful this position will be filled in 2023 and that our youth will once again be able to participate in Diocesan youth activities.  The connections and relationships they make through the Diocese are an important part of their faith journey.  

I enjoyed another fun filled year working with the youth!  I feel so blessed to be working with such amazing young people and have truly enjoyed our time together.  Thank you to the parents of our youth and to the clergy and parishioners at both Church of the Good Shepherd and Church of the Redeemer.  Your continued support, time, and dedication to our youth is very much appreciated!    

For 2023, I’m looking to schedule more service and volunteer opportunities for our youth. If you have opportunities for us, please let me know.   The youth group is always looking for adult volunteers to assist in youth group activities and fundraising.  If you would be interested in volunteering, please contact me at 816-804-5358.   

I am looking forward to another fun filled year with the youth and hope to strengthen our fellowship and personal faith with God.  God is definitely present in our youth in everything they do!  
Respectfully,

Laura Williams
Director of Youth Ministries

Hospitality Committee
The Hospitality Committee plans and assists in providing continental breakfast between services and snacks after the 10:30 am service.  We have been blessed that this ministry was able to pick back up after the pandemic and that are able to enjoy the breaking of bread together and sharing in fellowship.  We are always looking for more volunteers and you can find a sign up sheet out in Coffelt Hall and in the weekly eNews. 

Respectfully Submitted,
Paula Grayson, Coordinator

Junior Warden 
The biggest change to the Church building in 2022, was the replacement of the roof and gutters on the main church and the House of Prayer. There are still some things to be completed such as the reconstruction and replacement of the steeple. Special thanks needs to be given to Father Joe for working with the roofer and the Insurance company to get the work done. When the roofers were in the church with their big ladders, they replaced some of the alter lights with energy efficient LED bulbs.

Major changes were made to the church kitchen in 2022. The very loud and inefficient refrigerator and the huge and smelly gas stove were removed (thank you Louise Thurlow for organizing their departure). In their place we received two new energy efficient refrigerators as well as a new electric stove. Special thanks needs to go to the Kitchen Committee and to Jerry Celeste whose company ran new 220 volt lines into the kitchen for the stove. The ice machine broke down and was discarded. An ice maker in one of the refrigerators should provide most of our ice needs.

Jerry Celeste’s company also converted all of the florescent lights in Cofellt Hall to be energy efficient LED lights. This will save money and the light bulbs shouldn’t need replacement for several years.

As mentioned in prior years certain maintenance and inspections need to be completed:
1) Annual Fire Extinguisher Inspections
2) Annual Fire Alarm Inspections
3) Annual Sprinkler Systems Inspection
4) Annual Fire Marshal Inspection
5) Annual Backflow Inspection
6) Spring and Fall HVAC Inspections and Maintenance
7) Spring and Fall HVAC filter replacements

This past year we did need to have repairs to the HVAC systems, but we did not need to replace any units. As a pilot project we installed a new thermostat for Cofellt Hall. We can monitor usage and adjust temperature control through a telephone app. We hope this will help to reduce usage and save money since natural gas has had some huge price increases.

This past year we did need to rebuild one of the windows in Cofellt Hall. We need to be watching for signs of wood rot in some of the window sashes. The repair company showed us how to help prevent damage by annually caulking the windows.

The House of Prayer also know as the NICC received a donated storm door. Also, new clothes racks were installed. Thanks to Brad Hayes and Steve Smith for helping with these projects.

A big thank you to all the congregation and clergy that helped to keep our church physically maintained.

Respectfully Submitted, Stephen Thurlow, Junior Warden

Music Ministry 
2022 saw normal return in the Music Department at Redeemer. All singing during the service was restored and congregational singing back in full swing.

The new Allen Organ has been a blessing to our services and a joy to play and explore. It was an incredible journey and a significant improvement to the music ministry at Redeemer accomplished in an amazingly short time frame. All thanks go to God and his faithful Redeemerites who heard the call and responded. The music ministry is so thankful.

As the Redeemer Choir returns to the service, a heartfelt thank you for the faithful that continue to give of their time and talents to provide music. We would like to mention that we would not turn away any new singers that would like to join our ranks. It truly is a ministry of love and joy, we do not disappoint. We look forward to the continued support of our leadership; Father Joe, Father Isaac, Vestry and congregation as we grow into 2023 with hope, anticipation and blessing.

Respectfully submitted,	Jacki Hunt, Director of Music

Men’s Bible Study
The Men’s Bible Study meets on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of the month at 10:30 a.m. and is held downstairs in the Vestry Room.  We are currently engaged in John’s gospel.  Please contact Tom Stevens with any questions: 816-616-7212.

Respectfully submitted, Tom Stevens

Northland Infant Clothing Center
		
Mission
Our mission is to help support families in our community by providing clothing and other necessities for their young children.

