Read: 1 Samuel 3:1-11
“Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10)

Reflection: In the time of Samuel, the bible says, “the word of the Lord was rare in those days, and visions were not widespread.” Isn’t it easy for people to feel the same way today. How many of us have heard God call their name? Who has heard God speak a word to them? Is there a great, Godly vision that drives your life?

Most people seem to want to think that the word of the Lord is rare, that the word of the Lord only comes to people like the pastors who are somehow “specially” called. Most people seem to want to think that God has no word, no calling, no vision for them.

Maybe, like the boy Samuel, we simply are not listening well. Perhaps we need to learn to listen better for a word from God. Perhaps it is not a word from God that is rare, but faithful listening from those who would serve God that is so rare.

Every Christian has a calling. In fact, every Christian has several callings — as well as the God-given gifts, graces, and blessings to respond to those callings.

God calls us to be faithful stewards of the talents, time and resources given by Him. Being a faithful steward is a personal calling — a word from the Lord. It is a calling that comes with your name attached to it. It is a calling that only you can make a decision about. You can ignore that calling completely. You can brush off that calling by responding only in minimal ways. Or, recognizing God’s claim over your life, you can wake up and listen for God’s own voice. There is a word from the Lord for you in this program. There is a God-given vision for your church in this campaign. “Speak to me Lord. I am your servant. I am listening to hear from You.”

Prayer: Lord, teach me not only to say Samuel’s prayer, “Speak, for your servant is listening,” but to actually listen for Your word, Lord, and to do Your word.

Action Item: Are you listening for God’s word? List where you hear God’s word (in scripture, in worship, in prayer, in other faithful people, etc). In your daily prayer time and your journaling, make note of the ways that God is speaking to you.

Read: Matthew 28:16-20
“Go therefore and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19)

Reflection: When a church has a capital campaign, everyone seems to have the same kind of question — What are we building? What does the building look like? What color will the carpet be? Or perhaps, what debt are we eliminating? What am I going to get out of this? What is my part to play?

Fundamentally, all of those “what” questions are far and away the least important questions to ask. The most important question in a capital program challenge is not what, but WHY. Why are we building? Why are we expanding our ministries? Why is Parkway Heights here? Why am I here at this place and this time?

No church builds a structure just to have a nice building. No church expands ministries just to be a bigger church. No person makes a sacrificial financial commitment just to get some kind of service or program benefit. People — and churches — do not give their lives or their resources or their selves to a building or to a program or to being bigger. What people will give their lives to is a God-given purpose, a higher calling. So the most important question to answer in our capital campaign is not what are we doing, but WHY are we doing it. Why is Parkway Heights doing this? What does God call this church to be and to do? And how does this capital campaign provide tools for us to respond to that calling? The last commandment Jesus spoke for every Christian was, “Go … make disciples of all nations … teach them all that I have commanded you.” Every church and every Christian has a God-given purpose to be and to do what God calls us to be and to do. This program is not simply about buildings or finances. This program is about reaching and teaching and changing the lives of people with the good news of Jesus Christ. The resources raised provide the necessary tools to help us better connect, equip and send faithful disciples.

You needed Christ. Your life has been reached, taught, changed by the witness and ministries of Parkway Heights. Would you like for other people to have a story of faith to tell and a purpose for their lives? Their stories depend now on your faithfulness.

Prayer: Lord, grow my passion for Your purposes in my life and in my church. You have brought me here for a reason. Show me what You would do through me.

Action Item: Make a list of WHY these projects are important. How many people will they help your church reach? How many people will they help your church teach? Can you put a value on what changing those people’s lives may be worth? When you focus on the WHY question, how important do these projects become for you?

There have been 4 new images added the renderings gallery. Each of the new renderings show off how the new building will look with the surrounding area. Be sure to check them out.

Read: Luke 11:9-11
“And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)

Reflection: Most of us are good at the first baby step of prayer. It is easy to ask God to do
something! Unfortunately after the asking, it can be easy, perhaps more comfortable, to think we are finished; we think that since we have already asked, we are expected to do nothing more.

The first step in any journey is critical. We do need to ask in order to receive. But asking is just the first step. It takes many more steps to continue a real journey of prayer.

Jesus offers his disciples a model for such a prayer journey. Ask — yes, of course! But then seek. And finally, knock on the doors that you find.

Seeking God’s will is much more work than simply asking; seeking takes time, attention, listening, looking, searching. That journey of prayer will lead us far past asking, deep into new paths of seeking God’s way for our lives. Along those paths we will discover doorways — places where choices and decisions must be made. Do we have the courage and commitment to knock on those doors? And when those new doorways are opened, will we step into a new way of life?

Simply asking demands little of us. Seeking means searching for God’s will in our lives; and such seeking will undoubtedly change us — redirecting us in God’s way. Knocking on the doors that God would open to us may well lead us down paths that we never imagined! We do not know what God has in store for us when we begin such a journey, but one thing is certain — such a journey of prayer will change our lives. After all, changing us has always been the real power of prayer.

Prayer: Lord, I seek Your will and Your way in my life. Lead me down Your paths for Your name’s sake. Open new doors that I might find a new way of life!

Action Item: Capture this journey of prayer that you are committing yourself to by journaling your adventure. During your prayer time over the next several weeks, write down what you are asking and what you are given, what you are seeking and what you are finding, what doors you knock upon and what is opened to you.

