“I so often feel unconventional and, well, lonely in my faith community. This conference made me feel like there’s a place for non-traditional me at church.”
— Christy Spencer
September 24-26 in Orem, Utah (See Epilogue Below)
Restore Connect is for you if:
- You want to be inspired and lifted through Christ-centered engagement with exceptional thinkers, doers, musicians, poets, pray-ers, and good-hearted people like you.
- You are a fairly mainstream believer who would like to taste your faith served up with some deliciously different spices and nourishing recipes.
- You are an orthodox believer who is concerned about or frustrated with friends, family, or ward members who seem scarily progressive or have views which seem heretical.
- You are that unorthodox, maybe even heretical believer—or doubter—who no longer feels at home or at least as comfortable in your faith community as you once did and you want to connect with folks who get you.
- You feel somewhat in crisis mode. You are struggling with belief in the church, belief in God, belief in anything.
- You are like my wife, who has left the faith some years ago, but loves to come to Restore and be nourished by some of the offerings and the connection with good people.
- You have never been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but want to see how beautiful and expansive it’s theology can be and enjoy connecting with others who are seeking goodness, beauty, and truth. Even atheists and agnostics can enjoy this experience.
ThinkAgain-FaithAgain strives to bring together these kinds of folks each month. But Faith Matters is on a whole other level. Cofounders Bill and Susanne Turnbull occasionally attended my FaithAgain gatherings a few years before they created the Faith Matters foundation. Bill and I had many discussions about what he was envisioning. I truly believe a divine guiding force has been behind what they and their executive team have created. I marvel to see how this foundation has grown and flourished in such a short time.
Bill’s brother David and his wife Kristin have also played key roles in funding the foundation with Bill and Susanne and generously giving of their time and wisdom in creating it. Seeking counsel and participation from friends such as Terryl and Fiona Givens, Melissa Inouye, Thomas McConkie, and other faithful scholars of the LDS church has been invaluable.
Engaging Tim and Aubrey Chaves as Faith Matter’s primary podcasters was critical to the founding vision. This indispensable spirit-led team continues to devote an enormous amount of time without pay to explore questions and issues they and many of us have, interviewing some of the most qualified, well-spoken, good-hearted people in the world. As a key part of the executive team, they have also helped shape what Faith Matters has become and is becoming.
Employing Zach Davis as the director was another brilliant and inspired move. He has broadened and professionalized the foundation by adding new podcasts and the beautiful art, essay, and poetry periodical, Wayfare, and its yearly festivals.
And there are a handful of key people behind the scenes of the podcasts, Restore, and Wayfare who give so much of their time and talents without remuneration because they believe in the mission of Faith Matters.
What is that mission? It’s a bit buried on the website, but is summed up at the end as this:
We are animated by a spirit of expansiveness. We believe in casting a wide gospel net to embrace a great diversity of people and thought, from within and from outside our faith. We are inspired by a theme often repeated by the founders of our faith:
Our religion… embraces all truth, wherever found, in all the works of God and man… (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol.10:50)
What does all of this have to do with this year’s Restore Connect Gathering? Good seeds produce good trees. Good trees produce good fruit. Over the years, I have spent significant time with the founders and the key players. These are good people who put out of pocket much more money than ticket sales and subscriptions cover. They are not making any profit on any of the offerings that the Faith Matters Foundation provides. Making money is not their goal. Creating inspired quality content and connections that help people of all kinds in their varied faith journeys is. And if you come to Restore Connect—especially this year with its smaller, more intimate venues—you will experience this mission firsthand and be moved by it.
If my earnest invitation to this year’s Faith Matters Restore Connect Gathering doesn’t get you there, hopefully getting 20% off will. Use code FAITHAGAIN26 when registering.
