Category: Parish Life

News stories about parish life at Church of the Redeemer.

  • Annual Meeting Documents

    Annual Meeting Documents

    These are from each annual meeting of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington. from 2022 through 2026.

    These meetings are used to elect members to the Vestry, diocesan convention delegates, report on what happened the previous year, and plan for the new year.

    2022 Meeting

    The parish held the annual meeting on January 23, 2022, online.

    2023 Meeting

    The parish held the annual meeting on February 5, 2023.

    2024 Meeting

    The parish held the annual meeting on January 21, 2024.

    2025 Meeting

    The parish held the annual meeting on January 26, 2025.

    2026 Meeting

    The parish held the annual meeting on January 25, 2026.

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023

    New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023

    If you’re busy organizing children’s, youth, adult, or parish-wide programs for Lent and Holy Week, we’ve got you. We have compiled a list of new and relatively recent resources for Lent and Holy Week 2023 to help formation leaders through the planning process.

    This list (alphabetized by title) includes devotionals, calendars, curriculum series and studies, and activities in print and digital formats. Some of these resources are available in English, Spanish, and French, and many can be adapted for church or home use.

    As always, we encourage you to consider the gifts and needs of your own context along with the resources’ theologies, biblical interpretations, representations of human identities and experiences, and materials as you use this list to discern what resources may best serve your community’s Lenten journey this year.

    Devotionals

    The Desert of Compassion: Devotions for the Lenten Journey by Rachel M. Srubas

    Publisher: Westminster John Knox, 2023
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: $17
    Additional info: Free group study and sermon series guides are also available on the publisher’s website

    Encuentros con Jesús: Historias de fe para Cuaresma / Encounters with Jesus: Stories of Faith for Lent, edited by Hugo Olaiz, Loida Sardiñas Iglesias, and Ema Rosero-Nordalm

    Publisher: Forward Movement, 2022
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: $9 (price is discounted if you buy in bulk)
    Additional info: A bilingual devotional written in both Spanish and English; includes discussion questions

    Hear Us, Good Lord: Lenten Meditations from Washington National Cathedral

    Publisher: Forward Movement, 2022
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: $15 (price is discounted if you buy in bulk)

    “An Illustrated Lent for Families: This Is My Body”

    Publisher: Illustrated Ministry, forthcoming Feb. 7, 2023 (available for pre-order now)
    Audience: Children | Families with Children | Intergenerational
    Cost: $9.99 for personal use, $39.99 – 69.99 for church use (sliding scale by church size)
    Additional info: A digital weekly resource that includes discussion questions, coloring pages, and activities; worship resources are also available for separate purchase

    Living Well through Lent 2023: Practicing Compassion with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind

    Publisher: Living Compass, 2023
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: Free for digital download, $0.99 for ebook version, $1 (plus shipping) for printed booklet (free shipping if you buy at least 10 copies)
    Additional info: Available in English and Spanish; free facilitator’s guide is also available on the publisher’s website; you can also sign up to receive daily devotions by email

    “Seeking: Honest Questions for Deeper Faith: Daily Devotional Cards”

    Publisher: A Sanctified Art
    Audience: Youth | Adults
    Cost: $7 for one copy; $20 – 55 for more copies (based on number of copies)
    Additional info: A digital daily resource; worship, preaching, poetry prayer, and art meditation resources are also available for separate or bundle purchase

    “Seeking: Honest Questions for Deeper Faith: A Lenten Devotional”

    Publisher: A Sanctified Art
    Audience: Adults | High School Youth
    Cost: $18 for one copy, $40 – 85 for more copies (based on number of copies)
    Additional info: A digital weekly resource; worship, preaching, poetry prayer, and art meditation resources are also available for separate or bundle purchase

    “This Is My Body Lenten Devotional”

    Publisher: Illustrated Ministry, forthcoming Feb. 7, 2023 (available for pre-order now)
    Audience: Children | Youth | Young Adults | Adults | Intergenerational
    Cost: $9.99 for personal use, $29.99 – 59.99 for church use (sliding scale by church size)
    Additional info: A digital weekly resource that includes discussion questions; available in illustrated (text and coloring pages) or text-only formats; worship resources are also available for separate purchase

    Water and Spirit: Devotions for Lent 2023 by Meghan Johnston Aelabouni, et al.

