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Last Sunday, after our Youth Lake Day, I loaded my car and headed to the mountains. It was retreat time to plan for next summer’s Unidiversity Youth Camp. Next summer? Already?! (Tomorrow, Russ and I head to Greenville, SC for a day of planning for next summer’s Camp Prism for our children. Next summer? Already?!)

Yes – it’s time to start making those plans. Eleven youth ministers and I worked all day Monday and Tuesday, and into each evening, finishing on Wednesday morning. We reviewed last summer – what worked and what did not. We chose a proclaimer. We picked a theme. We chose a Bible Study writer. We began to brainstorm what seminars should be offered and which electives to keep and what could be added. We discussed safety. We planned the evening uNight activities. We walked through each day and each night in hour-by-hour detail of one-week next summer – a whole 40 weeks away – to make sure that we had our act together to host another full week of wonderful for 6^th-12^th graders from all over the Southeast and a few from the Midwest.

We also had fun. We met some youth ministers that are new to the Unidiversity family. We caught up with old friends. I cooked for the crew, and we enjoyed time around the table plus an exciting new card game that required lots of screaming. It was great to see a bunch of adults in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and yes, even some of us in our 50’s acting like a bunch of kids.

We stayed up too late talking about all things church and how to engage young people in a post-pandemic world. We shared coffee in the morning on the porch telling the stories of our lives. If this planning retreat is any indication of what next summer will be like, then our young people are in store for a real treat.

Another pastor, a long timer in ministry and at Unidiversity, dropped by for an afternoon session. He had done some calculating about how much church had changed over his years in ministry. He noted that many years ago, he figured he had about 30 hours per month of face time with the youth. In today’s culture, that has dwindled to about 10 hours per month. “That makes every encounter with our young people all the more important,” he reminded us. He also pointed out how important, then, is that one week of 24/7 which is 40 weeks away. That kind of time only comes around once, maybe twice per year if you also have a Mission Trip.

I tell you all of this as another way to say – our youth and our children and all of their families – are so important to the life of any church. You will be hearing more in next week’s newsletter about the Church Conversations we have had last Sunday after church and this Wednesday at our in-person First Wednesday supper concerning our next staff hire to minister to, for, and with our young people. Add this to your prayers – that we would find the right person for this job.

I close with Undiversity’s Mission Statement to remind us all that we are in this together:

-Amy

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed being back together on the First Wednesday and are looking forward to that experience again tonight. At this point, if you’ve not made a reservation, please bring your own supper (5:30p), or just join us at 6p for a Church Conversation regarding our search for a new Children’s and Youth Minister. We had good dialogue in Sunday’s Conversation and look forward to continuing that tonight.

Yes, it’s that time of the year and our AMP Team is beginning its work to construct an Annual Ministry Plan (budget) for the 2023 church year. We hope to expedite that process and propose and pledge next year’s AMP before the Christmas season begins. Please be praying about how you can financially support the ongoing work of your church next year.

We are returning to our use of these cards. We invite everyone to take a card when coming to worship and if we your other info, to give us at least your name. Feel free to share concerns, or to write friendly notes of encouragement! We hope to use these cards as a means of collecting information to follow up with our guests in worship.

Fall is returning and so is VSP! Our first meeting is October 20 at noon in Helt Hall. Of course, we’ll have a scrumptious meal prepared by Tam, door prizes, an unforgettable joke or maybe two from Max Carroll, and plenty of time to socialize. Our entertainers will be a trio from the outstanding Carolina Gator Gumbo who feature Cajun style music. Make your reservations by contacting the church office (Becka@ParkRoadBaptist.org) or signing up in Helt Hall by Sunday, October 16. Plan now to attend VSP for a real treat!

Our last FFF at “Little Mama’s Italian” was extra special as we got to celebrate a “big one” for Robert Mullis. We had 33 people enjoying Italian food and good old Park Road fellowship. Our next FFF will be October 28 – restaurant TBA.

• Youth Sunday School 9:45 every Sunday morning (sometimes with a lesson and sometimes with an in-house mission project). Youth Sunday School. Ryan and Kathleen are teaching. The Youth Team has made a change that there will always be something on Sunday mornings during that Sunday School hour before worship for Youth. So be there.

• The next Sunday night Youth Group is Oct 9 beginning at 5:30p (and there’s supper!)

Fall Retreat – Great Fun for Our Youth

This year’s retreat, Oct 21-23, will be at Lake Greenwood, SC, at Russ’s parents’ lake house. We will leave in two groups on Friday: an afternoon group, and a late-night, post-football game group. We’ll have all day Saturday for some lake time (It may be COOL!), play time, and time to share and retreat together – with Christine Kellett leading! The theme is “YouBYou,” and Christine will guide discussions on our identity: who we think we are, who others thin we are, and who God says we are. The retreat will conclude with a Sunday morning session. We’ll return to Park Road mid-afternoon. Details are still being finalized, but youth should sign up now, by emailing Amy (Amy@parkroadbaptist.org), Russ (Russ@ParkRoadBaptist.org), or calling the church office (704-523-5717). Don’t miss. Gonna be great!

