RESTORE 2025
Restore is our annual Faith Matters gathering—a three-day event of inspiring speakers and outstanding music, art, and community, all centered on restoring faith, belonging, and wholeness.
In 2025, we gathered on September 25-27 at UVU in Orem, Utah.
“I've gone to Restore since 2022. Every year I have come away feeling a sense of community, belonging, and closeness to the divine. No matter where I am in my faith journey, I am confident I can find peace and joy at Restore. This year was no exception! I found peace, joy, belonging, and community. I had ideas challenged in meaningful ways while also expanding my faith. I also found improved relationships with my parents as I shared the experience with them.” —John A.
AGENDA
Thursday September 25
Thursday evening events are not included in the recordings
Evensong Musical Performance
Art Exhibition and Opening Mixer
Premiere of The Mormon Sex Therapist documentary, followed by a discussion and book signing with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife
Friday September 26
Friday was a day to refresh and restore. We explored the variety of ways we can experience God's presence in the world—spiritual languages that often don't get enough attention in our faith.
9am-12pm: Friday Morning General Session
Restore Community Choir — Psalm 34
Communal Singing — "I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me"
Arthur C. Brooks — Love Your Enemies
Joseph Grenny — The Church of Jesus Christ of Misfit Saints: Lessons on Belonging From a Village for the Homeless
Terryl Givens — Broken Symmetry: From Creation to Atonement
Sarah Perkins Sabey — Welcome to Pentecost
James Goldberg — Spiritual Imagination: Divine Co-Creation
Esther Candari — A Brush with the Sacred: How Art Can Deepen Communion
Lunch & Breakout Sessions (not included in the recordings)
When Loved Ones Journey Away: Adventures in Peacemaking — Patrick Mason & Chad Ford
Belonging When Believing is Hard — Jody Moore
Weaving with our Divine Mother: Ritual and Wisdom — Kathryn and Bob Sonntag
Polarized Pews: How Faith Can Reduce Political Tribalism — Marianne Viray and Chandra Whetstine
Are the Machines Coming for Our Kids? Urgent Parenting Tips in the Age of AI — Tim Chaves, Neylan McBaine, & Medlir Mema
Stepping Out of Our Chapels and Into Our Communities — Kristin Andrus & Bethany Brady Spalding
Friday Afternoon General Session
Emma Nissen — Musical performance
Lance Larsen — Seeing an Enchanted World: Wordsworth's Poetry as Prophecy
Steven Sharp Nelson — Pure Creativity: The Parable of the Unplayable Cello
The Piano Guys — Musical Performance
Mallory Everton — Divine Comedy: Humor as Wisdom
Mason Allred — The Body and Divine Presence: Experiencing God through the Senses
Thomas McConkie — The Glory of God is...
Emma Nissen & the King will come — Musical Performance
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27
Saturday was a day to explore big ideas together, to create more belonging and acceptance, and to learn how to transcend differences and contention.
9am-12pm: Saturday Morning General Session
Sound of Ages Choir — Musical Performance
Ashly Stone — Coming Back to Christ
Ali Essig — Finding Wisdom: Embodiment and the Divine Mother in the Word of Wisdom
Jennifer Finlayson-Fife — Sexual Partners: Yearning for Communion
Larkin Swain & Liz Crittenden — Introducing Sanctuary
Emilie de Azevedo Brown — "At This Table" Musical Performance, with dance choreography by Wendy Bone.
Batchlor Wise Johnson IV — The Power of Variety
Jen and Sam Norton — Come as You Are: Drawing Young People to Jesus
Darlene Young — Poetry
Alisha Anderson, Ben Schilaty & Steve Perry — Three Paths, One Light
Lunch & Breakout Sessions (not included in the recordings)
That We Might Have Joy — A discussion with Jennifer Finlayson-Fife
Come As You Are: Ministering to Youth & Emerging Adults — Kurt Francom with Sam and Jen Norton
Creating a Church of Belonging — Chanté Stutznegger, Alexis Janique Bradley and Tom Christofferson
Stillness in the Beehive — Thomas McConkie
Let’s Talk About the Endowment — Larkin Swain, Jonathan Stapley, & Jasmin Rappleye
New Hope in Anxiety and Depression Treatment — Melissa Mason & Amanda Ford Room
Partnership at Church: Women and Men Creating Zion Together — Amy Watkins Jensen, Ben Behunin, McArthur Krishna, & Sarah Sun Kanell
Once I Was a Laurel Advisor — A 10 Minute Play by Marianne Hales
Saturday Afternoon General Session
Adassa — Musical Performance
Lisa DeLong — The Compass and The Square: Visions of Divine Pattern
Jared Halverson — Fire from Ashes: Rekindling Pentecost
Patrick Mason — Peace in Polarized Times
Adassa & the Restore Community Choir — “The Goodness of God”
“Restore is the perfect name for the conference—it restored my faith in the church, namely the people in the church and our collective desire for more light and knowledge than we currently have.” —Jenny Z.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT AT RESTORE?
Conversations that are open, honest, fascinating, inclusive, expansive, inspiring, connecting, and restoring.
A space where curiosity is valued, and wanderers and wayfarers are welcome.
Come and experience beauty to redeem pain, transformation and transcendence, and a still point.
“Every year I come I wonder how they can keep presenting such amazing and inspiring topics and speakers. But they do. I trust next year's will be just as spiritually earth shaking.” —Dorothy B.