With revitalization in mind, Pastor William Wrede and his congregation  set out to promote and publicize their church. They received an Ablaze Grant from the District to print public relations material, to host outdoor events and promote their Vacation Bible School, and to create a website.  So far, each effort has bought about positive changes.The brochures and bookmarks were of high quality and, according to Pastor Wrede, “blanketed our area and drew much needed attention to our congregation and ministry.” Church members also recognized that street fairs and carnivals had become popular, well-attended events in the neighborhood.  Redeemer hosted its own carnival in July 2010, and the team “worked the crowd all afternoon.” They soon realized that their efforts that  really paid off.  Enrollment for Vacation Bible School, held the week following the fair, was substantially up over the prior year ��"from 35 kids enrolled in 2009 to 52 in 2010!  They also learned from people at the street fair that Redeemer’s Sunday School was a draw.  Now they find they have gained several new Sunday School “families,” some of whom don’t attend any church. “We’ll continue to reach out to these families and make our Sunday School program known in our neighborhood,” says Pastor Wrede.

The person-to-person contact at the carnival brought other improvements, too.  Several people commented that the church  building looked “uninviting,  prompting a facelift. The front door was painted red, new hardware was installed and planters full of flowers were generously donated, all forming a very pleasing effect. Lighting around the church was fixed  and the interior of the church was beautified with a suite of long banners. Another  portion of the grant was used to create a website, a long-anticipated project that the District partnership has helped to fund.  “The web page was not financially possible and would have remained on the “wish list” instead of being nearly ready for launch,” says Pastor Wrede.  Now, with most of the beginning bugs worked out, www.redeemerglendale.org is up and running.