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GOOD TIDINGS
The Weekly Newsletter for Park Road Baptist Church
January 11, 2023
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Al Wilson grew the best tomatoes you have ever put in your mouth. His garden was truly amazing. I called it a tomato cathedral. The way Al fashioned the stakes and cages for his tomatoes, I and you could literally walk down each row and pick tomatoes, above your head, the size of grapefruits. He turned out hundreds and hundreds of ripe tomatoes every summer. Inspired by his example, the Al Wilson Community Garden was created more than a decade ago.
For the first years the church maintained the garden, and all the produce grown on our property was donated to Loaves and Fishes. This was a wonderful ministry, providing fresh vegetables to needy neighbors. After a good many years of preparing and planting and weeding and harvesting, almost single handedly, the late Johnny Doyle and Alan Eakes began to talk about a different vision for this garden. Thank you, Johnny and Alan!
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After Johnny died and Alan decided to take a break from gardening, Brian Hedgepath stepped in, and for the last four or five years, has been responsible for our garden. We have converted the garden to a neighborhood project, renting boxes to neighbors, especially in the Ashbrook neighborhood, who walk over to tend their own garden boxes. For an annual rental price, the church provides all the water they need for their garden boxes. Brian, who has also created and maintained a growing Park Road Baptist basketball program for children, needs to step back from the garden in order to maintain his responsibilities in the gym. Thank you, Brian!
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Now we need a new gardener! The job is primarily one of organization. We generally have a preparation day in the late winter, inviting church members to help us prepare the boxes for the neighborhood. For the remainder of the year, the responsibility is to be on-point - taking questions from inquiring neighbors and addressing any issues that arise through the season.
It is wonderful to have this garden in our backyard, providing space for neighbors to work together, getting their hands a bit dirty, “tilling and keeping the earth," as the creation narrative says.
We do not want the garden to lie fallow this year. Could you help? If this strikes your fancy as a way to serve our church and this community, please contact one of the ministers or the church office.
I am sorry Al Wilson has now gone on to that great “garden in the sky,” but every time I have a good, home grown summer tomato sandwich, I think of him. I hope his example will continue to inspire us for years to come. - Russ
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Annual Ministry Plan - a FINAL CALL for Pledges | |
State of the Church, January 29 | |
We have only one official regularly scheduled church business meeting each year, and it falls on the final Sunday of January. January 29, 2023. We will shorten worship a bit so we can engage in a brief business meeting. We will entertain a motion from the Ministry Council to approve a slate of nominees for all leadership positions for the coming year. We will also vote on the allocations in our recommended Missions Budget. Details will be available in the coming days. | |
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We plan to use our 2023 sabbatical to walk the full 500-mile “Frances” – the pilgrimage from St. Jean Pied de Port, France, to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostella, Spain. We would love to have a Park Road group to join us, just as we did in 2022, to walk the last 72 miles together. This group will meet in Sarria, Spain on August 18 and walk from August 19-23. If anyone is interested in the additional miles, walking from Santiago to the beautiful coastal town of Finesterre, we will continue those 55 miles from August 25-28. The guided tour does not include airfare to Spain but is nearly all-inclusive for the days on the Camino. The cost for Sarria to Santiago is 1850 euros (at today’s exchange rate: $1,969). If there is interest in continuing to Finesterre, we will secure pricing asap. We must reserve our place with Andaspain Travels soon, so please let us know ASAP. The deadline for the 2023 pilgrimage is Sunday, January 29. Please contact us if you have any questions. The Park Road group who traveled last June had a wonderful experience that we would like to repeat with you! – Russ & Amy
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Fun Food Friday, January 20, Location TBD | |
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Not knowing where we’ll eat should not keep you from marking your calendars. We always have fun. The food is always good. You can meet in the parking lot at 11:30a to ride together or meet us at the restaurant, which will be announced in next week’s newsletter.
Please call the church office (704-423-5717), sign up in Helt Hall, or email Becka@Parkroadbaptist.org to reserve your spot.
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Advent was a wonderful musical experience at Park Road, with so much special music and guests from the Charlotte Symphony. We will continue that good music this year and are excited to announce that Bob Pritchard and Roxanne Holt Watson, both who served in interim capacities this past year, have agreed to work with us for calendar year 2023. Our choir has prospered under Bob’s leadership, and Roxanne is so wonderfully capable and flexible – we enjoy working with the two of these professionals together. We are still in conversation with Eon Milan, and as soon as his immigration status has been worked out and he is stateside, we will resume the process of bringing him on board. Thanks to our choir members who dedicate their time for such an important role. Our choir is open to all. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8:30p. We would love for you to join us.
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Marinn Bengel and John Esch are getting married at our church on Friday, January 13 at 6pm. Many of you have known and supported Marinn and her kids, Chase, Copelyn, and Ala in past years. She and her family would be honored if you would like to attend the wedding ceremony either in person or
on Facebook Livestream.
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Friends at Home
Please check in on each other via phone,
email, text, Zoom, or letters.
Thank you.
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We list an individual each week that we call our “Friends at Home” with their contact information.
Drop a card or give a call to check-in. Even if you do not know someone personally, a contact from someone from their church is always an encouragement.
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Coming Up at Park Road
Sunday Worship
Facebook Live and In-Person
11a
First Wednesday
First Wednesday of Each Month
5:30p
Mid-Week Meetup (via Facebook)
Third Wednesday of Each Month
6p
Tuesday and Thursdays
Flexercise
(In-person in the Community Center)
9a
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