Mission Statement
eleven:28 exists to offer spiritual vitality to all who serve in the Kingdom of God.
In 2011, Highland Oaks Church of Christ envisioned with me a meaningful way to tend to and care for the spiritual lives of ministers. I have walked through life hand-in-hand with a minister husband, and know the spiritual exhaustion that can run deep in the lives of vocational pastors and its effect on the church body.
I stumbled into spiritual direction training and through the ancient practices of silence and meditation, I re-discovered God . Through this deeper connection to God, I began to ask whether this was a way I could serve the church: by creating spaces for ministers to connect with God again.
So to preserve spiritual health, the Highland Oaks leadership and I determined to watch for a season how applying my learned practices and methods could benefit the staff and eventually, the church as a whole.
Since then, we have seen how spiritual direction can restore a rhythm that we organically need as God’s creation. We have seen the vital need and benefits of creating a safe place for ministers to be real with God and themselves. We have seen God developing a sanctified and holy ground for those called to serve the church vocationally as I demonstrate to them how to quietly look for His presence in a world of chaos.
The result is that our staff has come to find deeper connection with God in the stressful commotion of ministry life. The work is small and quiet but it is growing began with the leadership.
By God’s grace, now, I’ve seen how eleven:28 can connect God’s desire for us as evidenced in Scripture with gentle ways to be renewed and recharge. I am honored to help people discover and learn these methods.
There are weary, burdened ministers all around. They hear Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28 as a personal invitation. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Let’s learn together. Let’s restore rhythms that we so desperately need.
~Rhesa Higgins
October 2013