June 17, 2020

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Colossians 3:23-24

Hi friends at Restoration! After we returned from our trip to Australia and New Zealand, I immediately started sewing masks for family and friends so we all could get groceries safely. My daughter, who is a doctor for a hospice program covering parts of northern Minnesota and eastern Wisconsin, asked me to sew masks for patients and providers in her program.

Due to the focus on providers and hospitals working on active coronavirus cases, programs like hospice do not have the resources to get enough PPE to protect her patients and her co-workers. She asked me to make masks so that each patient, the patient’s family, nurses and doctors have one to protect themselves. Her initial ask was for 500 masks to get started and then another 120 masks per month for maintenance and new patients entering the program. I said yes, found a pattern, and started sewing. My sister Karen has also been sewing and Ken has been sourcing elastic and doing the post office runs. So far, we have provided this program about 1200 masks which will probably last until September. I’m done for now because my next shipment of elastic is due to arrive early July. In a way, the pause is a welcome relief from “assembly line” sewing. As we were preparing to move my mom to assisted living, I found a letter I wrote to my parents when I was 18, following my high school graduation. One of the things that I had told them was that I loved sewing and I thanked them for allowing me to sew to my heart’s content. My dad always told my mom to make sure my sisters and I had as much fabric as we wanted. He figured this would be more likely to keep us at home rather than running around town getting into trouble. More importantly, he wanted us to develop talents and interests as he had done when he was a young boy. I am amazed that I knew at 18 that I really loved sewing.

As I look back on my life (and at my age there is quite a lot to see), I see that God prepared me very well for this task. I feel blessed to do it. I have an extensive “stash” of fabric including bits that I inherited from my grandma, material from friends who moved or lost interest, and material from a sister who can’t resist a bargain in the thrift store. I also had a ton of scraps because I never threw away things that might have value (another trait from my parents). I was prepared by God. He knew that this would be needed. He gave me a willing heart. I would never have dreamed that we would be fighting this virus just like a war. I have been at the right place at the right time several times in my life where I knew God put me there on purpose. WOW. It’s hard to believe but God is so big and He has a definite plan for each of our lives.

I have to say, I am a bit tired because I have been sewing about 40 hours per week but I know that it is needed. I feel so blessed to be God’s servant. I know when I get to heaven I will be sewing for Him. It’s amazing to look at our lives through the rear view mirror. Live life to the fullest every day for Him with the gifts God has provided you!

Much love,
Barb

*NEW
Move 2020
Restoration exists as a community of people being restored by Jesus and bringing hope to the world. That’s our mission; that speaks to our identity and purpose. Our methods of helping people be restored by Jesus and partnering together to bring hope to the world need to continually adapt to reach our ever-changing cities and culture. How, when, and where we gather are methods that can change. We are actively pursuing a lease agreement with Mt. Olivet Church at 14201 Cedar Avenue in Apple Valley starting in July. They are able to offer us both weekday ministry space and 24/7 office space, as well as Sunday morning gathering space. We believe this is a small, smart, spirit-led step towards a more permanent home that benefits both Restoration and The Mount. More information, including a video tour, can be found on our website HERE.

Vision Meeting – June 28
Friends and members of Restoration, please join us for our Annual Vision Meeting on Sunday, June 28, at 11am on Zoom after our livestream worship service. We will be welcoming new members and sharing stories of where we have seen God at work and where He is leading us. Members will also be voting via Survey Monkey on Leadership Team candidates and our 2020-21 budget. In order for voting to work smoothly and effectively, we need each member to verify your primary email address in our online directory platform Adjace HERE. If you have shared email addresses or are digitally challenged or limited, please contact Lacey at 952-373-1274 (voice or text), so she can work with our Leadership Team to accommodate.

Next Message Series – Love thy Neighbor
Has the global coronavirus pandemic or the national racial pandemic caused you to think differently about your neighbors? Who are your neighbors? Do you know them well? If you’re honest, do you think that lady across the street is a bit weird? Is it too tempting to keep your distance and mind your own business when it comes to your neighborhood?

What if Christians were the best neighbors? Would your street change? Would heaven be fuller?

As followers of Jesus, we’ve been called to love both God and our neighbors. What if we push past the barriers of fear, time, prejudice, and pride that often keep us from engaging with others? What would our communities look like if we took Jesus’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves seriously?

We don’t have to travel far to get close to people who are far from God. We can build deep connections with the people in our neighborhood and, most importantly, please God.

Food on the First
In lieu of our usual Food on the First food collections for May, we’ll be collecting gift cards to provide to families in need. Please send grocery gift cards from Target, Cub, Aldi, or Walmart to Michele Jacobson. Please message us at info@restorationcov.org

COVID-19 Update
Our vision is to join with Jesus to restore communities…we do this as a church that is gathered and as a church that is scattered. Either way, we are Jesus’ church. In light of restrictions being lifted for churches to begin regathering in Minnesota, Restoration Staff and Leadership Team are actively determining the best and safest ways for Restoration to begin meeting in person again. We have started a ‘return-regather-relaunch’ task force. At this time, we will continue to meet online for Sunday morning services and we’ll communicate details as we progress. If you have any questions, as always, please reach out to Pastor Rob at robjacobson@restorationcov.org or the Leadership Team at lt@restorationcov.org.