    Publisher: Augsburg Fortress, 2022
    Audience: Adults | Families with Children
    Cost: $3
    Additional info: Free promo pack with a set of drawing activities for kids and bingo cards is also available on the publisher’s website

    Who Is My Neighbor?: 2023 Lenten Meditations by Robin Denney

    Publisher: Episcopal Relief and Development, 2023
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: Free
    Additional info: A digital daily resource; includes ideas for group use as well as embedded videos to accompany the Sunday devotions; you can also sign up to receive the devotions by email

    Calendars

    2023 Way of Love in Lent Calendar

    Source: The Episcopal Church website
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: Free
    Additional info: A digital calendar available in EnglishSpanish, and French

    Lent and Holy Week Praying in Color Templates by Sybil MacBeth

    Source: Praying in Color website
    Audience: Children | Youth | Adults | Intergenerational
    Cost: Free
    Additional info: Printable templates for Holy Week and Easter that are undated are available in the 2020 – 2021 resources section; templates that are not season-specific and instructions for Lent are also available here

    Curriculum Series and Studies

    The Lord’s Prayer: An Exploration” by the Society of Saint John the Evangelist

    SourceCowley magazine, Lent issue, forthcoming 2023
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: Free
    Additional info: A digital resource with reflections and meditation prompts

    Meeting Jesus at the Table: A Lenten Study by Cynthia M. Campbell and Christine Coy Fohr

    Publisher: Westminster John Knox, 2023
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: $17
    Additional info: Includes discussion questions for each chapter as well as ideas for preaching and ministry

    “Preparing to Become the Beloved Community: Lent – Year A”

    Source: The Episcopal Church website, updated 2022 in English, 2023 in Spanish and French
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: Free
    Additional info: A digital curriculum available in EnglishSpanish, and French

    “Seeking: Children’s Curriculum for Lent (Year A)” by Anna Strickland

    Publisher: A Sanctified Art
    Audience: Children
    Cost: $20
    Additional info: A digital curriculum with ideas for various uses; worship, preaching, poetry prayer, and art meditation resources are also available for separate or bundle purchase

    Activities

    “Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Digital Activity Kits: Series One”

    Publisher: Sparkhouse, 2022
    Audience: Young Children | Children | Youth | Families with Children | Families with Youth
    Cost: $49.99
    Additional info: A digital resource with kits tailored to each age group; includes activities, games, art projects, and scripture as well as ideas for use

    Lent Madness

    Source: Lent Madness website
    Audience: Adults
    Cost: Free
    Additional info: A printable 2023 bracket is available on the website, along with instructions for playing the brackets; posters and scorecards are available for purchase on the Forward Movement website

    Building Faith: A ministry of the Virginian Theological Seminary

    Building Faith

    Building Faith is published by Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. Our mission is to equip and inspire churches and individuals for the ministry of Christian education and faith formation.

    We believe that Christian education means helping all ages – children, youth, and adults – grow in the knowledge and love of God. We also know that formation happens in many ways: worship, church school, faith at home, outreach, mission, camp, and more.

    This article is from the Building Faith website, New and Recent Lent Resources for 2023.

    Church of the Redeemer logo

    Church of the Redeemer

    Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Advent and Christmas 2022

    Advent and Christmas 2022

    Posts regarding the seasons of Advent and Christmas 2022 at Church of the Redeemer and the Episcopal Church.

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    Church of the Redeemer logo

    Church of the Redeemer

    Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Thanksgiving at Hopelink Kenmore Place

    Thanksgiving at Hopelink Kenmore Place

    Thanksgiving is coming. Church of the Redeemer is collecting monetary donations to give food gift cards for residents at Hopelink Kenmore Place. This is a transitional housing facility near the church campus. The Thanksgiving 2022 goal is $1100. This provides a $100 food gift card to each family, all of whom experience housing insecurity. We need your donation by November 20, 2022.

