Brooke Frazier on Parenting Safe Children

A word from a Park Church parent and leader on why to consider joining us for Parenting Safe Children, a one-day workshop to train parents and those who work with kids in how to prevent the sexual abuse of children in our homes and church.

 

Parenting Safe Children Seminar

Sunday, January 27 • 9am–3pm

RSVP Now

World Vision Impact Update: 2023

On Sunday, January 14, we were joined by Dave Wagner from World Vision for an update on Park Church’s impact through World Vision in 2023 (including our Colfax Marathon team!). If you missed that, use the video above! To keep up with World Vision’s ongoing work in Morungatuny, Uganda, bookmark this page.

2024 Colfax Marathon Team

We’re running for World Vision again on May 19, 2024. To learn more or to sign up to join us, click here!

Christmas Day Devotional Guide

As you celebrate today, we wanted to share a few tools for individual or family worship. Everyone observes this day differently—fit as much or as little of this into your day as you’d like!

Read or Watch

Luke 2:1–20

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
(ESV)

KIDS: Jesus Storybook Bible Christmas Story

Pray

“Celebrating Together on Christmas Morning” from “Words for Winter” by the Austin Stone

LEADER/PARENT:
Wonder upon wonder, Christmas morning is here:
tree trimmed, decorated, and gifts in tow.
We gather together, anticipating delights and traditions,
preparing our hearts to both give and receive.
Let the symbols and celebration of Christmas morning-exchanging gifts,
opening stockings, and reading about Santa-
turn our heads and hearts to the better story of Jesus birth and eminent reign.

PEOPLE/OTHERS:
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

LEADER:
We give to each other with generosity,
like the bishop Saint Nicolas did to the poor and needy.
For we were once poor and needy,
but now are rich in faith and heirs to God’s kingdom.
Because God sent Jesus, born of woman, born under the law,
so our status as poor and needy orphans might change to righteous, adopted children.

PEOPLE:
We love each other in generosity because You first loved us.
For the Lord takes thought of us.
You are our Help and our Deliverer, O Lord.
Your generosity toward us
is abundant and immeasurable.

LEADER:
We recount the nativity and remember with all the saints
how from the foundation of the world,
You, O Lord, have been weaving a glorious story, reconciling a people to Yourself:
how Mary and Joseph trusted You,
how the angels declared the good news to the shepherds,
and how the wise men brought gifts to Jesus, because He is King and worthy of worship.

PEOPLE:
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given.
His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation,
and His kingdom will know no end.

LEADER:
He is calling a people to Himself,
from every tribe, tongue, and nation,
and while we celebrate His kingship around a Christmas tree this morning,
we will celebrate with final rejoicing around His throne when He returns again.

PEOPLE:
So, until we see Him face to face, we will give thanks to the God of Heaven,
for His steadfast love endures forever.

ALL:
Amen.

Sing

Pick a Christmas song or two from this playlist to sing through as a family, or just listen through in the background.

Prayer: Asking Through Scripture

When we ask things of God in prayer, praying with and through God’s Word helps us be in line with God’s will. Though in some traditions it appears “fake” to have a written prayer that isn’t “straight from the heart,” many Biblical examples of petitions before God show careful structure and deliberate thought. While God certainly hears our prayer whether we speak stream-of-consciousness or take the time to write our prayer, pleading our case with more intentionality, using patterns of prayer from Scripture can guide our thoughts and instruct us toward a healthy posture before God.

With the work of Rebecca Olsen from our Storytelling Team, we’ve created a guide for anyone who would like a resource for writing their own prayers of petition from Scripture. Additionally, we’ve written and collected similar prayers from members of our community, demonstrating from our own stories how Scripture can guide us in our asking, from the biggest requests to our everyday sustenance.

Download Guide (PDF)

Scriptural Prayers of Petition from our Community

Madelyn St Clair: On Homelessness

Psalm 91, 136; Matthew 10

Sovereign God, would You save Your people living in the streets?
Keep the darkness from surrounding them,
We beg for Your light to shine through

Hear our prayer Lord
See Your people

Would Your people know You love them:
You’ve numbered all the hairs on their head
Your steadfast love endures forever

They have a home in You
Would that feel true

Your Word says we will not fear the terror of the night
For we are hidden under the shadow of Your wing.
Would we find refuge in that?

Lord, do what only You can do
Would You shelter them
Would You save them
Would You bring them into Your family?
You’re the only one who can

Father of orphans, Prince of peace, God With Us,
You are our Sovereign God and Sovereign over this too.

Rebecca Olson: For a Friend in Perpetual Seasons of Challenge

Luke 9

Father, my heart breaks for my friend who has experienced so many difficult seasons. It seems she never gets a break from one great sorrow or stress to the next. Like the man in Luke 9, I ask that all of her hardship would be for the purpose of displaying your works in her life. May her life shine brilliantly with the goodness of your hand guiding her in her hardships.

