He restores my soul
Welcome to another stage of the journey with Restoration Ministries. This is a time of new beginnings and, in response to that challenge, we have been prompted to return to our roots, to the words from Psalm 23 that were given to us when we came into being, “He restores my soul.” You will see from the enclosed programme that we are seeking in many different ways to encourage people to either embark or continue on the restoration road. We are very excited about our new literature, copies of which we have enclosed for you. Our logo is the same but different – which is the message we want to convey – namely that the call to individual and communal healing and reconciliation is changeless, but the way we seek to encourage others to be part of such a call will always be changing as we seek to be present to the questions and needs around us.
Monthly
MeetingsOur monthly meetings this year will have a different format. We are going to reflect with Jean Vanier, (using videos), on the riches of St. John’s Gospel. During these sessions there will be time for quiet reflection, something that in these busy days we all need.
Hospitality
EveningsThe three planned Hospitality Evenings, which will be by invitation, will seek to bring people from different sectors of society who have not encountered the Restoration Ministries experience before. If you know someone who would enjoy one of these evenings please let us know.
Difficult
Conversation Evenings
Last year we ran a very stimulating series of Difficult Conversation Evenings. In response to popular demand we have organized a further three such conversations, each one to be followed up by a seminar/workshop on the particular theme for those who are interested in finding out more.
Personal
Development Workshops Through our work in Restoration Ministries we have become very aware of the high level of stress and anxiety in individual lives. People have many questions for which they think there is no answer, and feelings that they cannot identify, name or explain. Through a journey of self discovery we hope, in four Wednesday evenings in October, to enable people, if not to find answers, at least to identify some of the areas in their lives that they are finding difficult. These evenings will be facilitated by Dr. Francis Teeney from the School of Psychology in Queen’s University Belfast.
For those who wish to pursue a spiritual journey towards the wholeness that God intends for us, there will be an opportunity to do so after Christmas. I will be the facilitator for those four evenings.
Prayer As you know, the heartbeat of our work is prayer. As well as our ongoing prayer events, there will be two days of reflection, one in Advent and one in Lent. Thank you for praying with us and for us on our day of prayer. We expect many blessings to flow from that, and we look forward to your continued participation and support in the year ahead. In a fraught, fearful, traumatised – and yet wonderful world- thank you for being people of hope and partners in restoration.
Ruth
P.S. Thanks to a very generous ‘friend’ of the ministry who has made the publication of our new literature possible.