    To give online, go to https://bit.ly/COR-Thanksgiving2022.

    To donate on Sunday, write a check payable to Church of the Redeemer, with “Hopelink Thanksgiving” on the memo line.

    If you have any questions, reach out to Michelle Henderson at hkp@redeemer-kenmore.org.

    Thank you notes from residents at Hopelink Kenmore Place for School Supplies in 2019

    Hopelink

    Since 1971, Hopelink has served homeless and low-income families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities in King and Snohomish counties; providing stability and helping people gain the skills and knowledge they need to exit poverty for good. With service centers in Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline and Sno-Valley (Carnation), Hopelink is the largest nonprofit organization in the area.

    Hopelink provides a network of critical social services through a number of different programs—including housing, transportation, family development, financial assistance, employment programs, adult education, financial literacy training, and five food banks. The agency’s service centers, housing, and transportation programs help more than 63,000 people every year.

    For families experiencing homelessness, transitional and long-term housing as well as emergency family shelter may be available through Hopelink.

    Read more about Hopelink.

    Church of the Redeemer logo

    Church of the Redeemer

    Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Mask policy change effective November 7, 2022

    Mask policy change effective November 7, 2022

    As we continue to evolve with the health landscape 2-½ years into the pandemic, Church of the Redeemer has modified its mask policy, effective November 7, 2022. These guidelines reflect a balance between the widespread access to vaccinations and a sensitivity to those who continue to take a more cautious approach to COVID-19, flu, and RSV infection this winter. 

    • The Sunday 8:00 am Holy Eucharist continues to be mask required
    • The Sunday 10:30 am Holy Eucharist is mask optional but recommended. This service continues to be streamed at redeemer-kenmore.org.
    • All meetings in the church are mask optional but recommended.
    • All unvaccinated people should mask in all instances.
    • All meetings of the church should make plans to be hybrid.

    Church of the Redeemer continues to provide high quality surgical masks and KN95 respirators to those who need or want them. The box containing masks and respirators is in the narthex (the main entryway to the church).

    Face mask

    Mask and respirator information

    For more information on current masking guidelines from the CDC, go to Types of Masks and Respirators.

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Theresa Newell

    Theresa Newell

    Theresa Newell is our intern at Church of the Redeemer. She began in October 2022.

    Greetings! I am Theresa Newell, a postulant for the Holy Order of Priests.

    I am also a wife and mother. My husband and I have had a total of six children (two foster, two adopted, and two biological). They are mostly grown now—only the youngest, a junior in high school, remains at home. I spent several years as an elementary school teacher before I felt a call to the priesthood.

    I have a Master of Arts in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from Creighton University, a Jesuit University in Omaha, Nebraska. Currently I am attending Bexley Seabury Seminary’s online Diploma in Anglican Studies Program. I am also a chaplain at Swedish Hospital in Edmonds.

    I am very much looking forward to learning from and contributing to the Church of the Redeemer community as an intern.

    Thank you for the opportunity.

    Postulant

    A postulant is one who tests a vocation such as a vocation to an ordained ministry or the religious life.

    Postulants for holy orders seek ordination as deacon or priest. The length of postulancy varies. The time involves meeting with the bishop of the diocese, examination by the Commission on Ministry, along with physical and mental examinations, and in some cases attending discernment conferences or weekends. Postulancy is an initial time of preparation and testing for ordained ministry. Candidacy is the next stage in the ordination process.

    In religious orders, postulancy is the time of pre-novitiate discernment and preparation. Postulants may live as guests in the religious community for a period of time to become acquainted with the religious life and to allow the community and superior to observe their suitability for the religious life.

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Advent Calendars for 2022

    Advent Calendars for 2022

    “Advent Calendars for 2022” is by the Rev. Katherine A. Malloy, the Associate for Lifelong Learning, Director of Christian Formation Resources at Virginia Theological Seminary. She is a Deacon in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church with a secondary appointment at Floris UMC in Herndon. She is passionate about justice and equipping the saints for ministry.

