SUN, FEB 25 | Park Street Church

Due to the Annual Meeting, there will be a single worship service beginning at 10:30 AM on SUN, FEB 25, followed by a light lunch and fellowship from 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM. The Annual Meeting will begin at 12:45 PM in the Sanctuary.

The Annual Meeting is an important time in the life of the church when we vote on candidates to fulfill roles on the Board of Elders, the Nominating Committee, and as church officers. Annual budgets for the church will also be approved. Active Park Street Church members will be allowed to vote, but whether or not you are a member we encourage you to attend!

Church Clerk, Debbie Gallagher, sent an email a few weeks ago publishing the slate of PSC members who have been nominated to be candidates for the positions of officers, elders and members of the Nominating Committee for 2024. We encourage you to review it in advance of the Annual Meeting (SUN, FEB 25). Please visit the Church Center app or parkstreet.org/candidates to view the slate online.

Apologies for not announcing a summary of how 2023 ended sooner. In addition to making sure the numbers are all final for year end, we have been working diligently on the 2024 Budgets.

The 2023 M&O Budget ended the year with a $361k operating deficit. The deficit is the result of the late-in-the-year decline in giving. Contribution income ended the year $367k (11%) below budget, and $218k (7%) below 2022. Meanwhile, operating expenses were essentially on budget.

Missions had a fairly similar outcome. The 2023 Missions Budget ended the year with a $134k operating deficit. Contribution income ended the year $269k (14%) below budget, but about equal to giving in 2022. Meanwhile, operating expenses were $130k below budget.

While each budget has had operating deficits once or twice in the last several years, these deficits are larger than normal. As mentioned above, work is going into developing appropriate budgets for 2024 for consideration and approval at the Annual Meeting in February.

Mike Ahearn, Church Administrator

SUN, JAN 28 | 9:45 AM (Fellowship Hall), 12:30 PM (Missions Conference Room), and 5:30 PM (Granary Room)

Attend our Short-Term Mission (STM) information meetings to learn about our 2024 STMs. Consider serving alongside our missionaries and partners locally or globally to support their long-term work. All are welcome to attend, with no commitment required. This year we are hoping to send out teams to the Middle East; Lewiston, ME; Kenya; South Africa; Revere Beach; Japan; and Tajikistan. We also have several opportunities for you to serve from home this year, as well as some internships ranging from one month to a year.

See here for more info and to apply. Applications are due by FEB 23.

Questions? Contact [email protected].

 The Book of Amos: The God Who Roars Against Sin
SUN JAN 21, 28, FEB 4, & FEB 11 | 9:45 AM | Granary Room
CCome explore key themes of the book of Amos in this interactive, informal, four-week Christian Formation series led by Pastor Julian L. We will consider “The God who roars against sin” (ch. 1-2), “The God who demands to be heard” (ch. 3-6), “The God who rises against Israel” (ch. 7-9:10), and “The God who restores David’s fallen tent” (ch. 9:11-15).\\]\

Shepherding a Small Group
SUN JAN 21, 28, & FEB 4 | 9:45 AM & 5:30 PM | Common Room
This class will provide an opportunity to learn about launching and/or leading a new small group. We will walk through Jesus’ small group approach on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24) to learn about the core ingredients of a flourishing group. We will also talk through some practical tips for shepherding a group all while embodying the small group experience in the class. This class will be led by Pastor Damian Long. 

SUN, FEB 11 | 12:30 PM | Terrace Room
Join us after the 11:00 AM service to hear reports from the Pathways short-term mission team, which recently went to Athens to work with refugees. They look forward to sharing their stories with you! Questions? Contact [email protected].

We are in need of temporary housing and vehicles to borrow for three missionary families that will be with us later this year – a family of four and a family of five in June/July, and a family of three for approximately three months in the fall. Please contact the Missions Office at [email protected] if you or someone you know might be able to help.

WED, FEB 21 | 5:30 PM | Harvard Medical School

Is it possible for healthcare professionals to find long-term happiness even in the face of challenging circumstances like time pressure, chronic stress, insurance demands, and poor patient outcomes—even deaths? Is burnout or detachment inevitable? Can we find happiness with deep roots—a solid joy that perseveres?

At this Veritas Forum event, Dean Bernard S. Chang (Harvard Medical School) will interview social scientist Arthur Brooks (Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School) about his empirical research on seeing happiness as a direction (not a destination), exploring a transcendent perspective as a pillar of a happier life, and viewing work as “love made visible.” There will be time for audience question and response at the end. See here for more information and to register.

Check and share your Directory Profile

1. Click the 3 dots at the bottom right of the screen, and select “Directory”
2. Click “Share now.”  Here you can select the information you want to share in the directory. Note that if you don’t do this, people will not be able to find your contact information!
3. After you share your information, you should see a “Directory Profile” option in your profile settings.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15

Abortion is a painful and complex issue. It touches us in many ways. Please pray with us as we humbly and graciously consider what it means for all humans to be image bearers of God from the time we are knit together in the womb by him.

Let us pray together…
• That God would work through his church to shed light on and correct evils that lead to unwanted pregnancies including abuse, rape, poverty, casual sex, adultery, and broken marriages.
• That there would be a radical change of heart in the United States to one of seeing the unborn as human beings.
• For those of us (men and women) who have participated in abortion, that we would find healing and solace in God our Father.
• That the church and organizations like Boston Center for Pregnancy Choices would be a place of support for mothers in difficult situations who decide to keep their unborn children.

Send your prayer requests to [email protected]
or
call 617-523-3383