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By confronting us with sobering truths, Ecclesiastes helps deconstruct common ways that humans pursue pleasure and purpose and teaches us to surrender to God in the midst of the complex realities of life. It lays a foundation for a more mature and more reliable path to lasting joy.Hey Park family,
At Park Church, we actively lean into the gathered/scattered dynamic of the church. What does this mean?
Whenever the people of God (that is, the church) come together on a Sunday or in a Gospel Community, we can be understood as the “church gathered,” people gathered to worship God and grow together. As we leave each other’s company and return to our everyday lives, we are no less the people of God. Now we become the “church scattered,” people sent out to our various workplaces, campuses, neighborhoods, families, and other relational networks to image Jesus in how we love God and neighbor through the ways we serve and lead.
Paul assumed a similar framework when he wrote that Jesus gives the church formal leaders “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). In Paul’s day, the moniker “saints” was routinely applied to everyday Christians, those who have been purified—made holy, sanctified—through the body and blood of Jesus. The word for “ministry” here is often translated simply as “service.” We pull this together, and Paul is essentially saying, “Jesus appoints formal leaders in the church to invest their lives into strengthening and equipping other Christians to leverage their everyday lives and work to serve and build up within God’s kingdom.”
Our church family is packed to the brim with women and men wielding their lives and giftedness imaging Jesus in faithful ways for the good of others. With this in mind, we thought it would be fun to highlight a small sliver of them to learn and celebrate how God is at work through His people in the mundane, the profound, and everywhere in between. We hope you’ll also find a nugget of creativity or inspiration for your own pursuit of Jesus.
Where do you spend many of your awake hours?I spend as many waking hours as I can with my family. Jim and I are fortunate to have both of our adult kids just a few miles away, and that means that our two grandkids (Cora, 5 and Archer 2) are close by, too! I teach full-time Kindergarten in Denver Public Schools, challenge myself to read one or two more books than I did the year before, and love to be on my bicycle. Jim and I enjoy traveling and watching foreign films.
I serve on the Barista team—scheduling volunteers and making coffee. Jim and I are also GC coaches; working to encourage and support the GC leaders. I also enjoyed facilitating the women’s book study last summer. Jim and I are grateful for Park Church and the teaching and friendships there.
I love historical fiction, but am reading a fascinating non-fiction book right now called Madame President: The Extraordinary Journey of Ellen Johnson Surleaf.
I listen to the podcast from Proverbs 31 Ministries. I appreciate that Lisa TurKeurst is such a Bible scholar. It is so fun to learn from Lisa and also Jen Wilkin—two women of the Word.
Riding my bike to meet a friend at a coffee shop, taking walks or hikes with Jim and our dog Lola, playing with the grandkids, and trying new restaurants are all things I enjoy doing in my free time.
Where do you spend many of your awake hours?My awake hours are primarily spent at home with my wife Mel and our dog Finn, or at work. I work as a financial planner for Fidelity Investments in Cherry Creek. I spend my spare time playing golf, pickleball, and all the “normal Colorado” things like hiking, camping, skiing in the winter.
Within Park I led a Gospel Community in Lakewood for a few years. Currently I am serving as a Team Lead in Park Kids, a role I have LOVED for the past few years.
First, as a Christian book that I’m reading, I just finished Screwtape Letters. Such a good read on how the devil uses lies and twists truths to attack us. I’m also a huge fantasy nerd, so I’m reading a lot of Brandon Sanderson books currently.
I absolutely love music, so there’s a ton. Mostly I’d say Jake Scott, who has a new album coming out in October and has released a couple of singles recently. “One on the way” is a really great song.
Saturday is Sabbath for my wife and I, which means we do whatever is life-giving for us! It usually starts with “sleeping in” (aka 7am lol) and a slow morning drinking coffee at home. It might include some shopping for Mel, and some golf for me. We love hanging out with friends on Saturdays, having a movie night, or playing some yard games.
