Redeemer Lutheran Church gathers each Sunday morning in an attractive brick building at the corner of Tanglefoot Lane and Utica Ridge Road in Bettendorf, Iowa, a city that is part of the celebrated Quad Cities along the Mississippi River. The congregation has long made a name for itself in two arenas: a Sunday worship tradition rooted in Lutheran liturgy and grace, and a preschool program that has shaped young families in the community for more than three decades. Between those two anchors sits a third strength: a far-reaching network of community ministry that sends volunteers into the Quad Cities every week of the year.
Sunday Mornings on Tanglefoot Lane
Worship begins at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday in the sanctuary and is also livestreamed on YouTube for those at home or traveling. The service follows a well-crafted pattern that members describe as rooted in historic Lutheran practice while still welcoming contemporary voices, and it includes Holy Communion every Sunday. Greeters and ushers hand out bulletins at the door and help visitors find seats; large print bulletins and a projected screen make the service easy to follow. Children are invited forward for a brief children's sermon on most Sundays.
Communion at Redeemer is open to all who wish to partake. Visitors who receive Communion in their home congregation are welcome at the altar, and children who do not yet commune may come forward with folded hands to receive a blessing. Worshippers who would rather remain in their seats can pick up a pre-packaged wafer and cup from a table in the narthex before the service begins. Those who cannot walk to the altar may tell an usher, and the pastor will bring the bread and wine to their pew. Gluten-free wafers are available for anyone who crosses their arms across their chest at the rail.
At 10:15 a.m. the Sunday School Choir gathers in the sanctuary for an upbeat opening song, and from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. the preschool through sixth graders move to their classrooms for an interactive lesson that asks questions about the Christian faith and the meaning of service, acceptance, and love. Seventh and eighth graders begin their Sunday School at 10:30 a.m. in the Youth Basement, where they continue the Confirmation conversation from the previous Wednesday. The Sunday School year runs from September through May.
What to Expect as a First-Time Visitor
Parking at the church is abundant, with handicap spaces close to the entrance of a fully accessible building. Upon entering, the sanctuary lies straight ahead; coat racks and restrooms sit to the right of the narthex. Visitors are not expected or obligated to give; the offering plate is passed after the sermon, and many members contribute online through a QR code card tucked into the hymnal rack.
Busy bags filled with crayons, coloring books, and quiet activities hang on coat trees just outside the sanctuary for young children who want to stay with their families. A nursery and family restroom with a changing table sit next to the sanctuary, and the nursery is fitted with a monitor that streams the service live so a parent can step away with a child without losing track of the sermon. Ushers will gladly help anyone find their way.
Children: Sunday School, Milestones, and VBS
Redeemer's work with children follows a milestones ministry: a sequence of faith markers from baptism through high school graduation, each celebrated in worship or in class. Two-year-olds receive a prayer book in January to nurture their curiosity. Preschoolers and new members are welcomed with a custom tote bag on the first day of Sunday School. Children in the preschool and kindergarten class take a guided tour of the sanctuary and learn the rhythm of the worship space.
First graders receive a Storybook Bible during a worship service in November. Second graders learn the Lord's Prayer in Sunday School and then lead the congregation in praying it. Third graders attend a Communion class taught by the pastor and the children/youth director, and after completing it they are the first to receive Communion at the Maundy Thursday service. The Ten Commandments are taught in alternating years during the fifth and sixth grade Sunday School, and fifth graders receive their own Bible in a class outside Sunday School that prepares them for Confirmation. Sixth graders are recognized on the second Sunday in May as they transition from Kid Ministry into Youth Ministry, with a lunch and games in the youth basement.
Vacation Bible School runs for four mornings in the summer, with a fifth day of water games in August, and is open to children entering kindergarten through sixth grade. The week dives into a single theme and closes with a Family Celebration on Thursday evening, where parents and grandparents gather to see what the children have learned.
Youth in Seventh Through Twelfth Grade
Confirmation is the heart of the junior high years. Seventh and eighth graders meet weekly on Wednesdays during the program year with the youth director and church volunteers to learn what their faith means as individuals, and each summer they are encouraged to attend a week of Confirmation Camp at Lutheran Lakeside Camp. Financial assistance is available for campers. In the fall, ninth graders gather for Reflection Night to look back on Confirmation, choose a guiding Bible verse for their high school years, and learn what lies ahead in youth group.
