What Does A Restoration Church Look Like?

My husband and his partner in ministry were on the radio this week. The host interviewed them about A Restoration Church on WordFM 101.5 in Pittsburgh. They talked about the fact that one of our core values as a church is to intentionally target families affected by disability to invite and include in A Restoration Church. One of the hosts asked, "What does it look like at A Restoration Church on a typical Sunday?"

The answer: "Surprisingly normal." The answer is spot on. A Restoration Church is surprisingly normal! Are there people there with disabilities? You betcha! 100% of those there on any given Sunday are disabled in one way or another. Do we all sit in wheelchairs or talk differently or have difficulty hearing or seeing? No, but the fact remains that we are all disabled no matter how many or who is there!

The dirty little secret is that since Adam and Eve made a very bad choice in a perfect garden a very long time ago - actually at the very beginning of time - we are all broken spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. This brokenness is pre-natal, genetic and terminal! It's bone and soul deep! Some brokenness and disability is easily seen - as when a person has no legs or sits in a chair with wheels or walks with a walker or uses a white cane or has a twisted hand. Other brokenness is less apparent on first inspection but equally broken/disabled.

Not all of us think as clearly as others. Some of us need assistance to walk or hear or see. For example, there are a number of people who wear glasses. No one was ever born wearing glasses. Glasses were invented to correct some visual disability or other.

This past Sunday our keyboard player played pretty flawlessly, but today she is having another lazer procedure on her left eye because she doesn't see well out of that eye. Another person sat there looking perfect and beautiful, but she is blind in one eye. No one would know at first glance, however. More than one person there lives with chronic pain. And the list goes on and on ... Not all of us can stand, but we all can rise with our hearts in worship whether we rise with our feet or not.

One more beautiful thing about A Restoration Church: learning where each of us is challenged gives us opportunity to serve each other just like God says the "body of Christ" or church should and must! Starting from the core values of loving God, loving others and serving each other at any particular point of need is God's way to "do church" ALL THE TIME!

In a word, A Restoration Church looks just like YOU! Come gather with us!

Separation of Church and State?

Separation of church and state? It's a hot button topic for sure.

Recently I took a 3-week internship at the Christian Institute on Disability in California. One question I heard asked by several lecturers talking about bioethics and other current issues related to disability is "Where was the church?" "Where is the church?"

I'm not sure the church has ever played a more prominent role in a presidential election - certainly not since John Kennedy ran for president as the first Roman Catholic. In this presidential election cycle most prominent have been the sermons and rhetoric of Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Chicago, Obama's former pastor.

Tonight Pastor Rick Warren - known world-wide for his book The Purpose Driven Life - is going to interview both Barak Obama and John McCain. Some may say "the church" should not step into the arena of presidential politics. But if Christians are going to do what Jesus said - be salt and light in a very sick world - then we need to know who the presidential candidates are and what they believe so we know where they are grounded. Rick Warren may or may not be up to such an awesome assignment, but - at least - he is taking the risk.

And that's where the church (which is ALL who have hearts being restored by the grace, love and power of God's Gospel) should be - in the arena and on the cutting edge of what some have called "societal evolution." If we don't risk to make a difference, who will?