    Growing up our family had one of the Avon Christmas Count-Down Calendars from 1987 with the mouse that moved from one day to the next. While not a true Advent calendar as it simply counts 1-24, the practice of building expectation by marking the days leading up to Christ’s coming is etched in my memory (as is the spirit of competition with my siblings to be the one to wake up and move the mouse first, complete with gloating, “I moved the mousey” song that sits squarely outside the spirit of Advent). Advent calendars and similar traditions can be helpful tools for faith formation at home. Here are a number of options, some of which are free, and some require purchase or donations.  

    Lego Advent

    The Diocese of Arkansas has developed a free prayer supplement for the Lego City Advent Calendar. The prayers for each day of the calendar from December 1-24 connect with the brick builds and lift up various members of our wider communities, like musicians, farmers, grocery workers, and firefighters.  

    AdventWord

    AdventWord is a global Advent Calendar offering images and meditations for reflection every day of Advent. You can download official #AdventWord graphics, find more resources, and sign up for a daily email. AdventWord is great for concentrating on specific terms and practices pulled from the lectionary readings and Way of Love practices. Keep an eye out on social media for announcements about a 2022 edition as we get closer to the season!

    Praying in Color

    “Praying in Color” creator Sybil MacBeth regularly offers free printable Advent calendars for “doodling” prayers, as she describes it, each day of Advent at her website. She also provides guidance on how to introduce “Praying in Color” as a practice. As of this article’s publication date, a template for 2022 is not yet available, but you can check out her designs from previous years.

    Way of Love Calendar

    “Journeying the Way of Love” Advent Calendar 2022 is free from The Episcopal Church via download. It is particularly good for older children, teens, and adults. There are prompts for reflection and potentially discussion together. Examples include “set a timer for three minutes to sit in silence and hear what God might be saying back to you” and “take a new or different route to work, or school, or out to run errands.” This could pair well with other Way of Love resources like the Advent Curriculum. The calendar is available in EnglishSpanish, and French.

    Advent Calendar Cards

    The Advent Calendar from Salt* features cards with illustrations for each day of the season. The cards include activities to do on weekdays and scriptures and meditations to read on Sundays. You can put the cards in numbered envelopes, hang them up, or use them in another way. We love the beauty of these. The personal use download is $10, and they offer very reasonable increased costs for use on a larger scale. They have a handful of other Advent and Christmas resources, including “A Mason Jar Advent” calendar and “A ‘Less Is More’ Christmas Poster and Devotional” in their Printable Resources.

    Rituals & Prayers Advent Calendar

    Families Celebrate Advent & Christmas 2022-2023 contains cards for each day of the Advent and Christmas seasons with illustrations, short reflections, practices, and prayers. These are great for families to incorporate rituals or activities into their day-to-day lives during these seasons. The pack of cards is $9.99 and is published by Augsburg Fortress. You can also download a free promotional pack on their website with ideas for using the cards in your church and several coloring pages.

    Advent Calendar Poster

    Slow Down. Quiet. It’s Advent! is an Advent poster from Forward Movement. It includes illustrations, scriptures, and activities to do to prepare for Christmas. The cost of $15 per pack of 25 posters is even manageable on a large scale, and the price decreases to $12 per pack if you purchase 3 or more packs of 25.  

    Scripture Advent Calendar

    Be on the lookout for the December 2022 Everyday Faith Calendar from Concordia Publishing House. This year they have been offering monthly calendars that include daily scripture passages to read and questions for reflection. These are great ways to start daily faith practices at home. The December calendar isn’t out yet, but you can see previous months to get an idea of what to expect.

    BIPOC Leaders Advent Calendar

    For Advent 2021, the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts published a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Leaders Advent Calendar. Each day gave people an opportunity to learn about a different leader, and the church invited everyone who used the calendar to share what they learned. A 2022 edition has not been posted as of this article’s publication date, but you can check out their BIPOC Leaders Advent calendar website here to follow possible developments for Advent 2022.