You may have noticed some construction near the gym in our back parking lot. We are updating the CDC’s electric service, in preparation for a complete renovation of the Center’s HVAC systems. Every current piece of HVAC equipment (can you believe that some of them are over 30 years old?) will be replaced with new equipment in October and part of November.

The CDC will be divided into four distinct environmental zones, rather than the current, three zones, to improve conditioning of the building. The new systems are more efficient, should require less repairs, and most importantly, the new design has some redundancy, in hopes that maintenance issues will be less impactful on CDC operations. Gone will be the giant gas boiler in the basement. The big, green “monster” (package unit) in the back parking lot will be replaced with modern air conditioning compressors, and the CDC will get updated fences around the new courtyard (infant playground) compressors. In all, we will be installing four “twinned” 5-ton gas furnaces and eight 5-ton air conditioners.

To keep the CDC open during the renovation we have created a detailed plan for operational adjustments. As different zones are impacted, some classes will be held in alternate campus locations. The Youth Building Main Room will be used by the CDC during the entire process, and other areas will be used for shorter periods. In turn, this will also impact a few PRBC activities, mainly the Nursery, Children’s Sunday School, and Youth activities. While we have already planned for these impacts, the timing will be variable. So please watch this space for weekly updates about alternate locations for these programs. 

This week’s changes:

October 9: Children’s Sunday School and the Nursery will be held in

the Youth Building. The Nursery will be in the GYM.

Help Needed on Saturday! Men’s Shelter Lunch – 10:30-1p

We still need volunteers to prepare and serve lunch this Saturday, October 8, to over 125 men at the shelter at 1210 North Tryon Street. Food preparation begins at 10:30 and lunch is served between noon and 1p. Roof Above guidelines require volunteers to be at least 18 yrs. old and to wear masks. If you have never participated in this fun group activity, come, and join us! Please sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0945aca92da2fd0-roof

October Mission Offering

October’s undesignated offering will go to the Charlotte CROP Walk which supports the hunger fighting efforts of Church World Service, both locally and in more than 40 countries around the world.

Charlotte’s CROP Walk will be held on Sunday, October 16, 2022.

The annual Charlotte Crop Hunger Walk will take place on October 16 at the American Legion Memorial Stadium. There is also a virtual option for those who would prefer to walk the 4 miles in their own neighborhoods. (Four miles represents the average distance people in developing nations must walk to obtain clean water). All the funds raised go to help people locally and globally. Locally, the walk benefits Crisis Assistance Ministry, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays.

Cuba Update

We have heard good news from our friends in Cuba after Hurricane Ian. The western part of the island took the brunt of the storm with torrential rain and category 4 winds, but the town of Carlos Rojas, where our partner church is located, fared well with only minor problems. In fact, they were more worried about us as they learned that the hurricane was headed toward Charlotte! We were recently able to send another $500 to the church for the second time this year. Earlier in the year, we also shipped some over-the-counter medicines to them. This support has been greatly appreciated because of the extremely difficult economic situation in Cuba at this time. Fortunately, Park Road is planning a return visit to Cuba on January 12-17 for the first time since the pandemic began 3 years ago, and we will be able to take much-needed supplies and financial support with us.

Park Road Receives $1000 Literary Grant

This year, to celebrate their 45^th anniversary, Bojangles committed to providing up to 45 $1000 grants to non-profit organizations that support literacy in communities across the country. (Our own Ken Reynolds is the Executive Director of the Bojangles Foundation Fund). Thanks to George Miles, who applied on behalf of Park Road for one of these grants, we received $1000 to help fund Book-A-Palooza events at Marie G. Davis during this school year! George is the super-organizer and primary driver of 3 Book-A-Palooza events each year at Marie G. Davis. During the 2021-2022 school year, each student at the school received 11 books (3 before Winter break, 3 before Spring break, and 5 before the end of school). These are books that the students are able to choose for themselves from a carefully selected, grade appropriate assortment, and then take home at no cost to the students. You will have a chance to volunteer for one of the Book-A-Palooza events during the coming year and you really shouldn’t miss it. Thank-you, George, for all of the effort and hard work (and spreadsheets) you have invested for these past 7 years to ensure that under-served students have books of their own.

Because I want to talk about Sue Monk Kidd’s new book The Book of Longings, I want to invite you into the conversation with me. Mark Sunday, October 30 from 5-6:30p in Helt Hall and join me for some conversation around this work of historical fiction. This early notice should give you plenty of time to read it (or reread it as I will be doing). The book is about the fictional wife of Jesus. I would suggest reading the back of the book first – a Q&A with the author and some author’s notes that were helpful to me as I was reading the book the first time.

As one might imagine, this was a risky topic, but Sue Monk Kidd leads us through the story of Jesus from the perspective of a woman’s own longings in the story of Ana. It is beautifully written and will hopefully lead us into a conversation about our own longings with God. - Amy

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.

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

Park Road Baptist Church 

 3900 Park Road | Charlotte NC | 28209

Tel (704) 523-5717 

Fax (704) 523-8481

info@parkroadbaptist.org 

 www.parkroadbaptist.org