Copy
View this email in your browser
In this Newsletter (7 minute read if you read the whole thing.)
1. Some Christmas ponderings from Danny.
2. Year-end appeal and needs
3. Family and Ministry Updates
4. Shalom City Church Transition announcement

"How do you heal a broken world? You give it a gift in could never earn..."

These powerful lyrics from a version of Silent Night sung by Crystal Nichole have been on repeat in my mind (and my bluetooth speaker) throughout this Christmas season. I've been meditating on the power of the gift of God's grace and how it is making all the brokenness of this fallen world turn into the beauty of the new world. If God really did put on skin and move into this hood of a planet and live a poor man's life, die a criminal's death, rise from the dead and give us the gift of His very Spirit, then a gift that radical, a gift that generous would have to do something to move a heart, a community, a city. It would have to pull you outside of the temporal fleeting kingdoms of self we often exist for, and into the eternal Kingdom of God that our Savior has made a way for us to be a part of. In such a Kingdom, absolute healing and Shalom cannot help but begin to manifest. As we realize we are the beloved of the Giver of such a gift, and come to know more intimately the God who loves us to such an extent, how could we not long to please our heavenly Father with our lives.

Arletta Brinson, one of our board members, turned me on to Howard Thurman this past Spring, and when I read this poem the other day I was blown away by the implications of what the gift of grace brings forth in and through our lives being lived out in light of the Christmas reality. The work of Christmas described in this poem is not a burden for the one who has received this incarnational gift from God, no... it is ever becoming a joy. Why? Because as we receive this gift as followers, coheirs and co-heroes of Christ, we now become gifts to this world ourselves... gifts this world could never earn... gifts that bless and lift the least of these, the lost, the addicted, the hurting, the hopeless... we join Jesus in blessing instead of cursing, and lifting humanity out of the chaos of sin and death and into the Shalom of life, holiness and flourishing. 

As this year comes to a close I want to make an end-of-the-year appeal to you my friends and family, to prayerfully consider giving a financial gift to God's work in Grove Park, and Atlanta, where we are watching Jesus restore many lives as His followers do the "work of Christmas" and live out the gospel we believe.  The needs are far greater than we could ever meet, but we are doing what we can with the resources God has provided.  We continue to faithfully sow seeds of mercy and justice and we are thankfully are seeing a harvest of restoration. Restore Life continues to grow in its impact and infrastructure, and as we go into our 3rd year as an organization, there are a few ways in which you could get involved in helping us be a gift to our community.

Our Current Harvest
Ministry maintenance is expensive. Our timing chain on our bus just broke, and we rely heavily on that for transporting youth to the various mentorship programs. We have a few building repairs and maintenance to our HVAC system that need to be addressed and we need $10,000 to meet these very real physical needs to keep our ministry going. Would you help us go into 2019 without these challenges?
Give Here
Future Harvest
This is what gets me excited! As our impact continues to expand, we are bringing on three new staff to lead our cultural renewal ministry, our donor-development,  and our youth development ministry. We have seen that investing in local heroes and leaders who love this community is a strategic place to sow, and as our leadership grows, so does our impact. 
Give Here
Iverson Family Support
As we transition off of staff at Perimeter Church, and with Shalom City Church ministries merging into Restore Life, we are now raising support as Urban missionaries. Below is our communication announcing this. We are hoping in the next few months to solidify our support team. If you are interested or want more information about this, please reach out. 
Support us here
Check donations can be sent to:
Restore Life
PO Box 94863
Atlanta GA 30377


Restore Life is recognized as a non-profit organization per IRS Code 432.56.215-B. All donations are Tax Deductible.