High School Youth Group meets weekly on Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Youth Basement from September through May. Members describe it as a kind of Sabbath: a devotion, conversation, games, and a monthly service project. Twice a year, in November and on Transfiguration Sunday, the youth plan and lead an entire worship service with support from the music coordinator, youth leader, and pastor.
Summers open with a kickoff in June for incoming ninth graders, then a week-long trip in July that rotates between the ELCA Youth Gathering, a service-focused trip, and an adventure/devotion trip. August brings one more outing and a back-to-school night in the Youth Basement. Service runs alongside everything else - twice a year the youth prepare and serve food at Café on Vine, and they partner with the Sunday School kids on diaper drives, cold-weather bags, stocking the small food pantry in the church parking lot, and Angel Tree gift collections.
Music Across the Generations
Redeemer takes seriously the Lutheran conviction that worship gathers the whole congregation in song. The music team is led by Karen VanDeWostine, Coordinator of Music and Worship, who plays organ or piano and coordinates the music for each service. Bob Gull serves as organist and Cheri Elges as pianist. The Chancel Choir, open to high schoolers and adults, rehearses on Wednesday evenings during the school year under the direction of Angela Hand, who also teaches voice at Pleasant Valley Junior High and St. Ambrose University.
A Bell Choir under the direction of Ryan Jones meets Wednesday evenings and is open to high schoolers and adults. Two cantors, Kristan Mitchell and Erin Robertson, lead sung portions of the liturgy and assist with the Chancel Choir. Kristan Mitchell has been making music at Redeemer for more than thirty years, having started as a young music graduate from Augustana College who was called by the pastor to take a cantor and choir section-leader role. The Sunday School Choir, directed by Kristan Mitchell, Erin Robertson, and a team of interns, gathers children preschool through sixth grade during the Sunday School hour. No experience is needed to join any of the choirs.
The Tech Team, made up mostly of volunteers with a few paid college and high school interns, livestreams each Sunday service, supports audio and projection, manages WiFi and computers, and keeps the church's email and online presence running. New volunteers are always welcome and training is provided.
Adult Faith Formation
For adults who want to keep learning alongside Sunday worship, Redeemer offers a handful of regular touchpoints. Faith Focus, an adult education hour, meets at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays during the school year. Java with Jesus is a lectionary-based study that meets on Thursdays over Zoom and is open to anyone who wants to dig into the coming Sunday's texts.
Singles and couples in their twenties and thirties gather monthly for fellowship, Bible study, and a shared meal, often at a group member's home; little ones are welcome to come along. Mini-Church groups of six to eight people meet every three to four weeks for activities shaped around their own interests and schedules. During the summer, Redeemer's co-ed softball team plays at Crow Creek Park from May through August. No skill is required, only a willingness to laugh between pitches.
Community Ministry in the Quad Cities
Members of Redeemer aim to follow Jesus' example of serving those who are less fortunate, and a long list of ongoing partnerships keeps volunteers busy throughout the year. Twice a year the church hosts a blood drive with the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. Members serve supper at Café on Vine, the only free lunch site in the Quad Cities that serves a hot midday meal every day of the year; six Redeemer teams each take two months of the year to provide the meal. Each Thanksgiving, Christmas, mid-winter, and Easter, Redeemer assembles approximately twenty-five food baskets for families in the community, with volunteers buying, packing, and delivering the food. Habitat for Humanity is a long-standing partner, with Redeemer volunteers working at a build site most Saturdays and occasionally providing lunch for the workers. The Bettendorf Community Food Pantry receives Redeemer volunteers on the third Friday of each month from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Smaller, quieter ministries fill in around these larger efforts. On Tuesday mornings, three to four dozen cookies are delivered to the Clarissa Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf for families visiting patients. A group of quilters meets twice a month to make quilts that are donated to a homeless shelter and other organizations in need. An Embroiders' Guild gathers regularly to share needlework. And a small food pantry stocked by the congregation sits in the church parking lot for neighbors who need a quick hand.
