January 16, 2020
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
We attended a mega church for a short time when we lived in Alabama. One of the sermons I remembered most from that church was one about finances. A young man in his early 20’s explained how he was contemplating a large contribution to a family in need but knew he couldn’t really afford it even though he felt incredibly called to do so. He followed God’s prompting and donated the money and then the following week received a raise that just so happened to be the exact dollar amount, to the penny, that he’d gone out of his comfort zone to give.
I’ll be honest in saying that, at the time, it seemed a bit hokey to me. Although I believe God does encourage us to give in the spirit of generosity when we feel His leading, I found it a bit incredible that he’d do it with such precision. But, in the past few years as I’ve paid more attention to God’s work in my family’s finances, I’ve become a believer that He really does just that.
When my husband Marc and I took Financial Peace University, we didn’t have a tremendous amount of debt to climb out of so I wasn’t sure how helpful it’d really be to us. But, there were so many tidbits of wisdom tied into Christianity that we learned that we still use to this day. One such tidbit Dave Ramsey encouraged in FPU was using cash so you pay more attention to what you’re spending. You learn very quickly that it’s MUCH harder to hand over cash than it is to charge to a card where you don’t physically see/feel money leaving your hands. I realized the importance of this concept after I told my son that we couldn’t afford something and he said, “Just put it on the credit card.” This reminded me that my kids are watching how and where I spend my money and are seeing what we prioritize based on where our money goes.
The second lesson was how differently we perceived our money when we thought of it less as our money and more as God’s money to be responsible with. I stopped ridiculously overspending God’s money at Target. We drank our coffee at home instead of regularly splurging on Caribou or Starbucks. I started shopping at Aldi and cut our grocery bill dramatically. The craziest part was I didn’t even miss the luxuries we were cutting. Not even Target!
The third thing that we learned from these concepts was that, if the money was really God’s, we’d needed to think differently about spending it on others. If we had everything that we needed in our family, we needed to use any excess, not for more or nicer stuff for ourselves, but for those who needed it most. I’ll never forget a very physical pull to donate money to a cause it was very clear God was calling me to give to. Recognizing that I needed to give God’s money where He told me to, I did and, wouldn’t you know it, we got a dividend check from our bank – money we weren’t expecting, the first year our bank had ever done it – not to the penny, but extremely close to the amount that I’d just donated. I do believe God’s at work in all the places we give Him access to. I highly encourage you to let your bank account be one of those places if you want to see the cool stuff He can do there.
God Bless,
Kerry
*NEW
Year End Financial Contribution Statements
You should have received an email this week that contained a link to your 2019 financial contributions to Restoration. If we don’t have your email on file, a letter has been mailed to you. Because of your generosity, we overcame a $30,000 budget deficit in December to end 2019 in the black by $8,000! Thank you! As we walk with God in 2020, may you sense His presence and desire to do exceeding more in us than we could ask or imagine.
Current Message Series – Life, Money, Legacy
“Money management” is a phrase that makes some of us cringe. To some, it seems an impossible task. To others, it might feel constricting or negative. Taking practical steps to manage your money can actually be both freeing and healing. In this five-part message series, we will learn practical, biblical advice on topics like budgeting, money myths, and more based on wisdom from trusted financial expert Dave Ramsey. No matter your situation, the principles learned here can help with getting out of debt, making better financial solutions, and ultimately finding peace and creating a legacy that lasts.
*THIS SUNDAY*
Communion
This Sunday we’ll be celebrating communion near the beginning of the worship service. Communion is a sacred practice in the Christian church instituted by Jesus Christ. The bread and cup represent and remind us of Jesus’ body and blood freely being offered to restore us with God. Please note that we always use juice instead of wine and have gluten-free bread available so that all members of our community can participate in communion. Restoration does not have a policy to decide when a child is ready to partake of communion, rather we encourage parents to make that decision. If you would like help processing whether your child is ready for communion please contact Chrystine Vilhauer.
Vision Update Meeting – January 26
Every January, we invite the friends and members of Restoration to pause with us as we take a pulse on our church’s health and reflect on where we are seeing God at work through our church community. We’re excited to review our church-wide goals, share progress reports from our ministry teams and staff, and report on the 2019-20 budget. Please join us on Sunday, January 26 immediately following our worship service. Child care provided. If you have any questions prior to the meeting, contact leadershipteam@restorationcov.org.
Football Sunday – February 2
We’re amping up Football Sunday this year with a tailgating experience you won’t want to miss! Join us during our regular worship time for food, games, and fun you don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy. In fact, Football Sunday is actually a celebration of how God is in the middle of all aspects of life, even the NFL. Be blown away by how God can make even the biggest, strongest professional football player rely on His strength. Football Sunday is a great opportunity for you to invite a friend or a sports fan to church to hear players share their faith stories before the big game. If you’re not a fan or don’t have a team in the game, Football Sunday might actually even make you cheer for the Christian players you’ll hear from.
