The Good News in Serving

I’ve worked as a pharmacy manager for 5 years now, and my number one priority has always been service. Okay, well, safety is always our number one priority, so service is a close second. I try to keep up with medical literature, and I am hungry for any new information about healthy living I can share with my patients, but the one thing I am always checking my pulse on is service. I’ve enjoyed listening to great servants like Dan Cathy from Chic-Fil-A, or Danny Meyer from Union Square Hospitality Group, but it hasn’t been enough to sustain me in a demanding profession.

It was a very difficult industry for me at first. I am sure you’ve heard the phrase “the customer is always right,” and it’s 100% accurate. I am a proud person, and I don’t enjoy being wrong. After a few quarters of always being on the defensive, I was convinced I wasn’t going to survive in my profession very long. I had to frequently fix problems that I wasn’t responsible for, and often take the blame. It was exhausting. Before long, I was driving to work everyday preparing myself to be wrong, which became very depressing. Something was going to have to change. It turned out, it was me.

A couple of years ago my wife and I read the book of Mark together. I was taking a new job with even higher standards of service at this time (surprising, I know), so I was excited to be reminded of the life of Jesus. If you want to know what God is like, all you have to do is look at the life of Jesus. He is God! His compassion, grace, and mercy to us is inspiring and worthy of our worship. One of the most helpful passages during this transition is found in chapter 10, verses 41-45:

When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

It is a familiar text, but it must become more than familiar to us; it must become a part of us. As new creations in Christ, it is of great importance to remember what our new bodies were resurrected for, what we are to do. In this passage we can clearly see that one Christlike behavior is serving. Serve to the point where our life is demanded of us. Without God, this type of service isn’t possible. I have experienced it first hand. I tried to serve, and my well was just about dry. The Spirit used this passage to remind me that service is not from duty but from a new heart.

Look at what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17: ”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Paul is literally saying that something new is here. You are not simply cleaned off and put back in the world. No, the Resurrection has made you into something you’ve never been before, something you could never be on your own. You are restored into the royal priesthood of God, worshipping Him in all things, and reflecting the praise of all creation back to Him. To put it more simply, a new heart means new desires. Our worship does not come from a place of duty, it comes from a place of love – a place of joy. So, instead of serving others because I am “supposed to,” I serve because my soul longs to. It’s a radical transformation that is only made possible by the death and resurrection of Christ.

Believers, we have entered into death, so that the flesh may die (and all of the idols with it!) so that we may be born again and raised to life with Christ. We are finally able to live as we were designed to live; as worshippers of God. Serving others is one such way that we can worship our great God.

Serving others is no longer something I am supposed to do as a believer, it is something that my new heart beats to do. It is one way that I can worship God and prepare the way for His Kingdom to come. When I am weary I am able to look to Christ who also served, though he was a king. Serving has also become part of my ministry. By serving others, I can better demonstrate my love for the gospel and love for others.

I’d like to invite you to join me by starting to incorporate service routines into your life. We have numerous opportunities to serve right here at Redemption Church, and we could use a lot of different skills. Whether it is making disciples in Redemption Kids, running the sound booth, or greeting with Hospitality, there are ample ways you can bless others. The elders, deacons, and I also pray to see such service flow outside of our church walls and into the community of Augusta. We need people with a heart and vision for the city to find opportunities that our members can serve in. Lastly, we can serve globally by funding, and praying for our global missionaries. I pray that the Spirit may lead you into this vocational change, and that you may find joy by serving others.

Spotlight: The Doris Building

The historic and beautiful Doris Building is home not only to the Redemption Church family, but also serves as a bridge to the local community as an event facility that the public can access for their special occasions. We don’t just want to be an empty storefront during the week with a presence in the vibrant downtown Augusta community on Sunday mornings. While utilizing our space as a rental facility provides additional income that helps to cover the expenses of owning a building, the primary focus of using our building in this manner is to be a good neighbor to other businesses by bringing more people downtown to events.

The process to reserve a date at the building starts digitally, with a visit to thedorisbuilding.com.
There, interested parties can find pricing, event rules, available dates and a form to fill out to schedule a building tour.

After a prospective client tours the building, a rental agreement (or contract) is drafted and a deposit is paid to hold the date. So far, the Doris Building has been host to over 20 events, including spoken word poetry slams, fundraisers, birthday parties and fashion shows. We have also partnered with Augusta Sports Council and Arts in the Heart for some of their events.

