Dear Restoration,
Every year, Restoration participates in the Lenten practice of almsgiving by taking up a special offering for an organization outside our walls. The Good Friday giving fund will be open now through April 30th, and gifts may be offered online or by placing checks in the offering basket with “Good Friday” in the memo line.
This year, we invite you to support these two causes: St. Paul’s Missionary Dormitory in Thailand and Arrive Ministries’ Stand in the Gap initiative.
Fr. James leading St. Paul’s students last year.
St. Paul’s Missionary Dormitory
Many of you recall that Fr. James visited Restoration last month (read the recap). Fr. James is a Karen Anglican priest who served at St. Paul’s Missionary Dormitory in the Mae Ra Moe refugee camp for over a decade. The school serves about 50 Burmese children and provides an education for students without other options.
Students sharing a meal.
Some of the children are orphans, but many are coming from villages that have been burned and where all the schools were destroyed. St. Paul’s is now run by Fr. Saw Kee So, who is grateful for the ability to share the gospel through meeting this critical need for the community. The first $4,500 we raise will be given to St. Paul’s. This will help with building repairs, food costs, school fees, uniforms, and medical expenses.
Participants of Restoration’s first Good Neighbor Team.
Arrive Ministries: Stand in the Gap
Funds beyond $4,500 will go towards Arrive Ministries’ special “Stand in the Gap” initiative (learn more). Arrive partners with local churches to welcome refugees who legally enter the US from war-torn parts of the world. Restoration has partnered with Arrive even before we began weekly services in 2017. As many of you know, funding was initially halted for all resettlement programs, but as of late February, it has been completely terminated. Though Arrive will no longer be resettling new refugees, their work remains. They are committed to offering critical support for the men, women, and children who are already here.
Throughout time and across the globe, the Church has followed God’s command and reflected Jesus’ heart by welcoming the foreigner in her midst. Here at Restoration, may we joyfully and steadfastly press into this call.
In Christ,
Molly Stawarz
Pastor of Mission
PS. Exciting things are happening in the Diocese of João Pessoa, Brazil, the site of last year’s Good Friday campaign! Read updates and take a tour of the construction site here.
