Holiday Missions Partner Highlight: Save Our Youth

As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our neighbor through the joys of life and through its pains. We are called to be there in times of righteousness and in times of injustice. During this holiday season, we’re inviting our community to engage with and care for our neighbors by actively participating anew with one of our Mission Partners. We will share about several of these partners in our weekly email over the upcoming month, including specific ways to serve.

Save Our Youth

Mission and Action:

Save our Youth provides one-to-one mentorship as a pathway to help young people overcome adverse experiences and learn to embrace hope: the belief that they can have something better than they have now and that they have a role to play in making it better. Save Our Youth is currently celebrating 30 years of connecting youth to hope!

Who is Served?

Save Our Youth most commonly serves young people ages 10–7.

Why Is This Work Important

Frederick Douglass once said, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” When young people are led and encouraged to pursue their dreams, there is a higher probability that they will achieve those dreams, no matter what background they first came from.

How Can You Give?

To give to the mission, visit Save Our Youth’s giving page.

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Holiday Missions Partner Highlight: Denver Rescue Mission

As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our neighbor through the joys of life and through its pains. We are called to be there in times of righteousness and in times of injustice. During this holiday season, we’re inviting our community to engage with and care for our neighbors by actively participating anew with one of our Mission Partners. We will share about several of these partners in our weekly email over the upcoming month, including specific ways to serve.

Denver Rescue Mission

Mission and Action:

Denver Rescue Mission is committed to helping those experiencing homelessness and addiction in the Denver Metro Area and providing opportunities for change and rehabilitation. DRM serves our city by providing emergency housing services, rehabilitation, housing transition, and continued community outreach.

Who is Served?

Denver Rescue Mission serves those experiencing homelessness and addiction in our city.

Why Is This Work Important

Approximately 9977 people experience homelessness in Denver. 71% of these individuals rely on organizations like Denver Rescue Mission for temporary places to stay safe amidst nights and the weather. (Source: Metro Denver Homeless Initiative). Learn more about the realities of Homelessness in Denver here.

How Can You Serve?

While there are many ways to serve, here are a couple of good starting places for individuals and groups:

How Can You Give?

To give to the mission, visit Denver Rescue Mission’s giving page.

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Ministry Partner Highlight: Scarlet Hope

This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to hear from Cassidy, the Director of Scarlet Hope Denver, about the work they do in Denver. If you missed her invitation to action and partnership, you can re-watch her announcement above.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to love our neighbor through the joys of life and through its pains. We are called to be there in times of righteousness and in times of injustice. At Park Church, we encourage everyone who calls Park home to live this mission. As always, we are inviting our community to participate, loving and serving our neighbors by getting involved with one of our Missions Partners. Scarlet Hope is a great example of this kind of opportunity!

Mission and Action:
Scarlet Hope seeks to love and serve those who are in the adult entertainment industry and to share Jesus with those who are exploited and trafficked.

Who is Served:
Scarlet Hope serves those in the adult entertainment industry and often connects with and serves those who are being trafficked.

Why is it Important:
There are 65+ adult entertainment establishments in Denver. Colorado is ranked 15th in the U.S. for highest volume of signals to made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Learn more about trafficking and exploitation in Denver. (Source Scarlet Hope).

Ways to Serve:
There are opportunities to serve with Scarlet Hope’s Outreach (going into clubs to share Jesus and care for the women there) or by providing meals taken to the clubs.

Give:
You can give by visiting Scarlet Hope’s website.

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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.

Join CCB Group
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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!

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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.
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Work + Worship

In Partnership with Denver Institute for Faith & Work • From Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Many Christians today feel an aching divide between their worshipping life on Sunday and their working life on Monday. Sunday worship is often viewed as an escape from a busy week of work in the office, the classroom, and the home. But what if that’s not the way God intended it to be? What if God designed human beings to live integrated lives–to carry the cares and concerns of our daily work into his sanctuary in an act of worship. What if we could experience the gospel in new and transformative ways by bringing our work and worship together?

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Providence Network Toy Drive: The Results

For the past 2 years, Park Church members have given generously to Providence Network’s Mr. HUG’s Christmas Store through the purchase of new, unwrapped gifts. This year Park Church gave 189 gifts of clothing, family games, toys and sports equipment/gear … valued at over $2,800!

Providence Network is a Christian, urban, transformational housing organization that helps men, women and families heal from poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and addictions to become self-sufficient, productive members of our community. They serve over 150 men, women and children annually in our four homes: two FirstStep homes, and two NextStep apartment communities. Click here to visit their website.

Mr. HUG’s stands for “Hand Up Giving” as our Christmas store gives the residents the empowering opportunity to shop for NEW gifts for loved ones at greatly reduced prices, then donate those proceeds to another charity of their choice. Gifts are sold to our residents for: 3 for $1.00 or $3.00 (the highest price). ALL proceeds go to other Christian charities.

Through the 2014 Mr. HUG’s Christmas Store, the residents gave over $900 to other Christian charities! These gifts helped charities that proclaim the Gospel to underserved communities, give job opportunities to homeless youth and young adults, and on-the-job training for individuals overcoming poverty, homelessness, addictions and domestic violence.

Over 100 Providence Network residents (men, women and children) attended Mr. HUG’s Christmas! While their gifts were being wrapped, residents and their families mingled with friends over specialty coffee drinks and hot chocolate, hot bowls of soup and chili, and Christmas cookies … while surrounded by beautiful Christmas decorations, inspiring music and a visit with Mr. HUG’s! All of these services are provided to the residents and guests free of charge.

Several Park Church members volunteered and attended the Mr. HUG’s Christmas event on Sunday, December 7th! We estimated that between 350-400 people … volunteers, residents, families and friends … celebrated with us!

“We are extremely grateful for the partnership, love and support that we have with the Park Church family!” – Providence Network

in Blog • James Lepine • Ministry Partners • Partner Highlights

Serve Denver Day

On Saturday, August 24th, 2014, we had our first (hopefully annual) Serve Denver Day.

What a blast.

Just under 200 “Park People” showed up to help serve our neighbors in the Highlands.

So, who did we serve, and what did we do?

North High School
-Washed almost every window
-Organized all classrooms
-Cleaned the cafeteria and auditorium

The facilities manager said, “We truly appreciate the service you all provided here at North.”

Skinner Middle School
-Transformed the community “garden”

It truly looked like a jungle when we arrived. Now it’s a pristine vegetable and flower garden that the students can use and enjoy! 

The Highlands
-Cleaned streets and alleys
-Weeded neighbors’ yards
-Hauled toilets and couches off of properties (with permission)

We covered over 30 square blocks in all. One gentleman, when asked if there was anything we could do on the spot, told the group, I think as a joke, that they could weed his whole yard.

And with 30 hands at work, his yard was weed free in 15 minutes.

Parks
-Picked up trash and yard debris
-Cleaned the streets and alleys
-Met neighbors along the way

BBQ Celebration

When we’d finished the above, we celebrated with a BBQ.

Over 20 of our neighbors showed up, and all in all, we fed about 150 people.

One of the coolest parts about the weekend was seeing two of those neighbors, who had never been to Park Church before, walk through the doors on Sunday morning for worship.

We had countless neighbors thank Park Church volunteers for servicing the community in this way and they let us know that they’d like to join Park Church the next time around. 

All glory be to Christ!

in Blog • James Lepine • Ministry Partners