Restoring lives in difficult times
Linda Wentum at City Gates Church, Ilford, has been running Restored Lives courses for the past 20 years, helping adults navigate the difficult journey of divorce and separation. We caught up with Linda to find out more about her experience of running the Restored Lives courses and her team’s unwavering commitment to helping participants heal and rebuild their lives.
How did you get involved with Restored Lives?
In 2002, when my marriage broke down, a friend of mine paid for me to at tend the Restored Lives course. Back then, it was known as the ‘Recovery From Divorce and Separation Course’. I initially attended at Holy Trinity Brompton as a participant and then returned as a helper. I had a series of meetings with my pastors at the time, Stephen and Julia Derbyshire, to introduce the course to our church in 2004.
How often do you run the course, and how many people attend?
We run the course once a year, with an average of eight to ten participants. Some years, we have more than ten participants, while in other years, there are about six people. My estimate is that over 200 participants have completed the course at City Gates. Even now, it’s quite unusual for churches to talk about divorce.
What made City Gates Church consider a programme like Restored Lives?
The support of our pastors and the dedication of the facilitators have been crucial. Since 2002, it has been part of the church programme, and people look forward to the course every year.
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