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I’m never really happy unless I am in the middle of a project, covered with sawdust or sheetrock or tile dust. We are finally getting around to finishing the renovation of our kitchen: new countertops, some new plumbing, a new backsplash. So I’ve been doing a little wiring and a little plumbing, and cutting a lot of tile and adding grout.

Amy is just as bad as I am, so while I was kicking up the dust, she decided to paint the den (which needed it when we bought this house six years ago). She’s great with spackle and a paint brush. You know, the good book (of home ownership) says, “Caulk and paint cover a multitude is sins!” And cover some sins she has. She’s filled enough cracks that we have wondered how that room was even standing.

In true, Amy Jacks Dean fashion, we have remodeled this house. I have removed at least one wall in every house we’ve ever owned. We only have one more room and the whole house will be new. (I better hold off on that bathroom remodel, or it will be time to find a new one and start all over again!)

But, it’s past time for these renovations, and we are trying to get ready for Christmas. We are hosting several parties this year, before any family arrives, so we thought we would try to make things more presentable.

While we’ve been getting ready at home, we have also been getting ready at church. It won’t be long before all the decorations go in place. We will need your hands for that, and then we hope to see a lot of you around the church house for the season.

Included in today’s newsletter is a complete list of December calendar activities. Get out your phone now, and plug all of these in. Set reminders. Don’t be late. When you go to this much trouble getting everything ready, you know, you want to have some company to help you enjoy!

I am never really happy unless I am in the middle of a project, and having some folks come and enjoy the work makes it all worthwhile. Hope to see you soon. - Russ

You should have received an AMP packet in the mail, including a summary of our budget for 2024. Full copies of the Annual Ministry Plan (budget) are available in Helt Hall on Sunday Mornings or by emailing Becka at Info@parkroadbapist.org. This Sunday, at the conclusion of worship we will have a brief Question & Answer session. Mike Hamrick, Chair of our AMP Task Force, and Greg Blum, Ministry Council Chair, will both be on hand to answer your questions. The overall increase for next year is 6.8%, and you may make a pledge by making a confidential call or email to Allison Wieland in our Finance Office (704-523-5717), by completing the pledge card, and mailing it or bringing it to worship and placing it in the offering plate, or by scanning this QR code above. 

• Sunday, November 19 – Q&A at the conclusion of worship, in the sanctuary.
• Sunday, December 3 – “Commitment Sunday” – please bring your pledge card, or complete your pledge by this date.

My name is Missy Solomon. I’ve been a member of Park Road Baptist Church for about five years. I found my way to PRBC when my brother started bringing our mother here after she moved into Merrywood on Park. I first visited at my sister’s request. She wanted our mom to have all her kids lined up in the pew beside her. Being raised Southern Baptist, PRBC was not what I expected to find in a Baptist church.

I am honored to serve as a deacon and to be asked to chair the Diaconate this upcoming year. I also serve as leader/ facilitator for the Babylon Connection Group and am part of the planning group for Park Road University.

I am an ordained minister in the Inter-faith tradition and a trained spiritual counselor and companion. I attended seminary and spiritual counseling training at One Spirit Inter-faith Seminary in NYC. It is my deeply held belief that “All Paths Lead to God" and that if we will but look, we will see that we are more alike than we are different—regardless of religious affiliations or lack thereof. The main focus of my ministry is workshops & retreats and ceremonies & rituals. I particularly love leading SoulCollage® workshops, as well as crafting and performing wedding ceremonies and memorial services.

I have a small (one person) pet/house sitting business and am often found keeping company with any one of dozens of furry four-legged beings that call me Aunt Missy. It’s a great job! Dogs (and cats) are some of my favorite people!

If you would like a chance to sing in the choir, but don’t have time for the mid-week rehearsal, every Third-Sunday (Sunday-Only Choir) is just for you. Join Bob Pritchard in the choir room THIS Sunday at 9:30a. Bob has prepared an anthem you can learn in time to sing for worship at 11:00a. As a special treat for this Sunday, the anthem will be accompanied by organ and a brass quintet. Come join us and be part of the beautiful music.

Join us this Thursday today at 6p at the Rhino Market and Deli, South Park for Thirsty Third Thursday! In October the group had such a great time at Rhino Market that they decided to stick with the same location for November and December. 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.

