Upcoming Events
October 8 | Men’s Social at Taroko
October 18 | School of Theology Beings
October 25 | High School Social + Junior Leader Serving
November 1 | Starting Poing
November 5 | Foster Adopt Informational Zoom
November 7 | Fall Blueprint Service Project
November 8 | Kid Dedications
A Message From Scott
Dear Park Family,
This week I want to talk with you about small groups at The Park. Before I get to the how, I need to tell you why, because I’ll say it plainly: I’m concerned for us. Not for The Park as an organization, but for us as people trying to follow Jesus.
When COVID hit, we learned to do church through a screen, and in that season it was a gift. But somewhere along the way, many of us were quietly convinced that a sermon on our phone and a few good podcasts on the commute could form us into the likeness of Christ. They can’t. Good content can inform us, but it cannot form us. What it often does instead is leave us alone: informed, maybe even inspired, but isolated. It’s a strange kind of slow spiritual death, and the hardest part is that it doesn’t feel like dying. It feels like convenience.
There’s an old story about a pastor who visited a man who had stopped coming to church. They sat by the fireplace without saying much. After a while, the pastor took the tongs, pulled one glowing coal out of the fire, and set it on the hearth by itself. Together they watched it fade and go cold. Then the pastor placed it back among the others, and it caught again. The man said, “I’ll be there Sunday.”
Hebrews says it this way: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another” (Heb. 10:24–25). The writer assumes something we’ve forgotten: you can’t be spurred on by people you never see.
I’m convinced we cannot grow in Christ without three things:
A place to serve. Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and we grow the same way, by giving ourselves away. Consumers don’t mature. Servants do.
Worship across generations. On Sunday mornings, the eighty-year-old and the eight-year-old sing the same songs and hear the same Word. We need people who have walked further than us, and we need young ones who remind us why it matters. A playlist can’t give you that.
A small group. We need a place where we process our faith and our lives together, where someone knows what you’re carrying and asks you about it.
I know that third one personally. I was seventeen when someone invited me into a small group. I wasn’t a follower of Jesus, and I wasn’t looking to become one. But week after week, those people made room for me. They let me ask honest questions, they knew my name, and they noticed when I wasn’t there. A year later, I gave my life to Jesus. I belonged before I believed, and I’m not sure I would have believed if I hadn’t first belonged.
I know what this season is like. Shannon and I raised our boys in this community, and the years full of practices, bedtimes, and packed calendars are exactly the years it’s easiest to drift into watching from the couch. They’re also the years we most need people around us, and the years our kids most need to see us living our faith alongside others.
So here’s my invitation, and I’m making it with some urgency: if you’re not serving and not in a group, this is the season to change that. Here’s how we want to help:
Get connected. There’s a place for you. Explore current groups at theparksa.org/groups, or let us help you find the right fit.
Start a group. If you have a living room, a table, and a few people you’d like to know better, you may be closer to leading a group than you think. We’ll help you think through what it could look like, who to invite, and how to begin.
Resource your group. If you already lead a group, we want to come alongside you with study materials, ideas for your rhythm together, and support when group life gets hard.
Someone pulled a seventeen-year-old kid back toward the fire, and I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life. Come back to the fire. Bring someone with you.
Reach out to Nancy Gaines at nancy@theparksa.org to get connected to a group, and see Fall Serving below to find your place to serve.
With love,Scott
Upcoming Events
Men’s Social
Come hang out tonight at Taroko Sports for a laid-back evening of fellowship and friendly competition. Think you’re better at baseball than Reed Kirksey? Taroko has batting cages, batting simulators, and pitching mounds to prove it once and for all. Not into baseball? No worries, you can still demonstrate your masculinity by competing in darts, mini bowling, or other arcade games. On a budget? Entry is free, and they’ve got big screens, so feel free to just come and hang out and watch some Thursday Night Football with other guys from The Park. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Click here to let us know you’ll be joining us.
Blueprint Fall Service Project
Join us for a morning of blessing our neighbors through a hands-on yard beautification project! While Blueprint’s summer teams focus on critical structural repairs, our goal is to serve homeowners – including families our youth served earlier this year—by helping with landscaping and yard work to further dignify and care for their homes.
This event is open to our entire church family! Whether you’re an experienced gardener or have never picked up a rake, every skill level is needed, and families with children of all ages are welcome to serve side-by-side.
We will kick off our morning together with a light breakfast at Blueprint Ministries, followed by a brief orientation from their executive director. Afterward, we’ll break into teams and head out to our work sites to bless local households.
When: Saturday, November 7 | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Where: Blueprint Ministries
Registration:
Questions? Contact Kevin Tsui at kevin@theparksa.org
Space is limited, so please register early to help us plan teams and projects effectively.
