Praying for Missions Partners in Lebanon

On Sunday, October 6, we highlighted the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where our Global Missions Partner, Marwan Aboul-Zelof, and his family live. Marwan helped plant City Bible Church, an English-speaking church in the heart of Beirut, Lebanon. As the conflict rages around them, we are calling our community to pray for Marwan, his family, their church, and peace in Lebanon.

Below you will find a resource guide to pray through, in addition to other ways to engage. Please lift up our brother Marwan and pray for safety, protection, and peace.

Pray & Engage

Prayer Resource: Prayer & Lament for Lebanon

View & Download Guide

October 1 Podcast with Marwan

Marwan recently was a guest on The Check-in Podcast by the Telos Channel. In the episode linked below, he shares more on the conflict, additional ways to pray, and more context into what is happening in Lebanon.

On Spotify:

On Apple Podcasts:

For the Nations CCB Group

Stay up-to-date on Marwan, City Bible Church and our other Missions Partners by joining the For the Nations Group on CCB.

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Serving with the Park Kids Team

This past Sunday, September 22, Gary gave an announcement about serving on the Park Kids Team. We’ve set a goal of adding 40 Park Kids Team members to be prepared for the fall. Use the video linked above to learn why this Team matters so much to our church family.

New to Park Church and our Teams? The Park Kids Team is a community that grows as leaders and helps establish the next generation of believers. To join us in the communal joy of showing kids the Gospel, learn more and apply using the button below.

Learn More & Apply

Psalm 150—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Whitney Grimm

Hi.

It’s not about the finished design, but the journey along the way.

I’m a Colorado native who loves the outdoors and the city. I moved away in 2012 to explore the world around me. I’ve worked in fashion most of my life living in Los Angeles, CA, and Austin, TX, and now back in Denver, CO. In each place, I’ve learned new skills, while refining others, and met awesome and interesting people who mentored and challenged me to push myself artistically, which in turn helped me discover a passion; creating visual stories for audiences through different mediums like print or digital materials and fine art.

Character is everything.

This industry is about building relationships; with clients, other designers, the world around me, and myself; trust plays a big role in that. I want my clients and other designers to trust my vision and me as a designer. I’m perceptive, detail-oriented, a communicator, a learner, a collaborator, an encourager, empathetic, silly, and most of all a problem solver.

My design process is the whole process.

While traveling and exploring keeps my heart alive, giving me perspective on the world around me to better connect my designs to that audience, my husband Jonathan, is one of my biggest supporters and encouragers. My art ranges from painting using acrylics, plaster, putty, and other found materials to graphic design.

Piece: Mixed Media

When I read Psalm 150 I saw a similar image to the one I created, and the last verse “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” This image encompasses just that. From the fine line thread size and detail to the specific colors used to the natural elements, and letting the natural wood show through. God is all and in all, natural and man-made.

I had so much fun making this piece.

When I start a new art project I usually pull from my deep, heavy, and sad emotions, but this time I felt God asking me to draw from the joy and zest for life I’ve been feeling and experiencing. Not everything has to be made from a dark place. I think the piece speaks for itself, but ultimately I hope it speaks in whatever way you allow.

Psalm 149—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Allee Nesbitt

I’m Allee, I do creative direction, design, and branding for an urban planning company based out of San Francisco, CA. I have been attending Park Church since 2016. Park is where I met my husband and we have a little guy named Levi!

Piece: Digital Illustration

Psalm 149 is a depiction of genuine, joyful praise for our Creator. It reveals the triumphant present-future reality that is ours in Christ: all things will surely be made new. I wanted this art to display human hands in full, authentic worship – without any reservations due to fear or shame. Simply, each posture offers its own song in response to the intimacy, mystery, and glory of God. The hands are drawn with an outline in red depicting the blood of Christ which purchased us.

When I first picked this Psalm, I was intimidated by the juxtaposition of the joy-filled people mixed with the harsh reality of justice being served. It’s a topic my heart always has wrestled with being a follower of Christ and I have had to submit my flawed human view of justice over to God many many times. When designing this art, I wanted to focus on the joy it will feel to be freely in worship one day, without any doubt holding me back from true authenticity.

Psalm 148—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Olivia McCloud

My name is Olivia, and I’m a Colorado Native and artist! I’ve been drawing since I was a kid and am so honored that Park has provided such a creative outlet to integrate artists into the church experience.

Piece: Gouache on Board

This is gouache on board. Gouache is essentially a more opaque version of watercolor that allows you to really layer and build up color. It is my preferred media because it lets me use a variety of techniques and create multiple textures!

The Doxology is one of my favorite pieces of church liturgy, so reading Psalm 148 I immediately felt a familiar pull towards it. The concept of every part of creation being called to celebrate the power of Christ has the ability to make you feel important and insignificant all at once. Every aspect of creation was lovingly formed by a powerful God, and we are a valued piece of that.

