THIS WEEK (007-362) IS PUBLISHED BIWEEKLY EXCEPT ONCE IN DECEMBER BY PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 4124 OAK LAWN, DALLAS, TX 75219, PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT DALLAS, TEXAS, 75219. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO THIS WEEK, 4124 OAK LAWN, DALLAS, TX 75219-3152
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PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRICIA COTHRAN, EDITOR 4124 OAK LAWN AVENUE DALLAS, TX 75219-3152
THISWEEK@PCPC VOL. XXXII, NO. 15 | JULY 31, 2021
Park Cities Presbyterian Church exists to extend the transforming presence of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in Dallas and to the world.
UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES NEW MEMBER CLASS Sunday | September 12-October 31 | 9:30-10:40 a.m. | Fellowship Hall Is the Lord calling you to be a member of PCPC? Know someone who might be interested? Our New Member Class gives the opportunity to explore that question as we discuss our church’s beliefs, vision, and mission. Register online. pcpc.org/events
HELPING HANDS Saturday | August 7 | 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Oak Lawn West Be the hands and feet of Jesus and join the deacons and other volunteers to help single moms, widows/ers, senior adults, and those with chronic illness by doing odd jobs (light repairs, maintenance, and minor jobs) around their homes. We will meet at PCPC in Oak Lawn West. Register to volunteer online. pcpc.org/events
WEST DALLAS COMMUNITY SCHOOL CLEAN-UP DAY Saturday | August 7 | 8:30-11:30 a.m. | 2300 Canada Drive Join City Missions in extending Christ to West Dallas Community School! Volunteers of all ages are needed to clean, garden, help with teacher projects, and other tasks. Breakfast will be provided. RSVP to Jenna Tenpenny. jenna.tenpenny@pcpc.org
EXTEND CHRIST
As we open our New Doors, we need you to help welcome and serve our guests! We have volunteer opportunities available in PCPC Kids and our Frontline Ministries. We also partner with organizations like Apartment Life, Bonton Farms, OurCalling, Vickery Trading Company, Mercy Street, and more as we extend the transforming presence of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in Dallas and to the world. pcpc.org/volunteer
ALL-CHURCH PRAYER Sunday | September 12 | 4:00–6:00 p.m. | Sanctuary We long to be a church that abides in Christ through prayer with and for each other. Whether you have a prayer of praise, request, emotional, relational, or spiritual need, come to be prayed with by one of our elders or pastors. pcpc.org/events
CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH CHOIRS BEGIN Wednesdays | September 15 | Cambridge Hall
THISWEEK@PCPC
VOL. XXXII, NO. 15 | JULY 31, 2021
Weekly rehearsals for Children’s and Youth choirs are back this fall! Carol Choir (grades K-1) / 4:30-5:15 p.m. Chapel Choir (grades 2–4) / 4:30-5:30 p.m. Covenant Choir (grades 5–8) / 5:00-6:00 p.m. Join the ministry of Park Cities Presbyterian Church by leading our congregation in worship and glorifying our great God! Choir is an awesome place to make friends, grow musically, and write God’s Word on your heart through song. pcpc.org/music/choirs
UPDATE
by
Robby Higginbottom
contact robby . higginbottom @pcpc . org for more information
WHY PARISH MINISTRY? As the church, we are a family. We have a heavenly Father; we have an older brother in Jesus Christ; and in Him we are brothers and sisters in “the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). We love being together on Sundays to connect to Christ and to one another, to abide in Christ, and to extend Christ. But the time we spend gathered together on Sundays is a small percentage of our week. We spend the majority of our time scattered as we live and work and play all across North Texas. If the Lord is calling us to glorify Him by connecting, abiding, and extending all the time, how do we do that? Parish ministry gives us some structure and context to love the Lord and love our neighbors. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we want to know one another so that we can love one another so that we can share the love of Christ to the people around us. Parish ministry is a strategic way for us to shepherd one another toward connecting, abiding, and extending where the Lord has planted us. It doesn’t replace corporate worship, Sunday Morning Communities, Bible studies, or home groups. Hopefully it supplements and supports these things as we grow in Christ together.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN PARISHES?
OUR FAMILY
It’s impossible to count all the calls, connections, and invitations that have happened through parish ministry. But we’re grateful to God for the relationships that are forming. We’ve experienced the joy of discovering that our brothers and sisters in Christ live close (and in one case next door). We’ve had opportunities to walk with one another through joy and pain and sickness and grief. The Lord is at work! Our members in Oak Cliff have come together a number of times to get to know one another and to enjoy fellowship. During one of these times, someone asked, “Beyond getting together to shoot the breeze, what are we going to do? What can we do to get out and try to be a light?” We are ambassadors for Christ, and the Lord has given each of us a mission field. We’re encouraged to see people looking for ways to serve their neighbors.
BIRTHS
A parish makes the big church smaller as we seek to live as Christ’s people in the places where He has called us. In Northwest Dallas one couple hosted a dinner for members of their parish, but they also invited all their neighbors who lived within a three or four block radius. The power of personal invitation was obvious when over 70 people showed up for dinner. In this busy, disconnected world, we have the opportunity to create spaces where people can connect with us, with one another, and ultimately, with Christ. A number of home groups formed and thrived in parishes during the pandemic. In the midst of all the isolation, people were desperate for God’s Word and fellowship. Men and women came together for prayer and Bible study, and they carried one another’s burdens during an extraordinary season. Many of the neighbors who joined these groups are now either visiting or pursuing membership at our church. Because our neighbors see us so often, our influence is disproportionately great where we live. What an opportunity to extend the love of Christ and invite people to be part of our church family!
• Imogen Wenzel, daughter of Matt & Ashley Wenzel (White Rock Parish) on July 13, 2021. MARRIAGES
• Virginia Barclay Hawkins & Victor Isaac Boutros on July 10, 2021. SYMPATHIES
• Doug & Myrna Dunn (Lakewood Parish) on the loss of their granddaughter, Eden Kathleen Bond, on June 30, 2021. • Charlotte Medley (Oak Lawn Design District Parish) on the loss of her uncle, Dr. R. Curtis Morris, on July 9, 2021.
HOW CAN WE BE INVOLVED?
We have Elders and Deacons and other members of our church serving on parish teams in different neighborhoods. While these teams provide some organization and leadership, our goal is that we would all own this together. As of early July, we have organized 18 parishes, which reach more than 75% of our church membership. The average parish has around 80 member households (and 200 people living in those households). What might the Lord do if even half of those people came together to love one another and serve their neighbors? We encourage you to talk with the Elders and other members of your parish team and move forward together. There are still five or six neighborhoods or bigger regions where we have yet to organize a parish ministry. In these places, our members are more spread out, and we may not have a resident Elder. There are questions to answer, but we still want to help people connect if possible. We look forward to talking to our members who are excited to organize something where they live. Last but not least, we encourage you to pray. Pray for our Elders and parish teams as they grow into this new way of shepherding our people. Pray for our members, that the Lord would stir us up to connect, abide, and extend for His glory. Pray for our neighbors, that they would see something beautiful in our life together; and pray that the Lord would use that to draw them closer to Himself.
general fund
budget
2021/2022 operating budget July 1, 2021—July 18, 2021 budget July 1, 2020—July 18, 2021 giving Budget Variance
$14,200,000 $565,679 $550,752 –$14,927