I really must.....

If the end of that sentence is "go back to Church" then this is the post for you!! Whether you are a regular at Redeemer or whether you are scooting around the internet trying to find somewhere fabulous that fits - there is no time like the present.

If you have been here before you know how friendly everyone is and you know how good it feels to worship together. If you haven't then you might be wondering about what to wear and what people are like and what happens in the service.

Well, its pretty traditional in the music and the words but the content is not the same old same old. We believe God is for all people, here and now. We don't hold onto old fashioned ideas about who can be in and out of the Kingdom of God. Inclusive means you - whoever you are. We like ink, jeans, Docs, fabulously bright hair and if you are a suit and tie kinda person, you will find kindred spirits.

We will say hi and ask if you would like someone to help you with the books - there are only 2 but wemake sure to juggle between them - a lot. If you are happy to wing it - all good. The thing you need to know is that the majority of the people around you are not what we call "cradle Episcopalians" - that means that at some point, many in the not to distant past, they were also a bit confused about what was what but found God in the service and came back.

We don't ask you to sign anything and you don't have to join unless you want to (really!!). It all sounds too good to be true and we realize that people have heard all this before and then found they are expected to change who they are to fit in. We realize that "You are welcome..." often means "you are welcome if......"

We don't mean that - we know God loves YOU and we promise to do the same. No one is perfect of course. Sometimes we get things wrong and hurt each others feelings. But we genuinely start from the point of view that you are who you are and it is not our job to decide who that is or to make up hoops of hate and prejudice for you to jump through.

Let people know!!

As most of you know we don't have anyone working in the Office full time. Everything, at the moment, is done by fabulous volunteers.

As we get busier we are getting more things happening around the place. We are, therefore, publishing an Event Booking Form, some guidelines and a provisional style guide.

The Event Booking form is online because it means it can go to multiple people at once. Only one person can actually book an event and that is noted on the form. This is to prevent one person having something in their head which has not quite made it to the computer and another person booking into a space the first person has already promised.

We are putting together a team of peopel who can help out with ads and marketing for your events. You can put things together yourself but please use the style guide.

Event Booking Form

Event Guidelines

Style Guide

Confirmation or Just because....

On Suday June 4th we are starting a new Formation Class. If I call it a "Confirmation Class" you are going to give up reading - so let's call it a "Just Because...." class.

You join this class just because, Just because you enjoy formation, just because you have not done a Christian Basics course for a while, just because you want to find out more about the Episcopal Church, just because you want to join, just because you wandered off there for a while and now you are back. What is your "just because"?

If you are interested in the official bit there are three versions:

Confirmation This is for people who have been baptized ( in any Christian Church) but have not been confirmed. (If you have not been baptized that will be done at the same service).

Reception This is for people who were confirmed in a non-Episcopal Church. Most likely you will be from a Methodist, Lutheran or Roman Catholic background - there are others, these are the most common in this area.

Reaffirmation We all constantly renew our vows as we restate them year by year. Reaffirmation is really intended for those who have been away from the Episcopal Church but have already been confirmed or received and want to come back. This might be suitable for you, if you are unsure please have a conversation with the Rector.

Q and A

I am not sure whether I want to join the Church, can I just come along?

Totally, no pressure will be put on you to join.

I am already confirmed and attend most weeks, will I get anything out of it?

Yes, more than that you will bring your wisdom and experience to the room.

When is the confirmation service?

We are not 100% sure at the moment. The Bishop is on Sabbatical for several months this year and that has thrown off scheduling.

I have lost my Baptism Certificate, does it matter?

At the end of the day, no - but please try to find it. There is an exception to the rule of needing it if the Church where you were baptised no longer exists or did not keep records. If the church is still there and has records you will need to get a copy of the certificate. Please don't leave this until the last minute.

What happens at a Confirmation Service?

You can read through the service here

How old do I have to be?

There is no absolute youngest age but we want you to be able to understand enough to be in the classes. There is no upper age limit.

If you are all ready to sign up the form is here