2021
	Families:          	860
            Pkg diapers:   		1153
            Children clothed:	774

2022    
   	Families:		1080
	Pkg diapers:		1792
	Children clothed:	1537

2022 Christmas:  $2430 given out as 30$ gift cards and 161 gifts

The NICC has partnered with Children’s Mercy Hospital’s Safe Sleep Program and The Community Health Council of Wyandotte County. We are able to provide new pack n plays as a safe sleep option for our patrons. Hopefully, this helps to lower the rate of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, in our population.

We have also partnered with Project Dash, the nonprofit side of Door Dash. They will deliver clothing and diapers to families, within a 10 mile radius, who have no transportation. This is a free service. We provide this service to 10 families each month.

In the spirit of the Family Life Center the NICC hosted a picnic for our families during the summer. We would like to make this an annual event.

All this would not be possible without the help of our passionate volunteers who include Paula Grayson, Debbie Smith, Mary Dwyer, Cathy Langhahr, Margie Trejo, Sandi Tarro, Trish Holland, Cindy Matlock, Kathy Hayes and Lynn Ripley. We also have other volunteers who shop thrift stores and yard sales, sub for our regular volunteers, wash and sort laundry, wrap gifts and provide handyman services. These people include Julie Williams, Sheri Edwards, Paul Grayson, JoAnn Lile, Jan Whelan, Steve Thurlow, Steve Smith and Brad Hayes. While the NICC is only open during the day 2 hours per week, there are many volunteer opportunities for anyone who is interested in helping this impactful ministry. 
				
Respectfully submitted, Louise Thurlow

Outreach
The Outreach Committee would like to thank members of Redeemer for their support through another difficult year.  In addition to the Discretionary Fund and our own NICC we were able to continue supporting others such as Nourish KC, SPEAC, ERD, Elder Cool and Uplift.

The Outreach Committee is open to anyone with an interest in this Redeemer ministry.  

Prayer Life
The Redeemer Prayer Chain has been active during 2022. If anyone has someone or something in need of prayer, either email prayers@redeemerkc@gmail.com or call the main number and leave a message on ext. 106. These contacts are monitored frequently and all prayers requested are sent to the Redeemer Prayer Team. Please contact Jo Anne Lile (jlile@att.net) if you have questions or wish to become a member of the prayer team.
Other prayer opportunities:
Holy Unction and Laying on of Hands – 2nd Sunday of each month immediately after 10:30 service (clergy rotate).

Give A Prayer for Lent and Give A Prayer for Advent provide opportunities for adopting a prayer activity during the penitential seasons of the Episcopal tradition.

Intercessory Prayer is available to all during communion at the 10:30 service. Someone stands in the back of the church, by the icon area, to pray with anyone who may have private, specific prayer needs. 

Centering Prayer has been suspended due to Fr. Ed Whalen's passing. Resumption is being discussed and the community will be notified if it is to resume - and when.

Please contact Jo Anne Lile (jlile@att.net) with any questions.
 
Respectfully submitted, Jo Anne Lile

Soil Mates 
The “Soil Mates” is a group of volunteers at Redeemer who love to garden. The group was founded by Linda Cookson several years ago for the purpose of enhancing the beauty of our garden areas at Redeemer. These beautiful areas are enjoyed not only by all of the Redeemer family, but also by those who pass by our church on a daily basis. We hope that the love and care exhibited by our gardens will be a reason for others in the community to join our Ministry. While this year has been a challenge, we look forward to continuing our efforts in 2023 to maintain and improve our garden areas. Many thanks to all those who give of their time and talents to help weed, trim, water, fertilize and pick-up debris around the gardens. Gardening is a year-round endeavor. Anyone who enjoys gardening is welcome and encouraged to become involved. Please contact Brad Hayes at 913-530-2656 if you are interested in helping out.

Respectfully submitted,
Brad Hayes

SPEAC Food Pantry (Southern Platte Emergency Assistance Center)
SPEAC is an ecumenical Food Pantry run totally by volunteers from local churches; there is no paid staff.  The Church of the Redeemer is one of 4 churches who sponsor SPEAC.  Members of Redeemer staff the pantry every Friday with a minimum of 4 volunteers.  There are currently about 20 Redeemerites who volunteer at SPEAC on a rotating basis.  In addition to these volunteers, several Redeemerites volunteered at our monthly Drive Thru Events, did restaurant and grocery store food rescue pick-ups and helped unload the Harvesters truck twice a month. Cora Smith and Gregg Hejna serve on the board of Directors. 

SPEAC is the only pantry in Southern Platte Country that is a distribution center for USDA commodities.  The SPEAC Pantry is open 5 days a week, one evening and one Saturday a month. In addition to our normal operation, SPEAC has been holding Drive-Thru Events since July 2021, serving about 100-125 families at each event.  

In 2022, with your help, SPEAC was able to serve 2,508 families, for a total of 7,972 individuals a total 49,688 bags of groceries, meat and personal care items.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at SPEAC, you can contact Gregg Hejna, greggfoto@gmail.com or me.  Gregg is the volunteer coordinator for Redeemer.

We at Redeemer feel privileged to do what we can to help alleviate hunger in Southern Platte County.  