Family and Ministry Updates

We had a great Christmas as a family followed up by another "Iverfest" family reunion the next day. Eight of the nine Iverson siblings and their kids came to Atlanta, and Danny's parents came from Japan. We have been having an amazing time catching up and just enjoying the 21 kids running around everywhere taking advantage of rare cousin time. The covenant blessings of God we get to experience in this family continue to lead us all into deeper worship and thankfulness. God is good!
Our Shalom House at Christmas time announcing the Prince of Peace, the light of the world.
One of the young men Danny has been mentoring for the last 2 years just graduated from Highschool. After being out of school for three years due to some hard family circumstances, losing his mom to cancer, and then getting adopted by some of our dear friends, this resilient young man graduated with three awards and is headed to college in January with his own car, a job, and the Holy Spirit filling his life! God's faithfulness never ceases to amaze us. 
Our Annual Christmas Store was able to bless 120 families in a dignified way that empowered parents to bless their kids. God showed up, many were comforted and encouraged by Christ through His people loving their neighbors well. 
Through the event over $3,000 was raised for our family relief fund to help families in desperate need this winter season. 
Taylor Pruitt and Bishop Larry are a constant source of joy and comradery as we labor for Shalom in the Grove Park community together. These are true heroes of the faith and men of whom the world is not worthy. 
We turned a local warehouse at Fountain of Hope Foodbank into a worship center/venue. Every month on the second Saturday we as a community gather to worship, share our gifts, fellowship, eat and serve each other and those in our community with great needs. It has become a glorious time of Gospel partnership and community impact. Come join us on Saturday, January 12th at 10:00 am if you are in the Atlanta area. Address: 829 Hollywood Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
What's happening with Shalom City Church?

This update is an official communication from Perimeter Church, who Danny has been working for as a Church planting pastor to plant Shalom City Church. It is specifically to those who have been financial donors and supporters (in numerous ways) of this church plant, but it is a good announcement for everyone to read. 

Shalom City Supporters,
THANK YOU for your support.  It has been used greatly by God.
 
Since 2015 God has been using Danny and Kimberly Iverson to lead two important initiatives in the Grove Park community of Atlanta.  One has been Shalom City Church. The other is Restore Life, a Christ-centered community development non-profit.
While exciting and fruitful, it has been more than a full plate for the Iversons.  With an eye toward the holistic health and long-term fruitfulness of the Iversons, a decision has been made to focus all of their efforts toward Restore Life, which seems to be the avenue that God is using for maximum spiritual impact upon Grove Park.
 
Many of the ministry activities of Shalom City will now transition to become part of the ministry of Restore Life. Though this means that Shalom City Church will not become a self-supporting and self-governing PCA church (at least not in the foreseeable future), Danny will still be using his gifts and passions as an evangelist, shepherd, disciple maker 
and teacher through the activities of Restore Life, Inc. 
 
In the coming months, all financial support raised for Shalom City Church will transition from Perimeter Church to Restore Life.  Danny’s call (another odd church term in the PCA) will transition from that of being an assistant pastor of Perimeter Church (sent to plant Shalom City Church) to a full-time leader and minister with Restore Life. He will still be a pastor in good standing with the PCA. Perimeter Church’s leadership is 100% behind this transition and Perimeter will also plan to be one of many financial supporters of Restore Life.  Danny and Kimberly also are 100% in favor of this transition, as is the Board of Restore Life. 
 
Beginning immediately, financial support and gifts for theIversons may be directed toward Donate.restorelife.net or mailed to: 
PO Box 94863
Atlanta GA 30377
 
If there are further questions, please direct those questions toward any of the following:
Rev. Bob Cargo, Perimeter’s Director of Church Planting, at bobcargo@perimeter.org
Mr. Terence Chatmon, Chairman of the Board, Restore Life, at Chairman@Restorelife.net
Rev. Danny Iverson, CEO of Restore Life, at DannyI@Restorelife.net
 
We solicit your prayers and support for Danny and Kimberly, Restore Life and all ministry partners in this exciting new development. And we give thanks for all those who have supported Shalom City and Restore Life up to this point. God has used and is using all you have done for His glory and for His good plan for Grove Park!  Though the “vehicle” of ministry is changing slightly, the vision for Grove Park and God’s Kingdom remains the same.
 
Please prayerfully consider how you might continue to be part of the Restore Life team moving forward.
 
Thank you. 
 
Bob Cargo, Director of Church Planting, Perimeter Church
 
Terence Chatmon, Chairman of the Board, Restore Life
 
Danny Iverson, Pastor of Shalom City Church, CEO of Restore Life
Copyright © 2018 Iverson Family, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp