Men's Retreat

Rector’s Update: a collection of things we’ve mentioned

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Dear Restoration,

“I was glad when they said to me, 
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!'”
Psalm 122:1 (ESV)
I have really enjoyed singing the Psalm each week during our liturgy. Thank you to Isaac for writing the musical arrangements and thank you to our musicians for learning new stuff! It has made these prayers fresh for my soul and the words have touched deep places of joy and longing. As we sang the refrain for Psalm 122 last week, my heartfelt prayer was for the peace of Jerusalem, made all the more poignant by the melody that carried it to God. It has been good to be in the house of the Lord and good to sing the psalms.

Hope you like the pictures up there from our RestoMen retreat. We had a blast. GREAT teaching from Alex Kirk of Chatham Community Church, which led to honest and helpful discussions in our small groups. It was quite rainy, but that didn’t keep a group of us from grabbing a highly contested game of wiffle ball, in a converted picnic shelter, that became a field of dreams. 

On March 23th, we will wrap up ‘The Resto Retreat Season’ (6 of them: Vestry, RestoWomen, 2 for Apex, RestoMen, and Lent!!). Hope you can join us for our Lenten Morning of quiet reflection as we enter Holy Week. Let us know you are coming. 

The rest of this update is a bouillabaisse of things we’ve mentioned over the past weeks. I wanted you to have them all in one place:

  1. How to schedule a conversation with me.
  2. A way to help two people in our congregation who are experiencing illness.
  3. Info on our Holy Week and Easter offering recipient.
  4. A request for help at the Resurrection Party.
  5. A reminder about parking. (It really matters that we park in our lot and not on the street.)
See you on Sunday,
– David

 

Scheduling a conversation with me!

I have been trying out Calendly for a few months and I have found that it makes it a lot easier for folks to schedule conversations with me. Here is a link to the scheduling page. There are 4 options and 3 of them are for all of you! They vary based on length of time.

  • Lunch: generally about an hour
  • Coffee: 30-45 minutes, can be in my study at the church or at a local coffee shop.
  • Phone Call: 15-20 minutes, can also be Zoom if you prefer!

So think about what you need to chat about. Then feel very free to grab some time that works for your schedule. I look forward to our conversation!
 

Helping Russell Vick and the family of Ashli Arbo

 
RUSSELL
Over the last few weeks, we have been praying for Russell, who is recovering from meningitis. Our friends at Incarnation Anglican Church have been caring for Russell so well. Many of you are asking about how you can help. Incarnation has created a fund to help with Russell’s expenses: medical bills, temporary housing for him and his mom (she is here to support his rehabilitation), and lost wages. You can give to this fund here: Russell Support Fund. Feel free to share this link with others who might be interested. If you have any issues with giving through the link, please reach out to  Emily: emily@incarnationanglican.org. 

ASHLI
We have been praying for Ashli and her cancer treatment since last summer. A couple of weeks ago, she started a new, very intense, round of chemotherapy. A MealTrain has been created for the Arbo family. The next few months will be very challenging for them and we want to support them with meals. You can find more information and sign up here. Thank you for walking alongside this precious Restoration family.

Holy Week and Easter Offering Recipient

During Holy Week and Easter, we give all of our offerings to a partner who is doing excellent Kingdom work in the world. This year we are giving to Abara, an organization in El Paso TX that serves people who are crossing divides.
 
“Abara means ‘FORD’ in a number of semitic languages,
signifying a place where the river is shallow enough to cross.
Abara is a place where people can move in humility as they cross divides.”
We are excited to financially support the work they are doing to love our neighbors. We intend to send a team to serve with them later this year. We recognize that immigration is an incredibly complex issue and we are praying that our country’s leaders will create immigration policy that is clear, humane, and just. Nevertheless, regardless of the political solutions, we want to be a church that sees the dignity of every person who has been created in the image of God. We want to love them as our neighbor, as Jesus instructed. We look forward to giving generously to the work of Abara this Easter and then seeing it for ourselves later this year.
 

Resurrection Party!
After the Easter Vigil on March 30th!

 
I love how we break our Lenten fasts together each year. The Easter Vigil service starts at 8:30pm and the Resurrection Party starts around 10:30pm! Please bring a contribution for the party- something sweet or savory; a delicious beverage; a cake; anything you got!

We have a couple of great small groups who are going to set up tables and coolers in fellowship hall for your offerings. You can leave them there before the Vigil starts.

Would you be wiling to stick around for a few minutes at the end of the party and help them transition fellowship hall to be ready for Easter morning worship? It would be a huge gift to our staff! If you can do that, shoot me a note and I’ll let these wonderful small group leaders know that you are on the Resurrection Party Transition Team!
 

Please Park in the lot over I-66 on Sundays

One more plea for all of us to park in the lot at 15th and Quincy (marked with a giant P up there) and not on the streets around the church.

Specifically, would you please not park on anything that starts with a 17, 18, or 20?

If you must park on the street,
 

PLEASE LOOK TWICE TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT BLOCKING A DRIVEWAY. 

I know, it seems obvious, and you may think, “I’d never block someone’s driveway.” But we have had a complaint from multiple neighbors, who’s driveway has been blocked, by someone at Restoration, almost every week of 2024. It’s a really big deal. I’m begging you.

Want to guarantee that you don’t block someone’s driveway?
Park in the lot over I-66. 

Tell a friend. Spread the news far and wide. Share this link.
Enjoy the walk.
Be kind to the shuttle driver.
Don’t leave any trash.
Join us in loving the people who live along Quincy Street.

Thanks so much! 

 

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