Where do you spend many of your awake hours?These days I spend almost all of my waking hours with Karyn, my lovely wife of 33 years. Many of those years were spent raising our four kids and we love to spend as much time as possible with them and our four “bonus kids,” their spouses and fiancés (you probably know Dillon and his wife Jessie)! Since retirement I spend most of my time working in prison ministry, and now recently as a crisis response chaplain. We just returned from a deployment ministering to the hurting people of Florida after hurricane Idalia.
Park Church became our home almost four years ago and we love it here! At first we thought we might be “just a little outside” the age demographic, but we quickly discovered the benefits of intergenerational worship. We love getting together with new friends to mentor and to learn. This spring we hope to be leading a pre-marriage assessment class. When available we serve in Park Kids, clean the sanctuary, and offer communion as well.
Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul Tripp (thanks Jason!). I’ve also been meditating on 2 Peter 3:10—“Since the earth will be destroyed by fire and everything done on it will be exposed… what kind of people ought you to be?” (my paraphrase). It is my deep desire to live as God made me… not as the world and my own nature have distorted me. Being an instrument of God means loving and serving others as you look forward to the Day of the Lord, a new heaven and new earth, our future home of righteousness!
I have also read to Karyn every night for the last 20 some years. We love James Harriot and are currently enjoying Every Living Thing. (I know… that’s adorable!)
I think David Crowder is an absolutely brilliant lyricist, plus he’s a little “back woods” quirky so that makes it fun too. Also, Timothy Kellers’ sermons on podcast can’t be beat (does it seem to anyone else that his messages have become even more profound since he went home to the Lord?). At the gym I confess I mostly revert back to my roots with groups like Dire Straits, Red Hot Chili Peppers (and the occasional MJ… LOL!).
The thing I like the most is doing home projects, our own or someone else’s! Working with my hands and the process of creating something new brings me great joy. Karyn and I have been in our home for so long we’re remodeling the things we’ve already remodeled! When we go out we love dinner downtown and a show at the DCPA. Like most good Coloradoans I enjoy the mountains and everything that entails… fishing, hiking and leaf-peeping!
Where do you spend many of your awake hours?I work for a local non-profit, which I love, so a lot of my 9–5 (and sometimes more) is spent at the office or in the community with folks who support our work. The rest of my time is spent in the Platte Park neighborhood: reading and enjoying time outdoors and/or with friends and family. I have recently resparked my travel bug, so I would have to add that more and more of my time is being spent exploring and enjoying our incredible world.
I serve as both a GC leader and in Park Kids. Currently, I lead the 5’s/Kindergarten classroom during the 9 a.m. service. It’s full of joy! Playing a small role in teaching those kiddos about Jesus and the goodness of God has been a blessing. I also lead a GC in the Wash Park area which has been an awesome way to connect and build community.
I’m currently reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer. I’m a big historical fiction buff and this one has been on my list for a while. It’s lived up to the hype so far!
Our GC just finished reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. Highly recommend it! JMC hosts a podcast called This Cultural Moment all about following Jesus in a secular world. I’ve only listened to a few episodes thus far but have felt both seen and convicted.
I traveled a lot this summer and have been loving my weekends in town this fall. They usually start slow reading in bed, an amazing homemade brunch with all the fixings, a bike ride or walk in Wash Park, getting together with friends or family for happy hour or dinner. The best part has been allowing for free time and space to see where the day takes me! Although, “ideally” nothing beats a trip to the mountains for the day!
Where do you spend many of your awake hours?When I’m not working at Park, I can either be found out trying a new restaurant, doing something musical (writing songs, producing music, just playing an instrument), going out to concerts, reading, or playing board games with my closest friends. More sparingly I love to travel and experience new places, and do anything outdoors, especially visiting National Parks.
I serve in a couple of ways. I work at Park as the Office Coordinator helping with what feels like a bit of everything. Anything simple from keeping everything stocked, to leading different Sunday teams, to helping get all the logistics dialed in for an event. I also lead a Gospel Community with some close friends. You can also find me on stage a lot playing electric guitar, bass, or keys!
