A Place to Begin Again
What The Renewal Initiative Is All About
In a basement somewhere in Ukraine, a small group of children gather during yet another air raid. Sirens wail overhead, but inside, something different is happening.
A man-trained just weeks earlier at one of our Renewal Retreats - kneels and guides the kids through a grounding exercise. It’s a simple tool. Breathe in. Name what you can see. Feel the floor. Stay here. Be present. One of the girls, Elena, will later teach the same exercise to her mother. “This,” her mom says the next week, “changed our home.”
This is why we exist.
The Renewal Initiative was born from the conviction that dignity and hope can be restored, even in the midst of chaos. We step into broken spaces to support people on the frontlines of war, trauma, and cultural collapse-not just with aid, but with presence, care, and long-term investment.
Our Work Moves in Three Key Ways:
1. Teams
We send short-term, purpose-built teams to meet specific needs on the ground.
Some bring medical relief - carrying urgent supplies and providing care in hard-to-reach areas. Others offer emotional and spiritual support, like our Renewal Retreats for chaplains, frontline workers, and caretakers carrying the hidden weight of war. Still others focus on cultural healing - musicians, artists, educators, and philosophers who are helping imagine how a wounded nation can rebuild.
Each team is built for a specific purpose. Each team leaves behind more than supplies - they leave tools, training, and seeds of renewal.
2. Initiatives
These are the “first steps.” Pilots. Experiments. Responses to emerging needs.
Our Nurse Respite Initiative, for example, aims to bring overworked Ukrainian nurses to the U.S. for care and renewal. The need is great, and the model is new. If it proves effective, we’ll scale it.
We’ve also launched refugee support efforts both abroad and at home-providing meals, housing connections, trauma support, and job coaching for displaced families. And through our Creative Renewal Initiative, we’re linking arms with educators and artists to help communities imagine new futures grounded in ethics, creativity, and healing.
These aren’t just projects. They’re bridges. Each initiative is a step toward something deeper.
3. Programs
When an initiative proves fruitful, we grow it into something ongoing.
One example is our Lego Club, a trauma-informed play therapy program for kids living in active war zones. Launched by local volunteers - many of them wives and mothers of soldiers - the club now serves nearly 100 children across multiple weekly gatherings.
The space is simple: boxes of Legos, safe adults, and consistent rhythms. But the impact is deep. In a world turned upside down, the Lego Club helps kids feel normal again. And that’s no small thing.
Why It Matters
We don’t lead with big numbers. We lead with stories-like Elena’s. Or the mother who said, “Please teach us more.” Or the nurse who finally exhaled during a silent retreat. We believe that God restores, and He often does it through people who are willing to say yes to broken places.
This is what we do. We build a network of care, step into pain, and stay long enough to see something new grow.
If you're just finding us, welcome. We’re glad you’re here. Whether you're reading this in London, Seattle, or Lynchburg, we hope you’ll join us in the work of renewal.
