By: Rachel Ippel-Redman
My name is Rachel Redman, and I serve as the Junior Warden here at Christ Church Cranbrook. My husband Mark and I made CCC our home in June 2022. I have found many opportunities to serve and share my love of Jesus through the church, but this past weekend, there were four moments that together filled me with such hope and joy that I felt moved to share them!
It began Friday morning, when I helped with Baldwin Center’s hot lunch. (Baldwin Center is muti-service outreach program in Pontiac that parishioners at CCC have been serving with for several years). Over this past year we’ve really gotten to know the staff and have such fun working together! I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been told how much they love it when it’s CCC’s volunteer day: our joy, our reliability, our willingness to jump in wherever needed, and our expression of appreciation for the hard work the staff does with so little are all a part of that love. Baldwin faces many challenges, but it is always a joy to serve there and our volunteers are endlessly appreciated.
Saturday afternoon I spent a couple hours volunteering at our church booth during Ferndale Pride. It’s amazing to me that such a short time ago (June 2022) Mark and I first volunteered at this event and now so many of the volunteers are friends and part of our personal beloved community. I feel seen and known by them in ways that had not been available to me in previous Christian ministry experiences; deepening my relationship with God and strengthening my faith. The ability to hand out a flier to attendees at Ferndale Pride and know with my whole heart that all of these individuals would be not only told they were welcome, but would be made to feel that welcome in worship and in any other of our spaces is a priceless gift.
Sunday morning I had the joy of worshiping at the 10 AM service celebrating Pride Month. The liturgy was so thoughtful and representative of welcome and acceptance from beginning to end. From the beribboned bells as they came down the aisle, the rainbow ribbons of the procession, the words of welcome spoken and sung, the prominence of LGTBQ voices and faces, the sermon and openness of the eucharistic table; all of these pieces coming together as the embodiment of Christ on earth.
After church, I accompanied the St. Francis choir to Storypoint Birmingham. This is the second time the choir has gone to Storypoint, so I had seen how the residents reacted to the children before. Every single person in the assisted living dining room lit up before any songs were even sung. The joy in their faces was PRICELESS. A few of the residents sang along with some of the more familiar tunes and clapped vigorously after each song. Then the choir proceeded to the Memory Care unit. I go to Storypoint once a month to sing hymns with these folks and they do love music. However, their genuine excitement with the children was far and above anything that I provide for them. Their joy of experiencing the children brought smiles to all the faces, calm to those who are frequently agitated and beautiful participation in familiar tunes. We even had the chance to sing Happy Birthday to a resident celebrating with his family. One of the Storypoint staff articulated to me that this experience transformed the weekend for many of the residents and families going through the devastation dementia can bring.
Thank you to all of the clergy, the staff and the volunteers for the beautiful work you do to make our church a place that contains all of these things and so much more. I am extraordinarily grateful to play my part in this community that loves so BIG!
As our Junior Warden, if I can help you find your place to serve or to get involved in this amazing community, please reach out to me anytime at rachelir39@gmail.com I’d love to help you find the same hope and joy as I have!