A Historical Summary of Redeemer's History

• April 15, 1977--A steering committee was appointed to present a petition to the ALC to start an ALC congregation in Woodstock, IL
  
  
• May 23, 1977--The steering committee met with Dr. Don Johnson, DSMA Director, and Rev. Roger Schneider for interview
  
  
• December 15, 1977--A meeting was held at Grace Lutheran Church, Woodstock with Dr. Don Johnson, local Lutheran Pastors, and the Conference Committee (DSMA) to accept another Lutheran Church in Woodstock
  
  
• August 12, 1978 --Redeemer purchased land for the church (conveniently located in Woodstock on 3 acres at the corner of Dean Street and Hickory Lane)
  
  
• March 22, 1979 --Redeemer's first pastor Rev. Paul Tolo and his wife, Lillian, arrived in Woodstock
  
  
• April 12, 1979 --Redeemer held its first worship service at the parsonage on Maundy Thursday
  
  
• May 13, 1979 --Redeemer's first public worship service was held in the Olson Jr. High School cafeteria
  
  
• May 20, 1979 --First Sunday School classes were held
  
  
• July 29, 1979 --First church picnic held at Woodstock City park
  
  
• November 11, 1979 --Redeemer's official Organization Sunday with Bishop Osterbur present
  
  
• November 18, 1979 --First church council installed (9 members)
  
  
• December 20, 1979 --Notice received of CEF loan acceptance with the ALC
  
  
• January 27, 1980 --First annual meeting of the congregation
  
  
• February 21, 1980 --Mr. Thomas Bleck and Pastor Tolo presented building plans to the Woodstock Site Plan Review Commission at the City Hall
  
  
• April 13,1980 --Redeemer was accepted into the Illinois District of the ALC
  
  
• May 11, 1980 --Ground breaking service at 1320 Dean St. site at 12:00 noon
  
  
• May 20, 1980 --Excavation work began
  
  
• December 14, 1980 --First worship service was held in the new building
  
  
• February 1, 1981 --Service of Dedication was held
  
  
• February 20, 1983 --Pastor Tolo's last Sunday; left to be Pastor at St. John's, Peoria, Illinois
  
  
• June 2, 1983 --Pastor Craig Wanamaker and family arrived in Woodstock from Seattle, Washington
  
  
• October 16, 1983 --Puppet Ministry "Promises, Promises" began
  
  
• June 2, 1985 --Pastor Wanamaker's last Sunday; left to be Pastor at Bethesda, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
  
  
• January 15, 1986 --Pastor Stephen C. Rust and family arrived in Woodstock from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
  
  
• May 1, 1986 --All subsidy from the National Church has been allocated ($239,000.00)
  
  
• May 17, 1986 --$17,000.00 is raised in order to refinance the parsonage from the National Church
  
  
• June 20, 1986 --St. Paul's, Streator, IL commits over $25,000.00 to Redeemer, over three years in the Mission Partner Program
  
  
• September 5, 1986 --The parsonage was refinanced, Redeemer now owns it!
  
  
• September 20, 1986 --"Promised Land" fund started ($52,000.00 was the goal)
  
  
• January 10, 1987 --Trinity, Ingleside, Illinois commits over $12,000.00 to us, over three years in the Mission Partner Program
  
  
• November 15, 1987 --Resident Stewardship Service program is implemented with great results
  
  
• March 20, 1988 --Refinanced the church building and property ($238,000.00). Redeemer raised over $23,000.00 to secure a loan with the State Bank of Woodstock
  
  
• August 5, 1988 --Our youth were sent to a National Youth Gathering for the first time. The gathering was held in Texas.
  
  
• April 10, 1989 --Sold the parsonage to Pastor Rust and reduced our indebtedness by $58,000.00
  
  
• December, 1989 --Church Council authorized the establishment of a New Building Fund
  
  
• January 7, 1990 --Started a building fund to erect an educational/fellowship hall complex ($200,000.00) and a Building Committee was formed
  
  
• Early, 1990 --Building Committee interviewed the congregation to receive their input on the new building
  
  
• Fall, 1990 --Interviews took place to determine an architect for the new building
  
  
• December, 1990 --Mark Elmore of Crystal Lake was approved as our chief architect for the new building
  
  
• 1991 to 1992 --The Building Committee met several times with Mark Elmore to produce a Master Plan
  
  
• 1993 --Master Plan was approved by the congregation (the Plan has four phases and the New Spiritual Life Center was Phase I)
  
  
• Early, 1994 --Mark Elmore advertised for bids on Phase I; seven sealed bids were received; the accepted bid was from Schutz Construction of Woodstock for $424,454; the congregation voted unanimously to the accept the Spiritual Life Center recommendation; a loan from Harris Bank of Woodstock was secured
  
  
• September 25, 1994 --Redeemer broke ground on the New Spiritual Life Center
  
  
• November 26, 1995 --Dedicated our New Spiritual Life Center
  
  
• December 26, 1999 --Pastor Rust's last Sunday; left Redeemer to be Pastor at Macedonia Lutheran Church in Burlington, NC
  
  
• January 30, 2000 --Call Committee is approved at the Annual Congregational Meeting
  
  
• March 6, 2000 --Pastor Arthur Bergren, Assistant to the Bishop, met with the Call Committee and the congregation to procure Redeemer's Congregational Profile
  
  
• April 1, 2000 --First fellowship gathering for the Redeemer Men's Group
  
  
• June 4, 2000 --Special congregational meeting to call Thomas E. Rogers, Jr. as the fourth Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church; call was approved.
  
  
• June 16, 2000 --Thomas E. Rogers, Jr. ordained at the Northern Illinois Synod Assembly at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL
  
  
• June 25, 2000 --Pastor Roger's first Sunday service at Redeemer
  
• November 11, 2004 --Redeemer's 25^th Anniversary