    What is your favorite Advent Calendar? Know of a new one to add to our list? Tell us in the comments [on Building Faith]


    Editor’s Note: This article was first published on November 2, 2020. It has been revised, updated, and republished for 2022 with the author’s permission.

    Featured image is by Congerdesign on Pixabay

    Building Faith

    Building Faith is published by Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. Our mission is to equip and inspire churches and individuals for the ministry of Christian education and faith formation.

    We believe that Christian education means helping all ages – children, youth, and adults – grow in the knowledge and love of God. We also know that formation happens in many ways: worship, church school, faith at home, outreach, mission, camp, and more.

    The 4th Sunday of Advent in the Education Building at Church of the Redeemer in 2021

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Advent Calendars for 2023

    Advent Calendars for 2023

    “Advent Calendars for 2023” is by the Rev. Katherine A. Malloy, the Associate for Lifelong Learning, Director of Christian Formation Resources at Virginia Theological Seminary. She is a Deacon in Full Connection in the United Methodist Church with a secondary appointment at Floris UMC in Herndon. She is passionate about justice and equipping the saints for ministry.

    Growing up our family had one of the Avon Christmas Count-Down Calendars from 1987 with the mouse that moved from one day to the next. While not a true Advent calendar as it simply counts 1 – 24, the practice of building expectation by marking the days leading up to Christ’s coming is etched in my memory (as is the spirit of competition with my siblings to be the one to wake up and move the mouse first, complete with gloating, “I moved the mousey” song that sits squarely outside the spirit of Advent).

    Advent calendars and similar traditions can be helpful tools for faith formation at home. Here are a number of options, some of which are free and some require purchase or donations.

    Lego Advent

    The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas has developed a free printable set of prayers to accompany the Lego City Advent Calendar. The prayers for each day of the calendar from December 1 – 24 connect with the brick builds and lift up various members of our wider communities, like musicians, farmers, grocery workers, and firefighters. You can access the Lego Advent Calendar 2023 prayers as a PDF on the diocese’s website.

    The diocese encourages congregations to adapt this prayer calendar for their own communities (no attribution needed) and would love to hear from people who use it. If you use or share this resource, please consider contacting Ministry Developer Randall Curtis at the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas by email and offering your feedback.  

    AdventWord

    AdventWord is a global Advent Calendar offering images and meditations for reflection every day of Advent. You can download official #AdventWord graphics, find additional resources, and sign up for a daily email at the AdventWord resources page. AdventWord is great for concentrating on specific terms pulled from the lectionary readings.

    Praying in Color

    “Praying in Color” creator Sybil MacBeth offers free printable Advent calendars for “doodling” prayers, as she describes it, each day of Advent. She also provides guidance on how to introduce “Praying in Color” as a practice. You can access her 2023 Advent templates at the Praying in Color website.

    Way of Love Calendar

    “Journeying the Way of Love” Advent Calendar 2023 is free from The Episcopal Church via download. It is particularly good for older children, teens, and adults. There are prompts for reflection and conversation. Examples include “set a timer for three minutes to sit in silence and hear what God might be saying back to you” and “as you are out and about for the rest of this week, notice the people you pass.” This could pair well with other Way of Love resources like the Advent Curriculum (available in English, Spanish, and French). Follow these links to access the Way of Love calendar: “Advent Calendar 2023” (English)“Calendario de adviento 2023” (Spanish), and “Calendrier de l’avent 2023” (French).

    Advent Calendar Cards

    The SALT Advent Calendar features printable cards with illustrations for each day of the season. The cards include activities to do on weekdays and scriptures and meditations to read on Sundays. You can put the cards in numbered envelopes, as SALT suggests, hang them up, or use them in another way. We love the beauty of these. The personal use download is $10, and they offer very reasonable increased costs for use on a larger scale. They have a handful of other Advent and Christmas resources, including “A Mason Jar Advent” calendar and “A ‘Less Is More’ Christmas Poster and Devotional” on their Digital/Printable Resources page.

