Church Calendar | Sermons | Sign-up to Help | Blog | Contact

{View as Webpage}

“Tithe 10%. Save 10%. Spend the rest with joy and thanksgiving.”

If you have not heard me quote this lesson from my childhood, you are either new to Park Road, or you have not been listening! 😊 It is one of my mantras, because it is a philosophy of life that Amy and I completely trust and live by. It was my mother’s lesson. She learned it from her father. We take it literally.

My parents were keen to teach stewardship to their children. My mother always had change on hand, so she could help us keep our commitment. For example, if I got a $5 bill for my birthday (a really nice birthday present way back when!), she could always break the bill, and she would say: “Here’s 50 cents for your Church Bank, 50 cents for your Savings Bank, and you get to keep $4!” Inside the doors to the left of the kitchen sink were six little boxes – a Church and Savings banks for my siblings and me. We learned early…

And I got to spend $4.00!

This lesson has stayed with me for my whole life, and Amy and I have always lived by this rule in our marriage. The first 10% (“tithe” literally means “10 percent”) of our salaries has always gone to our church. We have supported other charities, but our primary commitment, even before we were pastors, has always been to our church. In recent years we are fortunate to have been able to give more than a tithe. This year, just over 11% of our gross salaries comes back to Park Road. In addition, our Financial Planner insists that we save more than 10%, so we’re maintaining that discipline as well. And we spend the rest “with joy and thanksgiving” On the house. The cars. The utilities. The food. The vacations. It’s all “joy and thanksgiving!”

It was in the first year of our now-26 years as your pastor that I quoted “Tithe 10%...” to you – and I urged you to make this a part of your financial discipline. I said, as I have repeated many times, “If you don’t give 10% to your church, give it somewhere – but give 10%. It’s a good discipline.” An old mentor liked to say of the tithe: “It’s easy to calculate. It’s enough to make you feel it. It’s not enough to hurt (most people).”

I’m writing about money today because this column is called, “Heart & Soul,” and today this is what I am feeling. We do not beat you over the head about money. We don’t talk about it much. We don’t even take up a collection in Sunday worship in anymore, and I like what we do. The collection plates are there as you walk in, but it’s your choice. We’re not coming to you with our hands out. No one is begging or cajoling. It’s your choice. Stewardship is not guilty obligation. It’s grateful generosity.

But obviously your church needs money. It’s just life. We have a lot of wonderful ministry going on, and as they say, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” So, we need your financial support. Yes, your money! More importantly, the money is about spiritual discipline. Another old mentor said, “If you want to know the depth of someone’s spiritual life, look at what they do with their money.” I think he was right.

Money is on my “Heart & Soul” today for a few reasons. First… we’re a bit behind in our Annual Ministry Plan. (If you’re new here, that’s what we call our annual budget – abbreviated “AMP” – because it really is about the ministry, not just the dollars.) So, if you are behind in your giving for 2026, could you take a moment to catch up? There are ministries here that need your support.

Money is also on my mind because we are entering a stewardship season. Soon we will begin talking about our 2027 Annual Ministry Plan. What will you give next year? If it’s not 10%, could you take the next step toward that worthy, biblical goal? (It’s easy to calculate. Enough to feel. Not enough to hurt!) We are also about to begin a new Capital Campaign for our new long-range vision, “Building. Community.” Most folks give to the AMP out of their income and to Capital Campaigns out of wealth (savings, stocks/bonds, investments)… but, whatever works for you. If we are going to continue moving forward as the church we’ve always been, however, and to undertake the wonderful new Vision we just approved, we’re going to need your support. Yes, your money!

“Tithe 10%. Save 10%. Spend the rest with joy and thanksgiving.” Amy and I have always believed in it.

Will you join us? - Russ

On Sunday we welcomed Amanda Richmond

and her children, Shelby and Gabe. They come to us by way of Amanda's engagement to Sandy Rogers, and they will be married

this Friday. Please find a time to introduce yourself and welcome these

wonderful new members.

In response to the approval of “Building. Community.” our 2026 long-range vision, we have three new committees, and they have all begun their work. Please keep our Bylaws (George Miles, chair), Building (Tracy Bradey and Mark Mintich, co-chairs), and Capital Campaign (Will Neeriemer and Chris Woolley, co-chairs) in your prayers, and expect to hear more from their work in the coming weeks.

