Redemption Hill Church

Acts 2:41-47 shows the impact of God’s people coming together in community. The impact is felt internally as members of the body are cared for and encouraged in tangible and intangible ways (Gal. 6:1-5). It is also felt outwardly as our city experiences God’s love and grace through His people, the church (Acts 2:42, 5:14, 11:24). Redemption Hill Church is a community of people who gather together to worship Jesus, live life together, support each other, and spill into our city for the sake of the gospel and the glory of God.

It is the privilege and calling of the church to make disciples and teach people what it is to follow Jesus. This will happen best in the context of relationships and authentic community, as mature followers of Jesus come alongside those who are younger in their faith, and as members come alongside those who are hurting or in need (2 Tim. 3:10-16). It is the responsibility and calling of Redemption Hill Church’s leaders to foster a culture of discipleship by teaching and equipping God’s people to be His Church (Eph. 4:12-16). As part of training people to be disciples of Jesus, the church must be active in discipline (1 Cor. 5-6). 

In this Sunday's sermon, Pastor Eric will emphasize the essentials of biblical community, particularly focusing on the ways this is beautifully reflected in Redemption Hill Church, while also calling us to even greater expressions of it.

Dr. Doug Logan is the President of Grimké Seminary in Richmond, VA, and the Dean of Grimké Urban. He is also the Associate Director of Acts 29, and currently serves as the Pastor of Church Planting at Remnant Church. Pastor Doug has been a longtime friend of Redemption Hill Church, and we are glad to welcome him back to preach this Sunday, as he casts a vision for Seeing the Beauty of the City. 

DC has a unique history and culture. As we come to understand this context more fully, it will shape our church and ministry. We always need to have an eye toward ongoing growth in our understanding of the context into which God has placed us. Dr. Doug Logan will preach from Acts 18:9-10 to help us understand the importance of context and seeing the good and beautiful aspects of our city for the sake of our witness and work here

We were honored to have Pastor Michael Martin join us last Sunday. He planted Learning To Live Fellowship, (LTLF) in Inglewood, California and served on the pastoral team at Oceanside Christian Fellowship (OCF) in El Segundo, CA. He now serves at Senior Pastor at Stillmeadow Church in Baltimore. Michael has had significant involvement in the work of church health and church diversity both while serving locally as a resource and nationally in denominational work with our denomination, the EFCA.  As a recording artist, Pastor Michael has been fortunate to have music he has written heard in a variety of venues in Christian and secular formats. He considers music an amazing means of speaking truth and joy into any life. His current project is JOY lifeStories vol. 2  He is proud of the fact that Gail, his wife of over 35 years, still seems to like him. They have a daughter, son, son-in-law and 3 grandsons. Raised in a large, loving, extended family in Flint, Michigan; his upbringing in the church has shaped many of his values and commitments today.  We long for true revival – that the Spirit of God will move in power and use the Church as witnesses to the resurrection and hope of Jesus Christ. Redemption Hill will speak the gospel as the words of life and hope that it is, calling all people to turn to Jesus in belief and repentance, praying that God will turn people’s hearts and ignite their passions for His glory.  Pastor Michael Martin preached out of the book of Philemon, working to ignite a passion to reach people in our own city. We can entrust ourselves and our safety fully to God, knowing that He has many in this city who are His own. This sermon will help people work out some of the fears or hesitancy they have when it comes to evangelism and help them see their place in God’s work of saving people.

At Redemption Hill Church, we are confessionally bound to lives and ministries of compassion and justice. Statement 8 of our Statement of Faith says: God’s gospel compels us to Christ-like living and witness in the world We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.  This Sunday, Pastor Rich preached through Statement 8 and cast a vision for Redemption Hill Church’s opportunity to be part of kingdom work in our city, individually and as a church. There was a particular focus on ministry of justice and mercy, highlighting CGs and work that is already happening in our church, as well as showing attainable on-ramps for others to start to get involved.

This Sunday, Pastor Rich will preach from Psalm 116. This is a song of thanksgiving for deliverance and a beautiful example of how our personal witness naturally leads to public praise. This sermon will help serve as a powerful reminder of how, even in the toughest of seasons, we can find the strength to give God all the glory.

Redemption Hill is a family that graciously welcomes people into loving community. At its core, the gospel is a celebration that welcomes all people into the family of God through Jesus Christ. Redemption Hill is a family that is generous, thoughtful, and warm, welcoming people into community and celebrating God’s grace together.

Though not of this world, God's people are to be missionaries into it. The purpose of teaching, equipping, and training people is that they would then go out and reach deeply into the surrounding culture and their own spheres of influence, desperate to share the love of Jesus with everyone who crosses their paths.

In this sermon, Pastor Rich will help the church see how all of life is a witness to the gospel, and the good work that the church does will open the way for us to tell people the good news. This sermon will cast a renewed vision for our calling at Redemption Hill to Reach DC and Reflect DC.

This Sunday Pastor Cedrick Brown, the founding pastor of Commitment Community Church in Lindenwold, NJ, will be preaching for us. He also serves as Co-Superintendent of EFCA East, our district in the EFCA. Cedrick was born and raised in Compton, CA. He played football, including as a pro on the Philadelphia Eagles. He has been married to Lisa for over 30 years and they have three adult children. Discipleship is more than mere information transfer; it is walking with Jesus. Luke 9:23-27 tells us that it is taking up our cross daily to follow Christ. Pastor Cedrick will teach from this passage on the costliness of discipleship – what it means to have a cross to bear as we follow Jesus. He will also preach the impact of following Jesus as a community rather than on our own, showing that we are not made to pursue Jesus in isolation.

This Sunday brings our next guest preaching, Pastor Andrew Elder. Andrew serves as Pastor of Village Church South Belfast, which was planted out of Village Church East Belfast. Redemption Hill has been a partner in the work in Belfast for more than a decade, from the very beginning of our church and theirs. Pastor Andrew has a tender heart for people and passion to reach the lost. 

His sermon out of Matthew 28:16-20 will focus on the value and impact of multiplication of ministry. Beginning with Community Groups, it will address the fears and pain points of multiplying, but also the impact and vision to make it happen. It will also explore the importance of church multiplication, highlighting our long-term investment into church planting in resources, coaching, training, and help.

This Sunday we welcome the first of guest preachers this summer. Dr. Alejandro (Alex) Mandes is the Executive Director of the All People Initiative for our denomination, the EFCA. Alex has been instrumental in starting GATEWAY Theological Institute, which creates pathways to Credentialing through theological education for those who cannot go to a traditional seminary. This was originally started for immigrant pastors, and has expanded greatly. He also has been instrumental in supporting Immigrant Hope, a ministry of the EFCA that works with undocumented immigrants to help with legal and other support. 

Alex created a two-part sermon series covering the major themes of his book, Embracing the New Samaria. His first sermon will explain that God's purpose in all-time includes embracing those different than ourselves.