Church that Became Home
When Candy and her husband Kenny arrived at Redeemer Episcopal Church, they weren’t searching casually.
As cradle Episcopalians who had grown up in this diocese, they were deeply formed by the church and knew what they were longing for in a faith community. After years of shared relationships through pilgrimage to the Holy Land and ministry on Cursillo teams, they transferred their membership letter in 2012— hoping to find not just a congregation, but a true church family.
Candy still remembers her very first Sunday clearly. What moved her wasn’t only the beauty of the service, but the way it opened her heart to God’s presence.
“The first Sunday we visited, the service included an oboe soloist who took my breath away,” she says. “My love language is music, and I fell in love.”
That sense of being met by God and by the community kept her coming back.
Over time, Candy began to experience the Holy Spirit not only in worship, but in the way faith was lived out through the people of Redeemer. Here was a place where the gospel took tangible form: in care for one another, in outreach to the wider world, and in a community that understood faith as something active and embodied.
Trusting that this congregation would receive it with openness and care, Candy and Kenny helped start Redeemer’s Intercessory Prayer Team. Prayer became more visible and shared—woven into worship, carried through prayer chains, and offered in quiet, one-on-one moments of accompaniment. Candy describes it as “a blessing for those requesting prayers and for those given the opportunity to pray with people.”
But it was during one of the hardest seasons of her life that Redeemer’s love became unmistakable.
As Kenny grew gravely ill and neared the end of his earthly life, the community gathered around them in a way Candy will never forget. Friends created a “God Box” filled with prayers from family members, church friends, and loved ones. Each prayer was written on a strip of paper and linked together into a paper chain—stretching several feet long—a visible, tangible reminder that they were not alone.
Out of grief and faith, something beautiful continued to grow.
Candy’s loss has only deepened her commitment to prayer ministry, opening her to new movements of the Holy Spirit. She feels most herself when she is praying with others, sharing her love for Cursillo, and walking alongside people in faith. That sense of accompaniment doesn’t stay within church walls. Friends, neighbors, and even strangers now ask her to pray with them. Others ask how they can help support the food pantry.
Redeemer has shaped how Candy shows up in the world—as a bold prayer warrior, grounded in compassion, generosity, and love.
Stories like Candy’s are why generosity matters. They are living proof that when a community shows up with prayerful hearts and open hands, lives are changed—quietly, faithfully, and forever.