Our Redeemer Lutheran Church

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Pastoral Ministry
Pastor Powell Woods - was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church for several years before entering the ministry. An active member of the church, he served in various leadership positions with the congregation, while working as Vice President of Human Resources for Nestle U. S. A. Feeling called into the ministry, he entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 1991 for his theological training. After completing his coursework, he served his vicarage at Our Redeemer and was then called as Associate Pastor. Upon Pastor Borchelt’s retirement in 1998, he was called as Senior Pastor. He and his wife Karen have three daughters and three grandchildren.

Pastor Woods received graduate degrees in English literature and communications, and taught literature and linguistics at the university level prior to entering the business world. He serves on the LCMS Ohio District Personnel Committee and has served as Counselor to the Northeast Ohio zone of LWML.

Pastor Woods is happy to be available for counseling and visiting those who are confined for reasons of health or advanced age. He finds great joy in seeing the Gospel of Jesus Christ at work in people’s lives and is dedicated to bringing it to as many people as possible in our community.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Pastor Matthew Garred – A lifelong member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Pastor Garred grew up in Oregon State, where he and his family were active members of several congregations over the years. In 1997, Pastor Garred, his wife, Kim, and their two daughters moved to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, for theological training in preparation for the pastoral ministry. During his vicarage year in Nebraska, the family was joined by a third daughter. Upon completion of the Seminary requirements, Pastor Garred was called to Trinity Lutheran in Reese, Michigan, where he served for six years before coming to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in 2007. Shortly after moving to Michigan, the family was joined by a son. The family now lives in Aurora Shores.

Currently serving as Associate Pastor, Pastor Garred is preparing to transition into the Senior Pastor role as Pastor Woods nears retirement. Pastor Garred has also served as the chairman of the Saginaw Valley Professional Church Workers Conference.

Pastor Garred is available for counseling by appointment, and enjoys visiting with people both in the office, and in their homes. He is committed to reaching out with the Gospel, and to the making of faithful, knowledgeable, disciples who are also equipped to share that same Gospel, so that all who need to hear the message of salvation will have that opportunity.

 

 

WE BELIEVE:   We were created to live eternally in a close relationship with God.  We severed this relationship through our disobedience and remain disobedient as evidenced by our inability to obey God's law in our thoughts, words and actions. But God loves us in spite of our disobedience and wants to restore the perfect relationship He originally had with us. To accomplish this He sent His Son, Jesus Christ who willingly took all of our sins upon Himself and died with them on the cross. God raised Jesus from the dead to prove that He had power over sin, death and Satan. When we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose again for our salvation this same power is available to each of us. God's Holy Spirit offers us faith through the power of His Word as it is found in the Bible. The Christian Church is made up of all who believe in their hearts and confess with their lips that Jesus died for their sins and rose again to restore their relationship with God.