Redeemer East Side Update

As we continue to monitor the constantly changing environment in our city due to COVID-19, I wanted to update you on some further adjustments we are making at Redeemer East Side that we believe will keep the most vulnerable in our community safe while at the same time keep us connected with one other through worship, prayer and community.

It seems the primary form our church community will need to take in the coming weeks will be around three key anchors: 1) weekly live-streamed worship, 2) daily virtual prayer, and 3) regular virtual Community Groups. Here are the adjustments we have made to each to ensure we continue to connect with one another.

Sunday worship services. Our Sunday livestream worship will be adjusted in the following ways to allow us to conduct public corporate worship without requiring pastors, staff or musicians to gather in person to lead the service. These changes will start this Sunday and continue until further notice.

  • Worship services will be live-streamed at eastside.redeemer.com/worship
  • Services times will shift to 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to streamline logistics
  • Songs recorded by our musicians will be available on the livestream website
  • I (or another pastor) will lead a modified version of our liturgy and share a homily live-streamed from our home
  • Bulletins, lyrics, announcements and giving will be available on the livestream web page

We appreciate your patience as we iron out the details and logistics of these changes. This is a first for us all!

Virtual noonday prayer. We strongly encourage you to join us for our daily virtual noonday prayer as we pray for our church, city and world. Prayer is one of the most powerful resources the church has to offer our city at this time. It may be that one of the things God is doing is using this situation to teach us to return to the power of prayer. For the best experience, please take these three steps before you join:

  • Download the Google Hangouts Meet app
  • Sign up for the Redeemer Daily Devotional email
  • Add a reminder to your calendar or set an alarm

If you prefer to join by phone, you can call in to the number provided on the website.

Virtual Community Groups. Community Groups are continuing to meet virtually. While groups can't meet in person, our need for gospel community and support is crucial. Feel free to invite friends and neighbors to your group. If you are not yet in a Virtual Community Group we'd like to welcome you into one. Email [email protected] to get connected.

Finally, we have created an East Side Disaster Relief Fund to help people who find themselves in need as a result of this crisis. Please give generously, above and beyond your regular giving to the church. Also, our partners at Hope for New York have created a page that lists urgent needs our affiliate organizations are facing as they seek to serve the most vulnerable populations in the city during this time. Go to hfny.org/covid19 regularly to find ways to serve.

I leave you with the beautiful, moving words of the historic Reformed catechism, the Heidelberg Catechism, to remind you of the comfort that is ours in Christ:

Q1: What is your only comfort in life and death?
A: That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.

Warmly,

Warmly,

Rev. Abraham Cho
East Side Senior Pastor

VISION

The Redeemer family of churches and ministries exist to help build a great city for all people through a movement of the gospel that brings personal conversion, community formation, social justice, and cultural renewal to New York City and, through it, the world.

Redeemer East Side
Church Offices: 150 W. 83rd St. | New York, NY 10024