Dear Rose Park,
Tonight at 5:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall we’ll be gathering for dinner around the Family Table for the last time in this calendar year. This will be our 7th time gathering in this semester. We’ve shared conversations over French toast sticks, hot dogs and hamburgers, pizza, and even a concoction called ‘Build a Mountain.’ We’ve invited friends from Escape Ministries and even welcomed guests from Compassionate Heart Ministries. This is all to say, I love gathering around the Family Table with you all. As our leadership looks to the future of the Family Table, we’ve noticed something is missing.
When we started the Family Table three years ago, it was our intention to provide a space for the family of Rose Park to gather midweek and share dinner. We’ve been successful in this effort. The numbers started out small and there were definitely nights I worried if anyone would come. However, we’ve seen steady increase in numbers and engagement over the past three years. Family Table seems to be a staple in our monthly rhythm and I get the sense the Holy Spirit is working in and among those conversations and gatherings.
But something is missing. As we begin my fifth year of ministry here at Rose Park, the leadership has noticed a lack of connection between the ministries of Rose Park and the immediate surrounding neighborhood. We are overjoyed to see the increase in numbers from our Rose Park members at the Family Table and at the same time we’re wondering how can we build bridges to our neighborhood and how can we increase our presence to those immediately next to us.
Perhaps it’s a simple invitation to your neighbors to join us for dinner or worship. Perhaps it’s a service project in the neighborhood to help those in need or beautify someone’s property. Perhaps it’s a summer festival to invite our neighbors to celebrate. Perhaps it’s an increase of rentals for our facilities to broaden our presence. Perhaps it’s a community-focused ministry that invites our neighbors to collaborate and work side-by-side. Whatever the case may be, we are actively and prayerfully discerning how we can build bridges to our surrounding neighborhood.
This is all to say, the leadership of Rose Park would welcome your prayers as well. Here at Rose Park we genuinely desire to connect, empower, and reconcile, but we recognize these efforts are not just for the members of Rose Park. We are called to be the church for those who are inside our walls and for those outside our walls as well. We are called to be a safe haven for our neighbors and a beacon of the Gospel for our community. We are called to dine with the entire family of Rose Park and that means even our extended relatives in the neighborhood.
So, join us tonight at 5:30 for dinner but join us in prayer as we discern how we can have a greater presence in our community sharing the love of Christ.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash