Redeemer Central Belfast

Belfast Pride Festival takes place this week and, as an inclusive church community with a presence in the city centre, we want to bring the love of Jesus to the LGBTQ+ community. We’re hosting a few events and we’d love to invite you.

∙ LOVE WINS: FAITH & RADICAL INCLUSION - A CELEBRATION ∙
Sun 28 July, 7pm

A special gathering of stories, songs and prayers curated and led by our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters in Redeemer. Everyone is welcome — particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community and their families and friends — to come, hear and experience the radical love and inclusion of the Gospel. Refreshments and sweet things will be served at a dessert bar following the gathering. Everyone Welcome.

∙BLESSING OUR NEIGHBOURS AT PRIDE ∙
Sat 27 July (from 2pm onwards)

Our doors will be open on Saturday practicing hospitality to festival goers on Pride Parade Day by serving refreshments & doughnuts and creating a warm, welcoming space in our venue for people to drop into. Everyone Welcome, if you are there come and say hello and get a free doughnut!

🔗redeemercentral.com/events

RIDEFORREFUGE | 3 days until we will be cylcing in the North Down Coastal Challenge 🚴‍♂️🌅

We are raising money to support families, who are seeking asylum, to benefit from a life enriching retreat at Corrymeela’s Ballycastle Centre.

❤️ Ian and James have been training hard the past few months in preparation for this weekends race!

🙏 Please help them reach our funding target - you can find out more and donate on our justgiving page.

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/runforrefuge24

*Reminder* Our Christmas Eve gathering tomorrow begins at the earlier time of 10:30am. See you then for a shorter time of carols, readings & prayers.

This Christmas we are raising money for Toy Tales!

Toy Tales exists to provide brand new toys to children of families in need of help at Christmas. Families are treated with dignity, being able to choose what they want to buy their children.

To donate and find out more visit redeemercentral.com/toytales

Sabbath 03 - Delight

In Sabbath part 3 John Herron looks at the third movement of Sabbath– delight.

Timothy Keller has said, “Because the world is full of ugly things, we need the Sabbath to feed our soul with beauty.” Jesus himself said plainly, “In this world, you will have trouble,” but he also said his desire for his disciples was “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.” Sorrow is inevitable in this life, but joy is not. In the Way of Jesus, joy is a gift, but it’s one that must be chosen and cultivated, day after day, as an act of apprenticeship to our joyful God.

Previous generations often thought of the Sabbath as a somber, serious day full of religious duty and legalistic rules. Today, many people think of it as a day to chill, relax, or sleep. Both generations miss the essential truth – the Sabbath is designed by God as a day to give yourself fully to delight in God’s world, in your life in it, and ultimately in God himself.

Catch up on the podcast at redeemercentral.com/ptw and all podcast platforms [links in bio]

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Sabbath 02 - Rest

In Sabbath part 2 Stephanie Wilson explored the second movement of Sabbath–to rest.

The idea of rest sounds wonderful, but in reality, rest is a radical, countercultural act of resistance to the powers and principalities of a world at war with God and his kingdom of peace.

To practice Sabbath is to draw a line in the sand against all external (and internal) forces that would encroach upon your apprenticeship to Jesus and formation into his image. It’s to say, “This far you shall go, but no further.” It is to defy some of the most powerful forces known to humanity as an act of non-cooperation done in love for community, for the poor, for the earth, and ultimately for God himself.

“Sabbath keeping is a statement of our identity, it enacts an identity that goes against the mainstream.” — Walter Brueggemann

Catch up on the podcast at redeemercentral.com/ptw and all podcast platforms [links in bio]

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Sabbath 01 - Stop

David Armstrong began our series Practicing the Way with our first practice, Sabbath —  a day of rest by which we cultivate a spirit of restfulness in all of our life.

In part 1 we explored the first movement of Sabbath and the most literal meaning of the Hebrew verb shabbat – “to stop.” To sabbath is, at it’s most basic, to stop, to cease, to be done.

In the Genesis story, the Creator God himself rested on the seventh day, and in doing so he built a rhythm into the fabric of creation. For six days we work and labor and wrestle with the earth, but on the seventh day, we stop.

We breathe.
We come to rest.

When we live in alignment with this ancient, primal rhythm, as Jesus did, we find what Jesus called “rest for our souls.” But when we fight or chafe against or attempt to outsmart this innate, bodily cadence, we fracture our soul’s wholeness into a million pieces. Exhaustion, confusion, alienation from God and others, harm to the earth and the poor, and even spiritual death are all the toxic waste of a life without Sabbath.

Catch up on the podcast at redeemercentral.com/ptw and all podcast platforms [links in bio]

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Whiskey Tasting Night

Fri 08 Dec ∙ 7:30pm

A fun (and somewhat festive) night of Whiskey/Whisky tasting hosted by Ian Wasson. Drinks provided but feel free to bring a bottle and contribute to the choice on offer.

Free event but registration is required as spaces are limited.

🔗

Christmas 2023 — Redeemer Central Advent & Christmas 2023 | Redeemer Central

~ Sabbath ~

Our new series Practicing the Way has begun with our first practice being Sabbath — a day of rest by which we cultivate a spirit of restfulness in all of our life.

We're spending 4 weeks looking at 4 movements of Sabbath:

Stop ∙ Rest ∙ Delight ∙ Worship

— In Sabbath Part 01 we examined the most literal meaning of the Hebrew verb shabbat – “to stop” and how sabbath is, at its most basic, a call to stop, to cease, to be done.

— In Sabbath Part 02 we explored the idea of rest as a radical, countercultural act of resistance to the powers and principalities of a world at war with God and his kingdom of peace.

Both teachings are now available on the podcast and at https://buff.ly/3ul5TQ2 [link in bio].

Part 03 and 04 coming up the next two Sundays, 19th and 26th Nov, you're welcome to join us.

~ Sabbath ~

Our new series Practicing the Way has begun with our first practice being Sabbath — a day of rest by which we cultivate a spirit of restfulness in all of our life.

We're spending 4 weeks looking at 4 movements of Sabbath:

Stop ∙ Rest ∙ Delight ∙ Worship

— In Sabbath Part 01 we examined the most literal meaning of the Hebrew verb shabbat – “to stop” and how sabbath is, at its most basic, a call to stop, to cease, to be done.

— In Sabbath Part 02 we explored the idea of rest as a radical, countercultural act of resistance to the powers and principalities of a world at war with God and his kingdom of peace.

Both teachings are now available on the podcast and at redeemercentral.com/ptw [link in bio].

Part 03 and 04 coming up the next two Sundays, 19th and 26th Nov, you're welcome to join us.

Women's Christmas Event

Thu 07 Dec ∙ 7:30pm

A gorgeous, relaxing night of wreath-making guided by a guest florist. Everyone welcome. 

Tickets: £25pp (20 Spaces Available)

🔗 redeemercentral.com/christmas [link in bio]

Christmas Dinner Fundraiser
Sat 02 Dec ∙ 7:30PM

A Christmas Dinner with all proceeds going towards fundraising for The Long Table Christmas Dinner.

You are invited to come join us for a meal, bring your friends and together sow into this beautiful project.

Tickets: £20pp (60 Spaces Available)

🔗 redeemercentral.com/christmas [link in bio]

Advent & Christmas 2023 at Redeemer

Hey folks, here’s everything happening during Advent & Christmas in one place. Do get booking, buying, registering & donating to the brilliant events coming up. Plus check out the resources on this page to help guide you and/or your family through all the meaning of this season.😊

🔗 redeemercentral.com/christmas

[New Series]

Practicing the Way is a teaching series that exploring nine ancient practices of the way of Jesus that promise to help root us in the faith and deepen our experience of God as we serve our world.

Sabbath ∙ Prayer ∙ Fasting ∙ Solitude ∙ Scripture ∙ Community ∙ Simplicity ∙ Generosity ∙ Hospitality

When practiced regularly these keystone habits can powerfully guide our journey of spiritual growth, creating a Rule of Life that helps us become more like Christ, transformed into the people we were created to be.

Over the next year or more we’ll be in this series, spending time and doing deep with each practice. We’ve put together a webpage containing all the teachings podcasts discussion guides and additional resources with reading recommendations and ideas for those wanting to explore each practice further.

We began with Sabbath and the first two weeks of Sabbath are live

🔗 Go to redeemercentral.com/ptw [link in bio]

Source material:

101 Tots is welcoming Jo Jingles for a fun, interactive music, singing and movement class next week on Monday 9th October

If you are a mum, dad, grandparent or carer to a baby/pre-school aged child, 101 Tots is just for you - Connect over a coffee while your kids explore and play!

For more info visit redeemercentral.com/stay-and-play

Looking forward to the 2nd week of 101 Tots tomorrow morning @ 1030am!

If you are a parent/ guardian of a little one (0-4) join us for cuppa with plenty of toys and activities for your kids to play with 😊

101 Tots - A city centre baby and toddler group - is starting next week on Monday 11th Sep and running every Monday morning from 10:30am

If you are a mum, dad, grandparent or carer to a baby/pre-school aged child, 101 Tots is just for you - Connect over a coffee while your kids explore and play!

For more info visit redeemercentral.com/stay-and-play

Note: There is NO gathering this Sunday 27 August.

We are back on Sunday 3rd September at 11am .

Our rhythms change during the summer months. For info on this click link in bio.

We loved having our friend Pastor with us last Sunday morning. Jason spoke from the Gospel of Matthew on the strange blessings of Jesus — often called the Beatitudes — that name our experiences of suffering and open up the possibility for hope hidden in the paradoxes.

If you missed it you can listen to the podcast now as well as catch-up on the recordings of our recent Community Voices series [link in

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🌽🥕 Planting & Harvesting

A big 👏🏻 and thanks to Kerry, Campbell and the whole Mulholland Table group who planted and harvested a crop of lovely fresh vegetables, selling it off yesterday at our gathering to raise a fantastic £300 for the Redeemer Justice Fund. Brilliant project, well done everyone.

The Justice fund supports projects such as Farmbox, The Long Table, Stay & Play and more. For more info on these visit redeemercentral.com [link in bio]

Thanks for being such great hosts The Corrymeela Community - we had such a great time!

This month we’re excited to welcome back our friend Jason Miller as a guest speaker at Redeemer.

Jason is both a pastor and an author with his first book published ***today*** (01 Aug 2023) called 'When The World Breaks: The Surprising Hope and Subversive Promises in the Teachings of Jesus.'

He serves as a pastor at at South Bend City Church (IN, USA), described as a 'community of grace & peace for our city and the world' — a Jesus-centred community not afraid to wrestle with the tensions of ancient faith in a modern world.

Jason will be teaching from his new book at our Sunday morning gathering on 20th August, 11am.

Everyone welcome, we'd love to see you there.

:: For more about Jason, to purchase a copy of his book or to find out more on Summer at Redeemer visit https://linktr.ee/RedeemerCentral

This Sunday we begin a short two-part summer series Community Voices with the theme 'The Grace in my Story' where we will hear voices from the Redeemer community share from their own experiences of faith.

06 Aug - Naomi Witherick
13 Aug - Curtis Irvine

Sundays at 11am ∙ Everyone Welcome

:: For more on Summer at Redeemer visit redeemercentral.com/summer ::

Reminder - No Gathering this Sunday

Just a reminder tomorrow (16 July) is 'Sabbath Sunday’ — a day of rest for our community which means there is NO gathering at 101.

Our next gathering is Sun 23 July, 11am, . See you then.

☀️ Summer info: redeemercentral.com/summer [link in bio]

:: Summer at Redeemer ::

Over the summer months at Redeemer our rhythms change. So here is everything you need to know on gatherings (plus click the link for some recommended summer reads).

• Sabbath Sundays •
We take a complete rest from 11-18 July with no gathering on Sunday 16 July. Plus, this year, with a big crew from Redeemer heading to Greenbelt Festival, there will be no gathering on Sunday 27 August.

• Community Voices •
Hear voices from the Redeemer community preaching & sharing on Sundays during July & August.

• Guest: Jason Miller •
We’re excited to welcome back our friend Jason Miller (Pastor ) who will teach from his new book ‘When The World Breaks: The Surprising Hope and Subversive Promises in the Teachings of Jesus.’

🔗 http://redeemercentral.com/summer [link in bio]

*Table Sunday Lunch: Food & Stories*

25 June ∙ 11am ∙

An important practice of any family is getting around the table and sharing food. On Table Sunday we’re doing just that and having a big church lunch. As well as eating together we will be sharing stories of Redeemer life over the past few months and some updates on what is ahead. You will not want to miss!

If you're part of the Redeemer family make sure to register & indicate what you plan to bring. If new to Redeemer be our guest, we’d love to have you for lunch.

🔗 Register: redeemercentral.com/tablesunday [link in bio]

MARATHON SUNDAY ∙ 30 APRIL 2023
Update: No Gathering this weekend

Due to disruption related to the Belfast City Marathon taking place this Sunday we have decided not to host our Sunday Gathering. We encourage you to practice a restful sabbath this weekend and we’ll be back on Sunday 7th May at 11am as usual.

P.S. For those taking part at the marathon — either running or supporting family/friends — we hope you have a great day!

∙ Emmaus Road ∙

"The blindness of the two disciples does not keep their Christ from coming to them. He does not limit his post-resurrection appearances to those with full confidence in him. He comes to the disappointed, the doubtful, the disconsolate. He comes to those who do not know their Bible, who do not recognize him even when they are walking right beside him. He comes to those who have given up and headed back home"

— Barbara Brown Taylor