Neighborhood Fellowship Groups
Studying the Book of Proverbs, Fall 2008

Northwest Parish: (2) groups

The Northwest Parish will be hosting a Neighborhood Fellowship Group in Cedar Park at the home of Scott & Melissa Cunningham beginning September 21st on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm. The group will be led by Scott Cunningham. The Cunninghams’ home is at 1502 Old Mill Rd, Cedar Park, TX 78613. You are welcome to bring some supper and stay afterwards. Children are welcome. Please call (512) 401-0542 or email issaham@sbcglobal.net for directions.

The Northwest Parish will be hosting a Neighborhood Fellowship Group in Leander at the home of Mark & George Ann Nelsen beginning September 25th on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The group will be led by Harry Linnemeyer. The Nelsens’ home is at 1017 La Cantera, Leander, TX 78641. You are welcome to bring some supper and come early. Children are welcome. Please call (512) 260-9989 or email issaham@sbcglobal.net for directions - they are in a new neighborhood which is not yet in any mapping program.


North Parish:

The North Parish will be hosting a Neighborhood Fellowship Group at the home of Scott & Julie Brister, beginning October 16th on Thursday nights, from 7:30-9:00 p.m. The group will be led by Jack Smith. The Bristers’ home is at 380 River Chase Blvd., Georgetown. Please call for more details: (512) 869-7959 or Jack Smith: (512) 708-1232.

North Central Parish: (1) group

The North Central Parish will also be hosting a Neighborhood Fellowship Group at the home of Tony and Carmen McAlister, beginning October 1st on Wednesday nights, at 6:00 p.m. The group will be led by Rev. Derick McDonald. The McAlisters’ home is at 8308 Polar Drive. Please call for more details: Tony’s cell: (512) 695-5065, Carmen’s cell: (512) 736-9006.

Central Parish: (1) group

The Central Parish will be hosting a Neighborhood Fellowship Group at the home of Dr. Steve and Carolyn Griggs. Due to current house remodeling, this group will begin in January 2009. As soon as information is available, we will update the particular details.

South Parish: (2) groups

The South Parish will be hosting a Neighborhood Fellowship Group at the home of Ryan and Emily Deiss beginning October 2nd, on Thursday nights at 6:30—8:00 p.m. Children are welcome and we will be using the same format as last year. The group will be led by Weston Hicks. The Deiss' home is at 10909 Maelin Drive. Please contact either the Deisses at (512) 394-0134 or ryan@jotshot.com; or Weston Hicks, (512) 294-1859 or weston1279@aol.com for more details.

The South Parish will also be hosting an Adults (and sleeping infants only) Neighborhood Fellowship Group at the home of Matt and Andrea Thomas beginning October 1st on Wednesday nights at 7:45 p.m. The group will be led by Chris and Jennifer Fisher. The Thomas' home is at 4717 Eagle Feather Drive. Please either call the Thomases at (512) 892-8883 or Chris Fisher, (512) 669-1577 for more details.
*Note: after the Thomas babies are born, this location will change temporarily to the Pickering home, at 6408 Carrington Dr., Austin, TX 78749.

SOUTH PARISH MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST

The South Parish’s every-other-week Men’s Prayer Breakfast will continue at the home of Landy Ligon, Thursday mornings from 6:30 - 7:30 a.m. Refer to our weekly newsletter, This Week, on the Looking Ahead calendar on the back page, for exact dates. Breakfast and coffee will be provided. Bring your Bible and prayer concerns.

The Ligon home is located at 6806 Terra Oak, Austin, TX 78749.
Please contact Landy Ligon at lligon@pointserve.com
for more information.

DOWNTOWN MEN’S LUNCH

Come join men from Redeemer, for fellowship and lunch on the
last Wednesday of every month, beginning July 30th. We’ll be meeting each month at Chipotle (8th & Congress) at 11:30 a.m.,
(trying to beat the lunch rush—Chipotle fills up quickly). No formal agenda, just a time to talk and enjoy a good burrito.
Please contact David Cortright at dcortright@netspend.com
r Bill Peacock at bpeacock@tortillacoast.net with questions.

Other Ongoing Parish Bible Study Groups

If there are other existing Bible Studies that are not participating in the Neighborhood Fellowship Groups within our Parishes that you would like listed in the on the website, please contact the church office to give us the pertinent details, at 708-1232 or redeemer@redeemerpres.org.

Equipped to Serve
A City of Villages

Equipped to Serve(mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
April 2, 2006

Equipped to Serve(mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
March 26, 2006

Equipped to Serve(mp3)
Rev. Danny Shuffield
February 26, 2006

Equipped to Serve(mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
February 5, 2006

Equipped to Serve(mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
January 29, 2006

Equipped to Serve (mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
January 15, 2006

Equipped to Serve (mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
Handout
January 8, 2006

Leadership III(mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
Handout
October 9, 2005

Leadership II (mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
Handout
October 2, 2005

Leadership I (mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
Handout
September 25, 2005

What Is a Parish and How Will it Work? (mp3)
Rev. D.P. Cassidy
Handout

The Psalmist tells us that those people who have in their hearts the highways to Zion, the city of God, become those who turn barren places into fruitful lands (Psalm 84:5-6). That's restoration language for the recovery of the Garden of God, a frequent theme with the prophets as well (see Isaiah 51). But don't gardens and cities stand in juxtaposition to one another? Perhaps the "Green Acres" theme works on TV, but in Scripture both city and country go together. Indeed, the heavenly city "coming down" to us might well be described as a Garden-City that has streets and gates, but is also filled with beautiful trees, including the Tree of Life, a River of Life, and abundant foliage that brings healing to the nations (Revelation 21-22). The historical manifestation of that redemptive reality was called "the perfection of beauty" and "the joy of the whole earth" (Psalm 48:2, 50:2).

Jesus tells us that this "city" is actually a people, just as his temple is as well (Matthew 5:14). His city "set on a hill" is a light to the world, a place from which his truth goes forth and where the broken world finds healing. There are many who have sought to politicize this reality. But that is to confuse the hills on which this city stands. It is built not on Rome's seven hills (or Jerusalem's for that matter), but on "the place of the skull," the hill called Calvary. Some scholars have suggested that Christ was crucified on the Mount of Olives, but whatever the exact location of the crucifixion, it is there that the city is founded and from there that it shines forth in splendor.

Over the centuries God's people have sought to live out the shape of the cross and the city in a variety of ways, most notably from the central "cathedral" church surrounded by parishes of pastoral care, service, instruction, and evangelism. Examples are simply too numerous to recount. I do believe that we can once again take up that mantle to live out the implications of manifesting the City of God in the midst of the broken city of man. That is not to suggest the hope of a utopia (a Latin word meaning "nowhere"). On the contrary, it is to confess with Paul that the Jerusalem above, our "Mother," is "free," and we are called to live in her freedom in the fallen world until God is pleased to bring forth that final eschatological city of glory. After all, "here we do not have a lasting city" and with Abraham we search by faith for "the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11).

The details of the emerging pastoral teams for our yet-to-be defined parishes, the lesson plans for the training, the way in which everything from follow-up to small groups to church planting, and numerous other strategic concerns could easily distract us. But here at the outset, let us simply embrace by faith the search for the city, a city of villages filled with God's glory, protected by God's presence, embracing God's people, and reaching to God's world. We will need all, male and female, young and old, who sense God's call to serve in Parish Leadership to embrace the course of preparation offered in our Equipped to Serve class. This is about leadership rather than officership. If you believe that God has put a desire in you to care for, serve, evangelize, and disciple others, please sign on. And may God bring forth his City among us and through us.