Small Groups Meeting Online via Zoom
In these unprecedented times, it’s more important than ever to have face time with friends and family – even if it’s virtual. We recognize the huge value in this opportunity to stay connected and some of our small groups have formed online zoom chats to stay connected:

Women’s Group – Every other Monday at 7pm – led by Erin Garcia
Men’s Group – Every Saturday morning at 7am – led by Chad White
Prayer Group – Every Tuesday 7-9pm – led by Mary Beshara and Michael Nybakken
Adultish? Group – Friday evenings – led by Daniel Morgenstern

These groups are all easy to join. Please reach out to DanielMorgenstern@restorationcov.org to get connected to these zoom chats or to find the group that fits best.

You are invited to Family Game Night! – June 22
We want to stay connected and have fun through these times, so every other Monday from 7:30pm-8:30pm we will be gathering through Zoom to play some fun party games together! No installation or purchase required. Anyone age 12+ can join the game via computer, phone, or any other device that can browse the internet. If you’re interested and would like to know more, please contact Matthew at: matthewgoerdt@restorationcov.org

*UPDATE*
Sunday Coffee Time
This week, our Zoom chat following the service will be repurposed to a town hall meeting to discuss the move to The Mount church facility. Use this link to join. A link will also be posted in the Facebook chat at the end of the service on Sunday.

Calling all Writers
The world is changing by the minute. Conversation and connection in this strange time of uncertainty is paramount. Have you experienced new thoughts and emotions stirred up by isolation or having your kids home 24/7? Are your kids experiencing fears or frustrations they want to talk about? We want to hear it if you’re willing to share with us! We’re always looking for writers of all ages and stages to contribute to our News and Notes articles. You don’t have to be an amazing writer, you just need to have something to say or share. Has something you’ve heard or experienced sparked or inspired you? We’d love to hear about it or hear a piece of your story. We also have people to help edit if you have something to share, but aren’t sure how to say it. Contact KerryStok@restorationcov.org if you’re interested or have more questions.

Online Giving
There’s no time like the present to set up online giving. Because our regularly scheduled worship service will be online for the next few weeks, online tithing is a way to remain faithful in your giving even in the most uncertain of times. 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.

Pray or Receive Prayer
Now more than ever, people are turning toward prayer or are in desperate need of prayer. We have an amazingly gifted prayer team you can depend on for prayer. They’re always looking for other prayer warriors if you want to join or if you need prayer for any situation, you can contact them. 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

Hello families,

I am sure most of you have heard me say before (probably many times) that at Restoration we believe strongly in empowering parents to be the spiritual leaders of their child’s faith. You have so much more time and influence in your child’s life than we ever could. That is especially true now. As parents, you are now not only the most important influence but likely one of the only daily influences our kids have to hear about God’s word and see what that means for our lives. It is also still true that Restoration Kids is here to support you. We are working to make sure you have access to the Bible lesson content your kids would have gotten on Sunday mornings as well as discussion prompts and activities to help engage your child around these topics. You can find that on our website HERE.

As always, if you have any questions or need anything at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at ChrystineVilhauer@restorationcov.org. I am praying for your families and want to know how you are doing over the next few weeks!

What We’re Learning in June

Preschoolers

June and July are all about what we can spy with our little eyes. Get ready for I Spy! It’s a great theme that helps us see the things that help us believe in Jesus. I Spy. It is all about the eyes. We are helping preschoolers see so they can believe in Jesus. We will have one key question and bottom line for June and July. We don’t think we can say these too much. They are that good. Get ready to ask, “who can believe in Jesus” and respond with, “I can believe in Jesus,” over and over again. Our hope is that your preschoolers will have the truth that they can believe in Jesus with them forever.

“These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.” John 20:31

Elementary

This summer, our focus is going to be on faith. God has always been involved in the world He created. We see His handiwork on display in creation. We see God’s love on display through Jesus, who came to rescue us. We respond to God in faith, believing in what we can’t see because of what we can see. When we focus on what we know to be true about God and the world God created, we can have faith in what we can’t see or fully understand.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

RESTORATION STUDENTS

Contact: DanielMorgenstern@restorationcov.org

*NEW*
Restoration Students Update
Restoration Student Ministry is now officially in Summer! What does this mean? Well first off, Student Gathering on Wednesdays, online or otherwise, is done until the beginning of the next school year. Don’t worry though, Student Ministry isn’t done. Three small groups are available to our students during the summer, a High School Girls Group meeting on Tuesdays, led by Janice Svaren, a Middle School Girls Group meeting on Fridays, led by Lliane Blons, and a Student Boys Group meeting on Sundays, led by Mike Sorenson. Student Ministry is also excited to start putting the wonderful weather to use with outdoor events open to all current students and incoming 6th graders. For further details on the groups or outdoor events please contact Daniel Morgenstern at danielmorgenstern@restorationcov.org.