09064
February 2, 2009

Beautiful days in the neighborhood

San Antonio congregation thrives by reconnecting with community

by Toya Richards Hill
Special to the Presbyterian News Service

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of stories about congregations engaged in significant outreach and evangelism ministries, reflecting the General Assembly’s commitment to “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide.” ― Jerry L. Van Marter

Young people at Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church have formed a band to perform for church and community functions. Photos courtesy of Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church, San Antonio.

LOUISVILLE ― Natural life changes and unforeseen circumstances weighed heavily on San Antonio’s Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church over the years, resulting in a congregation somewhat disconnected from its community.

Yet in recent years the church has redirected its efforts and renewed its commitment, making its neighborhood the focus of ministry in order to grow the church deep and wide.

“Divine Redeemer’s mission is to re-establish ourselves as a congregation of our neighborhood,” said the Rev. Rob Mueller, pastor of Divine Redeemer. In the last six or seven years, “we’ve really taken seriously the call to reconnect with our neighborhood.”

Begun as a mission project of the former United Presbyterian Church, Divine Redeemer formed in 1915 and grew to become a self-supporting congregation fully entrenched in its largely first-generation immigrant community.

In addition, since 1928 the House of Neighborly Service, a community center initiated by the former Board of National Missions and now supported by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), has operated in the same location as the church.

Mueller said over the years “several positives resulted in negatives for the church,” including the fact that as families got better educated and gained more economic mobility they moved to other parts of the city.

Leadership of the House of Neighborly Service also changed from Presbyterian missionaries, who once provided a direct link to the church, to staff more reflective of the community, who ended up being Hispanic Catholics, Mueller said.

Divine Redeemer was approached a few years after Mueller became pastor in 1994 about merging with a dying white congregation located in a growing Latino community elsewhere in San Antonio, Mueller said.

In many ways “it made some sense,” he said, noting that many members of Divine Redeemer lived in the neighborhood where the church was considering moving.

“The congregation said no, we belong in this neighborhood,” Mueller said. Yet the members also acknowledged that Divine Redeemer would not survive trying to draw in congregants from other parts of San Antonio, he said.

“We made the decision that our long-term well-being as a congregation … was going to be connected to the longevity and vitality and quality of life in the neighborhood around us.”

“Today we have many, many of the congregation who are actively engaged in direct ministry with people from the community,” Mueller said, adding that a good number of those in the community are new arrivals to the United States.

A plethora of programs and activities have evolved, including vibrant youth and women’s ministries.

A ministry called the House of Teens includes an after-school program, teen night and a leadership program. Youth mission trip and retreats, among other things, also enhance the church’s outreach efforts.

Divine Redeemer also has a women’s empowerment program called Aero Dance. The group, which first came together for dance aerobics, provides support around issues of emotional and social well-being such as domestic violence and depression.

In 2006 Aero Dance received a $15,000 grant from the Presbyterian Committee on the Self Development of People.

Among the largest ways Divine Redeemer connects with its community is through four community worship celebrations held during the year, Mueller said.

Young people at Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church serve the community by helping local residents paint and fix up their homes. Photos courtesy of Divine Redeemer Presbyterian Church, San Antonio.

In the fall a blessing for children, parents and teachers is a way to collaboratively celebrate the start of the school year and has “become a wonderful rite,” he said. A Thanksgiving celebration also is held during the fall season.

In the winter, the church holds a Christmas posada that includes re-telling the Christmas story, hymns and an outdoor fiesta complete with some 1,200 tamales for the crowd, Mueller said. Two-thirds to three-quarters of attendees are not church members, he said.

In the spring there is a Way of the Cross observance on Good Friday that helps remember Jesus’ suffering, but also connects with issues in the life of the community, Mueller said.

Elder Ruben P. Armendariz, church development consultant for the PC(USA)’s Mission Presbytery, said what’s happening at Divine Redeemer is a model for other congregations.

“They have opened themselves to … the needs of the community and to share the facility with the community,” he said.

Sometimes when churches decline the tendency is to close up the church and begin protecting its assets, Armendariz said. What Divine Redeemer has done is open itself up and build upon the culture of the community, he said.

“They have taken advantage of the Hispanic culture,” which is typically centered on Catholicism, said Armendariz, who was pastor of the church in 1992. Using traditions like the posada, for example, they are able to invite “the whole community to participate.”

Toya Richards Hill is a free-lance writer in Louisville, KY.