Our Saviour Lutheran Church exists thanks to the inspiring love of Jesus Christ.  Our mission is to give that love to each other, and beyond to all whose lives we can touch. This is not a do-gooders exercise by Sunday Christians sharing leftovers of time and money. It is a joyful and urgent new life which is sold out for Jesus Christ, who paid his life for us. We live every day for his honour. We trust every day in his provision. We celebrate every day as his gift. And we pray every day with those who suffer, no matter what the cause.

Our Saviour Lutheran Church is now ready to move into its next phase of Chapel-sharing with Redeemer Lutheran College. After more than a year of prayer, planning and Congregational approval the dates are set to gather resources and start building. We will appeal to the Redeemer College community, but first we ask your involvement. Take in the story of our journey and help us to gather God’s help to keep growing our capacity to be disciples and disciple makers.

25 YEARS OF FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP
For over 25 years Our Saviour congregation has linked hands with Redeemer College to deliver the love of Christ to its wide community – gathering in for worship, care, discipling, and joy together – sending out for action in schools and universities, streets and businesses, and for healing brokenness from here to Africa.

Along the way, Our Saviour and Redeemer College have grown wide and deep, creative and diverse. Together we engage with families numbering thousands, races numbering scores, and Our Saviour members coming from over 85 suburbs. Understandably, most of our shared life revolves around the Redeemer campus, and much of our care action draws others, sooner or later, to this special place of community life.

THE HUB OF OUR SHARED LIFE
Right at the heart of that place we enjoy Redeemer Chapel as the hub of our shared life. It’s our place of worship – averaging 400 every Sunday, and up to 700 on special days. It’s the place of Lazer club and Senior Youth life, vital with activity, devotion, music, food and friendships every Friday. It’s the place of Sunday Night Live, backbone of Lutheran Youth worship inspiration in Queensland.

It’s also the place of new relationships, discoveries, and memories as people gather for weddings, baptisms, reunions, funerals. We built the Chapel 10 years ago as a place for people in touch with their Saviour and each other – and it has served us beyond its plan.

As a result the hub is no longer able to provide for all who come. Its welcome is crowded and its facilities grossly exceeded by ordinary human needs, not to mention young families and health needs.

Our plan is to extend the Chapel to include an enlarged Kitchen (3 times size), toilet block (4 female, 3 male), store room for outside furniture, and finish by adding a large arch shelter spanning from the Kitchen to Redeemer’s Admin building.

REDEEMER BENEFITS

Growing with Redeemer
Our action to redevelop the Welcome Hub at Redeemer will also expand the ministry of Redeemer College. Schools are becoming key places of safe community, family interaction, volunteer involvement, and youth and family support. Add Redeemer’s Christ-centred focus and we see the growth of the College from Pre-School to Year 12 as an enormous opportunity for Christ’s ministry, with which we are eager to help.

Growing Community opportunities.
The College’s regular Chapel services and school events will benefit from the new Welcome Hub by providing more extensive and comfortable fellowship and community space before and after events on the many occasions when parents and grandparents, visitors, staff, and students can stay.

Sheltered Chapel gathering place.
The daily routine of arrivals and departures will also be enriched by a sheltered area for students to wait, and also for parents to interact. There is also potential for a coffee shop to build those parent opportunities into significant ministry. Groups such as Playgroup, grandparents, small groups, local Youth leadership meetings, local pastors, etc. are among potential beneficiaries.

Redeemer’s big events.
Redeemer’s calendar events will also gain improved facilities at – the Fair, Grandparent Days, Gallery, and all ‘open’ events for school and community.

Critical facilities for young students and families.
Redeemer’s very successful Junior School has added an unforseen need for amenities for mothers, babies and small children if the Chapel is to serve them. Junior School Christian dance is already confronting this need.

NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD
As Redeemer College continues to welcome more families, local building costs and opportunities become more difficult, and our ministry hospitality falters, we believe 2010 is the time to expand and renew our Welcome Hub. 2009 saw the clearing of the Our Saviour Chapel Share Loan. Now is our time for a new commitment to help provide towards the Chapel.

HELPING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN IN 2010
After more than a year of planning, consultation and prayer we have an action path for building extensions. We are ready to gather our resources and do it, with your help.

We are asking everyone to make an investment in the people already getting involved and those yet to join us – by providing a Welcome Hub big enough to include them. The cost is estimated at $530,000*, and the hope is to have it done in 2010**.

The components of support are:

1. A monetary pledge to provide a tax deductible gift in time for 30th June tax year end.

2. A pledge for annual giving for 2 or more years with regular tax benefits...

3. Involvement in events to celebrate and share the project; and to lift the interest of a wider circle of supporters whilst enjoying fun ways to contribute to funds.

4. Building up our funds supply (ear-marked deposits) for a loan to cover the unpaid costs through the Lutheran Layperson’s League – our internal bank offering depositors 4½ % interest, guaranteed security, and easy access to funds.

5. Prayer and promotion.

* $530,000 includes the bathroom and kitchen complex, equivalent to the facilities of 4 homes, and a large arch cover larger than a house. Add up those costs and the figure becomes understandable. ** Subject to approvals for loans and building details.

FROM PASTOR ROBIN...
Some places have the capacity to help change lives. They are places of grace – a hub of life where relationships form, welcome is shared, hospitality is generous, and care is comforting. Redeemer Chapel is such a place, growing faith and touching thousands of lives again and again over many years. The number keeps growing – more students, more families, more youth, more worshippers, and now more infants, young families and older grandparents, greater health issues.

The Redeemer Chapel Hub Appeal is a commitment to catch up with that growth. Only by extending facilities will the grace reach and include all of us, as well as those yet to come. Your generous help will grow this place of grace – the Welcome Hub of Redeemer Lutheran College.

Pastor Robin Stelzer