We will shorten worship on September 20 to host a formal Church Conference and consider the following recommendation: Following a feasibility study, the Vision Team recommends a revision to the church's Capital Campaign, from an initial estimate of $3 million to a goal of $2 million. The feasibility study was conducted over the summer with interviews from a sample of the congregation. Based on the study's findings, we are adjusting the Church Capital Campaign to this revised goal, with an offsetting increase to our Community Campaign goal, in order to fund 100% of the estimated cost for the new Child Development Center. As a result, the new goals for each of the Vision Team's five Directives are as follows:

• Facilities and Campus Needs Directive = $900,000 (from Vision Team estimate of $1.3 million)

• Mission: Affordable Childcare Directive = $1.2 million (from Vision Team estimate of $1.5 million)



• Spiritual Discovery, Outreach for Growth and Valuing our Staff Directives: $100,000 (from Vision

Team estimate of $226,500). Note: This revision will seed the funding of these three Directives for 2 years, after which they will be funded from the Annual Ministry Plan (our annual operating budget).

Members of our Vision Team and Capital Campaign Committee will be available to answer questions before putting this revised Capital Campaign to a vote. If you have questions prior to the Church Conference, please contact a member of the ministerial staff.

Each year, in Harmony (just north of Statesville), churches and individuals gather to walk alongside one another and wonder together where the Spirit might be leading us. The set up is much like a music festival, with several tents where you can float between speakers and presenters across the 4-day event, September 3–6, 2026. It's not too late to get admission — grab yours soon and feel free to coordinate carpooling with each other!

If you're interested in going, please email Caleb@ParkRoadBaptist.org for information on getting admission into the festival. Park Road is involved in the planning, logistics, and sponsorship of the Wild Space Tent, so be sure to stop by. More information and the full schedule of events can be found at https://wildgoosefestival.org.

It’s time once again for our monthly food collection! On the first Sunday of each month—which is this Sunday, September 6 —we collect nonperishable food items to support the Duncan Community Pantry, a vital ministry serving neighbors in our community.

⭐ Top-priority items include (self-opening cans are especially needed):

• Easy-open cans of meat: chicken, tuna, turkey, Spam, Vienna sausages, and more. (Canned meat is always the first to run out.)
• Granola bars, breakfast bars, peanut butter crackers, individual bags of chips and popcorn, shelf-stable fruit cups, and pudding cups (individual snacks)
• Ramen, self-opening cans of soup and chili, individual bowls of mac and cheese that just need water added, and ravioli in a can
• Capri Sun drinks, juice boxes, sports drinks, and other shelf-stable beverages

🛢 Look for the donation bin in Helt Hall during Sunday morning services.

💵 Prefer to give financially? Just note “Duncan Pantry” with your donation.

📌 Kind reminder: Please check expiration dates—no opened,

partially used, or expired items, please.

Every other month on the second Saturday, Park Road volunteers prepare and serve lunch for more than 100 men at the Men's Shelter (1210 N. Tryon St.). Our next opportunity to participate will be on September 12. The work is not difficult, and it's a fun way to get to know some other Park Road members. If you can help on the 12th, please sign up by clicking here or by contacting Dan McClintock:



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

Starting this Sunday, September 6, join Hannah Nevans for a brand-new 3-week Park Road University series exploring some of the Bible's most surprising characters — its villains. There are more less-than-reputable figures tucked into scripture than you might expect, and not always in the ways you'd think. Over these three weeks, we'll dig into their stories and wrestle with a bigger question: how does God find a way to love even the villains? Join us in Milford Chapel at 9:45am, September 6, 13, and 20.

As you have no doubt heard by now, we are undertaking a journey together this next year in worship alongside our elementary-age children’s Sunday school curriculum. I have spent a lot of time scouring the options and reading through some good ones and some less-than-good ones, and when I tell you my face lit up when I found this option, you wouldn’t believe how much! I have fallen in love with this curriculum. There are a multitude of ways to teach about faith. Still, I always had a professor who stressed the importance of introducing faith more like a spider-web woven together, borrowing and picking up the tension of the places that stretch you and less like a Jenga tower where a belief system crumbles when questions arise. This starts at the earliest age in the ways we talk about God, teach about faith, and practice our understanding of what it means to be involved in the work of the Spirit. There is a lot of conversation around “de-constructing” unhealthy models of faith development and belief systems and while that’s a good conversation, at times we jump too far and throw the good models out with the harmful. This conversation we are having in worship then is helpful not just for our children but for us as adults in our continued faith development as well. I’ve had several requests for me to send them the curriculum, and I can absolutely print it out and give it to you (it’s too large to send), but I will also push the website because the writers of the curriculum have a lot of great resources. If you’d like to grab your own copy, you can do so here! I encourage you to follow along with us over this next year.



https://progressivechristianity.org/joyful-path-curriculum-package-options/

This month's Fun Food Friday takes us to State of Confusion in Lower South End, 3500 Dewitt Ln — an artsy little spot blending Cajun and Latin flavors, with a menu full of good trouble (monkey bread, calamari, a shrimp po' boy, even a bison burger). Come hungry. Join us at church on Friday, September 18 at 11:15am to ride together, or meet us at the restaurant at 11:30am, and let's eat! Please RSVP by signing up in Helt Hall on Sunday or emailing the church office at info@ParkRoadBaptist.org.