Rebecca Olson: General Asking from the Lord’s Prayer and High Priestly Prayer

Matthew 6, John 17

Our Father in heaven, we praise your holy name. You, in your kindness and goodness, have taught us to pray in this way, and so today we ask that your kingdom come, and your will be done on earth, amongst Park Church, as it is in heaven.

Lord, just as Jesus prayed for us, we pray that we would know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent, that by knowing this we would glorify you for all eternity.

Oh Father, but yet for a little while we are still in this world, and we ask for your protection. Protect us by the power of your name so that we might be one. The evil one comes to steal and kill and destroy, and we need your protection. Save us from lies that steal our joy, kill our hope, and destroy our love for one another. Teach us more of your word, which is truth, and make us holy, set apart for you through that Truth.

Father, give us our daily bread. We have nowhere else to go for our daily bread, for you are our bread of life. Give us everything we need for today; patience in traffic, gentleness with our loved ones, peace about the week to come, and self-control tonight when we’ve allowed our exhaustion to weaken our reserve to get to bed on time.

Forgive us our debts, the things we have done and the things we have left undone. As we remember the grace we have received from you, remind us to give grace generously to those around us, even to those who have sinned against us.

Father, we are but little children, so please deliver us from temptations and crippling doubt. We want to be known in our homes, our church, and our community for our love that comes straight from you.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Gary McQuinn: Petition for Unity in the Body of Christ

John 17, Matthew 6, Ephesians 4

Father, Son, Spirit. One God in three Persons. You exist in perfect Unity. You’ve created us to reflect Your communal love and harmonious unity in diversity. But in sin and selfishness we are prone to divisions.

Jesus, You laid down Your life to show us love and to bind us together in covenant love. You said the world will know that we are Your disciples by our love for one another. And You said that our oneness would help the world know that You were sent by the Father to restore the kingdom.

Help our church to be one. Even as You and the Father are one. (John 17)

Deliver us from the evil one; his schemes and his designs to divide and destroy what You are building. (Matthew 6)

Help us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4)


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Prayer: A Liturgy of Rejoicing

Although there is so much to rejoice in together, we chose a handful of truths and stories from our community that cause us to remember characteristics of God. We celebrated with this call-and-response liturgy, led by Kira Lang from our Storytelling team.


Leader:
For the colors, climate, mountains, and meadows of our state all declaring the handiwork of God, for the rain this summer, and the opportunity to see the bounty of flowers and plants in our backyards.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s delight in beauty!

Leader:
For the many groups at Park Church that focus on loving and sharing the Gospel with their communities:

For the numerous volunteer leaders at Park Kids, Park Students, and Park College who enthusiastically give to the next generation, bearing the image of God in love.

For the 16 people this spring who joined Alpha—a safe space to discuss what it means to follow Jesus—wherein two made decisions to follow Him. For the GCs and individuals who supported Alpha though providing meals and more.

For the consistency and support MomLife has provided in serving the moms of our church and our neighborhoods, and for the selfless and passionate moms who have made MomLife happen.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s pursuit of people He loves through volunteer leaders in our community!

Leader:
Because, after many years of prayer and faithful work, last Sunday the Bartol family celebrated the first gathering their long-dreamt church plant in Olomouc, in the Czech Republic, which is the only country in Europe where the majority of people identify as non-religious.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s pursuit of people He loves through missionaries abroad!

Leader:
Because a member of our congregation who came to know Jesus several years ago has now had the opportunity and support systems to walk with his brother as he’s turned from drug addiction, causing a chain reaction in their family.

Congregation:
We rejoice in God’s rescuing love, both for this family and for each of us who are in Christ!

Prayer: How Do You Pause? Why Do You Pause?

On Sunday, August 13, we began a mini-series on prayer. Although there is no “right” way to structure a prayer time, we’re using the helpful acrostic P.R.A.Y. (Pray, Rejoice, Ask, Yield) as a sort of framework throughout the series. Our first stop is “pause”—the act of creating space to give attention to the presence of God.

Before we discussed this practice in service, we asked you how and/or why you choose to pause. Special thanks to Steve Vanderheide for his videography!

Park Students Mission Recap 2023

On Sunday, April 23, we shared a video recap of Park Students’ mission trip in March. If you missed it, click above to watch! To learn more about what we’re doing in Park Students and to get involved, you can click here.

World Vision Impact Update: 2022

On Sunday, February 19, Dave Wagner from World Vision gave us a fun update on our impact in 2022 through Chosen and Team World Vision. If you missed that, use the video above! To keep up with World Vision’s ongoing work in Morungatuny, Uganda, bookmark this page. To sponsor another child or sign up to be chosen for the first time, you can get started here.