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The campus is a-buzz. Can you feel it? I’m not talking about the usual buzz – the 15 organizations that call Park Road home. Did you know? Let me remind you…

Fifteen organizations consider our campus their home. A few of these just host an annual meeting here, but others have monthly programs or weekly gatherings. We host the Charlotte Pride Band, the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Insight Meditation Community of Charlotte, Iglesia Abundante (Spanish-speaking church) MeckMIN, The Counseling Center at Charlotte, and the Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte. They all have their every-day, 9-to-5 headquarters in the Milford Chapel building. In addition, every day our Child Development Center, with 130 children on campus, is open. I said BUZZ!

However, the buzz I’m talking about today has to do with money. People are thinking about money… talking about money... budgeting money. It’s that time of the year. We don’t call it “money” at Park Road, though; we call it “ministry.” Ministry takes money – but it’s never just about the money. It’s about the ministry, so our budget isn’t called a budget. It’s called an “Annual Ministry Plan.”

We abbreviate: AMP, which is an appropriate acronym for our Annual Ministry Plan, because if we’re honest about it, the power of our congregation’s impact in this community has to do with our commitment – and much of that commitment is reflected in the level of financial support we’re willing to put into it.

An old commercial said you need to “Put your money where your mouth is,” and the truth behind that marketing is still true. The things we really believe in we’re willing to support with our money. An old preacher once told me that if you wanted to know about people’s spiritual commitment, you should look at how they spend their money. He wasn’t a money-hungry evangelist, just a realist. The honest truth is that our money follows our heart, our passion, our commitment.

It was exciting to see and hear and feel so much buzz around campus as our AMP Task Force began its work. Thanks to Mike Hamrick, Hugh Ashcraft, Greg and Leslie Blum, and Brian Smyth, for their good work. Thanks to Allison Wieland who keeps our finance office in excellent shape – and who supports the AMP process with amazing effectiveness. Thanks to Leslie Gipple, our able Operations Manager, who ends up being responsible for a sizable part of our AMP due to her work with our buildings and grounds. Leslie is meticulous in preparing her requests every year. Thanks to Gina Helt, Chair of our Personnel Committee, which is responsible for the largest part of our budget, supporting your 10 church staff members.

The campus is buzzing. It’s about money – and because all that buzzing reflects all the good ministry we’re able to do, it’s a good sound.

Thanks to all. As we like to say, when it comes to money: Thank you for being found faithful. - Russ

Now that the pandemic is squarely in the rearview mirror, we’re taking some time to get away and try to learn from the experience. Dr. Tim Moore will be leading our Staff and a small group of Lay Leaders. We will think about church-present, church-future. What’s next for Park Road? Our full staff will begin with a session on Tuesday morning, then we’ll enjoy lunch and some relaxation together that afternoon. Our Lay Leaders will join us for supper and one session together. JD and Dan, Amy and Russ will spend the night and have Wednesday morning together, processing all we heard the day before. Please keep this retreat in your prayers. Because the staff will be away, there will be no newsletter next week.

Please note that due to the Staff Retreat the Church office

will be CLOSED on Tuesday, October 24^th.

What a Sunday! How wonderful! Congratulations and thanks to Jacob Barner for his wonderful testimony, both in the water and in the words he prepared as his “confession of faith.” With that commitment as a starting point for the service, we bookended worship by welcoming Fletcher Webster to Park Road. Fletcher has been with us for more than a year, getting involved in various ways. He came to Park Road with Mallory Monroe, who joined us a couple years ago. At the end of worship, Amy said she wished every Sunday began with a baptism and ended with a new member! Thanks, Jacob. Welcome, Fletcher. Such a great day for Park Road!

At the conclusion of worship, that Sunday, there will be a brief conference to consider a motion from the Ministry Council. The motion is that we call an Ordination Council to work with JD McDonald in creating a program evaluating JD’s ministry at Park Road. It will conclude with a recommendation that we officially ordain JD into the Gospel Ministry.

Recommended Council Members are (Lay Leaders) Greg Blum, Missy Solomon, Sarah Grace Woolley, Debbie Brown, Geoff Palmer, Beverly Doyle, Cam Mitchell; (Friends of JD from beyond Park Road) Donna Harlan, Corbin Cross, Krista Troupe, Amy Everett, Kingsley East Gibbs, Dennis Tucker; (Staff) Dan McClintock, Amy Jacks Dean, Russ Dean.

Don’t miss this one – we a ways have a great time! We’ve tried lots of different restaurants, and it’s been a while since we ate at a diner. Park Place Restaurant was recommended, so let’s give it a try. If you want to ride with us, we’ll leave the parking lot at 11:15a, or you can meet us at 10517 Park Road about 11:30a. (Either way, please let the church know you plan to attend: 704-523-5717.) These Fridays are about the Food – but more than that, they’re about the Fun of being together. Hope you can join us.