As a new school year begins, our undesignated offering for September will go to our PRBC educators. Each fall we designate one month’s mission offering for our church’s K-12 teachers who are underpaid and underfunded. School teachers often have to purchase their own supplies for their classroom. This is a way for their church to say “Thank You” to those who are involved in such important work.

It was another great summer for our Child Development Center Campers! They celebrated their last days of camp with a fun trip to the local splash pad. Good luck in school this year, campers — we'll see you next summer!

Join us for Thirsty Third Thursday, September 17, at 6 p.m. at Rhino Market and Deli in South Park, located at 4300 Congress Street, Charlotte, NC 28209. Please note, there are multiple Rhino Market locations, so be sure to head to the South Park spot, conveniently located directly across from the Village Tavern. We can’t wait to see you there!

*Youth - are students who are currently in grades 6th – 12th during the 2026-2027 school year.

Regular Scheduled Programing is as follows:

• Sunday Mornings, 10a - Preview

*Children - are students who are currently in grades K– 5th during the

2026-2027 school year.

Regular Scheduled Programing is as follows:

• Sunday Mornings 9:45-10:45am Children's Sunday School (K-5th)
• Sunday Mornings 10am-12pm Nursery
• First Wednesdays 5:30pm Dinner/6pm Children's Midweek - The first Wednesday of each month.

Coming Up at Park Road

• Sunday Worship

Facebook Live and In-Person - 11am

(Sancutary)

• Sundays

Pickleball - 7:15pm

(Community Center - Gym)

• First Wednesdays

Dinner and Vespers

5:30pm Dinner / 6pm Vespers

(Community Center - Gym)

• First and Third Tuesdays

Bible Study and Fellowship - 10am

(Community Center - Room 503)

• Tuesday and Thursdays

Flexercise - 9am

(Community Center - Gym)

PRU Fall 2026 Offerings

September 6 – “Villains in the Bible, and the God Who Loves Them,” Hannah Nevans

There are a surprising number of less-than-reputable characters who make their way into the Bible and not in the way you might expect. This 3-week series will explore these villains and the God who can even love villains. Milford Chapel. 9:45am.

September 13 – “Villains in the Bible, and the God Who Loves

Them,” Hannah Nevans

September 20 – “Villains in the Bible, and the God Who Loves Them,” Hannah Nevans

September 20 – David Wilcox in concert

Join us for a concert by one of North Carolina’s most creative artists. David has become a friend of the Deans, and his creative guitar licks and humorous and insightful lyrics will inspire your soul. We’re working on food trucks to make this a dinner/concert evening (stay tuned). Milford Chapel. Concert, 6:00pm.

October 4 – “How to Read the Bible in Today’s World” Sandy Rogers

Perhaps nothing is needed more today than helping people read the Bible well, because the abuse of scripture is so rampant on our national stage. If you’ve ever said, “I really want to know more about the Bible” – reading it well is where you start. Milford Chapel. 9:45am.

October 18 – Indigo: The Color of Grief, Jonathan Foster

After the tragic death of his teenage daughter, Jonathan expressed his grief in a collection of powerful poems. Some of you met Jonathan at last year’s Open and Relational Theology conference. He will join us for a Sunday morning session in Milford Chapel and will preach in worship. Milford Chapel. 9:45am. Worship in the sanctuary, 11:00am.

October 19 – “Monday School”

If Sunday School has quit working for you, maybe a Monday night discussion group at the home of Marinn and John Esch will be just right. More details TBA.

October 25 – “Teaching Dissent: the Witness of the Minority,” Bill Leonard

Our friend, Dr. Bill Leonard, former Dean of Wake Forest Divinity School and one of the country’s leading Baptist Historians, will lead a session on the historic Baptist voice of dissent and will preach in worship. Community Center. 9:45am. Worship in the sanctuary, 11:00am.

November 8 – “How to Read the Bible in Today’s World,” Dr. Sandy Rogers

November 9 – “Monday School”

November 15 - “Stitching Strength,” ALS documentary film with Dr. Richard Bedlack

Dr. Bedlack, M.D., Ph.D., Duke University, is one of the world’s leading researchers and a practicing physician for patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Dr. Bedlack will be with us to entertain our questions after we view his documentary film. Sanctuary. 1:30-3:00pm.

December 6 – “How to Read the Bible in Today’s World,” Dr. Sandy Rogers

December 20 – Dealing with Grief in the Holidays

While the holidays are a joyful time, they can also be very difficult. If the loss of a loved one or some other grief weighs heavy during the holiday season, join us to share together. Place and time, TBD.