The Preschool
Redeemer Preschool has served three-, four-, and five-year-olds of Bettendorf and the surrounding Quad Cities for more than three decades, providing what parents describe as a warm, structured, and creative environment. Patti Christiansen, who holds a B.A. in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood endorsement, has directed the program for thirty-four years and continues to teach the four-year-old Pre-Kindergarten classes. Her team includes Gretchen Smith, who teaches the three-year-old classes, assistant teachers Lori Heimendinger, Jenny Wroblewski, and Emily Fall, and office assistant Ann Hill.
The three-year-old class meets two days a week, either Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. The four-year-old Pre-Kindergarten class is part of the Iowa Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program and meets Monday through Thursday; the program is offered at no cost to Iowa residents. Jump Start, for five-year-olds, runs Monday through Thursday in the afternoon. Activities are designed to build self-confidence, develop vocabulary, sharpen coordination, and introduce children to science, art, dramatic play, literature, and music. Parents regularly note that the program is well respected in the community and that teachers provide a consistent, structured, and nurturing environment with creativity, fresh materials, and educational field trips.
Beliefs and Heritage
Redeemer Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Members confess the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds and preach and teach in keeping with the Lutheran confessions found in the Book of Concord. The life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the congregation's faith, and members see scripture through the lens of grace: a renewing relationship with God made possible by Christ and received as a gift through faith.
Pastor Joel Nau, who has served at Redeemer since September 2019 after ten years in rural Iowa and eight years as a university campus pastor in Salt Lake City, articulates the congregation's posture this way: Redeemer is a community built on grace, worshiping a God of self-giving love, acceptance, inclusion, and compassion. The Bible is valued for the unique story of God's commitment to all of creation and people, and members approach life's big questions with humility. Four core values guide the congregation's life together: generous hearts, joyful worship, growing faith, and caring community.
Strategic Plan and Long-Term Goals
Throughout 2023 and into 2024, a Strategic Planning Team met at least twice a month to listen to God in scripture, to the congregation, and in the neighborhood. Out of that listening came a four-year strategic plan organized around three priorities: reaching out into the local neighborhood, strengthening connections within Redeemer to build up the common life, and creating new opportunities for adults to grow in faith. The team was led by facilitator Jim McGrath with communicator Marcia Erickson and spiritual guidance from Pastor Joel; members included Karen Crawford, Don Landphair, Beth Ramirez, Lisa Bentley, Jessell Souhrada, David Weinberger, Alex Thomas, and Deacon Jessica Noonan as LEAD consultant.
Staff and Leadership
Pastor Joel Nau leads the congregation. The staff team includes Karen VanDeWostine as Coordinator of Music and Worship, Shannon Coon as Youth and Christian Education Director, Kristin Wehrman as Engagement Coordinator, and Abbie Larson as Youth Assistant. A Congregation Council oversees the life and activities of Redeemer, setting goals and priorities in keeping with the mission, maintaining relationships with staff and the pastor, and promoting good stewardship of resources. Committees that keep the ministry running include the Altar Guild, Evangelism, Finance and Stewardship, Memorial Gifts and Garden, Personnel, Property, Tech Team, Social Ministry, Children and Youth Leaders, and Worship and Music.
Life Passages and the Memorial Garden
Baptisms, weddings, and memorial services are celebrated at Redeemer. Baptisms are scheduled by request through an online form. Weddings may be held at the church by members or non-members, and a written wedding policy guides couples through the planning details. Memorial services and funerals are arranged by calling Pastor Joel or the church office. The Memorial Garden invites gifts of engraved brick in memory or honor of loved ones who have been members of the church, with a minimum donation of two hundred dollars covering the cost of the plaque and engraving. Engraved plaques accommodate three lines of twenty-five characters each.
Getting Connected
Sunday worship is the heart of Redeemer's life together, and the building opens its doors to anyone who wishes to join. Online giving is available through a secure portal, and a Friday email newsletter keeps the wider community informed. The church is also present on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where Sunday services are livestreamed and recordings remain available afterward. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and can be reached at 563-355-8909.