A new place of worship in Whitewater – Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church – will hold its first worship service on Dec. 1, the First Sunday in Advent.
Christ the Redeemer is a mission of the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), a denomination that became independent of the U.S. Episcopal Church in 1873. In recent times the REC has joined together with other traditional Anglicans committed to defending and growing “the faith once delivered to the saints.”
The church will be conducting worship services at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (WELS), 116 S. Church St. in Whitewater. The principal Sunday service will be the 11:30 a.m. and will celebrate Holy Communion, a rite based upon the time-honored Prayer Book liturgy and the great hymns of the Church. Following the service, fellowship, bible study and youth and adult education will be offered.
According to James Dallman, the church’s priest and pastor, the congregation’s mission will be centered on the teachings of Holy Scripture and a commitment to carrying out the Lord’s Great Commission to spread the Gospel. The two sacraments of the Church instituted by Christ, the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the Ministration of Baptism will be cornerstones of church faith and practice.
Christ the Redeemer, Dallman said, will be involved in ministry with the youth, developing Christian service opportunities for students at the university, and in pastoral support to the elderly. Plans are being made for hosting sacred music events as well as sponsoring educational activities related to spiritual and church topics.
The Rev. Dallman or “Fr. Jim” is a second-career clergyman with a background in community corrections, education and as a consultant in legal services. He is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University, UW-Madison, and the Logos House of Theological Studies. He is married with three adult children, and has responsibilities as a “mothers-helper” with the grandchildren.
The church’s local lay leader is Dr. Larry Kenney, a well-known, retired administrator from UW-Whitewater. Other men and women in the leadership group reside throughout Walworth, Jefferson, and nearby counties.
Dallman said Christ the Redeemer expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the congregation at St. John’s Lutheran “for allowing us to conduct our worship service in their beautiful church.”
For more information, Rev. Dallman can be contacted at rerevjim@gmail.com or (608) 334-5326.
