A Benevolence Highlight on The Moriah Foundation
Like any good fairytale, we imagine our life story beginning with “once upon a time…” and ending with “… and they lived happily ever after.” Throw in a few dragons and giants, or possibly a magic beanstalk to climb. But for the most part, we’d prefer a life full of sunshine, butterflies, and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. No one expects a giant bigger than they can conquer or a dragon that annihilates everything in its path. That’s not how fairytales work!
But as you know, that’s the reality of life. Sometimes, the “dragons” attack relentlessly, and we wonder how we can go on. Where do you turn when you’re overwhelmed, hurt, or trapped in a pattern of emotional, mental, or spiritual pain?
Bridging the Gap
In November 1997, Brent Hanson saw a gap between professional counseling and local Christian ministries. Where was the practical, professional guidance on how to handle challenging situations from a Christian perspective? Brent wanted to bridge the gap between the two worlds, and thus the Moriah Foundation was born. With years of experience as a licensed clinical counselor, Brent has developed programs for group-oriented personal growth and improvement, as well as a lay counselor training program.
The Moriah Foundation
The Moriah Foundation is a non-profit social services group located in Bloomington, Illinois. Their mission is based on Isaiah 61: to provide hope for the hurting, healing for the broken-hearted, recovery from life’s painful experiences, and, most importantly, freedom in Christ for people in bondage to crippling thought patterns. Their tagline sums it up nicely: “Freeing wounded hearts to live in the love of God.”
A Resource For Everyone
Moriah offers several branches of care. For the struggling individual, they provide life-coaching consultations, licensed professional counseling, and intercessory prayer sessions.
For those looking to learn and be encouraged in a group setting, the Moriah Foundation offers in-depth courses and gatherings. RENEWAL Gatherings are open to the public and include worship and teaching on various topics. They are usually held at 4:30 pm CT; you can join in person or online. Courses are offered on a trimester basis (3 per calendar year) and cover a wide range of topics, including Identity in Christ, Healing From Life Traumas, Choosing Forgiveness, and Becoming Who God Created You To Be.
In addition, the Moriah Foundation offers a Lay Counselor Training Program. This is for individuals who want to give back and have natural ‘people-helping’ gifts, but are not formally educated. The program takes nine months and includes two 3-month intensive studies (September – November and February – April) and applied co-facilitation.
Overall, The Moriah Foundation wants each person to live the life God created them to live, contributing to the world in meaningful ways.
Why Moriah?
The name “Moriah” comes from Mount Moriah in Israel. It’s the first place in scripture where ‘love’ and ‘worship’ are mentioned together, thus providing a foundation for help and healing. It signifies that true inner healing comes from God’s saving work through Jesus Christ. The Moriah Foundation couples life-changing spiritual and clinical assistance with a compassionate environment that fosters trust.
The Fairytale Ending
While your life story might have more dragons than you’d like, the Moriah Foundation can provide weapons to fight those dragons. Life won’t be all sunshine and rainbows, but through Christ, we can be fulfilled and conquer the challengers that cross our path.
About The Benevolence Committee
The Benevolence Committee exists to amplify and uphold our “Benevolence” core value and serve as a bridge between employee-owners and the charities we regularly support. The Moriah Foundation is one such organization. Look for upcoming events on the Dashboard and contact the committee with any questions or comments via benevolence@nussbaum.com.
