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New Look, New Name, Same Church

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This past Sunday we celebrated our seventh birthday as a church. A lot has happened in the past seven years. God has been so faithful. It would take too long to recount all that He has done for us and through us (though at some point we probably should try!). As we look back towards the past in gratitude, and as we look to the future in hope, it is obvious that this is a time of great change for our church. In September we transitioned to two services. In January of next year we will launch a second congregation in the Southwest quadrant of Winter Haven. God is at work among us!

You may have noticed on our worship folder Sunday that we have changed our logo. Given all of the change taking place in the church, we felt it was a good opportunity to update the symbols – logo, name, etc. - that identify us to better reflect our mission and values. Our new logo, for example, contains a cross. This reminds us of the gospel, which is our motivation and our mission. It also pictures the four quadrants of Winter Haven- NE, SE, SW, NW. Each of the four quadrants are a different color because each of these sections of our city have a unique personality. It is our stated goal that within the next 10 years we will be able to plant a new congregation in each of these four quadrants, beginning in SW Winter Haven with Jeff and Marissa Skipper and their core group. So this new logo communicates our identity and vision well. I’m excited about this change.

There are other changes coming. One of the unique challenges in being one church made up of multiple congregations throughout the city is that we have to express our unity and our individuality – both at the same time. From our beginning we have been known as “Church of the Redeemer”. Moving forward all of our congregations will collectively be known as “Redeemer Winter Haven”. However, because Redeemer Winter Haven will be made up of multiple congregations, each of those congregations must also have a unique name to distinguish them from one another. The new congregation we’re starting in January will be called Redeemer Southwest because it is intended to be a church in and for southwest Winter Haven. But what about the congregation that meets at 1410 Dundee Road? What will we be called? This has been the topic of much conversation among our staff and leadership. A few months ago we suggested “Redeemer Central” given that we are centrally located in the city on Central Avenue. We have decided instead to refer to this congregation as “Redeemer City Church.” There are a number of reasons for this. First, from the very beginning we have desired to be a church for the city, with a specific focus on the downtown civic/cultural life of the city. The name communicates this focus. Also from our beginning, we wanted to be a church that reached the whole of Winter Haven. We will continue to strive for this goal. Whereas the Redeemer Southwest congregation will focus on ministry in southwest Winter Haven, the Redeemer City congregation will not narrow its focus to one of the four quadrants. Instead, we intend to be the resourcing congregation that initiates and supports the church planting efforts in each of the four quadrants of Winter Haven (and beyond). The name communicates this as well.

Change is difficult. It will take us some time to settle into this new symbolism and language. It may seem subtle, but we believe it is an important part of our growth into the kind of church we believe God wants us to be for the next 15-20 years. Thank you for your patience with us as we’ve worked these changes out. The staff and leadership are excited about the future of our church. May God continue to bless us and make us a blessing!

--Drew Bennett

2 Comments

Well done! We are excited as we look forward to seeing how God continues to use Redeemer City Church in Winter Haven and the world! Thanks for keeping our focus on the mission!

Thank you, pastors and elders, for leading this congregation well. The changes in name and logo really bring our purpose more to the front and center of who we are and who God is crafting us to be for WH and Polk.

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