    Rituals & Prayers Advent Calendar

    Families Celebrate Advent & Christmas 2023-2024 contains cards for each day of the Advent and Christmas seasons with illustrations, short reflections, practices, and prayers. These are great for families to incorporate rituals or activities into their day-to-day lives during these seasons. The pack of cards is $9.99 and is published by Augsburg Fortress. You can also download a free promotional pack on their website with ideas for using the cards in your church and several coloring pages.

    “It’s Advent!” Poster

    Slow Down. Quiet. It’s Advent!” is an Advent poster calendar from Forward Movement. It includes illustrations, scriptures, and activities to do to prepare for Christmas. The cost of $15 per pack of 25 posters is even manageable on a large scale, and the price decreases to $12 per pack if you purchase 3 or more packs of 25.

    Scripture Advent Calendar

    Be on the lookout for the December 2023 “Everyday Faith Calendar” from Concordia Publishing House. Throughout the year, they offer monthly calendars that include daily scripture passages to read and questions for reflection. These are great ways to start daily faith practices at home. The December calendar isn’t out yet, but you can see previous months to get an idea of what to expect.

    BIPOC Leaders Advent Calendar

    For Advent 2021, the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, Massachusetts published a “BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Leaders Advent Calendar.” Each day gives people an opportunity to learn about a different leader. The calendar is ordered from December 1 – 24, so it can be adapted to this year’s Advent season as well. You can check out their BIPOC Leaders Advent calendar website.

    “How Does a Weary World Rejoice?” Calendar

    A Sanctified Art has released their 2023 Advent resources, and the collection includes printable “How Does a Weary World Rejoice? Advent Calendars for Children and Adults.” Their 2023 focus is “practicing joy in a weary world.” The children’s calendar involves coloring a part of the calendar for each day of Advent, and both the children’s and adult calendars suggest daily activities to invite joy into the season. Both calendars are sold together. Copies for personal use can be purchased for $5 each, and copies for church use can be purchased at varying rates by quantity starting at $20 for up to 25 copies.

    Illustrated Advent Calendar

    Illustrated Ministry has developed “An Illustrated Advent Calendar” as a digital printable for family or church use. As of this article’s publication date, three different editions of the calendar are currently available: a geometric shapes design, one that features shepherds and stars, and a new version with strands of Christmas lights. Each edition begins on December 1 and ends on Christmas and involves coloring and other activities. Pricing is on a sliding scale for the shepherds and stars edition ($2.99 for a household, $9.99 – 15.99 by church size) and a flat rate of $11.99 for the light strands and geometric editions.

    Outdoor Advent Calendar

    Although this list of calendars is designed to focus on faith-related resources, one calendar that isn’t explicitly Christian deserves mention. 1000 Hours Outside, a practice launched by Ginny Yurich to promote time outdoors for children and families, created a free “Outdoor Advent Calendar.” It includes 29 activities to do outside, and two different versions are available: one tailored to warm climates and another for cool areas. Because the calendar is undated, it can be used in any Advent season. It can be a helpful resource for incorporating creation care into your Advent celebration.

    What is your favorite Advent Calendar? Know of a new one to add to our list? Tell us in the comments [on Building Faith]


    Editor’s Note: This article was first published on November 2, 2020. It has been revised, updated, and republished for 2023 with the author’s permission.

    Featured image is by Congerdesign on Pixabay

    Building Faith

    Building Faith is published by Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. Our mission is to equip and inspire churches and individuals for the ministry of Christian education and faith formation.

    We believe that Christian education means helping all ages – children, youth, and adults – grow in the knowledge and love of God. We also know that formation happens in many ways: worship, church school, faith at home, outreach, mission, camp, and more.

    Church of the Redeemer logo

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Join Redeemer’s Stream Team

    Join Redeemer’s Stream Team

    If you can use a smartphone, you can join Redeemer’s Stream Team. We need people to live cast our 10:30 Sunday worship service to people all over the United States.

    While small, we have a nationwide audience for our worship services and website. In fact, more individual users from Dallas (35) visited our website from June through August this summer than from Bothell (22), according to Google Analytics. (Bothel had more “engaged sessions,” though.)

