On Springdale Street in Huntington Beach, a tall sign at the curb carries four simple words that have shaped this congregation for years: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus - the four solas of the Reformation. Engraved on the front of the church, they are more than a slogan; they are the benchmark for everything Redeemer Lutheran Church teaches, preaches, and does. The congregation's own summary of its calling comes in two short phrases - Clear Witness + Caring Service - and the building at 16351 Springdale Street is built around exactly that balance.
Sunday Mornings at 8:00 and 11:00
Regular worship at Redeemer is held on Sunday mornings at 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM, with a Bible study hour between them at 9:30 AM. Both services share the same style and order, drawn from the Lutheran Service Book in a traditional format. Members and visitors are encouraged to bring a Bible from home so they can follow along during the readings, the sermon, and the 9:30 hour; pew Bibles and hymnals are also available.
The services follow the ancient pattern of the Christian church year, moving through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. They are reverent and family friendly, and choirs, handbells, and other musical enhancements are often woven into the liturgy. The Lord's Supper is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of each month and on most other Sundays as well; anyone who is not a member is invited to speak with an elder or the pastor beforehand, and everyone is welcome to come forward during the distribution for a blessing.
The 9:30 AM hour is one of the busiest times of the week. Adults gather in the Sanctuary for Bible study, children from age three through twelfth grade meet in the Fellowship Hall for Sunday School, and the 7th through 12th grade youth gather in the Youth Room for their own Bible study. A separate 6th grade Confirmation class meets during the same hour in the Priscilla Circle Room.
The church office is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 AM until 11:30 AM and again from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM. The preschool office, on the same campus, keeps longer hours, Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM until 6:00 PM.
Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and the Word of Absolution
Redeemer teaches that the gifts of Word and Sacrament are the means by which God delivers the forgiveness won on the cross. Baptism is described in the congregation's own teaching as more than plain water: it is the application of water joined to God's command and promise, a gift given to infants and adults alike. Baptisms are usually celebrated during the Sunday morning Divine Service so that the newly baptized is received into the gathered Christian community.
The Lord's Supper is received in the sure and certain confidence that Jesus Christ is truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine to forgive the sins of all who receive him in repentance. Members of other congregations who have been instructed in this teaching are welcome to commune; those who have not are warmly invited to come forward for a blessing.
Confession and Absolution is woven into every Sunday service, and private confession is available by appointment. The teaching on this page is unusually direct: the pastor's ear, the congregation says, is a tomb; what is confessed in private never leaves the room. This gift of absolution is presented as an ongoing work of Holy Baptism, a joyful exchange in which the burden of sin is taken and complete forgiveness is given in return.
A Catechism at the Center
Christian education is a stated priority at Redeemer, and the teaching flows from Martin Luther's Small Catechism. The Sunday morning adult study has worked through a study called Didache with Pastor Jeong, and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 PM now host two parallel classes - Foundations of the Faith, a broad survey of Lutheran teaching led by Pastor Jeong in the Sanctuary, and Hitchhiking with Prophets, led by Pastor Miller in the Priscilla Circle room using Chad Bird's book of the same name.
A Women's Bible Study meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Music Room, currently working through Isaiah 40-55 under Karen Miller's leadership. The Ladies' Morning Bible Study, called LaMBS, gathers on the first, third, and fifth Fridays at 11:30 AM in the Music Room with Elaine Ohgi. A monthly Saturday Breakfast Bible Study fills the Fellowship Hall on the second Saturday of most months, with breakfast served at 8:30 AM and the study beginning at 9:00 AM; a Zoom option is usually open for those who cannot attend in person.
Confirmation at Redeemer follows the Small Catechism closely. Sixth graders meet as a Pre-Confirmation class on Sunday mornings with the elders, while seventh and eighth graders continue for two more years with Pastor Jeong, working through the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, Holy Baptism, Confession and Absolution, the Office of the Keys, and the Lord's Supper. Parents are encouraged to sit in, and after the two-year course they are admitted to the Lord's Table. An Early Communion class is available for younger children whose parents wish to begin that instruction sooner.
Sunday School uses Cross Explorations from Concordia Publishing House and meets in the Fellowship Hall from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Children open with that lesson, then break into age-appropriate classes that move through crafts, games, singing, and Bible story. The children of the Hosanna Choir sing in worship several times a year, including on Palm Sunday and during the Christmas program.
Singing Is for Everyone
Music has a deliberately central place at Redeemer. The congregation teaches that the gift of music belongs to God's people as a whole, and that the whole congregation is encouraged to sing back to God the blessings received through the Son. To that end, the Sanctuary Choir, the Celestial Ringers handbell choir, the organ, and occasional instrumental ensembles are woven into the Sunday liturgy.
The Sanctuary Choir rehearses every Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 8:30 PM in the Sanctuary, except during the summer. Membership is open by audition to anyone in high school or older, and the choir typically sings at both Sunday services on the first and third Sundays of the month, with extra music for Lent, Advent, Christmas, Easter, and Reformation Sunday. The Celestial Ringers, the adult handbell choir, normally plays on the fourth Sunday of the month and is led by Director of Sacred Music Beth Hansen (who also directs the Sanctuary Choir) and by organist and handbell director Matthew Laub. Younger children rehearse and sing in the Hosanna Choir during the Sunday School hour.
