A Multi-Ethnic Congregation on Zoar Church Road
Tucked along Zoar Church Road on the edge of Snellville, Redeemer Church has been gathering as a congregation since 1984. The church describes itself as a multi-ethnic community focused on living life and following God together, and that description is more than a slogan: the church family currently includes members from more than fifteen countries. That mix shows up most vividly at Redeemer's international potluck dinners, which the congregation calls "unmatched" for the joyful swirl of cuisines that lands on the table.
Redeemer's mission statement is to invite others on the adventure of following Jesus, finding family together, flourishing in an authentic community, and impacting the world one life at a time. Its vision is to be a church growing together in faith, offering hope to a world in need, and known for sharing God's love. The core values listed by the church include passionate spirituality, a culture of invitation, a grace-filled environment, a multi-ethnic and diverse congregation, restoring brokenness, and stepping out in faith and obedience for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom.
ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians
Redeemer is part of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, a family of Presbyterian congregations whose mission is to build flourishing churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ. ECO churches are led not only by pastors and ministry staff but also by an elected body of elders who represent the congregation. Redeemer's elders are referred to as "The Session," an old Scottish term that refers to the fact that when the elders meet, they are "in session." Together the pastor, staff, and Session seek to lead according to their best sense of God's will for and through the church.
What to Expect on a Sunday Morning
Worship at Redeemer takes place on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. The service weaves together the reading and teaching of God's Word, song, and prayer, and the entire service is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel so anyone can join online live or watch later on demand.
Before the service, from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., adults gather in Sunday Growth Groups for Bible study and conversation. The Small Group Mixer meets in the Student Ministry Center to look at the week's sermon passage and wrestle with how to apply it. A women's group meets in the Fellowship Room and a men's group meets in Room 203, and new friends are welcome to join at any time.
Children begin the 10:30 service with their families in the sanctuary and, after the music portion, are dismissed to Kids Church for their own age-appropriate worship and Bible teaching. Kids Church is offered the second through fifth Sundays of the month, with the first Sunday set aside as Family Worship Sunday when the whole congregation stays together, takes communion, and kids receive worship bags with fun activities.
Arriving, Parking, and What to Wear
Visitors will find ample parking in the lot, with visitor and accessible spots along the sidewalk next to the building. Two entrances are available: the main front doors for quick access to the sanctuary, and the lower East wing doors for the Redeemer Kidz check-in station. A Connections Team greets people at the door, and ushers are ready to help find seats. The church describes itself as a very diverse community where dress ranges from jeans to business casual, and the invitation is to come as you are comfortable.
Childcare is offered for ages two through four during both the 9:15 Sunday School hour and the 10:30 worship service. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade attend Kids Church with the children's ministry team. Worship bags filled with activities for preschool and elementary age children are available each week, and a family room offers audio and video of the service for parents of small children who need to step out. Infant to one-year-old childcare is not currently offered.
Family Ministry: Kids and Students
Family Ministry at Redeemer covers children and students from birth through high school, with the conviction that parents are the primary faith influencers in the lives of their children. Across all ages, the goal is the same: to bring glory to God by making disciples through Christ-centered worship, community, and service.
Children's ministry, led by Lynda Pearce, offers a Kids Small Group on Sunday mornings at 9:15 for pre-K through fifth grade. Kids Church runs on the second through fifth Sundays, and a special STEM Sunday on the third Sunday each month partners with Pearce Learning Tech to let kids explore Bible stories through hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities. Family Worship Sunday on the first Sunday is treated as a meaningful intergenerational service with crafts for kids, prayers for students' needs, and families sharing the Lord's table together.
Student ministry, led by Family Ministry Director Dan Wonneberger, offers a Sunday morning Youth Small Group for middle and high schoolers at 9:15 that builds devotional practices and everyday faith. During the school year, students meet weekly on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. for fun, community, worship music, and Bible study. Summer months bring special events in June and July.
Reflections and the Women's Ministry
The women's ministry offers a steady rhythm of fellowship and Bible teaching. Reflections Ladies Bible Study meets on Tuesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 in the Fellowship Room and works through book studies verse by verse. Recent studies have included Jen Wilkin's Joshua and a study of 1 Corinthians. New women are invited to join at any time during the fall, winter, or spring sessions.
The Fellowship of Widows and Divorcees meets on the first Wednesday of each month from noon to 2:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Room. Open to the wider community, FWD gathers women in seasons of widowhood or divorce for faith, fellowship, encouragement, and a shared lunch. Ladies Book Club meets once a month at 7:00 p.m. in host homes for conversation about books of all kinds. Women's ministry events also include seasonal brunches, ladies' nights out, and a fall brunch hosted by Reflections.
Men's Ministry and the 55+ Crew
The men's ministry centers on two weekly touchpoints. The Men's Monthly Breakfast gathers on a Saturday morning each month in the Fellowship Room for a hearty meal, fellowship, and an encouraging message. The Men's Bible Study meets on Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. online via Zoom, with new participants welcome any time. Both aim to help men deepen their faith, form friendships, and grow in God's word.
The 55+ Fun & Fellowship Group gathers adults aged 55 and over on the first Thursday of each month for lunch and fellowship, with additional special activities planned throughout the year.
Love Ministries and Loving Snellville
Redeemer's Love Ministries extends God's grace and love through meals, clothing, and prayer to people in difficult housing situations in the community. Led by Redeemer member Bobby McNeely for nearly two decades, Love Ministries prepares and serves meals, holds food drives, and collects clothing, blankets, book bags, and personal care items. The team gathers regularly to cook and serve together, and additional Love Ministries events such as community Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and the Bag a Lunch, Help a Bunch outreach pack and deliver fresh bag lunches and hot holiday meals to families in need. The monthly food collection supports the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op, with Redeemer members contributing items like rice and mac and cheese to the burgundy bin in the lobby.