Tomorrow you are invited to gather at 6p at the Rhino Market and Deli, South Park for Thirsty Third Thursday! In September the group had such a great time, at Rhino Market, that they decided to stick with the same location for October. The address is 4300 Congress Street, Charlotte, NC 28209. There are other Rhino Markets, so please make sure you have the correct address. The Rhino Market in South Park is directly across from the Village Tavern.

Roof Above has decided to discontinue the hot lunch program on Saturdays. Instead, they proposed to us the opportunity to prepare and serve supper on Saturday evenings every other month. Park Road will pay for the meal from our mission budget, as we have been doing, and the shelter will purchase the food and have it on hand. Our volunteers will arrive at the men’s shelter at 3:30 in the afternoon to prepare the meal, with supper served at 5p, and we would be able to leave before 6p. We will maintain the schedule of helping on the second Saturday, every other month, with our next date is November 11. Here are the dates for 2024: January 13, March 9, May 11, July 13, September 14, and November 9. The work is easy, fun, and rewarding and it provides a chance to be with others from Park Road. If you can help on November, 11, please see the sign-up genius. 

My motivation to make a Community Pantry for my Eagle project came from my grandfather. After his passing, I heard all about the great ways that he made an impact in the community. “Pay It Forward” made me think about what actions I could take, as well, to help those in my community. Knowing that my Eagle project was upcoming, I felt something at my church was perfect. I remember Russ and Amy having talked about how people come into the church sometimes asking for food. This gave me the idea to make a food pantry for people who often show up at the church. This really shaped my whole Eagle project because I knew this pantry would be useful for people and help them in their daily lives.

I also quickly realized that my project would allow other people to help out. People can help either by restocking the pantry, going shopping for the food, or giving some money for someone to get the food needed for the pantry. There are many different ways that the church can support the pantry. Any of these actions taken are much appreciated. I hope that this will be helpful going forward, as it already seems to have been. Again, I hope that you will consider contributing to the pantry however you feel you can.

Thanks, 

Hank

*We will designate the first Sunday of each month as a time to bring nonperishable donations that can be added to the Community Pantry. There will be a bin in Helt Hall in which to place food items on those first Sundays. Of course, you can always drop donations off in the church office any time. These donations will help us to keep the pantry stocked for a long time to come.  

Jesus saw the commandments not as onerous burdens, a list of "thou-shalt-nots," but as guideposts for a good and beautiful life. In this study, based on the Adam Hamilton book Jesus and the Promise of the Ten Commandments Today. Bill Hemingway, along with the attendees, will look at the commandments in their context, considering the meaning of each commandment in Hebrew, studying how Jesus might have reinterpreted them, and showing how every “thou-shalt-not” was intended to point to a life-giving "thou shalt." All are invited to join, Bill Hemingway, Sundays at 9:45a in Milford Chapel. (The book is not required, but reading it will add to your experience. You can purchase the book from local or online retailers.)

Amy Butler’s memoir and reflection on faith is now available online and from local book sellers. We are honored to host Amy, who has been a friend of Russ and Amy’s for many years, for our First Wednesday program, November 1. We have reached out to the other churches on Park Road and to several others. We expect a good crowd for that night. If you plan to eat supper, please make sure you call the church office by noon on Tuesday to make a reservation (704-523-5717).

The children and youth had a lovely combined time at the corn maze this past Sunday. One of our youth asked for more opportunities to help the youth and kids mingle, so this will be something JD continues to pay attention to. 

• The First Wednesday of the month JD has arranged to have chicken nuggets and tater tots for the kiddos. So First Wednesdays children can eat at 5:30p with the congregation in the gym, then at 6p head over to their classroom, and have an abbreviated lesson time.

*Please note that parents/caretakers can join the church for the First Wednesday meal and hang out there with other grown ups during their kiddos lesson with JD and the volunteers. If you can't make any other Midweek, this is the one to come to. If parents/caretakers have other ideas for how JD can make this work better for their family don't hesitate to let JD know. If you do plan to come to midweek on the First Wednesday, please let JD know, by noon, the Tuesday before. 

The CDC 2023 staff retreat was full of team building, reflection, and planning for 2024.  The CDC staff feel refreshed and renewed - 2024 here they come!

Coming Up at Park Road

Sunday Worship

Facebook Live and In-Person

11a

First Wednesdays

Dinner and Vespers

(Community Center)

5:30p Dinner / 6p Vespers

First and Third Tuesdays

Bible Study and Fellowship

(Community Center - Room C503)

10a

Tuesday and Thursdays

Flexercise

(Community Center)

9a

Park Road Baptist Church 

 3900 Park Road | Charlotte NC | 28209

Tel (704) 523-5717 

Fax (704) 523-8481

info@parkroadbaptist.org 

 www.parkroadbaptist.org