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On May 31, our congregation affirmed the Five Directives of the Building. Community. vision plan. Over the next five weeks, we'll take a closer look at each directive, exploring the hopes, goals, and ministries they represent. We hope these weekly highlights will continue to help us better understand the vision we have embraced together and how it will shape the future of Park Road Baptist Church.

Directive: Spiritual Discovery

In our previous long-range Visions we used the word “initiative” to describe specific actions intended to come out of the plan. In Building. Community. we have chosen to use the word “Directive,” because of its implication of movement, action, guidance. Our previous Visions really have guided Park Road, making us the church we are today – our facilities, our leadership structure, our stewardship of openness with our campus. We trust Building. Community. will have the same directional impact on the life of our church for the next chapter.

Park Road Baptist Church was founded in 1950 as a Southern Baptist congregation, with the expected, traditional values of conservative Baptists of the day, but it did not remain very traditional for very long. To hear the founding pastor, Charlie Milford, tell it, a Sunday School class asked him to talk with them: “What does the Bible really say about hell?” As he prepared for that class, reading scripture carefully, preparing prayerfully, his own theology was changed, and the rest, as they say… is history.

In that study, the pastor and the church iscovered a God of radical, inclusive love, never-ending forgiveness, eternal care. They Discovered a scripture to be taken seriously, if not literally. And they Discovered one another and the value of intentional dialogue. The God they Discovered shaped the commitments they made as a church in the coming years, leading to a belief in a social gospel (a gospel that values people and believes that systems can be changed to reflect a biblical justice) and to an inclusive welcome of all: Believing in the infinite worth of all people, All Are Welcome.

It is that inquiry, an open, honest, brave quest to study and to Discover truth – and to follow it, wherever it may lead – that has shaped Park Road Baptist Church. If we want to remain that kind of community of faith, we will have to continue to be intentional about the conversation.

Who is God? What is God? What does Jesus teach us about God, and how to relate to one another? What is the role of scripture for a modern world? What is the Church’s place in society? What does it mean to be faithful as individuals living in the 21^st century?

Through this Directive we want to offer annual retreats or conferences (along the lines of the Open and Relational Theology conference we hosted last fall), invest more in Park Road University programming, and explore spiritual practices by connecting with nature.

Directive: Spiritual Discovery. It’s where we begin a new chapter of our life together. - Russ

Join us for a fun evening at the ballpark as we cheer on the Charlotte Knights when they take on the Norfolk Tides! First pitch is at 7:04 p.m. at Truist Field, located at 324 S. Mint St., Charlotte, NC 28202.



Please RSVP by July 19 by signing up in Helt Hall on Sunday mornings, contacting Caleb, or emailing the church office at info@parkroadbaptist.org.

We expect to have ticket pricing finalized within the next week or so and will share that information as soon as it is available. We hope you'll join us for a great night of baseball and enjoying time together!

Please join us for our next First Wednesday meal and time together around the tables. In our increasingly isolated world, it’s great to have time together, sharing a meal and fellowship face to face. That’s what families do! Please email to make your dinner reservation by Tuesday, August 4, at noon at info@parkroadbaptist.org, or sign up in Helt Hall on Sunday.

On July 19, we have two events planned to help celebrate the completion of our house in Marshall, North Carolina. We are so grateful to everyone who participated on site, or contributed for this very worthy cause. On Sunday morning, July 19, we will devote time in our worship service to recognize Jennifer Greene, and to give thanks for the good work of building a new home. Following worship, many of us will go eat lunch together, and then drive to Marshall where we will have an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at her house.

We invite all church members to join us for both of these events. The drive to Marshall is about 2 1/2 hours, but we felt it important to be able to celebrate on that site. We will end the day with refreshments on the bank of the French Broad River, just across the street from Jennifer‘s home. We anticipate the ribbon cutting to be about 4:30 PM with refreshments to follow. Please join us as you are able.

Our next Fun Food Friday will be on July 24th at Bobby's Burgers by Bobby Flay, 2115 Rexford Rd Ste 530, Charlotte, NC 28211 — and it's a doubleheader kind of day, because it's also Family Night at the Charlotte Knights game that evening! We'll meet at the church at 11:15 a.m. to carpool together for lunch, or you can meet us at the restaurant at 11:30 a.m., for angus burgers, shakes, and all the classic ballpark-worthy eats. Then meet us at the ballpark that evening for the Knights game — first pitch is at 7:04 p.m.! Join us for lunch, the game, or both — either way, we'd love to have you.

Please RSVP for lunch and RSVP separately for game tickets (by July 19th) — both by emailing the church office at info@parkroadbaptist.org or by signing up in Helt Hall. There will be separate sign-ups for each, so don't forget to RSVP for both!

Join us for Thirsty Third Thursday, July 16, 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!

Due to an urgent need at Roof Above, the Mission Offering for the remaining Sundays in July is going to be dedicated to helping them recover from the major storm damage that their building sustained on Monday night, July 7. They have been serving lunch to neighbors for 30 years, and our mission offering will help them to continue that service. The offering for C3 (Christians Caring for Creation) will resume as our August Mission Offering.

I hope you’ll join us in walking alongside the Park Road contingent for the Charlotte Pride Parade. We’ll be joining a host of other churches and organizations in the ally march on Sunday, August 16. More details will come in July, but I am working to get ahead on participation, so if you would like to join us, please sign up in Helt Hall or RSVP to the church’s email (info@parkroadbaptist.org). Someone recently mentioned we are lacking in merchandise, so we’ve decided to order some shirts for all who would like one, whether you can attend or not. We will place a bulk order, so please order by July 26 by emailing info@parkroadbaptist.org. When placing your order, please include the size you would like and which front-of-shirt design you prefer. The back design will be the same on all shirts. The cost of the shirts will depend on the total number ordered; however, we expect to have a ballpark price available in the coming weeks. (Children and Youth sizes Small - XL are available.)

*Youth - are students who will complete grades 6th– 12th during the 2025-2026 school year.

Regular Scheduled Programing is as follows:

• Sunday Mornings, 10a - Preview
  (Currently paused for the Summer, will return on August 23rd.)

*Children - are students who will complete grades K– 5th during the 2025-2026 school year.

Regular Scheduled Programing is as follows:

• Sunday Mornings 9:45-10:45am Children's Sunday School (K-5th) (Currently paused for the Summer, will return on August 23rd.)
• 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)