Mobilizing at Hope House

If Restoration Church were to disappear tomorrow, would anyone (in Jefferson County) even notice?

That is usually a question asked when your church is much larger and more established.

For us, we are choosing to ask it now. Seriously, what "good" is Restoration Church for those outside of our small group households?

To answer this, we have spent time listening to (some of) the stories of our neighborhood and researching the existing organizations attempting to make a difference.

One of the incredible partners we have found is Hope House Colorado.

Hope House is located Arvada.

Hope House invests and supports teen moms who have already given birth to children.

Hope House offers holistic support for the emotional, physical, mental, and social needs of their clients.

For more info about their mission and history, CLICK HERE.

This past week, 8 adults from Restoration Church signed up to serve dinner, at Hope House, to the staff and families attending their evening classes. This was not an intense amount of work. We were able to bless them with a meal, cleaning up afterward, hearing more about their work, and praying with/for them.

Here's why this matters.

1. SACRIFICIAL CULTURE: Every single one of us could have found other things to do with our time that night. No matter how intense or strenuous, the choice to give one's time is a sacrifice and making sacrifice a habit creates a church culture worth adding to.

2. NEW STORIES: One can (easily) google the stories of other people and (then) read/watch cleverly constructed testimonies, made with awesome intentions. No matter how well documented recorded stories are, we are a church committed to being in the room and holding space for those with new and different stories from outselves. Recorded stories, no matter how well produced, leave us the option to dehumanize and separate their stories from ours. Sharing space, with those outside of our natural rhythms adds layers to our stories we can no deny. Layers create richness, complexity, new questions, new solutions, and new way to see life.

3. PRO-WHOLE LIFE. The term pro-life is often a political trigger word (in the US) but to a follower of Jesus it is a posture. For Restoration Church to be Pro-Life, we must be Pro-WHOLE LIFE. We love that Hope House is committed to holistically invest, encourage, and support teen moms (and dads) with the tools necessary to build quality lives for themselves and their loved ones. This includes educational resources, therapy resources, weekly practical training classes, weekly workout classes, milestone celebrations, occasional free meals, and even a place to do their laundry for no cost. If there is one thing about being Pro-Whole Life it is that it requires a lot of time and patience. You don't invest in someone life by controlling them, you invest by being with them. We love what Hope House is committed to and are learning so much from them.

The mission of Restoration Church is

To be part of God's restoration of all things.

In Arvada,

as it is in heaven.

Thank you for supporting this growing movement!

- Jared