    To join Redeemer’s Stream Team, you only download a free application for your phone or tablet. The instructions are simple.

    Only two people live cast the services now. They get sick and take vacations. We need your help. To join Redeemer’s Stream Team or ask questions, contact Fr. Jed Fox, rector@redeemer-kenmore.org.

    Current use of the Mevo app

    Right now, we only use a single camera in the simplest of modes. Mostly, you do the following:

    1. Start the app.
    2. Wait the app to connect to the camera.
    3. Start the livestream before the service starts.
    4. At the end of the service, stop the app.

    You do not have to use any of the gesture controls to zoom in or pan.

    Read more at Mevo Camera App.

    Future plans

    We may add cameras one day. That means using a different free app be able to switch between cameras. You change cameras by tapping the screen. However, we aren’t there yet.

    Website visitors

    The picture at the top of the page is from a zoomed-in heat map taken during a sermon back while we were in lock-down.

    This table is the users from top 100 locations where we had users from June 1 to August 31, 2022. The data is from Google Analytics. This is not total visits or engagements from those locations, which would be a higher number. It is not only those watching services. The total number of locations for this period is over 700.

    CityUsers
    Seattle199
    New York171
    Los Angeles156
    Chicago67
    Columbus55
    Atlanta54
    Ashburn44
    Kirkland44
    Houston38
    Jacksonville35
    Everett34
    Dallas25
    Bothell22
    London20
    San Antonio20
    Dublin19
    Bellevue18
    Raleigh18
    Redmond17
    Washington17
    Phoenix15
    Portland15
    Baltimore13
    Shoreline13
    Arlington12
    Philadelphia12
    Forest City11
    Snoqualmie11
    Boston10
    Bremerton10
    Minneapolis10
    Prineville10
    Altoona9
    Kenmore9
    Melbourne9
    Miami9
    Orlando9
    Des Moines8
    Fort Worth8
    Honolulu8
    North Creek8
    Palm Valley8
    Quincy8
    Charlotte7
    Mountlake Terrace7
    Picnic Point-North Lynnwood7
    St. Louis7
    Tacoma7
    Austin6
    Gainesville6
    Greenville6
    Nashville6
    Sanford6
    Sydney6
    Union Hill-Novelty Hill6
    Alexandria5
    Issaquah5
    Salt Lake City5
    Tallahassee5
    Amsterdam4
    Auburn4
    Bend4
    Bethesda4
    Birmingham4
    Boardman4
    Clinton4
    Detroit4
    Durham4
    Edmonds4
    Grand Rapids4
    Hilton Head Island4
    Jacksonville Beach4
    Kent4
    Lulea4
    Lynnwood4
    Maltby4
    Marysville4
    Omaha4
    Oviedo4
    Paine Field-Lake Stickney4
    Rochester4
    San Francisco4
    Sumas4
    Toronto4
    Virginia Beach4
    White Center4
    Wilmington4
    Asheville3
    Athens3
    Auckland3
    Augusta3
    Baton Rouge3
    Bellingham3
    Brisbane3
    Camden3
    Canberra3
    Cartersville3
    Coffeyville3
    Denver3
    Englewood3
    Fernandina Beach3
    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

  • Coffee hour signup

    Coffee hour signup

    Thank you for volunteering to provide coffee hour after the 10:00 service at Church of the Redeemer.

    Select the date to see if there it is open.

     
    Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back.
    Guiltie of dust and sinne.
    But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
    From my first entrance in,
    Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
    If I lack'd anything.

    —excerpt from Goerge Herbert, from The Temple: Sacred Poems

    The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, reaching out to the world.

    Church of the Redeemer

    Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

    Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

    The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

Funeral for the Rev. Canon John Fergueson, Saturday, March 2, 2026, at 10:00 am in Church of the Redeemer. Additional parking available at The Vine Church across 181st Street from Redeemer.

The 6th Sunday of Easter (Year A), May 10, 2026. Services at 8:00 am (no music) and 10:30 (music). Xristos Kuxwoo-digoot! Xegaa-kux Kuxwoo-digoot!

Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
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