I was recommended a book by my counselor called No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz. The basic premise of the book is this idea that our minds have what are called “sub-minds.” That there are different parts of us internally that make up an internal family system. These different sub minds can be things that are tied to past trauma or wounds that seep out in our present day life. I’m just starting it so I don’t know if I would recommend it yet, but the premise is definitely fascinating to me. I love the intersection of psychology and faith. The way God wired us is astounding and any way that draws me closer to understanding a small piece of His design is beautiful and draws me in.
As a musician I love anything musical. This past week I went to two concerts on back-to-back nights. One of the headliners was The Band Camino, one of my favorite artists, and one of my currently most played. I would also love to plug Joel’s project Verses. Not just because I got to write/record for a couple of their new releases, but mainly because I love his approach to songwriting and collaboration centered around the Scriptures. When I need to recenter myself I’ve often gone to a playlist I made of some of my favorite songs from different artists associated with Verses. Check Verses out if you haven’t already!
I would love to say that it would be centered around a hike, or something active like a pickup game of Soccer, or going to a climbing gym. The truth is, a lot of times my Saturdays are more low-key cause my weekdays are pretty packed out. I leave them open to have the option for rest or for last-minute plans with friends. As mentioned above, something fun like a concert, a new restaurant, or board games would always be welcome on ideal Saturdays, but having the space to travel and explore would be much desired.
Where do you spend many of your awake hours?Most of my awake (and asleep, I suppose!) hours are spent in and around my house—I both work mostly from home and have a 10-week-old son, so the house is very much my “home base.” I am also a real estate agent, so I do get out to meetings at the office, as well as to look at homes and be invested in my neighborhood. Though some of the neighborhood presence is for “work,” it’s also a space where we’ve seen a lot of relationships flourish recently which I am trying to be diligent to cultivate. My husband and I have been married for three and a half years, and we finished remodeling our home just before the baby arrived, so I’m also especially keen on enjoying the fruits of all that labor these days by having friends and family over consistently (plus it keeps me sane in these early days of new parenthood!).
Over the years at Park I have led a GC, facilitated Thursday Morning Prayer, given (and now received—thanks to so many of you!) Hospitality Meals, been part of the worship team, coordinated the Easter Choir, and I am on the Advocacy Team for the Pachecos who serve in Mexico City. A few of you may recognize me as the redheaded Spanish speaker/translator thanks to some of their visits to Park!
Though I’ve been careful throughout pregnancy and early parenthood not to feel obligated to read a million things or know everything (there’s WAY too much to know and it’s overwhelming enough without adding in that pressure), several friends recommended Bringing Up Bébé as an interesting and fun read about raising kiddos. It’s more of a memoir than a “parenting book,” which is what convinced me to dive into it, in which the author mostly contrasts French/Parisian parenting with American parenting. I love different cultures and learning from the ways others do things, so it’s been fascinating and informative! Good news is the French don’t have it figured out either, but there are plenty of things they do well and some critiques of American parenting that have made me laugh-out-loud (keep in mind, I mostly read it on my kindle as I feed Gideon in the middle of the night, so a good laugh truly is like medicine in those moments!).
Nothing came immediately to mind when I read this question, but a song that’s come up a lot recently is “Time” by John Lucas. It aligns well with our Ecclesiastes study as well keeping the ups and downs of the infant stage in perspective. But most recently the verse about death hit a deep chord in my soul. It says: “Sometimes death will come calling, when you’ve been good and warned. And other times, its cold hands will cradle dreams yet to be born. There is a time to dance on sorrow and a time to kiss her cheek; there is a time to mourn in silence, but justice aches to hear you speak.” And then the chorus goes: “I don’t know the end or tomorrow’s story, but I have found the one who gives me rest. And I will make my bed in his promises, for he holds true when nothing’s left.” These words have challenged and ministered to my heart in the midst of a lot of grief last month.