Starting Sunday, December 3, each first Sunday of the month we are going to have a Food Pantry Drive to re-stock the Community Food Pantry built by PRBC Youth, Hank Smyth. You can bring canned goods and non-perishable food items with you to church that day and place them in a collection bin in Helt Hall. If you do not have any canned goods to donate and would still like to help, you can also give a donation in the Sunday morning offering or online (Please include a note that says, “for the Community Food Pantry.”)

On October 24-25 Dr. Tim Moore was on campus to lead a group of our Lay Leaders and Staff. We positioned the conversation around post-pandemic: What did we learn? What do we need to do now that this chapter is in the rear-view mirror? We had three separate meetings (Full Staff, Lay Leaders, Ministerial Staff) and, paired with a recent conversation with our Deacons, there was general agreement from all our leaders that it’s time for us to take steps to re-engage church member involvement through a renewal of our Action Team structure. In summary, here’s what you can expect:

• Ministry Council to re-engage and evaluate our structure
• A church-wide survey seeking information on your interests for involvement
• Several church meetings, in different settings, to solicit feedback
• January 3 – “First Wednesday” program will be a Town Hall regarding Action Teams
•  “State of the Church” meeting, following worship on January 28
• Potluck Lunch!
• Signups Available for all new Action Teams
• February: New Ministry Council, and newly-configured Action Teams to begin a New Day at Park Road!

Stay tuned… There’s much more to come.

Poinsettias – A Christmas Tradition

Help us decorate the sanctuary for the season and honor a loved one. Poinsettias are used in our sanctuary throughout the Advent season, so you do not get to take them home, but the cost pays for the live poinsettias, and gives you the opportunity to name a loved one, living or dead. Their names will be printed in a worship bulletin over the Advent season. Poinsettias this year are $10. You can sign up in Helt Hall each Sunday, email the church office at info@ParkRoadBaptist.org, or call the church office (704-523-5717).

*Please note that by signing up to give a poinsettia(s) in memory or in honor of a loved one, you will not receive a physical plant to take home. All of the poinsettias will remain in the sanctuary, for the Christmas Season, as a reminder of love given and shared in our community.

I’m trying something a little different this year. For anyone wanting to add to their Advent/Christmas journey with a little spiritual sustenance, join me in Kate Bowler’s Advent Devotion Guide “Bless the Advent We Actually Have.” We will kick off this daily devotional group on the first Sunday of Advent, December 3 at 5p in Helt Hall. This will be the only in-person meeting for this group. We will have refreshments and together work through the Day 1 devotion. We will look ahead in anticipation of what is to come. Each Sunday, I will send a group email to anyone who wants to be included highlighting a few thoughts from that week’s readings. I am looking forward to making our way through Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love be with you this Advent season.

-Amy

Click on the link below to get access to the online free daily guide. (There is a printable version if that works better for you – if you would like a printed copy but do not have access to print it yourself, please let Becka (info@ParkRoadBaptist.org) in the church office know and we can get you a printed copy.)

https://courses.katebowler.com/courses/advent-devotional/

This week Allison, in our Financial Office, emailed out the Quarterly Giving Statements (that conclude with the month of October). If you have not received yours, please make sure to check your junk mail or spam folder of your email. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the church office 704-523-5717 or info@ParkRoadBaptist.org. If you typically receive your statement via the USPS mail, you should be receiving your statement by the end of next week.

Do You Hear What I Hear? It’s Silver Bells, Silver Bells ringing to say, “Come All Ye Faithful VSPers on December 21.” Don’t appear On A Midnight Clear but arrive a little before noon, my dears. We’ll eat, enjoy being together, laugh at some silly jokes, maybe win a door prize, and listen to a little cool Yuletide jazz to make us all proclaim Joy To The World. ‘Tis the season!

