Reviews & Ideas: Rest Ministries

Have you ever heard of Rest Ministries Incorporated? It is a Christian organization, based in California, that ministers to those who chronically ill or deal with chronic pain. Doctrinally, they are sound on the basics of the Christian faith, and balanced in their view of bodily healing. (While they do not believe in healing-on-demand for all who are sick, they believe God can and does heal on occasion by supernatural means, and by His grace.)

This organization offers a number of helpful resources for your church, or for any individual who copes day by day with physical infirmity. HopeKeepers Magazine is their quarterly publication, providing encouragement and practical tools for living with chronic illness. If you are a pastor, your deaconesses and others in the church will greatly benefit from having a copy of the book Beyond Casseroles–505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend. (Loaded with practical ideas and tips!) They have produced other fine books and Bible studies too numerous to mention here.

The organization also offers help to churches wishing to develop a support group for the chronically ill (HopeKeepers Groups). Why would you want to do that? Because it can provide an exciting new outreach for Christ! Here are some statistics from Rest Ministries to consider: Nearly 1 in 2 Americans has a chronic condition of some kind. And 96% of illness is invisible. The divorce rate for the chronically ill is over 75%. Uncontrollable physical pain is a factor in 70% of suicides. Some 66% of sufferers say if their church started a Bible study for those with chronic illness they would definitely attend.

The Rest Ministries website provides hundreds of pages of resources and links that can be of help with this kind of ministry. About 50,000 people a month visit the site. The overwhelming majority of these feel their church does not understand invisible illness. Visit their official website here: Rest Ministries.