 From Pastor Rob’s Heart Almighty God, I want to come before you with reverence yet all I feel is anguish and anger for the community of Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo NY and all those senseless massacres that have occurred before. God, you tell the little ones to come to you; You say you will be the father to the fatherless… What about the parents in Uvalde who are now childless?! What about the families who will not have these 2 teachers return home? What about these elementary school children’s lives and lifetimes stolen in this senseless act of murder and massacre? Why must our innocent children have to worry about a shooter coming into their schools? Why can we not figure out sensible, responsible gun control? The cry of Psalm 10 in the Bible seems especially poignant—(v. 1, 8-18) “Why, Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” …He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. He says to himself, “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.” Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, “He won’t call me to account”? But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.” Sovereign Lord, send your comfort, peace and help. Send your righteousness and justice. We lift up all of the families, teachers, and leaders that must walk through this tragedy. God, wash away the anger, evil and bitterness in our own hearts that can insidiously twist our souls into something or someone capable of stealing innocent lives. We do pray for your justice and redemption of this community and we pray for your mercy and grace and limitless love to somehow bring beauty from these ashes. AMEN. If you are a parent, it is so important to offer space to your children (especially teens) to talk about these tragedies. Our faith must connect with all the parts of our lives. Our friends at Fuller Youth institute shared with me a few phrases that help young people feel safe to share. Try starting with, “What do you know about the school shooting in Uvalde, TX?” to assess what they’ve heard, seen, or processed already. This gives you a baseline for what else to ask or say. You want to try to match your response with their level of awareness. Chances are good that the young people in your life will pose questions for which you don’t have answers. Here’s a useful response to keep handy: “I don’t know, but…” There are a number of ways to access the power of this phrase to hold a safe space with a teenager: I don’t know, but… … that’s an important question. … I wonder that, too. … thanks for sharing it with me. … how about we meet again later to talk about it again? You might have an answer to the question. But even if you do, it might be wise to step back and probe a bit before unleashing a “right” answer. It might turn out that being heard is more important than the answer itself, at least at the moment. Praying for you all, Rob ——————————— Upcoming Events at Restoration Thursday, May 26 | Middle School Girl’s Bible Study 7pm Sunday, May 29 | In-Person + Online at 5:15pm | Dinner Church Sunday Tuesday, May 31 | Come and See Prayer 7pm Sunday, June 5 | In-Person + Online at 5:15pm Tuesday, June 7 | Come and See Prayer 7pm Thursday, June 9 | Middle School Girl’s Bible Study 7pm June 9-11 | Patio Parties Sunday, June 12 | Middle School Putt + Pizza 12:30-3pm (see below) Sunday, June 12 | In-Person + Online at 5:15pm Tuesday, June 14 | Come and See Prayer 7pm Sunday, June 19 | In-Person + Online at 5:15pm Father’s Day Tuesday, June 21 | Come and See Prayer 7pm Sunday, June 26 | In-Person + Online at 5:15pm ——————————— RSVP by June 3rd for a Patio Party!  This summer, Restoration will be hosting Patio Parties as a way to act on our value of being authentic people living in community with one another. Patio Parties will be a casual way of meeting or getting to know other people at the church. Various hosts will be opening their homes and groups will meet to share a meal and/or drinks on the patio. We would love to have you join us! In June, Patio Parties will be taking place Thursday, June 9 through June 11. RSVP here by JUNE 3rd to let us know you are interested and what time works best for you. Reach out to chrystinevilhauer@restorationcov.org Online Giving There’s no time like the present to set up online giving. Online tithing is a way to remain faithful in your giving regardless of worshipping with us in-person or online. Decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. We encourage you to consider giving online so that your giving is regular and easy to manage – it’s easy to sign up HERE. You can also Text to Give by texting any dollar amount to 84321. Pray or Receive Prayer We’ve made it easy for you to share your prayer requests. Send PRAY FOR ME in a text message to: (833) 482-6846. Respond to the message and let us know how we can be praying for you. We will respond to let you know when you’ve been prayed for.  What’s happening in Restoration Kids this month! Restoration Kids Website   Let’s welcome the fifth graders to Middle School! Bring a friend and meet us at Grand Slam in Burnsville at 12:30pm. Pizza and PuttPutt is included for $10 per person. Please pick your student up at 3pm. RSVP with Paula today. Middle School Girls Bible Study The Middle School Girls Bible Study will restart on Thursday, May 26 at 7pm with a new study all about friendship. Bring your Bible and a friend as we learn what it means to be a friend. If you have any questions, contact Paula Herko. MUUUCE Middle School Event MUUUCE stands for the Most Unbelievable, Ultimate, Urban Camping Experience. This incredible event is designed specifically with Northwest Conference middle schoolers in mind. It’s three days of crazy middle school fun, woven with worship experiences, challenging talks, and small group conversations! It’s a great way to kick off the fall ministry season. MUUUCE is hosted by Crossroads Covenant Church in Woodbury. August 4-6, 2022 Is your middle schooler interested in attending MUUUCE? Please send an email to Paula HEY MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS! Below is a list of Summer events for ALL Students (welcome to our NEW 5th grade graduates)! Primarily the summer will focus on building our middle school ministry, with a few events for our high school students too! Please encourage your student to come. The Summer is the PERFECT season to build momentum, grow relationships and have a solid foundation as we launch a new school year in September. This Summer, your students will encounter new opportunities to serve our community, learn about Jesus and build new friendships. I am SO VERY EXCITED for this Summer! If you have any questions about these Summer events, please reach out to me. And of course, I want parents to be involved too! It’s so important for you as the parent to be involved in the spiritual formation and development of your child. You are not just welcome, you are INVITED to participate and join in on any event this Summer. Blessings to your families! Paula paulaherko@restorationcov.org Thursday, May 26 | Middle School Girls Bible Study 7-8pm Thursday, June 9 | Middle School Girls Bible Study 7-8pm Sunday, June 12 | 12:30-3pm // Pizza and Putt Putt at Grand Slam Thursday, June 23 | Middle School Game Night 6-8pm Saturday, June 25 | Middle School Service Project Day 9am-1pm Thursday, July 7 | Middle School Girls Bible Study 7-8pm Saturday, July 9 Summer Spectacular (Middle School and High School Students) 10am-3pm (Service Projects, Fun and more details coming soon) Thursday, July 21 | Middle School Game Night 6-8pm August 4-6 | MUUUCE Middle School Retreat Thursday, August 11 | Middle School Bible Study 7-8pm Saturday, August 27 | Student Kick Off Event (Middle School and High School Students) 5-7pm |
News + Notes 5.25.2022
