Will You Help Us Do It Again in 2024?

In 2023, we gifted a restorative retreat to tireless leaders working on behalf of the “least of these.” Here's what happened.

Thank you for being a faithful reader at The Gospel of the Kingdom! I have enjoyed our time together this year.

For many years, I have meditated on a statement written by a team I was on with Dallas Willard:

Spiritual formation is, by its very nature, missional. As we are formed into the likeness of Christ, we increasingly share God’s infinitely tender love for others. We deepen in our compassion for the poor, the broken and he lost. We ache and pray and labor for others in a new way, a selfless way, a joy-filled way. Our hearts are enlarged toward all people and all of creation.  

The result of this statement is my passionate desire to marry formation with justice. Some deep aspects of formation cannot be accessed apart from taking risks on behalf of others. So I founded The Center for Formation, Justice and Peace in 2021 with a mission to develop the Christlike character necessary to seek justice, leading to a life of kingdom-peace for all people. We’ve formed an interdenominational community that brings the issues and practices of justice-seeking into conversation with the goals and habits of spiritual transformation.

As you know, all the proceeds from this Substack newsletter go to the work of The Center. One of The Center’s transformative offerings is called NOURISH Retreat, an annual restorative weekend retreat for tireless leaders working on behalf of the “least of these.” We offer this retreat to them completely free of charge. Past participants included non-profit executive directors, chefs, hospital chaplains, social workers, teachers, doctors, and civil engineers. They reported in a survey that they found healing in the spiritual practices, felt welcomed and safe, made lifetime friendships, and experienced God’s word in a profound way.

Watch this short video for a peek into our 2023 NOURISH Retreat.

As we wrap up 2023, would you consider partnering with us to host another NOURISH Retreat in 2024? A simple way to do that is becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter, if you’re not already. If you’d rather make a donation on our website, you can do that too. I know you’re on board with the Gospel of the Kingdom—transforming Christians’ hearts to reflect Jesus’ love of justice. Would you take the next step and invest?

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about The Center’s  vision and work. Thank you for considering becoming a paid subscriber and investing in the work of The Center! 

May you have a blessed New Year!