Respectfully submitted,
Cora Smith
President SPEAC Broad of Directors
Corasmithx2@gmail.com

Sunday School 
For the Children’s Formation program, 2022 began as a time of reflection and change. Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was apparent that our traditional Sunday School program would need to grow and evolve based on the needs of our families, teachers and greater community. Also, after 10 years of leading the Sunday School ministry (with an especially rigorous 2020 and 2021 - creating online and safe, in-person content for our kids), it was apparent that the coming year would be a time of transition and discernment for me personally.

In June, the Children’s Ministry team (made up of parents, grandparents, clergy and me) began to reflect on children’s ministry moving forward.  The goals created by the team included:
•	Engage the Youth Group to help teach and lead the Sunday School age kids (or to do a joint service project with them)
•	Engage Father Joe and Father Isaac in leading the kids through some of the "nuts and bolts" of a service - this is what we do here and why
•	Utilize the kids alter to create a kids service in the Sunday School room
•	Approx once a quarter, involve the kids in the 10:30 a.m. service - involve them in greeting parishioners, readings, leading collections, etc. 
•	Move the Sunday School program to approx 9:15 a.m. so that families can attend after the 8 a.m. service and/or before the 10:30 service.

The parents also committed to greater involvement in the program.  Each family would be responsible for planning and teaching a lesson at least once a quarter, bringing their own talents and passions to our children’s formation and, at the same time, creating a broader perspective for the kids.  

The Children’s Ministry team also selected a new, web-based, curriculum called “Dig-In” by Group Publishing.  This curriculum supports a “One-Room” Sunday School format (all ages together in the same classroom) and allows for different choices each week (Music, Crafts, Games, Videos, etc)  to support the individual talents of the teacher. This flexibility allows for greater variety and easier lesson preparation. This year’s focus (as chosen by the parents) is “The Heart of God.”
 
As a part of our new structure, the 2nd and 5th weeks of the month have provided an opportunity for new experiences.  On the 2nd Sunday of the month, the kids have heard presentations from the Bishop, the NICC, and others to learn about different aspects of the church and ministries important to our community. On the 5th Sunday of the month (October) kids were able to choose worship ministries to shadow and participated in worship as readers, altar guild members, ushers, etc.  The parents all agreed that the children should be more involved in worship opportunities, and these Sundays have provided a beginning for more youth involvement in the worship setting.

Parents are in the process of evaluating the changes implemented during the Fall of 2022

A sincere THANK YOU to our teaching team: Lynn Ripley, The Alexander family, The Price family, Suzanne Puntney, Bethe Greenshields, Nancy Gillem and Cathy Langjahr. Thank you, also, to those that have involved the children in various ministries during the fall as well.

Safeguarding God’s Children
Safeguarding God’s Children is an important training program designed to ensure that church members who volunteer with our children/youth are prepared to provide proper supervision in all circumstances and to recognize dangerous situations which can make our kids vulnerable.  All of our Sunday School volunteers have updated/renewed or completed this training.  This training is vital for our youth volunteers and any other leaders in the church that provide supervision/instruction to our kids.

Continued goals for the program include:
•	Continue to grow the Christian Formation program and have outreach opportunities for the children.
•	Recognize the importance of our children and allow them opportunities to be part of the greater community, especially during worship.
•	Recruit new leadership and volunteers so that the program will remain vibrant, fresh and strong in the years to come
•	Maintain the “Safeguarding God’s Children” training program and ensure all teachers, assistants and volunteers maintain current certification
•	Remain open to new ideas for curriculum and ministry as dictated by the needs of the children and families in the program, especially during this time
•	Utilize the strengths of each child, and their teachers, to make their experience in Sunday School the best it can be
•	Maintain a thriving program, regardless of attendance, so that any child who attends Sunday School knows they are valued and loved

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve the children of Redeemer.  If anyone is interested in volunteer opportunities within the Christian Formation program, please contact me at amygarcia.redeemerkc@gmail.com or 816-500-9521. Prayers for the program are always welcome!

Respectfully submitted, Amy Garcia, Sunday School Coordinator

Ushers & Greeters
We had hoped to see a few more old faces in 2022 as things got back normal, however we did see a number of new faces which made up for it somewhat, hope to see you in 2023.  

We are always looking for additional ushers to join the team. Perhaps you might have seen our latest greeter he is a bit short but I am sure he will grow into it soon, thanks Henry.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.
  
Sam Greenshields.

Welcome Committee
The Welcome Committee has been functioning on limited basis. We continue to look for new faces each Sunday and ensure families feel welcome. We will resume our special lunches this year.  Suzanne Putney has graciously agreed to take over as lead for this important ministry.

Respectfully submitted, Louise Thurlow

Women’s Bible Study
The Women's Bible Study gathers together every Tuesday at 10:00 AM. We will occasionally meet on ZOOM, but we mostly meet in Coffelt Hall. All women are welcome.  Please contact me if you have any questions, or just come join us!!!

Blessings, Susan George