(Katrina Meyer continued from page 10)
good variety of staples on the shelves.
Redeemer’s Katrina Meyer My name is Katrina Meyer and I am the Stewardship Minister on the Church Council. I have been coming to Redeemer for about three years now and I think I fell in love with Redeemer the first day I walked through the doors. I had recently finished a year of service with the Lutheran Volunteer Corp in Wilmington, DE working with Habitat for Humanity. At that time I was looking for a job and a sense of meaning and belonging as I moved to a new city seeking a place to put down some roots. A friend of mine knew this about me and had just started going to Redeemer and invited me to come visit the church with her, and I loved it right away. While I was visiting I had heard that Redeemer was in need of a nursery type space for children and parents to go to during the service. With my background with Habitat for Humanity I asked if I could help in transforming a room into a nursery. I was welcomed with open arms and from that day on, Redeemer became a part of who I am. Redeemer is in Harrison neighborhood’s corner. Sunday mornings are a small part of Redeemer’s role in Harrison. Redeemer reaches out every day as a place of safety and welcome for those who need it. A big project that I am excited to share is about a property lot across the street from Redeemer. The duplex was well know in the neighborhood as a place where bad things happen, and when Pastor Kelly saw the property for sale the wonderful idea came about for Redeemer to buy the property and turn it into a positive space in the neighborhood. Redeemer voted and approved this adventure. We have now torn down the condemned building and we will be building a new structure this summer through volunteer labor (contact the Redeemer office for more information about volunteering). Once the house is built, the current plan is to have low income housing for seminary students focusing on Urban Ministries, and for those students to be involved in the Harrison neighborhood and in Redeemer and the RCFL programming. Redeemer cares about the community that it is in, and accepts people however they walk through our doors which I feel is so important as our society continues to draw lines of separation. Redeemer is full of differences but the acceptance and welcoming of all people keeps us close and together through the unity of Christ we can do great things. Redeemer is important to me because it give me hope, connection, and community and I don’t know where I would be without it.
Donations from local stores have increased greatly due to the Food Rescue Program coordinated by Second Harvest, local retailers and food shelf staff. Meats, produce, dairy, bakery, and hygiene items are picked up three times a week by volunteers at Walmart, Target, Cub, and Coborn’s. Having these donations helps keep expenses down dramatically and has increased the variety of healthy options for families. During the first quarter of 2012, Food Rescue participating stores have donated 173,548 pounds of food and hygiene items.
What’s With the Pod? Have you noticed the storage pod that arrived on the corner of Zion’s property in May? The pod will be used to collect medical equipment for Mission Jamaica. When Minnesota medical clinics upgrade equipment like exam tables and X-ray machines, they often need a place to dispose of the old-but-still-usable equipment. This storage pod will sit at Zion until it is full of such equipment, and then be shipped to Jamaica for use in medical clinics in need of it. If you know of equipment that is due for replacement and may be available for donation through this program, please contact Dr. Andrew Burgdorf via the church office.
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