Redeemer also partners with Family Promise of Gwinnett to support families with children staying at the Promise Haven house, and hosts a Drive-Thru Prayer Ministry one Wednesday a month where volunteers hold signs, direct traffic, and pray with people who drive through. A monthly Bless a Teacher and seasonal Blessing Box projects reach teachers, college students, military members, and shut-ins. The church also joins in Operation Christmas Child by collecting gift-filled shoeboxes, and participates in the Georgia Wellness Baby Bottle Campaign to support women facing unplanned pregnancies.
Twenty Mission Partners and a Yearly Conference
Since Redeemer's founding in 1984, missions has been at the heart of the congregation. The church supports more than twenty mission partners locally and globally, including Cafe 1040, Christian Aid Mission, Christian Job Corps, Family Promise of Gwinnett, Global Frontier Missions, Haggai International, the Haiti Education Foundation, the Hope of Peace Foundation, Living Waters for the World, the Luis Palau Association, One Mission Society, the Outreach Foundation - Egypt Initiative, Street Grace, the Southeast Gwinnett Co-op, Watauga Vision, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and Youth With A Mission.
Financial support for missions is funded through Faith Promises, designated gifts beyond regular commitments to the local church. Each year, the Mission Conference is one of the focal points of the church calendar, with testimonies from missionaries and dynamic messages from guest speakers. The Redeemer Advocates for Missionaries (RAM) program pairs congregation members with one of Redeemer's missionary partners to offer personal encouragement, prayer, and financial support. Short-term mission trips are also part of the rhythm, with the church having partnered with Living Waters for the World to maintain water purification systems in villages in the Dominican Republic.
What Redeemer Believes
Redeemer's Statement of Faith centers on the Bible as the ultimate authority for truth and the divinely inspired Word of God. About God, the church confesses that God's existence is attested to by creation, confirmed by Scripture, and demonstrated in the person and work of Jesus Christ. God is love, and that love is active and self-sacrificial, sending His Son Jesus to rescue humanity from the consequences of sin and to restore the broken relationship.
About Jesus, Redeemer affirms the historic Christian confession: Jesus is God's beloved Son, born supernaturally of a virgin, fully divine and fully human, who lived a perfect sinless life, gave His life as an atoning sacrifice, conquered death by rising from the grave, and will return as King and Lord.
About the Holy Spirit, the church teaches that the Spirit is the presence of God among humanity following Jesus' ascension, indwelling believers, endowing them with gifts for ministry, and empowering them to follow the teachings of Jesus.
About the Church, Redeemer affirms the unity of believers as the greatest expression of God's love and the greatest witness to the world, and believes that the kingdom of heaven is not segregated along ethnic and economic lines, so local churches on earth should not be either.
About Humanity, Redeemer teaches that all people are made in the image and likeness of God, that evil is real but does not get the last word, and that we participate in victory over evil through faith in Christ alone.
About Christian Life, the church practices the baptism of believers and of the children of believers, teaches that followers of Jesus are called to live differently as a result of their new life in Him, and welcomes both women and men into the full spectrum of leadership in Christ's body.
About the Bible, the church holds the Old and New Testaments to be the unique and authoritative witness to God's will, completely trustworthy for faith and practice.
Alpha, Sunday School, and Growing as a Disciple
Beyond the regular Sunday Growth Groups, Redeemer offers several ways to grow in faith. The Alpha Course has been offered as a life-changing introduction to the Christian faith. The Redeemer Bible Institute, led by a faculty of Bible scholars and seminary-trained educators, has offered courses online to train participants in foundational Scripture and spiritual formation, with high school students welcome to attend. Redeemer 101 Class is offered a few times a year as an introduction to the unique DNA and heartbeat of Redeemer, and an opportunity to explore becoming a Covenant Partner.
Elders Who Share the Leadership
The Session currently includes Albert Allen, Ernest Aughburns, Kathy Calvin (Prayer & Worship), Gillian McGuire (Nominating Team), Bobby McNeely (Hospitality), Karlene Richards (Property), Paula Sharp, and Sam White (Property). The elders gather monthly and, along with the pastor, provide leadership, governance, and direction for Redeemer through spiritual discernment. They are chosen by the congregation and serve three-year terms.
Giving and Staying Connected
Tithes and offerings support the operation of the local church, including property and maintenance, staff compensation and benefits, administrative expenses, ministries, and supplies. Missions are funded through Faith Promises, which are designated gifts separate from regular tithing and are used to support more than thirty missionaries and mission organizations. A Building Needs and Emergency Fund, a Samaritan Relief Fund for individuals and families in crisis, and Designated Funds round out the giving categories. Giving is available online through the church app, and checks may also be mailed to the church office.
Beyond Sunday morning, Redeemer keeps in touch through a weekly email newsletter, a mobile app, a Facebook page, and a YouTube channel that hosts the livestream and an archive of sermons. Updates on events and ministries run through the newsletter and the app, and printed bulletins announce upcoming opportunities. Subscriptions to all of these are available through the church app and the church office.
A Building Made Available
The Redeemer campus is available for community use through a Facility Use Request process. Sanctuary, Fellowship Room, kitchen, Student Ministry Room, volleyball field, parking lot, and classrooms are available for gatherings, group meetings, receptions, and celebrations. Requests are reviewed by a designated team and final decisions are made by the Elder Board, which meets once a month, so reviewers allow a minimum of four to six weeks for a follow-up. Church policy does not permit the consumption, possession, or distribution of alcoholic beverages on church property.