My ideal Saturday starts with a good night’s sleep (I haven’t had one of those for… 10 weeks or so) and coffee either made by my husband or a latte from Convivio. Then I’d head up to the mountains in an ideal world where there’s no traffic to plan around—in Fall to hike and take in all the high-altitude air-mixed-with-leaf smells, in Winter to ski, and in Summer to camp and do a 14er or two, or to do a long bike ride. Then we’d have dinner and a good drink (what type also depends on the season!) with friends. The most ideal thing is to fall asleep in camp where the air renews my spirit, the only sounds are a river running nearby and maybe a light breeze moving the pines, and I can look up at the stars until my eyes close.
The Advent season begins on Sunday, December 3. This year we’ll look at the themes of aching and hope from the minor prophets (“The Book of the Twelve”).
God has promised to bring justice to an unjust world, He has promised to bring freedom to a captive world, He has promised to make a home for a homesick world, and He’s promised to do all this through a Savior King. As the prophets helped the people of Israel prepare and wait for the Messiah to appear, they likewise teach us how to stand in the gap between the first coming of Christ and His future return when all these promises are ultimately fulfilled. Join us in prayer that, in this season, we will learn how to let the aching of our present age increase our hope in Christ and His future return.
There are a couple quick wins to highlight with you all. First off, as many of you saw in the Member BBQ handout, we finished our fiscal year in a financially healthy place.
| Total Income | Total Expenses | Surplus | |
| ’22–’23 Actual: | $2,453,153 | $2,324,577 | +$128,576 |
| ’23–’24 Budgeted: | $2,602,650 | $2,573,405 | +$29,245 |
Thank you for a sustained generosity that is uncommon in our broader culture. We are committed to stewarding the resources God provides in ways that reflect His heart and posture of integrity, wisdom, generosity, and fruitfulness.
Secondly, I want to announce our new Park Church Finance Team! Luke McCaslin, Carly Anne Lovett, and Stuart Harrison have joined Nick Wolverton (lay elder), John Petterson (Director of Operations), and myself in discerning our church’s budget, determining salary bands, setting financial controls, and serving as a sounding board on other financial matters. (We will continue our partnership with Bright & Associates as our outsourced accountants.) Please thank them for their willingness to assist us in investing and leveraging the church’s resources wisely.
We are currently praying and processing plans to make our building more accessible (including an elevator) and responsive to our growing Park Kids and Park Students ministries. We’ll share more at the November family meeting! For now, would you begin asking God to provide financially and consider what your own investment may be toward these near-future projects? Thank you for being a church family that shoulders our mission together!
Lastly, please plan to join us for our next Family Meeting! At Family Meetings, Covenant Members of Park Church gather to look back on God’s kindness, get updates on where we are now, and look forward to what God will do in the months and years to come. We’ll also spend time in our Shepherding Regions (learn more here if that’s new to you) interacting and praying together.
This meeting happens on Sunday, November 5 from 5–7pm. Doors open at 4:30pm if you want to start eating and socializing early. Dinner and childcare are provided! Please RSVP here by Wednesday, November 1.
With love and gratitude,
Neil Long
Executive Pastor
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
By confronting us with sobering truths, Ecclesiastes helps deconstruct common ways that humans pursue pleasure and purpose and teaches us to surrender to God in the midst of the complex realities of life. It lays a foundation for a more mature and more reliable path to lasting joy.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
By confronting us with sobering truths, Ecclesiastes helps deconstruct common ways that humans pursue pleasure and purpose and teaches us to surrender to God in the midst of the complex realities of life. It lays a foundation for a more mature and more reliable path to lasting joy.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
By confronting us with sobering truths, Ecclesiastes helps deconstruct common ways that humans pursue pleasure and purpose and teaches us to surrender to God in the midst of the complex realities of life. It lays a foundation for a more mature and more reliable path to lasting joy.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
By confronting us with sobering truths, Ecclesiastes helps deconstruct common ways that humans pursue pleasure and purpose and teaches us to surrender to God in the midst of the complex realities of life. It lays a foundation for a more mature and more reliable path to lasting joy.