On Sunday mornings, the Eagle High auditorium feels both familiar and transformed. The same rows of bolted-down seats that hold assemblies, concerts and plays during the week becomes a gathering place for Redeemer Church—a temporary home that has shaped the earliest chapters of their story. It’s not the permanent space they hope to build someday, but it has become a meaningful one.
In 2022, when Redeemer first opened, the team behind it wasn’t just looking for a building. They were looking for a community. Every sign, every prayer and every conversation kept leading them to Eagle.
“…As we were praying through where the Lord was leading us, everything kept pointing toward Eagle,” said Redeemer’s executive pastor, Travis Dutton. “Myself, our Lead Pastor [Jon Link] and our families all had great community within Eagle… [so,] we felt stronger to head toward Eagle where it seemed there was a need for a church like Redeemer.”
That sense of direction didn’t come all at once. It grew gradually, through relationships, through the city’s rapid expansion and through Dutton and Link’s shared calling to serve the Redeemer Church and the community of Eagle.
Redeemer’s connection to Eagle High first began with a simple conversation. At the time, Dutton’s wife, Brittany, worked at the school. A quick mention to Principal Susan McInerney opened new doors, and soon after, Redeemer was given the chance to make the school their congregation’s temporary gathering place. From there, Redeemer found its way into Eagle High’s community.
“We are so grateful for that initial conversation,” Dutton said. “I think what surprises me most about holding services in a school [is] … the belonging I feel to the community. When EHS does well, I feel a sense of pride also.”
That sense of integration has shaped Redeemer’s identity. Despite this only being a temporary space for them, the church has found itself woven into the life of Eagle High.
Redeemer’s goal has never been to draw attention to itself. Instead, the church simply hopes its presence is felt through support.
“I hope that they [students and staff of Eagle High] feel supported in many different ways,” Dutton said. “But I also hope that they do not realize that we have been here. From the very beginning, our goal was to make sure that we were a blessing and not a burden to EHS… We want to partner with and encourage every aspect of this school but also make sure that the burden we might make on the facility is not felt or known during the week.”
That supportive mindset has guided the church’s involvement with the school. Over the last few years, Redeemer has stepped in wherever help was needed, donating to sports teams, taking care of lunch balances, assisting clubs, helping with the revitalization of the auditorium, building stage props, donating full Thanksgiving meals and even building a shed for the girls’ soccer team. These examples were all shared very carefully, not as a list of accomplishments, but as a reflection of Redeemer’s heart.
“We truly do want to give back and support families, students, teachers and staff,” Dutton said.
Despite their current location working quite well, Redeemer knows its time at Eagle High won’t last forever. Dutton said that the church is praying, saving up and searching for a permanent home—one that will allow them to meet more needs and serve the community in deeper ways. But for now, this season is essential.
“This is not our long-term plan,” Dutton said. “Eventually, we know that we will need to purchase or build a permanent facility. Now, a permanent facility is not the end-all be-all, as we do believe that the church is much more than just a building… [However,] we feel strongly that a permanent facility in Eagle will help Redeemer meet more needs and better share the Gospel with our community.”
For now, Redeemer will keep meeting each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., filling the same auditorium students watch orchestra concerts and theater productions in. The church’s involvement doesn’t end when services do. They continue to invest in the school and the people who walk its halls, whether they do so as a teacher, an administrator or a student.
In doing so, Redeemer has become a warm presence within Eagle High’s story—consistent, supportive and rooted in the life of the community.