Kid Dedications
Kids Dedication at The Park is a meaningful opportunity for parents to make a commitment to put God first in their home and to trust Him for wisdom and direction as they lead their family and raise their child.It’s also a chance to invite your closest friends, family, and church community into that commitment—to share what matters most to your family and ask them to come alongside you with prayer, encouragement, and support in the years ahead.Our next Kids Dedication ceremony will take place Sunday, November 8, during our Sunday morning service. We would love to celebrate this special moment with you and your family.
School of Theology
School of Theology starts in two weeks, so there’s still time to register to join us for this converation around Hospitality. Hospitality was central to the mission of the early Church, not simply entertaining friends, but welcoming the stranger and caring for those who could not return the favor. This fall, join us for our bi-annual School of Theology as we explore what it means to practice genuine Christian hospitality in a world marked by loneliness, isolation, and need.
Over four weeks of teaching and discussion, we will dive into Scripture, Church history, and the theology of hospitality alongside Christine Pohl’s classic work, Making Room.
When: Sundays, October 18 – November 8, 2026 | 8:30–9:30 AM
Book: We recommend purchasing the 25th Anniversary Edition of Making Room for updated content and a timely afterword. You can also purchase a copy at our Resource Table on Sundays.
Registration & Childcare: Register today here to save your seat and reserve childcare.
Missional Partner Highlight: Foster/Adopt Ministry
Fostering Faith Project
As a church family, we are deeply committed to loving and supporting vulnerable children and teenagers entering the foster care system. Through the Fostering Faith Project, an initiative within The Park’s Foster & Adopt Ministry, we have a tangible opportunity to offer comfort, dignity, and hope to young people in transition. While the journey toward fostering or adopting can take time, we can make an immediate impact today by surrounding these children with care when they need it most.
Starting next Sunday, October 11, a collection box will be available at the Family Ministry Check-In before service. We are gathering new items to bless these youth with both essentials and comforts including: backpacks, duffel bags, non-spiral private journals, school supplies, hygiene products for all ages, basic clothing items in all sizes, stuffed animals, and fidget toys. Anything that helps a child of God feel seen, valued, and cared for is welcome. All donations can be placed in the collection box. If you have any questions or feel called to support this effort, please reach out to Liesel Lemcke at lieselclaire06@gmail.com.
Foster Adopt Interest Meeting
Everyone has a piece to play in the foster care crisis. Join us over Zoom to hear how you can serve children and families in our church and community. Please register to receive the link to join us on November 5 8:00 pm-9:00 pm. Click here to join us. Please contact Kelsey Cody for any questions at Kelsey.cody2015@gmail.com.
Connect
Community at The Park
At The Park, community extends beyond Sunday as our groups gather in homes across the city to share life, study Scripture, and pursue everyday discipleship together. Whether you’re looking to join an existing group or explore starting your own with help from our team, check out two of our groups highlighted below. For a full list of groups, visit theparksa.org/groups or contact Nancy Gaines at nancy@theparksa.org to get connected to a group leader.
Women’s Bi-Monthly Study
Meeting every Tuesday at 7:30 PM, this men’s group brings together men from all ages and seasons of life to grow as disciples of Jesus. Through a rotating mix of direct Bible study and thoughtful Christian books, you’ll find honest discussion, practical encouragement, and strong brotherhood. They are currently studying Surprised by Hope by NT Wright. It’s a great space to sharpen your faith alongside others as you pursue God’s Word together.
Fall Serving
As we step into a new season, we are looking for new volunteers to join our teams and help make fall happen across our church family.
If you’ve been looking for a place to get connected and make a difference, now is the perfect time to jump in! We have open opportunities in Family Ministry, Connections, Operations, Media, Hospitality, and more.
Ready to find your spot this fall? Click here to learn more and sign up.
Spiritual Formation Resources
Explore Deuteronomy Resources
Want to go deeper throughout the series? We’ve put together a dedicated resource page on our website featuring recommended readings, study guides, and context tools to help you follow along. Visit
Worship at The Park
Worship through music is an integral part of our practices at The Park. Whether you leave our services wanting to know “What was that song?” or want to come prepared or need a way to sit in the presence of the Lord during your week, here is a playlist of the songs we’re currently worshiping with at The Park.
Follow The Park’s Worship Playlist on Spotify
Follow The Park’s Worship Playlist on Apple.
Mental Health Advising and Wellness
We aim to support our congregation and community through companionship, guidance to relevant services, mental health education, a vetted referral list, and, when needed, help with crisis care costs. The goal is to offer love and presence during mental health needs, crises, or ongoing care. Contact us for mental health resources