RP-Weekly, June 28th
Hi RP Family -
Here is my last RP Weekly to you! I'm not saying goodbye by any means, as we are still part of the same larger Park church family! Rather, God is continuing his work of sending his people out, whether across the neighborhood, across the city, or across the world. And so, first, I want to keep us attuned to what RP is doing this summer, as there are many ways to engage in Gospel work and grow in Christlikeness within the church schedule and rhythms. RP's next Park in the Park is this Sunday, Soccer Camp starts July 10th, the next Night Church is July 20th, and then our larger Park-Wide family will be gathering at Montrose Beach July 21st, for Park's annual Summer Celebration!
Hear me out on the Summer Celebration Baptism Service. Park will be baptizing many people, including RP'ers, in Lake Michigan, and this a moment where we need to come out and support and cheer on people that are making their public proclamation of faith through baptism. For many, it is such an emotional moment, and the cool thing is, those that have recently come to know Christ now have a new bond with us that follow Christ. And, what a profound picture this provides to the city of Chicago, especially during a season of such division, confusion, loneliness, suffering, and strife across the world. God has raised his people to new life for a purpose, and this is worthy of our celebration!
I also have to talk about what Park is doing through our Retirement Home/Nursing Care churches and communities. I'll get right to it - the largest epidemic at these homes is loneliness. The majority of the residents don't have a single visitor - no family, no friends, NO ONE! And over 20% of all of us pass away in one of these kinds of homes. With the increasing prevalence of loneliness across virtually all age groups, spurred on by such things like social media and other types of cultural values, the Church has a really large opportunity to get ahead and fill the increasing gap over the coming decades. One 5 minute conversation with one of the home residents can easily be the highlight of that person's month. Many of us at RP and across Park have gotten our feet wet, and some of us have really poured out our hearts - thank you! Consider what it would look like to invest in spaces like these, to bring Gospel hope & rest to people in need, and come talk to me!
Well, know this, RP has a great leadership team in place, with great Elders, great Deacons, great Small Group Leaders, great Worship Leaders, great Children's Ministry Leaders, and many other people that step up to the plate when needed! I look forward to seeing what God will do at RP in the seasons ahead!
Oh, one last thing - All Family Service this weekend! And, I have the privilege of teaching Jonah - that guy that got swallowed by the big fish!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
John, Associate Pastor RP
Here is my last RP Weekly to you! I'm not saying goodbye by any means, as we are still part of the same larger Park church family! Rather, God is continuing his work of sending his people out, whether across the neighborhood, across the city, or across the world. And so, first, I want to keep us attuned to what RP is doing this summer, as there are many ways to engage in Gospel work and grow in Christlikeness within the church schedule and rhythms. RP's next Park in the Park is this Sunday, Soccer Camp starts July 10th, the next Night Church is July 20th, and then our larger Park-Wide family will be gathering at Montrose Beach July 21st, for Park's annual Summer Celebration!
Hear me out on the Summer Celebration Baptism Service. Park will be baptizing many people, including RP'ers, in Lake Michigan, and this a moment where we need to come out and support and cheer on people that are making their public proclamation of faith through baptism. For many, it is such an emotional moment, and the cool thing is, those that have recently come to know Christ now have a new bond with us that follow Christ. And, what a profound picture this provides to the city of Chicago, especially during a season of such division, confusion, loneliness, suffering, and strife across the world. God has raised his people to new life for a purpose, and this is worthy of our celebration!
I also have to talk about what Park is doing through our Retirement Home/Nursing Care churches and communities. I'll get right to it - the largest epidemic at these homes is loneliness. The majority of the residents don't have a single visitor - no family, no friends, NO ONE! And over 20% of all of us pass away in one of these kinds of homes. With the increasing prevalence of loneliness across virtually all age groups, spurred on by such things like social media and other types of cultural values, the Church has a really large opportunity to get ahead and fill the increasing gap over the coming decades. One 5 minute conversation with one of the home residents can easily be the highlight of that person's month. Many of us at RP and across Park have gotten our feet wet, and some of us have really poured out our hearts - thank you! Consider what it would look like to invest in spaces like these, to bring Gospel hope & rest to people in need, and come talk to me!
Well, know this, RP has a great leadership team in place, with great Elders, great Deacons, great Small Group Leaders, great Worship Leaders, great Children's Ministry Leaders, and many other people that step up to the plate when needed! I look forward to seeing what God will do at RP in the seasons ahead!
Oh, one last thing - All Family Service this weekend! And, I have the privilege of teaching Jonah - that guy that got swallowed by the big fish!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
John, Associate Pastor RP
Upcoming
Serving at Park-RP
When you join a serving team, you're not just volunteering; you're becoming an integral part of our church family. It's where friendships begin, where commitment is strengthened, and where you will truly start to feel like you belong.
Giving at Park-RP
We believe that giving is an act of worship. It recognizes God as the owner and source of all we have. It is our cheerful response to God in praise of His radical generosity towards us.
Neighborhood Partners
Collaboration allows us to leverage our strengths, compensate for our weaknesses, and reach areas and demographics of our city that might otherwise remain untouched.
Ministry Calendar
Children's Ministry Update
Happy Summer all, we are excited that Soccer camp registrations are now open, so sign up to join the team and/or register your kid(s) via our events page.
RP Kids May Curriculum: (For the family resource to follow along at home, click here)
Monthly Memory Verse: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
SESSION 1 (5/19): Paul’s Conversion (Acts 9:1-31)
SESSION 2 (5/26): Paul & Barnabas in Lystra (Acts 14:8-20)
SESSION 3 (6/2): Paul & Silas in Prison (Acts 16:16-40)
SESSION 4 (6/9): Paul’s Shipwreck (Acts 27:27-28:5)
Note for Elementary kids parents: As we look to the summer schedule for our RP Kids ministry, we have prayerfully decided to give our Elementary kids the opportunity to remain in service once a month on the following dates:
5/26/2024
6/16/2024
7/14/2024
8/11/2024
We hope and pray this will give our Elementary kids a great experience of being a part of our wider church family. It will also mean that our RP Kids ministry team will not be asked to serve twice a month throughout the summer as we have a reduced number of team members. We appreciate your understanding and are happy to discuss this further if helpful!
If you have recently joined our church or have a new child please register them here.
RP Kids May Curriculum: (For the family resource to follow along at home, click here)
Monthly Memory Verse: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
SESSION 1 (5/19): Paul’s Conversion (Acts 9:1-31)
SESSION 2 (5/26): Paul & Barnabas in Lystra (Acts 14:8-20)
SESSION 3 (6/2): Paul & Silas in Prison (Acts 16:16-40)
SESSION 4 (6/9): Paul’s Shipwreck (Acts 27:27-28:5)
Note for Elementary kids parents: As we look to the summer schedule for our RP Kids ministry, we have prayerfully decided to give our Elementary kids the opportunity to remain in service once a month on the following dates:
5/26/2024
6/16/2024
7/14/2024
8/11/2024
We hope and pray this will give our Elementary kids a great experience of being a part of our wider church family. It will also mean that our RP Kids ministry team will not be asked to serve twice a month throughout the summer as we have a reduced number of team members. We appreciate your understanding and are happy to discuss this further if helpful!
If you have recently joined our church or have a new child please register them here.
Maddy Hutchens
Pre-Service Prayer
Join us every Sunday 9:00am in the Nursery to lift up our worship service and the happenings of Park Rogers Park up to the Lord.
