Redeemer Review
The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer
October, 2008
From our Interim Vicar:
Dear Friends,
On Monday September 22, 2008, the Reverend Canon Michael Barlowe met with the Bishop’s Committee to
discuss our time as we begin the search for a permanent vicar. He checked in with the state of our community.
He also wanted to invite our community to explore area ministry as the first part of our search process.
Area Ministry is a mission strategy for organizing ministries in the Diocese of California into more vital and
creative agents of transformation. Through careful discernment and outreach, Area Ministry teams identify
neighborhood challenges and seek innovative contemporary solutions. Building on the ancient understanding of
“parish” as a geographic designation, Area Ministry leverages resources by bringing churches, social and
cultural institutions, and people together. Area Ministry leads spiritual growth and fresh expressions of mission
ministry, both inside the church and outside the church. Area Ministry is mission directed outward.
This first stage of the our process would require that we form a discernment committee that would work on a
self-study of Redeemer and how we would practice Area Ministry in the San Rafael neighborhood and Marin
County. I am convening a meeting on October 15, 2008 with local Episcopal clergy and Michael Barlowe to
discuss Area Ministry in the San Rafael neighborhood. The discernment committee will also have town hall
meetings with the entire Redeemer community to work on the self –study of Redeemer and how we relate to the
neighborhood of San Rafael.
After completing the self-study about Area Ministry, then it will be necessary to discern what kind of clergy
leadership would be appropriate to achieve these future goals at Redeemer. Also, it will be important to discern
what characteristics this person should possess in order to complement the ministry team for the neighborhood
of San Rafael. The eventual outcome would be the goal of calling a permanent vicar to Redeemer by Spring
2009.
Area Ministry is not a program. It is a mission strategy with a set of tools to inform, form, and transform
ourselves—on an ongoing basis—so that we can be effective witnesses of what we have seen and heard, fresh
expressions of Church that are rooted in ancient truths about God, creation and the human condition.
I welcome you to join us as we begin this transformative journey!
Blessings!
Father Mark
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