Feed my Starving Children AND Families of Youth Dinner – February 8
Looking for an amazing outreach opportunity to serve kids in need with your friends and family? Join us for Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to pack meals for hungry kids worldwide on Saturday, February 8 from 4:30-6:30pm. We will meet at 4:15pm at 990 Lone Oak Road, Suite 136, Eagan. There is no cost to participate, but FMSC welcomes donations. Invite your friends and family for this awesome international outreach! Everyone age 5 and up is welcome, but space is limited. We will meet back at the Ministry Center following FMSC for pizza. Please plan to contribute $5/person with a maximum of $20/family for pizza. Additionally, because this is the day before our normally scheduled Families of Youth lunch, pizza at the Ministry Center will serve as our monthly get-together for Families of Youth so we hope you can join us for FMSC, pizza or both! All are welcome – you don’t have to be a FOY to join us for pizza following FMSC. Please RSVP to DanielMorgenstern@restorationcov.org.
Sewing & Crafts Workshop – Calling all Sewers!
We’re looking at putting together a sewing and crafts workshop in February. If you are interested participating as a learner or a teacher, please let us know so we can gauge interest. We’ll determine the project and the location based on the responses we receive. If you’d like to participate or help, please contact KerryStok@restorationcov.org.
Restoration Small Groups
Small Groups exist to help people be known and grow in their relationships with God, the church, and with others. If you have a question about our next small group season starting up soon, please contact Daniel at groups@restorationcov.org.
Join the Setup Team
Are you a behind-the-scenes type of person ready to serve alongside other men and women at Restoration? Do you know someone who could serve in this capacity? If you’re willing to move chairs, do light lifting, and set up the stage and worship area once a month on Sunday mornings, then you’d be a valuable asset on the set up team. At Restoration, the set up team creates the environment where people can encounter God. Michael Van Dyken, the team leader, is looking for volunteers to to serve. To learn more, contact him through setup@restorationcov.org.
Pray or Receive Prayer
Are you gifted at prayer or do you have a prayer request that you’d like to share with our prayer team? We believe in the power of prayer and know that God is listening. We would love to pray for you. If you’re interested in joining the prayer team or have any prayer requests, send them to our prayer team at prayer@restorationcov.org
RESTORATION KIDS
Contact: ChrystineVilhauer@restorationcov.org
What We’re Learning in January
Preschoolers
It’s time for a Beach Party—sand, sun, and a whole lot of fun! Jesus spent a great deal of time on or near the beach. In fact, He performed MANY miracles near the water. So, the beach is the perfect environment for our preschoolers to learn that Jesus can do anything. Our preschoolers learned that God gave us Jesus in December, and now they will learn that because Jesus is God’s Son, He can do anything! With God all things are possible! Throughout their lives, children will encounter things they can’t do. But, in Jesus, they have a friend who can do it all. There is no better friend than Jesus, and He wants to be our friend forever.
Memory Verse: “With God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NIV
Elementary
God is the author of knowledge. Everything we know to be true about the world is because of God. Knowing God is the most important Person to know. And while we may never know all there is to know about God, God gives us lots of ways we can know Him. We can know Him best through Jesus, who showed us how much God loves us. We can pursue knowing more about God through Jesus, who showed why knowledge is so important. The more we know God, the better we can live His way each day.
Memory Verse: “The Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from His mouth.” Proverbs 2:6 NIrV
RESTORATION STUDENTS
Contact: DanielMorgenstern@restorationcov.org
Restoration Students Wednesday Nights
Jan 22, 29 | Feb 5, 12, 19, 26 | Mar 4, 11, 18, 25 | Apr 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | May 6, 13, 20, 27
Students in grades 6-12 are encouraged to join us at the Ministry Center (7707 147th St W, Apple Valley) from 6:30-8pm on Wednesday nights for a time of teaching, activities, and groups that focus on encountering Jesus, building meaningful relationships, and restoring hope to the world. If you have a Bible, bring it. Invite a friend!
Middle School Group
Jan 26 | Feb 9, 23 | Mar 8, 22 | Apr 26 | May 10, 24
Students in grades 6-8 begin Sunday mornings in the worship service. On the designated Sundays, they meet in the café for discussion and activities that complement the Sunday morning message.
Join the Students Team
Do you have a passion for working with students? Are you interested in serving Restoration through our Wednesday Night Student Groups? We would love to hear from you! The students team is looking for adult men and women who would like to get involved in being a part of our team. We welcome anyone who loves God and loves the idea of working with students. Contact Daniel Morgenstern.
View past News & Notes by clicking HERE.