Please make your reservation no later than December 17 by calling the church office at or sign up in Helt Hall or by emailing info@ParkRoadBaptist.org

• November 15^th – Worship Wednesday at 6:30p: The youth leading for this event are Hank, Jack, Caroline, and Clara. Ann Miles will "host" and provide supper. If youth can make no other Midweek, Worship Wednesday is the one 🙂
• November 19 at 5:30p - Friendsgiving and Food Drive for the PRBC Food Cabinet. Crystal Smyth is spearheading our meal by bringing our entre. Others or you are asked to bring sides, desserts, and drinks. This will be for youth and their families!
• Middle schoolers - Bring canned veggies
• 9th-10th - Bring pasta and sauce
• 11-12th - Bring instant mashed potatoes and soup.
• International Mission Trip – JD remains cautiously optimistic about initiating an international mission trip for our students next year. Most likely the date will be in August 2024, details TBA (Let us redirect you to the cautiously optimistic part, haha!), but probably we will be working in Guatemala. If the youth do work in Guatemala, they will work in the communities where JD did cross-cultural work and has deep relationships. We are sharing this information with you now so that you can let JD know if you are interested and so you can get a passport for your child as soon as possible. JD will also have ample space for many volunteers, so if you are open to chaperoning, please let JD know and, if necessary, get an updated passport. No passport should expire within 6 months of August 2024. JD would like to have a list of those interested by the end of November and have the first trip meeting in January. 
• December 2 – Decoration Day - The youth will begin work at 9a to decorate the church. JD could especially use some youth help to move bigger items and also help him with a children's activity.
• December 13 – Church Wide Christmas Banquet - Instead of Worship Wednesday, we will share in a Christmas banquet with the entire church. 
• Traditional Youth Progressive Dinner - If you're willing to host part of our traditional progressive dinner, please let JD know so we get that on the calendar ASAP. 
• December 17 - Rise Against Hunger Event (previously known as Stop Hunger Now). The youth have been asking about resuming this event and the church staff (especially Dan McClintock) have taken that feedback seriously and made it happen. This event will start at 6:30p and replace SNT for this night.
• December 20 - Soup and Caroling. Most youth should be out of school close to this time, so it should be a stress-free blast. Details TBA.
• July 8-12 Unidiversity Camp - It is never too early to sign up. 🙂 

• December 2 – Decoration Day – We will have our churchwide "Decoration Day", which begins at 9a. JD, will have a special activity for the kiddos with the help of some of our youth, called a "Jessee Tree." They will make an ornament for each day of advent, and the ornaments will give an overview of the scriptures. JD will pull from this activity throughout advent for our children's programming. Special thanks to Lisa Mason for helping us get this together. 
• December 17 - "Rise Against Hunger" Event (previously known as Stop Hunger Now) begins at 6:30p. This project is for all ages and is a really special program the church has done in the past. 
• December 20- Soup and Caroling – This is another sweet tradition. Details TBA. 
• July 16-19, 2024 – Camp Prism – Any student who will complete third grade this year is invited to sign up for Camp Prism. This week is a wonderful time with our students, and JD would love all our current 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to be there. Think summer camp but with Russ leading worship. Some members of our kid’s ministry team serving as counselors, and no bad theology to cause you worry. 🙂 

Join MeckMin for one of the highlights of the year -- the annual Community-Wide Interfaith Thanksgiving service which will be hosted this year by Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Each year people of all faiths gather on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the service is a delightful reminder of the rich and growing diversity of our community. We hope you'll mark your calendar and plan to join us!



November 21, 6:40 – 8p

Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3115 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211

Before the pandemic, Park Road hosted several annual packing events in December for Stop Hunger Now. The name of the organization has changed to Rise Against Hunger, but their mission is still the same – to provide people who are food deprived with nutritious meals and to assist them in their struggle to climb out of poverty. We will host another packing event in the Community Center on December 17 with the goal of packing 50,000 meals! This event is a wonderful opportunity for us to work together for a very worthwhile cause! It is designed so that people of all ages can participate and there’s a lot of fun and excitement! So, please plan to join us on the 17th! We will have a sign-up link in next week’s newsletter.

The Charlotte Pride Band is one of our Campus Partners. We are honored to host this wonderful wind ensemble on our campus. Directed by Dr. John Ross (Director of Bands at Appalachian State University), the ensemble, composed of amateur musicians from the community, provides excellent music, performing seasonal concerts throughout the year. This year’s December concert, “Wintertide,” will be performed at Christ Lutheran Church, 4519 Providence Road, on Sunday afternoon, December 10 at 4:00p. The concert, which will feature lots of Christmas favorites, is free to the community, though a donation to the band is encouraged.

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