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A good many years ago we had an elderly visitor in worship. After visiting with Ila Prince and getting to know here a little, she joined Park Road. While I really cannot remember specifically, I think Ila may have been a resident down the street at Merrywood Assisted Living.

For a short time, Ila was present every Sunday after she joined. Along the way her son, Fred, visited with her. Fred and I got to know each other just a little. He was a bit of a loner, seemed a little stand-offish, quiet, like he may have had an independent streak. I invited Fred for a conversation, and I remember sitting on the sidewalk at Park Road Shopping Center either over a Soda Shoppe lunch or a cup of coffee. My hunch had been right. He told me that he had never married, that he stayed to himself, that he “wasn’t much of a church guy” – but that there was something he liked about Park Road. I think “independent thought” came up in the conversation, a little about our not-so-normal Baptist theology.

WE only saw Fred a few more times. Ila got sick not long after she joined us, and at her advanced age, that sickness quickly led to her death. I cannot remember her funeral, but I think Fred came to worship once or twice after that. He sat by himself, and then he disappeared.

Loner. Quiet. Independent. Not much of a church guy. I assumed we had lost Fred.

About three weeks ago, Allison Wieland called me on the intercom from her office next door: “Do you know a Fred Prince?” I told her the story and asked, “Why?” “Well,” she said, “I’ve just been contacted by a lawyer. Fred has left the church in his will.”

Allison made a phone call and learned of Fred’s sad demise. His independent streak never ended. His neighbors said he kept to himself and rarely said a word. One day about a couple months ago the guy who cuts his grass knocked on the door, and when Fred didn’t answer, he called the police. Fred had fallen several days before, and by the time he was discovered, and they got him to the hospital, it was too late. He died in the hospital.

While his independent streak never left him, that isolation may have even contributed to his death, and while he never became a “church guy,” there was obviously something about our approach to church life that appealed to Fred Prince. He left $100,000 to his church.

“His church.” Those are my words, not Fred’s, but there is undoubtedly something true about them. You don’t leave your life’s savings to strangers.

I’m grateful for Fred’s generosity, for his vision. I’m sorry that I didn’t stay in touch with Fred, independent as he was – and I’m grateful that whatever contact we had with Fred made a positive impact on his life. In turn, that relationship will make a difference in our lives. His Legacy Gift is the latest in a string of visionary gifts that help us to be a different kind of Baptist church, on the corner of Park and Ashcraft.

For generosity. For vision. For Fred Prince’s good, independent life. Thanks be to God. – Russ

I realize that a mission trip in January seems like it's a long way off, but travel to Cuba is complicated by delays in getting visas approved and by the need to secure housing accommodations well in advance. For these reasons, if you are thinking about joining us for our next visit to our partner church in Carlos Rojas, please signal your interest to Dan right away. It is time for us to begin the process of arranging our travel. The plan is to go during the MLK holiday weekend in January, leaving on Thursday the 11th and returning either on Monday, the 15th or Tuesday the 16th. This trip is unlike most mission trips in that it is primarily about establishing and maintaining friendships with the Cuban people and particularly with the members of our partner church. The cost of the trip varies primarily due to the cost of air travel and ground transportation in Cuba, but it usually does not exceed $2000. If you have never gone on this trip before, please think about joining us! If you have any questions, talk to Dan or another one of our regular participants, Linda Hefner or Rosemarie Burton. (Spanish language skill is not a requirement).

Roof Above has decided to discontinue the hot lunch program on Saturdays. Instead, they proposed to us the opportunity to prepare and serve supper on Saturday evenings every other month. Park Road will pay for the meal from our mission budget, as we have been doing, and the shelter will purchase the food and have it on hand. Our volunteers will arrive at the men’s shelter at 3:30 in the afternoon to prepare the meal, with supper served at 5p, and we would be able to leave before 6p. We will maintain the schedule of helping on the second Saturday, every other month, with our next date is November 11. Here are the dates for 2024: January 13, March 9, May 11, July 13, September 14, and November 9. The work is easy, fun, and rewarding and it provides a chance to be with others from Park Road. If you can help on November, 11, please see the sign-up genius. 

The Needlers are always hard at work with pillowcase dresses, baby blankets, and prayer shawls. This week Bill Mullis even joined the ranks! On our recent intergenerational retreat, a few of our needlers put some leftover yarn to good use by knitting scarves for Joey and Liza Haynes just in time for their first winter in their new lives in Chicago. Every knit, every purl, every stitch equals a prayer. 

According to our congregational polity, ordination is not the focus or byproduct of seminary education but the calling of the people. Ordination is understood as the church’s own affirmation of the gifts and calling of an individual. In a very short time, JD McDonald has woven his way into our church and into our lives, and the gifts he brings, the calling he exhibits for ministry has become all too clear. After a conversation about ordination, the Ministry Council recommends that we begin a process of ordination for JD. An Ordination Council is being formed, led by Missy Solomon, 2024 Deacon Chair. On Sunday, October 29, at the conclusion of worship, we will have an opportunity to voice support for JD when the Ministry Council brings its official recommendation: that Park Road Baptist Church begins a process of evaluation and preparation that will culminate in a service of ordination early in 2024.

If you have questions about the 5-day pilgrimage along Spain’s most-famous route to the cathedral in Santiago, please contact Russ or Amy. Trips with Andaspain Walking Adventures are already being booked for 2024, so we are setting a deadline of Sunday, October 15. A $300 deposit will be required to hold your space.

