About Church of the Redeemer
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The Redeemer community exists to share the power of the Lord Jesus Christ through worship in the Anglican Tradition and through the demonstration of His love in our daily lives.
Mission
Living in Creation is an environmental ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of
Tennessee, and commissioned by our bishop, the Right Reverend John C.
Bauerschmidt, in order to provide a valuable service to our Middle Tennessee
community. As a member of the larger Episcopal Church U.S.A. we join in with
a community of faithful Christians attempting to be bountiful stewards of
God's creation. We model our ministry on that of the Episcopal Ecological
Network (EpEN) and strive for Reflection, Education and Action.
We reflect by opening our hearts to creation with scripture, prayer,
theology and liturgy.
We educate ourselves about the issues before us.
We increase our awareness of the responsibility to act in ways that protect,
heal, and honor the integrity of God's creation, leading to intentional
changes in lifestyles that reflect a reverence for God's Creation.
We hope that this study will be a bountiful resource to you for your
environmental ministry, whether an individual or a parish, and pray that you
will accept God's calling to join us by Living in Creation.
Description
The Church of the Redeemer, is an Episcopal Church located one block off the Historic Shelbyville, TN square. Services are every Sunday with Sunday School beginning at 9am and the Holy Eucharist at 10am. The Rector the Church of the Redeemer is The Reverend Peter J. Whalen.
Our History
Organization: The Church of the Redeemer was started at Shelbyville, Tennessee, in 1853 and in May, 1867, the Parish was admitted into union with the Convention of the Diocese of Tennessee. The original church building, a small brick structure of English architecture was consecrated by the Right Rev. C. T. Quintard, Bishop of Tennessee, on August 1, 1868. Confederate General Braxton B. Bragg, who was a close friend of the Bishop and a resident of Shelbyville was the first person confirmed in the new Church. The Rev. J. B. Smith was the first Rector of the Church of the Redeemer.
Dissolution- 1920's: In the early nineteen twenties, the Church was dissolved and the property was sold with the proceeds from the sale of the property invested by the Diocese for future use in case the Shelbyville Church should ever be revived.
Reorganization-20th Century: Later, a petition for reorganization bearing twenty-three signatures was submitted to the Right Rev. Thomas F. Gailor, then Bishop of Tennessee. The church was reorganized as a Mission in 1935 and received once more into union with the Convention of the Diocese in Nashville, January 1936.
A building was secured just a few blocks from the Courthouse square. This building was built in 1817 by the Presbyterians and had been used by several denominations through the years. The furniture from the original Redeemer had been preserved and was moved to its new home. The Gailor Family, manifesting an interest in the newly organized Church, the last one officially authorized by Bishop Gailor, gave the Altar and serving pieces in his private chapel at Sewanee, to the Redeemer.
On May 5, 1936, the Church was Consecrated by the Right Rev. James M. Maxon, Bishop of Tennessee. Through the years the Church has been served by many Clergy and also many Senior Theological Students who came "off the mountain".
In 1975, the Rev. Robert A. Bolton, was called as Vicar of the Redeemer. Under his leadership the growth in membership and giving enabled the Church of Redeemer to achieve parish status in 1981.
The building located in the East Shelbyville Historic District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1990.
Modern Times- 21st Century: In 2001, the Church underwent a complete renovation, but retaining the original furniture and its Colonial architecture. The Parish continues to minister and serve the community of Shelbyville, Tennessee and the surrounding areas.
The Reverend Peter J. Whalen, RectorFather Peter Whalen is the Rector of the Church of the Redeemer. Father Peter just celebrated his 45th anniversary of his ordination on June 3, 2012.
