Restoration Journal
News, Updates, and Resources
Yet again, we find our cities in the headlines. Violence and fear strike our neighborhoods. In the midst of darkness, the Church calendar shifts to Epiphany. We remind ourselves that in Christ, God’s will, love, and hope are made known to the whole world. The Light of Christ breaks through the darkness, and the darkness has not, and will not, overcome it.
The season of Epiphany is drawing to a close, and Lent is just around the corner. Lent, the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, is a spiritual pilgrimage; it is a great fast before the great feast; it is a giving up and a putting on; it is prayerful and slow; it is ancient and new. I encourage you to enter into Lent with intentionality and anticipation.
God has been gracious and kind to our congregation since its launch in 2017. But the past several years have not been easy. The pandemic, political tensions, building acquisition, diocesan transition, and rapid growth have put us in an ongoing state of adaptation and change. It has been quite an adventure! After several months of discussion as staff and Parish Council, we believe that God is calling us to pause and enter into a season of intentional listening so that we might discern what he has for us next.
In light of the increased ministry needs of our congregation, the Parish Council has approved the addition of another full time pastoral role: Pastor of Community Life. This person will cultivate robust ministries for welcoming newcomers, connecting attenders to various parts of church life, and developing the small group ministry.
Each Lent, we take up a special offering for a ministry outside of our local congregation as a means of communally participating in the ancient practice of almsgiving. This year, in light of the devastating earthquakes in the Middle East, Restoration is focusing our Lenten generosity toward relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.
I’m so happy to share that we are offering membership at Restoration. Why now? Well as some of you know, we actually began designing a membership process a long time ago, but with all that’s happened these past couple years, we were never quite able to finish it. Now, with the tremendous help of the Parish Council and other leaders, we’re finally ready.
