Volunteers and Lives Restored work together to serve the church and society. Volunteers are made up of a diverse group of individuals with all sorts of ways of being and spiritual backgrounds. These volunteer's hearts are in the process of being restored to bring the restoring love and grace to all broken people.
We are anxious to find volunteers. Our "to-do" list is much longer than our volunteer list. If you feel called to be a part of this ministry, we are waiting for you. Please connect us with your church so we can work through your church with your assistance. Our corporate values are: Integrity, Accountability, Fiscal Responsibility, Hard Work, Service, Relationships, Partnerships, Classic Christian Beliefs and Biblical Principles of Disability.
Our Approach: To raise the quality of life for individuals affected by disability in the name of Jesus Christ by helping them with their greatest needs and by helping community organizations to be more understanding, proactive, accessible and relevant.
Right now we are in the midst of formally launching Lives Restored. We have just been accepted as a Compass Project Fellow which has been funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services through a grant to Family Guidance, Inc. In that regard, we are busy with legal, administrative and organizational activities. But this is not keeping us from pursuing significant ministry. Right now we are focused on Wheels for the World, Summer Family Retreats and planting A Restoration Church. We are also helping individuals with their adult transition issues of transportation, job and work. We are working with churches to involve more people in critical community needs, getting beyond the physical church walls. Lastly we are participating in founding area support groups. Three recent examples are the Peters Township Special Needs Network (www.ptsnn.org); the Steel City Amputee Network (www.steelcityamputee.org); and after school programs through area PTAs. We are looking for individuals, faith communities and like-minded organizations to help us pursue these important initiatives. Overview information about these ministries can be found in the next few sections of this page.
Wheels for the World aims to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the disabled around the world by providing wheelchairs and sharing the love of Jesus Christ. We do this by connecting the disabled with faith communities, through creating disability awareness, and by educating and training the local faith communities in disability ministry. The World Health Organization estimates that there is a need for 20-30 million wheelchairs around the world.
This summer there are 24 Family Retreats throughout the United States.These retreats offer families affected by disability the opportunity to have an assisted family vacation. In August 2010 we are starting a BRAND NEW CAMP! in Uniontown, PA (1 hour south of Pittsburgh, PA - 3 hours from Washington, DC). Pittsburgh volunteers will be serving and attending a number of different retreats:
Click here for more information.While we are in the business of helping existing churches expand their abilities to serve individuals and families affected by disability, it is also our goal to start new churches whose core vision includes a heart for those affected by disability. The first church we are starting is A Restoration Church in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. People are traveling significant distances to attend this new church. What we are learning is that there is a great need for both existing and new churches to reach out to people affected by disability.
The best perspective of disability is never us and them. Rather, it is us – all of us. Since the fall of mankind, we live in a abnormal world where nothing works quite the way God designed it to work. All people are broken, we just exhibit our brokenness differently. All are broken spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally to some degree. Some of us display our brokenness more obviously, but we are all broken people. At the same time... ALL people are made in God's image and have gifts that are meant to provide extraordinary value to each other, to our churches and to our society. Come be a part of us. We need you for our mutual benefit and ultimately for God's glory.
We want to be a place of peace, respite and assistance for you.
Again I tell you, that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three are come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:19,20). If you would like us to pray for your needs or if you would like to share "your story" with us... please contact us. We also recommend these scriptures for you to consider.
At the
heart of Lives Restored is the
desire to be a community of people who have a common purpose. We are a
single group but we are made up of very diverse
parts. You will notice that this web page, like our ministry is
designed to be especially accommodating. If you haven't played with the
formatting controls on the far right hand column of this webpage, go
over and click something to customize your view of our world. The
flexibility of this website is designed to reflect who we hope to be as
a community. Each of us can have our own way
of being, all the while we can be a part of something shared between
us. Feel free to customize this page to your own tastes and ways of
being. Your uniqueness is one of your gifts!
Your
uniqueness reflects the unique image of God in you. And our common
effort, including people with all sorts of ways of
being, is truly unique. We are like a body, made up of many
different parts. We need each part and without you, we are ALL
less-abled.
We seek to be a ministry that coordinates and combines the efforts of many Pittsburgh area churches (who knows maybe one day beyond Pittsburgh). There are many churches who would welcome you to their worship and Christian education. See our list of area churches for more information. It should also be noted that our ministry was founded by the efforts of one particular church. If you are looking for a church in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, you might like to check out this website; A Restoration Church is a small, welcoming congregation that is just beginning in the south hills of Pittsburgh, PA.
On this website, you will find a mixture of information about Lives Restored and our partners as well as resources for individuals and families affected by disability. If you are new to the website, consider reading information "About Us". Otherwise, our "Events", "Resources" and "Best Practices" pages are the heart of our ministry. Make sure you find a way to link up with some "Friends". Come let's enjoy the path together!
This area is currently under construction. Click here for the under-construction web page.