Amy Butler’s memoir and reflection on faith is now available online and from local book sellers. We are honored to host Amy, who has been a friend of Russ and Amy’s for many years, for our First Wednesday program, November 1. We have reached out to the other churches on Park Road and to several others. We expect a good crowd for that night. If you plan to eat supper, please make sure you call the church office by noon on Tuesday to make a reservation (704-523-5717).

Thanks to Mike Hamrick for doing an excellent job this year leading our Annual Ministry Plan Task Force. After several preliminary meetings, an email has been sent to those who have responsibility for different areas of our AMP. They are formulating their budget requests. We should have a 2024 AMP ready for a November Pledge Campaign. Please begin considering how you will be able to support your church financially next year.

• On October 15, our children will go to a pumpkin patch and corn maze right after church. We do not have a youth specific outing this month because of retreat; however, JD is inviting youth and families to join us if they like. The pumpkin patch is in Indian trail, and here's the site :https://countrydayscornmaze.com/

• On October 15th we will go to Country Days Corn Maze (https://countrydayscornmaze.com) corn maze after church. We'll have a bus to transport those who want to ride instead of drive but this IS for children and their parents/caretakers. We may also have some youth come along to help.  On that Sunday, we will leave from church for lunch and the corn maze. We will plan on returning to church by 5:30p for those who ride the bus. 

Are you retired? Do you like a tasty meal? Do you like sharing time and laughter with friends? Do you like music and entertainment? Is your October 19 lunch open? Do you like free (except for a Love Offering donation)? If you answered yes to these questions, you probably think there is a catch. You’re right! There is! You have to sign up in Helt Hall or by emailing info@ParkRoadbaptist by Sunday, October 15. See you there, all you Yes Folks!

We have decided to no longer include any addresses in our newsletter. This would include change of addresses when people move and our Friends at Home list addresses. Because our newsletter is so broadly published through all social media outlets and the number of scam opportunities for people, we do not want our newsletter publication to offer easy access to people’s privacy. If you would like a church directory, you may contact the church office (info@ParkRoadBaptist.org), and we can either print you a copy or email you a directory. Thank you for understanding.

Don’t miss this one – we a ways have a great time! We’ve tried lots of different restaurants, and it’s been a while since we ate at a diner. Park Place Restaurant was recommended, so let’s give it a try. If you want to ride with us, we’ll leave the parking lot at 11:15a, or you can meet us at 10517 Park Road about 11:45a. (Either way, please let the church know you plan to attend: 704-523-5717.) These Fridays are about the Food – but more than that, they’re about the Fun of being together. Hope you can join us.

Thanks to Bob Pritchard for the incredible work he has done organizing our Music Library. All choral anthems are now organized, boxed, numbered, and catalogued – but Bob isn’t a real computer guy, so his catalogue is in pen and paper! We need a couple people who would be willing to take his list and enter it into a simple Microsoft Word document, so those anthems can be searched and maintained. The work can be done by multiple people, working in the convenience of your own home. Please let Russ know if you can help.

With just two weeks of tee ball left in the season and the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras already filling our campus with music, it’s clear that summer is coming to an end.



Chris Pineno, President of Dilworth Youth Sports Assoc., says “It’s been a great season. Fall is normally a smaller group than spring as a lot of our usual players are trying other sports. But we’re happy to have 4 teams and 40 players ranging in age from 4 to 6yrs old”. In the seven years that Dilworth Little League has been using the PRBC fields, they have partnered by providing “upgrades” to the PRBC field. For example, this past Spring they changed the base paths from dirt to grass because water runoff from the parking lot was washing the dirt away. Chris says that they ask their parents at the end of each season about the overall tee ball experience. He reported, “They LOVE the field at your church, and we think it’s a big reason we’re able to attract so many players.” We look forward to having DLL back in the Spring.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, the Community Center is home to the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras. The Philharmonic (middle schoolers) is comprised of about 55 members, and the Orchestra (high schoolers) is 100 members strong. About once-a-month CSYO hold Sectionals, small breakout sessions all over campus, for the young musicians to receive instrument-specific coaching from specialists. Dylan Loyd, Senior Manager of Youth Orchestras says that PRBC is “a great rehearsal space that is centrally located and provides a safe environment for our young musicians.” Loyd added, “The values at Park Road are complementary to the values of CSYO. When students step over the breezeway message “ALL ARE WELCOME”, it matters lot to them and to us.”

CSYO’s season is 9 months long and includes 6-7 performances, the highlight being the Side-By-Side with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Their first performance of this year is on October 21, at Knight Teather. For ticket information, visit the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra website (the Youth Orchestras’ schedule is combined with the CSO schedule).

Coming Up at Park Road

Sunday Worship

Facebook Live and In-Person

11a

First Wednesdays

Dinner and Vespers

(Community Center)

5:30p Dinner / 6p Vespers

First and Third Tuesdays

Bible Study and Fellowship

(Community Center - Room C503)

10a

Tuesday and Thursdays

Flexercise

(Community Center)

9a

Park Road Baptist Church 

 3900 Park Road | Charlotte NC | 28209

Tel (704) 523-5717 

Fax (704) 523-8481

info@parkroadbaptist.org 

 www.parkroadbaptist.org