From Huntington Beach to Kenya, the Dominican Republic, and Ostrava
Redeemer supports three missionary households directly, all through the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Rev. Dennis and Deaconess Lorna Meeker lead 4KenyasKids, a child sponsorship program that supports the education of more than 700 orphans, strengthens widows and extended families, and operates a Family Based Care Rescue Center for children in desperate need. Rev. Daniel and Kathy Conrad serve in Palmar Arriba, Dominican Republic, where Daniel teaches future pastors from eleven Latin American countries at Concordia the Reformer Seminary. Benjamin and Rebecca Helge work in Ostrava, Czech Republic, as lay leaders of the K4 Community Center and church plant in Havířov-Šumbark, teaching conversational English, helping with youth ministry, and organizing English Bible camps.
Closer to home, the Stewardship board's monthly focus ministry rotates through a long list of partners: Issues, Etc., Lutheran Bible Translators, Lutheran World Relief, the Ministry to the Armed Forces, the Lutheran Hour, Messiah for Muslims, 4KenyasKids, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, 1517.org, Horizon Pregnancy Center, the So-Cal Ministry Initiative, and the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center.
Helping Hands in the Neighborhood
The campus itself is a small hub of community life. Al Anon meets in the Priscilla Circle Room every Monday morning at 10:00 AM, offering help for families and friends of alcoholics. Boy Scout Troop 558 gathers in the Fellowship Hall every Monday evening at 7:00. On the off-campus side, Redeemer partners with Thrivent Builds and Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, supports Horizon Pregnancy Center in Irvine, and walks alongside Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, with offices in Orange, Fullerton, and Garden Grove.
Within the congregation, the LWML - Lutheran Women in Mission - gathers women for Mites for Missions (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters saved in special boxes), Advent by Candlelight on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, and other seasonal fellowship. The Christian Hospitality board takes responsibility for soup suppers during Advent and Lent, potluck meals, funeral lunches, the Spring Tea in May, the church picnic in late September, Trunk-n-Treat in October, and Advent by Candlelight in November. The Elders board oversees worship, the altar guild, ushers, the nursery, trustees, LWML, stewardship, evangelism, the worship committee, and Christian education. The Evangelism board maintains the visitors gift bag program, follows up with first-time guests by phone or visit, organizes the annual Christmas concert, keeps the church's monument sign updated, and runs the banner program along Springdale.
Pastors and Parish Leaders
Pastor Ernest Jeong was installed as senior pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church on March 9, 2025. A Southern California native, he graduated from UC Irvine in 2002, toured as a musician for several years, and then moved to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, graduating in 2012. He previously served at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Milton, Washington (2012-2017) and at Faith Lutheran Church in Moorpark, California (2017-2025). He and his wife Lois have three children, Abe, Zoey, and Eliott.
Pastor Tom Miller has been a member of Redeemer since 2015. He served for many years as a licensed deacon at St. Paul's in Garden Grove and was ordained and installed as Redeemer's Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) in December 2021 through the CMC Colloquy Program. He and his wife Karen - a teacher of math and science at a Long Beach charter high school - have been active in Lutheran ministry for more than forty years and have three children, David, Jon, and Sam.
The Director of Sacred Music and Sanctuary Choir Director is Beth Hansen; Matthew Laub serves as organist and Adult Handbells Director. The church office is staffed by Church Office Secretary Carol Waidner and Office Assistant Pamella Clugston.
A School on the Same Campus
Sharing the Springdale Street property with the congregation is Redeemer Lutheran Preschool, an LCMS early childhood program whose office is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM. The preschool is treated as an extension of the congregation's ministry of Christian education, and families who arrive for chapel and Sunday worship are often drawn from the same circle of parents and children who spend their weekdays on the same campus.
What the Congregation Teaches
Redeemer identifies itself with the four solas engraved on the front sign: Scripture Alone as the only authority for Christian faith and life, Grace Alone as the source of salvation, Faith Alone as the only instrument to receive that grace, and Christ Alone as the only place to find it. The Lord's vision statement is short: Redeemer Lutheran is enabled by God's grace to witness clearly to Christ and his Word through caring service. The mission statement extends that into practice: to receive God's gifts of Word and Sacrament, worship him, grow in his grace, and share those holy gifts by making disciples of Christ who reach out joyfully to the world.
Seven marks of a faithful church are listed on the congregation's own page: worship that reflects reverence and good order, deepening appreciation for the historic creeds and liturgy, the constant proclamation of Christ crucified, belief in the real presence of Christ in Word, Baptism, and Communion, faithfulness to the distinction between Law and Gospel, the confession that salvation begins with Christ's sacrifice and is answered by our thankful response, and the conviction that the Word of God is the only source for a life pleasing to God and neighbor.
Joining from a Distance
For those unable to attend in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube, and recordings are kept in playlists going back to 2020. Bulletins, video services, and online giving options are linked from the church's main page, along with a link to prayer requests submitted to the church office. A Zelle giving option is offered in addition to mailing or dropping off donations at the Springdale Street office.