Read: Colossians 4:12-13
“Epaphras is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, and be mature.” (Colossians 4:12)

Reflection: Wrestling is an ancient sport. In the first century, wrestlers struggled
for their lives, not for TV ratings. In the language of the day, the wrestling ring
was called the agone, and the wrestlers were called antagonists.

Such is this word-image that Paul uses to describe the work of prayer from a spiri-
tual leader of the Colossian church, Epaphras. Paul tells the church that Epaphras
wrestles in prayer for them. We would catch Paul’s wordplay if we say that
Epaphras agonizes in prayer for them. What a powerful image - and a biblical
image too - like Jacob wrestling with the angel all night for a blessing (Genesis
32:24-31) - and like Jesus praying so fervently in the Garden of Gethsemane
that his sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:41-44).

What is so important that Epaphras would pray so fervently? That the Colossian
church would grow in their knowledge of God’s will and in their maturity of faith.

This capital campaign is a call to prayer for you and for our congregation. We will
be encouraged to reflect on a simple question - What would You do through me
Lord to make Your will happen in our church? Genuinely reflecting on that ques-
will in your church. This challenge is a time to exercise your faith. The struggle to
respond faithfully will not be - nor should it be - easy. As Paul would later say
of Epaphras, “I vouch for him that he is working hard for you.” The process of
making a decision will not be - nor should it be - short-lived. Like Jacob, you
may spend more than one restless night wrestling for an answer and a blessing.

Parkway Heights needs an Epaphras or two just now. We need people who will
for the future of our church?

Prayer: Lord, lead me in prayer to wrestle hard with Your will. I will hold fast to
You until I find Your blessing.

Action Item: Decide now to make a prayerful decision about your participation
in our campaign. Set aside specific time (at least 15 minutes) every day for the
next three weeks to spend in prayer and reflection using this devotional guide.
Make an appointment with yourself (and with God) right now. Write down when
and where you will spend your prayer time each day for the next three weeks.

Dear friend,

The pages that follow are an invitation to you and me — an invitation to a 20-day spiritual journey. In the coming weeks, we will each be asked to make a commitment to our Prepare the Way capital campaign. Making a faithful commitment of finances is about more than a commitment card; it is about responding to how God needs you to partner with the vision for Parkway Heights in the coming years.

In these pages you will find daily prayers and devotions. I believe that if the entire Body of Christ seeks God’s will together, then great things will happen among us. So, I invite you to join me in the next 20 days in a time of focused prayer and spiritual preparation for what God will do in our own lives and in our midst.

God has great things ahead for us, as we Prepare the Way for future gen-erations to experience the grace and hope of Christ through the work of Parkway Heights.

This journey will culminate on the weekend of April 26-27 with a Prayer Walk and Commitment Sunday. May God guide you and lead you in these important days.

Parkway Heights officially kicked off the Prepare the Way Capital Campaign today with the announcement of a major gift.  Judy Corts, one of the campaign program leaders, read the letter from an anonymous church family pledging $1 million to the capital campaign.  This pledge represents a significant step toward our project cost.  The text of the letter is below:

To our Parkway Heights family:

As we approach the response phase of the Prepare the Way campaign, we have taken the time to prayerfully pause and reflect on Parkway Heights’ nurturing influence in the lives of our own family. Parkway has been our only church home, and we have watched our children grow up in an affirming and loving church environment. We became Parkway Heights’ members for many reasons, and I would like to mention just a few.

First, we have always felt God’s presence not only within the physical walls of the church, but among all of our church family. There is a sense of caring and connection where one can share their joys and sorrows. Secondly, Parkway has allowed our family to worship and engage our hearts, minds, and souls in the teachings of Christ as we grow in Grace. We have been able to serve in any number of church ministries – networking with the body of Christ. And finally, we have had the opportunity to reach out and serve in missions – Woodley School, Edwards Street, Four Corners, Honduras, to mention just a few. There are many more reasons we could list, but what we realize is that our Parkway family has been our encouragement and strength in our daily walk with God.

And now we have the opportunity to provide Parkway Heights with new facilities to fully realize its ministry potential ̶ facilities that will allow the church to continue to grow into the future and to further realize its special mission to: Connect, Equip, Send. Parkway Heights’ families have always exhibited amazing stewardship and generosity. Our members have shown sacrificial generosity with their time, resources, and gifts. Our own family has been so richly blessed by God and our Parkway family that we have decided to pledge $1 million to the Prepare the Way campaign. It is our hope that everyone in our church will prayerfully consider gifting to the campaign – helping Parkway Heights continue its mission and fulfill the Great Commission, “making disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28: 18-20).

In Christ,

A Parkway Heights family

In the weeks following Easter, we will explore together what it means to Prepare the Way for God to work in our lives and our congregation. More than 2,000 years ago, Isaiah called on God’s people to Build up, build up, prepare the way. This passage has significant meaning as it applies to how we live each day. From March 30 – April 27, our worship will center around how our dreams, our risks, our sacrifices, and our gifts put us in a place where God can work in and through us, both individually and collectively. Invite a friend or family member to join us for these important weeks.

These Information Meetings are designed to share information about our Building Campaign called Prepare the Way. Information about our church’s present and future ministry will be provided. We will share why this moment in the life of our church is so important and why your support is critical to our success. No financial commitment will be asked for or received at these meetings. However, we will all be called to prayerfully consider our part in the campaign.

Below is a list of the Information Meetings. If you click the “Read the rest of this entry” link in the lower right corner, you can view them all.

Read the rest of this entry »

A couple of new renderings of the interior of the new building have been added to the Renderings gallery. Go check them out and let us know what you think.