We look forward to a busy spring schedule, with four community events already booked for March and the Augusta Handmade Fair coming the first weekend in May. Visit the Doris Building website or email info@thedorisbuilding.com for more information about our facility.

Spotlight: Redemption Women Gears Up for Another Year

One of the most exciting new developments in the life of Redemption Church last year was the launch of our women’s ministry, Redemption Women.

Redemption Women hosts monthly gatherings—usually each third Thursday at the Doris Building—to offer ladies an opportunity for deeper church-wide fellowship and discipleship.

“Women need each other. I believe God wired us to need all kinds of relationships, and female friendships are one of them,” said Holly Love, founder and co-leader. “There’s a feeling you get when you’ve had fellowship with others that’s hard to explain. It’s like a little bit of your soul got filled up.”

When you ask today’s busy, tired, and overworked women the one area of life they wish they could improve, the most common answer is their involvement at church. Research by Barna Group indicates that a majority of Christian women crave deeper relationships and more emotional support among their congregations.

“It’s really important for Christian women of all ages and stages of life to be able to come together and be encouraged by one another,” said Claire Riche, who also co-leads the ministry alongside Holly, Tiffany Snow, and Kelly Skelley. “I have loved seeing this group of women as diverse as we are come together as one unified body.”

Holly felt God calling her to launch the ministry not long after moving from San Antonio to Augusta. Interest from fellow women and her co-leaders led her to begin planning meetings over the summer and official gatherings starting in September.

Each Redemption Women gathering includes a meal or snack, a short presentation or discussion, and an activity. The group has brainstormed ideas to highlight and serve the range of interests among them, and so far has swapped recipes for favorite soups, tried their hands at seasonal crafts, and started an inaugural Christmas Tea.

This month’s event, scheduled for January 19 at 7 p.m., will be a pajama party and coloring night. (Women at Redemption can chat with one of the leaders or click to join our Facebook Group for updates on all Redemption Women happenings.)

The co-leaders recognize the stereotypical downfalls of women’s ministry—that it could turn cliquish or exclusive—and are actively working to infuse a sense of openness and togetherness. In an earlier blog post, Holly introduced the four major principles guiding Redemption Women: inclusiveness, fellowship, teaching, and outreach.

Titus 2 encourages women to raise up one other in the Lord. “They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women” (Titus 2:3-4).

“My biggest hope for Redemption Women is that it provides a safe and welcoming place for women of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to come together and experience the warmth of each other’s company and the love of God,” said Holly.

Spotlight: Redemption Women

Redemption Women is just a couple of months up and running, and it has already been a lot of fun. Just this week we hosted a Christmas Tea that was an excellent time of fun and fellowship. While there will be many future events and activities, lets take a moment to highlight the goals behind Redemption Women.

As a ministry of Redemption Church, our ultimate hope for Redemption Women is that it will be an avenue for leading women to Jesus who lead others to Jesus. Missional Communities, DNA’s, serving, and worshiping together are mutually beneficial and important for our whole community. With that in mind, we also feel that there is value in creating space for women to minister to and with each other as we continue to participate in the body of Christ. That is the space Redemption Women hopes to fill. 

Four Values of Redemption Women:

  1. Inclusiveness – Everyone wants to feel included, welcomed, and like they belong somewhere. Therefore, we want to create an atmosphere of acceptance and inclusiveness; a place where everyone is important and known. We endeavor to accomplish this by looking at each woman who attends Redemption Women as Jesus does; Seeing them as special, unique, and worthy.
  2. Fellowship – Our fellowship helps shape us, and that makes it a significant part of our lives as Christians. So we want to help facilitate friendships that invite and incite joint participation in each other’s lives as we grow and learn together.  God uses Christian fellowship to make us more like Him.
  3. Teaching – We want to be intentional about bringing the gospel to bear in the lives of women. To that end, we will have speakers and teachers share periodically who can help shine a light on how Jesus impacts women and uses women to spread His fame.
  4. Outreach – There are two ways in which Redemption Women hopes to reach out to the community. First of all, we hope to create an environment where women feel comfortable inviting their friends, neighbors, and family members. Secondly, we desire to touch the lives of women downtown and in our area through mission projects and opportunities.

Want to get involved, learn more, or know what’s coming up? Contact women@redemptionchurchga.com for more information.