As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ~1 Peter 4:10-11

As many of you know, Basics is our annual conference for pastors and Christian workers. Each year, hundreds of men come together for three days to reflect on the challenges, responsibilities, and privileges of pastoral ministry. Through God’s grace, this annual event continues to serve as a bright spot for our guests, many of whom return to this conference year after year as a respite from their work in their home congregations and parishes. As we welcome these visitors who come from all over the world, we ask that you consider lending a helping hand so that we might make their time with us as warm and welcoming as possible. If you’ve been looking for a way to serve or get connected with other people at Parkside, consider volunteering for Basics.

Here are some experiences from other volunteers who have hosted visiting pastors, prayed, and served meals:

Basics Host Families

“Hosting pastors for the Basics Conference has been a phenomenal experience for us. Evenings are a highlight as we love to hear the pastors share about their exciting day with us. Over the years, we have had guitarist, pianists, and singers stay with us and we have sat cross-legged in the family room for 'jam sessions' of music and singing praises. Men from the West Coast to the East, from large and small churches, everyone has a story to tell. We begin as strangers, but depart as friends - all part of the greater Body of Christ. We've laughed, cried, and prayed together. Our final prayer time is gathered in a circle holding hands before saying our goodbyes on our front step on the last morning of the conference.”
~Sue and Jim Shellhaas

“Last year was the first time I hosted for the Parkside pastors' conference. I was assigned a wonderful Puerto Rican pastor and his wife. Pastor Ramon had listened to Alistair's "Truth For Life" sermons for seven years and had seen his preaching improve a great deal as a result. The pastor attended the conference in the daytime while I entertained his wife by inviting various Spanish speaking friends to come and join us for fun activities. In the evenings we met up at the church and enjoyed inspiring messages.  Most hosting does not require such a time commitment, but I have learned that it is never possible to out-give God. That week was one of the highlights of my entire year. I learned so much from the pastor and his wife, and they will forever be dear friends. I would not have missed this experience for the world, and I look forward to hosting again. Inviting someone into your home is sharing yourself, and that results in your guests sharing themselves in return. True Christian fellowship takes place, and it is an experience not to be missed.” ~Karen Limkeman

Basics Prayer Team

“I pray at home as I get the requests. God has answered prayer abundantly. He has provided housing as needed for pastors, given Cheryl Thompson great peace and ability in her responsibility for all the food needs, brought volunteers to serve as needed, brought pastors and speakers and protected them in their travels and their families in their absence, encouraged the pastors who came, helped our Parkside pastors and staff to make it all happen, worked out all the details and so much more! Most of all He has answered the prayer that He would be glorified in all the events of the Basics Conference each year.” ~ Becky Anderson

“Like everything else at Parkside, established by His grace, evident of His Spirit, branded with His excellence, serving on the Basics Prayer Team has been a privilege. The weekly prayer updates through email keep Scripture the focus of the conference while we see the stage-by-stage practical needs and details of the preparations. It opens up the curtain to witness God’s mighty work being carried out in real time by the hearts and hands of ordinary people. Join the team! Be ready for greater joy! And a strengthened prayer life!” ~Na Li

“I'm Kathy Leicester from Seattle, Washington. I've been praying for the Basics Conference since I first watched Pastor [Alistair] Begg, John Shearer, and Sinclair Ferguson preach the 2010 version. Praying for Basics keeps me in touch with organizations I love, Parkside Church and Truth For Life, and it gives me the opportunity to go before God on their behalf. It's a gift to me, and it lifts my spirits.” ~Kathy Leicester

Basics Food Service Volunteers

“Working the Basics conference is a great way to serve (literally!) those who so faithfully serve others as pastors and leaders of congregations throughout the US and the world. It’s a great – and fun! – way to warmly welcome the pastors to Parkside Church and to share the love of Christ with them through hospitality. Also, given the team-oriented nature of the tasks, it’s a fun way to get to know people and make a big church seem quite a bit smaller.” ~Jennifer Woloschyn

“It has been my privilege to volunteer with the food service team since  Basics Conference 2004. The response of the pastors as we serve them is sufficient reward for our efforts - they are all so thankful, and are as great an encouragement to us, as we aim to be to them.” ~George Sleigh

“I've helped in past years in serving the food to the pastors. It has been a true pleasure to be able to serve God's faithful servants, see where they are from, and try to encourage them in what they do. The camaraderie among the servers is special and we look forward to serving together each year. Cheryl does an outstanding job of organizing us and keeping us focused. It's so much fun, I look forward to it each year.” ~Bob Butts, Sr.

Sign Up to Serve Today!

If you would like more information about serving at this year’s Basics Conference, please contact the following team leaders:

Host Families: Denise Donndelinger at basicshostfamilies@yahoo.com

Prayer Team: Gail Davis at gailsdavis@roadrunner.com

Food Service: Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in serving! We have the necessary number of volunteers for this year’s team!