Parkside Blog

2011 was a busy year for Parkside Church! We hope you'll enjoy revisiting some of the great events from 2011 in this pictorial year in review »

At the start of 2011, Parkside's leadership team presented their vision for Building into the Next Generation which rests squarely on the importance of gospel relationships. As God continues to guide our steps towards fulfilling this vision, we are blessed to have the opportunity to extend our reach for gospel growth through the establishment of a regional church in Lake County.

“It’s kind of funny that I’m a MIT,” laughs Chris Harrington, who is Parkside’s newest extension of the pastoral team as a Missionary in Training, a.k.a. MIT. “I’ve always considered myself a sender, not a goer, but two years ago, I started feeling a tug and a pull to get into ministry, and more specifically, missions.”

Earlier this month, Parkside Church welcomed our new class of pastoral interns for 2011: Tim Shaw, Levi Stuckey, and Kyle Higgins.

“For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” (Psalm 48:14)

With this verse as one of our anchors, Summer Seaquest 2011 was launched with much prayer and work on the part of many people. Our nautical theme for this year's Vacation Bible School shaped our focus for the week as we set sail to discover the truths of God’s Word as found in the book of Jonah. We learned that the God of the Bible is the one true God, and He shows compassion and mercy to all who turn to Him in true repentance and faith (even a rebellious prophet!).

Christianity Explained, an eight-week class that explores the fundamentals of the Christian faith, will begin on May 1st. Christianity Explained focuses on the basic tenets of the Christian faith and offers a clear explanation of what the Bible teaches.

On different mornings at different high schools, groups of teenagers are meeting before class at 7:00 a.m. to study the Bible, pray, and develop relationships with other students. The group that meets is called the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), "but you don't have to be an athlete to attend," explains, Meagan (pronounced MAY-gen) Crowl, 17 who plays on the golf team and is a junior at Solon High School. "It was just easier to keep the name because it was already an existing group," adds Meagan.

"You know, the Wild Game Dinner gets bad press," laughs Tom Polasky, an avid fisherman, deer hunter, and Parkside attendee. "People call it the 'Kill It and Grill It Buffet' and joke that if you hit anything on your way to church, bring it and we'll eat it, but these guys are more like gourmet cooks. They have their own cookware specifically for the dishes they make, and one guy makes wild salmon with rice and capers and a special cream sauce," beams Tom. This year, Tom will bring venison stuffed peppers that his wife, Heather, prepares with the bounty from one of Tom's hunts. "The first time we did this event, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this whole buffet is really great food."

This past year at Parkside Church was filled with fun, laughter, learning, and service. We hope you'll enjoy revisiting some of the great events from 2010 in this pictorial year in review »

This past September, Parkside Church welcomed the new class of pastoral interns. Affectionately referred to as the "Unholy Trinity," they are Chris Beals, Stephen Downey, and Stephen Judy (a.k.a. Farley).