Park Street Church is committed to responding to God's call in the city of Boston. As a community of Christ's people, we serve Him by extending His love to the underserved communities around us. Here are a few of the numerous examples of Park Street community members who have responded:
STEPPING FORWARD IN FAITH: ADAM CHRISTIAN
The first couple of years out of college I felt like something were missing. At first I thought it was that I needed to continue to become more involved in the church community. The community I found at Café has been great but something was still missing. Then at a Café Retreat my small group leader strongly encouraged each one of us to think about serving. He shared some of his story about how he also felt like something was missing before he began to help the youth. From this I prayed that God would give me opportunities to help serve. He answered those prayers with a service group that meets weekly to do service projects. Being apart of this group has been challenging, uncomfortable and even difficult at times. However it has taught me so much and helped me grow in such a short period of time. I have a deeper understanding of trust, compassion, grace and thankfulness. I believe that no matter how insufficient we might feel when it comes to serving, that he truly will provide if we just step forward. Adam Christian, 5/12/07
SERVING AS A VOCATION: JANICE CHEN
During the last six years I have been working with Boston youth, mainly from Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, first as a teacher and now as a social worker. Since college I have felt a calling and passion to work with urban youth and believe that this is the ministry that God designed me for. Though I view it as my ministry, I have to admit that I do the work for much more selfish reasons. Every day I get to spend my working hours with some of the most incredible young people I have ever met. Due to difficult and unfair circumstances and often bad choices, these adolescents have been labeled by much of society and the media as thugs, gang-bangers, and tough and fast girls. Yet, I get to see that they are still children who long, like all of us, to be loved, accepted and respected. There are few things as precious as a genuine smile and heartfelt laughter from a young person - who normally wears a veneer of toughness and reserve - because you have said something ridiculously corny; few things are as rewarding as watching teens - who normally have only fear and disdain for the courts - acting as lawyers and witnesses in a mock trial and holding their own against youth from Newton and Weston. My hope is that through this work I can be a conduit for God’s love – a means to remind these young people that they are made in His image and greatly loved by Him. Janice Chen, 5/28/07
SMALL GROUP SERVICE: THADDEUS FULFORD-JONES
My Café small group recently made a semester-long commitment to tutor a teenager in Roxbury. It was a great fit for our group – we wanted a service opportunity that would make deliberate use of our various gifts and talents. It turns out that our group includes a number of professional engineers and science / technology grad students. Some of us have done tutoring and youth mentoring in the past. Through a Park Street connection, we heard about a high school freshman who was in need of help with math. We spoke with his parents and we offered to start weekly tutoring visits. In order to make it a manageable time commitment, we rotate between four members of our small group. That way each individual only has to commit one evening every four weeks. Since we meet regularly as a small group, it is easy for the four tutors to discuss progress and make sure our teenager is getting a coherent learning experience. We’ve all been enthused to see how much progress he has made, even over the past two months. It’s great to know you’re making a difference in a kid’s life. Thaddeus Fulford-Jones, 5/19/07
HOMELESS OUTREACH : JESSICA PATNODE
One week at church, I heard about a homeless outreach group that was forming. I began to sense God asking me to join, even though I already felt overcommitted! In fact, during one of Daniel’s messages he specifically addressed those of us who already felt too busy. After continuing to pray about where God would use me, I committed to a year of service. A year later, I have received more than I could ever give and our group has grown in amazing ways. We have the privilege of getting to know each other and those we previously just walked by on our way to church as brothers and sisters in Christ. I am thankful for the opportunity to finally get baptized with another member and to celebrate our friend’s baptism as well. Jessica Patnode, 5/28/07