8 Comments

  1. Amy
    August 31, 2018 @ 11:16 am

    I love this. I’m so thankful we were there on day 1 in 2009. I’m so thankful to be part of day 1 of our first local plant. Resto changed our lives, and we’ll be praying and cheering you on from a few miles further south.

    Reply

    • Liz Ryan
      September 4, 2018 @ 7:13 pm

      To echo Amy’s words, I love this. Resto also changed my life and I love that we were part of the 1000 who worshipped there for a chunk of the last 5 years. How exciting is it to think about the rate of turnover and what that means in terms of unintentional and informal outreach over time? Think of all those people who are sent out each year and the communities they’re impacting once they leave! Thanks for making it easy to stay in the loop from a distance — we are also praying and cheering you on from a few (thousand) miles away 🙂

      Reply

  2. Jeff Walton
    August 31, 2018 @ 11:45 am

    David, you make a good point about how setting a large goal pushes us further than we would have reached otherwise, even if we don’t reach the goal itself. Here’s an idea: we’ve discussed for a couple years the possibility of planting in lower Montgomery County, Maryland. Just as Restoration wasn’t “The Falls Church, Jr.” the churches we plant across the region will uniquely reflect their communities. Restoration is in a zip code that is 85% Anglo and upper middle class. Silver Spring has an immigrant population that is demographically different than either north Arlington or the Columbia Pike Corridor that Incarnation is seeking to serve. How about bringing in a church planting resident that is West African, which is reflective of a big chunk of lower MoCo’s new arrivals?

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    • David Hanke
      August 31, 2018 @ 2:06 pm

      Jeff, great idea. We would LOVE to talk with a West African Anglican Church Planter. Got any? Send them our way.

      Reply

  3. Adam
    August 31, 2018 @ 3:12 pm

    David, thank you for this. It is a good starting point for the conversation over the next phase of Restoration’s growth and development. I look forward to coming next week and being a part of this discussion. To that end, I wonder if there is a big part of Restoration’s future that merits more conversation and consideration that isn’t expressly referenced – the kids.

    There are a lot of them and I haven’t seen any signs that our church is slowing down in the baby department. By 2025 we’re going to have a lot more of them covering a much wider age distribution. How we do children’s programs, what kinds of events and activities our church offers (but not further over-programming ourselves to death), and how we work to lead them into discipleship merits careful thought and prayer.

    And just in case anyone misreads what I am writing, know that I am thankful for Louise and Jill and all they do. They are an asset to our church and we’re lucky to have them.

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    • Adam
      August 31, 2018 @ 3:13 pm

      AND ISAIAH TOO!

      Reply

    • David Hanke
      September 1, 2018 @ 7:34 am

      Yes! Thank you, Adam. These are the kinds of ideas that I hope people will bring on Thursday. God has done incredible work through Louise, Jill, Isaiah and all of our youth and kid volunteers. We do need to anticipate what our kids will need in the next five years. Let’s pray!

      Reply

  4. S&T
    September 3, 2018 @ 11:03 am

    I can’t be with you on Thursday evening as i’ll be in a mountainous region close to China, aiming to encourage some groups up there in the same conversation you are having in Arlington.
    What’s the next phase look like? How to push forward in a difficult environment?

    I’d love to be able to say, ‘Add another dozen to your figures from people living ‘By the Lake’. We haven’t got there yet. But – with your help – we are making a difference.

    ‘Thank you’ from the kids with disabilities in the school down the road, the barber in his humble shop who you show respect to each time you visit, the olive farmers who are beginning to ask questions after all these months. And many more.

    From a distance, and occasionally from close up, we can say it’s been great to walk alongside you over these past 5 years.

    Overlapping journeys seeking to reach the same goal.

    Reply

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