I wanted to capture the vastness of creation, as well as the minute details that we are also made up of. From mountains and seas, to galaxies and the human body; we are a valued part of the divine creation of Christ.

Jason Procopio Update: July 2024

On Sunday, July 21, one of our longest-standing global missions partners was able to join us in person. Jason Procopio and his family have been faithfully serving and planting churches in the heart of Paris, France for more than ten years. Jason updated us on Église Connexion, their exciting, missional growth as a church, and their current opportunity to secure a permanent location in the middle of Paris.

Watch the video above to learn more!

Psalm 147—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Alison Harshberger

Hey, I’m Alison! I do product marketing and graphic design and live in Denver, CO with my pup, Nala. I studied marketing and graphic design in college and fell in love with digital art and design.

Piece: Digital Illustration

This piece is a Digital illustration made on Procreate (shout out to the iPad and the Apple Pencil).

Psalm 147 has some iconic verses that speak to the vastness of God’s glory. I started this piece inspired by the imagery of space and the cosmos, but changed direction mid way through. I ended up incorporating the stars with one of my favorite pieces of symbolism and my favorite things to draw, a twisted tree trunk. For me, the tree trunk is a representation of God’s faithfulness and his character, with beautifully hidden mysteries throughout and steadiness that endures all seasons.

Psalm 145—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Kenzie Jones

My name is Kenzie Jones. Wife to Collin. Mom to two littles (plus one more on the way). Stay at home mom. Aspiring flower farmer. Former occupational therapist. Beginner watercolor artist.

Piece: Digital Illustration

This piece is mixed media, including watercolor, oil paint and oil pastels, and one piece of medical oxygen tape.

I’ve always been drawn to the themes of topography in scripture. In fact, the theme of gardens, God as the great gardener in John 15, and Mary mistaking the resurrected Jesus for a gardener is why we chose to name our oldest daughter, Eden. My soul stirs as I consider how rocks cry out (Luke 19:40) or all creation groans, (Romans 8:22), or the heavens pour forth speech and reveal knowledge day after day (Psalm 19). While reflecting on Psalm 145, I couldn’t shake the two juxtaposed themes of God’s splendor, glory, majesty, greatness next to his tender care, kindness, and sheer goodness.

To me, summers in Colorado pour forth speech. The mountains to me speak of Gods greatness and power and glory, and yet the wildflowers of the field that He clothes speak of his kindness and tender care. His greatness and his goodness know no match. I aimed to place the landscape and the flower study side by side as a representation of these two beautiful truths. He is incomprehensibly glorious and he is intimately good. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 144—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Person: Bruce Butler

I’m Bruce and I’ve been at Park for almost 12 years. I’m married to Jamie Rosenberry, we have one little tike, Joan, who is almost 2. I’ve been a Graphic Designer for about 12 years, formerly freelancing as Wise Bison, and now working full time at The Fire and Smoke Society, a yummy spice and sauce company. I also play guitar for Park and my two bands, Last Ditch and Our Violet Room. Recently, I also became a co-manager for Victory House, a sober living home within Providence Network. Cooking for friends and family is as a beloved hobby.

Piece: Digital Illustration

I chose Psalm 144, a humbling psalm that juxtaposes the unimaginable power of God and the weakness of man. With verses 3-4 saying “Lord, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them? They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow,” we are reminded of our own mortality and the humility God shows in even caring for us.

With the tone of the Psalm being battle, awe, and a very blunt take on the humanity’s place with God, I decided to do a more literal version with the artwork. These verses had such blatant imagery, I chose to try to portray this:

“Part your heavens, Lord, and come down;
touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy;
shoot your arrows and rout them.
Reach down your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters,
from the hands of foreigners
whose mouths are full of lies,
whose right hands are deceitful.”

I chose black and white and combined stippling and shading inspired by the wood engravings of Gustave Dore.

While controversial, artificial intelligence is undeniably permeating the art world. While I don’t agree with every use of it, I do think it can be a useful tool. Where I usually source imagery to work with from elsewhere, I decided to enlist the help of Midjourney. I began with an image of mountains in a storm and a separate image of the hand reaching through clouds. Using Photoshop and Procreate, I added hand drawn elements and several attempts to create a unique texture that helped blend the picture into one cohesive, heavily textured image.

A Word From Author Jonathan Holmes on This Year’s Men’s Retreat

A quick invitation from the speaker for this year’s Men’s Retreat, author Jonathan Holmes…
Our annual Men’s Retreat is a core time for growth, laughs, and dedicated time as a community. Over the years, we’ve seen embarrassing wiffle ball errors, outstanding mountain cycling, decent fly-fishing results, and a confusing amount of spikeball. But more than that, we’ve seen new friendships sprout, old friendship refreshed, and community deepen. This year is all about friendship (though spikeball will still be available).

 

Men’s Retreat 2024: Forming Friendship

Friday–Sunday, August 9–11 • YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, CO • $200 (Scholarships Available)

Learn More & Register