Friends, we are so pleased to announce that Waymakers will be partnering with Faith Matters to deliver some really cool Waymakers inspired workshops at Restore:Connect, happening September 24-26 in Orem, Utah.
Ticket holders will be able to register for their preferred sessions beginning September 1, and sessions will fill up quickly, so register today to make sure you can attend the ones you want!
You can view the full agenda any time at faithmatters.org/restore.
Use the code WAYMAKERS and get 10% off :
There are a bunch of really cool workshops this year. Here are the ones we’ve specifically curated just for you.
“Dangerous Discipleship: Following Jesus Beyond Political and Cultural Identities” - Chad Ford and Pastor Jamie White (Friday, Sept 25, 9-11 am)
In every generation, followers of Jesus have claimed their political ideologies, religious cultures, and media to reflect the “true” beliefs of Jesus. Our politics, religious communities, and even broader popular culture can gradually, and even dramatically, reshape our understanding of Jesus and His Kingdom. This interactive workshop invites us to re-examine our identities and rediscover practices that cultivate deeper discipleship to Jesus. Drawing from scripture, history, social psychology, conflict transformation theory, and the Christian contemplative tradition, participants will learn how to stay rooted in Jesus while faithfully engaging a polarized world.
“Peacemaking 101: Where to Start” - Patrick Mason (Friday, Sept 25 at 11 am and Saturday, Sept 26 at 9 am)
In his April 2026 General Conference talk, President Oaks urged all Latter-day Saints to learn and implement “the language and methods of peacemakers.” Perhaps you have felt the desire to make peacemaking a central part of your discipleship, but you don’t quite know what it means or where to start. In this session, Patrick Mason will teach some basic concepts and skills for how you can take the next step on your journey of being a peacemaker.
“Out of the Rubble: Rebuilding a Resilient Faith after Deconstruction” - Pastor Jamie White (Friday, Sept 25, at 2 pm)
Faith deconstruction often feels like a pretty major demolition in our lives, as if everything we once counted on to stand firm has somehow collapsed like piles of rubble all around us. It can be easy to get stuck there—in the pain, disorientation, and doubt—with no clear path for how to rebuild something better. Yet beyond our faith crisis, church hurt, or dismantling of certainty, there is hope for a deeper, more resilient faith in Christ. This workshop will explore how to rebuild, offering participants a safe space to explore what comes next without rushing the healing process, while identifying spiritual truths worth keeping, developing practices rooted in love, and embracing new rhythms of grace, mystery, and authentic community. Standing among the rubble doesn’t have to mean you’ve lost your faith. In fact, it can be the beginning of something stronger, deeper, and more faithful than before.
“Holy Attention: An Experiential Workshop on Presence, Wonder, and Communion” by Melissa Mason and Amanda Ford (Friday, Sept 25 at 3 pm)
What does it look like to pursue God when faith feels inconsistent, attention drifts, or certainty fades? In this workshop, therapists and educators Melissa Mason and Amanda Ford invite us to explore how permission to rest can become an invitation to deeper communion with God. Through experiential practices that broaden our imagination of faithful discipleship, we’ll discover how attention, silence, breath, movement, creativity, beauty, and relationships can become pathways to deeper connection with God, ourselves, and each other.
“Holding Sacred Conflict: Leading Through Political Division, Faith Transition, and Relationship Conflict” by Chad Ford (Saturday, Sept 26 from 10-12 pm)
Congregations are facing serious turbulence—from political polarization and cultural change to faith transitions. Many faith leaders fill ill-equipped to help their congregants navigate these difficult challenges. Too often we either end up avoiding these conversations or trying to resolve them too quickly. This workshop aims to give Bishops, Relief Society and Elders Quorum presidencies, and Young Women and Young Men leaders practical tools to step into these conflicts to create belonging, deepen understanding, and help people navigate difficult conversations while remaining rooted in Christlike love and discipleship.
“Rooted: Centering Christ in Everything” by Patrick and Melissa Mason (Saturday, Sept 26 at 2 pm)
Music and the Spoken Mantra: A Kirtan Musical Immersion by Ravi Gupta (Saturday, Sept 26 from 2-4 pm)
Kirtan is an ancient Hindu practice from India that aligns our body and mind through music and mantra. Participants in this workshop will explore the power of devotional music to create pathways of peace within ourselves and in community with others. We will learn techniques of mantra meditation as we immerse ourselves in sacred sound. No prior experience with kirtan is needed.
There are also so many other cool workshops from our friends at Faith Matters like Thomas McConkie, Jennifer Finlayson-Fife and so many more!
Can’t make it this year? All sessions will be recorded and made available to every ticket holder following the event! There will be no livestream option this year, but the recordings can be preordered today.
And don’t forget two other Waymakers events happening in September!
September 12: A Day For Us Conference
Provo, Utah
Chad Ford will be a Keynote Speaker at A Day for Us: A One-Day Conference with Tools for Couples, Parents, and Partners.
A Day For Us is a practical, skills-based conference for Utah couples designed to help life partners and co-parents strengthen their relationship in the middle of real life. Grounded in mental health expertise and relational science, this is not just inspiration — it’s tools you can use immediately.
Use code: Chadford26 to get $5 off per ticket!
PeaceMakers Needed Conference, Sept 19, Washington D.C.
On September 19, 2026, Waymakers is excited to be co-hosting a peacemaking gathering at the Visitors’ Center of the Washington, DC Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If anyone has ever driven at night around the 495 beltway, you’ve seen the majestic temple lighting up the dark horizon. This will be a perfect setting for each of us to deepen our commitment to the vocation of peacemaking. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Peacemaking is all about bringing greater light and love into a world of conflict.
Co-sponsored by the Visitors’ Center and the Heravi Peace Institute at Utah State University, “Peacemakers Needed” will be a half-day event featuring multiple keynote addresses and interactive workshops. You’ll learn practical, skills-based strategies from experienced teachers that can help you navigate interpersonal, interfaith, and political conflict with greater understanding and confidence. In addition to me and Chad, the gathering will feature these expert practitioners:
Judge Thomas Griffith, retired U.S. judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Jim Ferrell, bestselling author of You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership
Ravi Gupta, Charles Redd Professor of Religious Studies at Utah State University
Maybree Spilsbury, Director of Peacemaking at Mormon Women for Ethical Government
This event is free and open to the public (ages 16+), but registration is required. Space is limited especially in the afternoon workshops, so be sure to register now…then invite your friends to do the same!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
“Peacemakers Needed”
Saturday, September 19, 2026
1:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center
9900 Stoneybrook Drive
Kensington, MD 20895