New pastor joins Redeemer Saint John’s Lutheran Church

A revival currently is taking place at Redeemer St. John’s Lutheran Church. After three years without a permanent pastor, the Dyker Heights church has found its man just in the time for the holiday season. Pastor Khader Khalilia, a native of Bethlehem, received the news on September 15 that he was given the position after a series of interviews.

The journey thus far has been a successful one, said Khalilia. “We’re opening ourselves and reaching out to the community. We organize special outreach,” he said. “It’s encouraging. We’re trying to get acquainted with members, visit them and get to know them.” Some of those outreach programs include a Christmas toy drive and the formation of a group called the Rainbow Girls, a group that is akin to the Girls Scouts of America.

Although he started his pastor duties at the Dyker church in October, Khalilia is very familiar with the community. He lived in Brooklyn from 2005-2009 before moving to Berkeley where he received his MDiv at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.

“I know this as my community. I’ve known this as my home,” he stated. Thus far, Khalilia has enjoyed the challenges of embarking on the new journey. “The first 100 days are always the hardest, not only in politics,” he joked. “I really like the environment and the wonderful leaders. We are just planting the seeds.”

Church Council President Karen Breslin was thrilled to bring Khalilia on board to the once-struggling church and hopes the addition will rejuvenate the area. “We’ve been looking for an infusion of youth and energy in the church. It was dying. We needed a rebirth. This pastor fills that. We haven’t had one in three years. We’ve been yearning to have one and we’re blessed now that we do,” Breslin stated.

Breslin wanted Khalilia on board because of the stellar reputation he built while serving the community before his move to the Bay Area. “He had done a youth group in the area and left. His past reputation was great,” she said. Having a Bethlehem native has also played a role in her enthusiasm. “This is an ever changing community and to have a pastor of different culture adds something. We need this.”

Though it’s still early in the transitional period, the church has already seen things moving in the right direction. It recently held a breakfast with Santa Claus event and over 70 children attended.

On Christmas Eve, the church will hold its service at 5:30 p.m. In addition, Mass is held every Sunday at the church at 10:30 a.m.

The nursery school – which welcomes children two to four — is also thriving. “They’re all such lovely families. At first, it’s tough to remove them from their parents at such a young age. But the children have fun and grow, and learn to socialize with others,” said Martha Galasinao, nursery school director and teacher.

Khalilia realizes that this is only the beginning, yet the future looks bright. “The way we see ourselves is how we can be in humanity in we are trying to build bridges of understanding to make it a safe neighborhood,” he noted.