Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Reflecting on 2006: What God has done

By Jeff Barber

Published December 9, 2006 in This Week

The Advent season calls for celebration for the gift of eternal life through our Savior and Lord and for all of His work through the power of His gospel. I am grateful for all that the Lord has done through PCPC’s ministry in the past year. Let me share with you a few highlights.

We have a new opportunity to worship together. In addition to our wonderful Sunday morning worship services, the Fellowship Hall is filled each Sunday evening for meaningful teaching from God’s Word. Tim Tinsley began with a series from the life of David. Tim describes the service as centered on biblical exposition, with a new musical language as we sing prayers to and about our awesome God.

A new ministry, Pastoral Counseling and Care, has been launched, and Jeff White joined us in October as its director. He anticipates an exciting year as new counseling and pastoral care ministries take shape. A recovery ministry team is praying and planning for this vital ministry’s development, and plans are being made for lay counseling training in the near future. Jeff, his wife Susan, and their daughter Gabrielle came to us from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.

Men’s Fraternity continues to be a highlight of the Lord’s work among us, with 400 men gathering each Monday morning at 6:30 am to learn about God’s plan for biblical manhood. One of the men involved recently e-mailed the following:

“Men’s Fraternity brought issues to my attention that I was previously unaware of. I have felt the shackles of the past falling off my soul and possess a new freedom as I am learning to proactively lead my own family.”

World Missions continues PCPC’s calling by equipping and encouraging our people to extend the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ through ongoing work in church planting and short-term missions, and by supporting many of our church family members whom God has called to serve in other countries. Curt Dobbs, Director of Missions and Outreach, shares an experience from a short-term trip:

“There were tears and the small room was hushed as Dr. Craig Hobar lovingly talked through an interpreter. ‘You will be the first patient we see when we come back!’ Craig, PCPC member and founder of the LEAP Foundation, was leading the first LEAP/PCPC trip to Laos in February 2006. About 40 patients were shown the love of Christ through cranio-facial and cleft palate surgery and the sharing of the Word. This woman’s case involved severe facial disfigurement caused 30 years earlier when she was pushed down the stairs by her father. Her difficult case could not be treated because no one knew she was coming and the surgeons did not have the right surgical tools and equipment with them.”

It is exciting to see our people simply make themselves available to the Lord to make a difference right where they work and live. One tangible expression is the planting of Providence Presbyterian Church, commissioned with about 250 PCPC members on September 10. The church meets in north Dallas as it seeks a permanent location.

Anticipating what is ahead, the staff is beginning to pray and consider how our calling to extend the transforming presence of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ in Dallas and to the world will unfold in the months ahead. Our pastoral staff seeks to shepherd us well in our spiritual lives and to encourage a growing sense of community within our church body.

Women’s Ministries continues its focus on Life Together: Growing in Community with more than 500 women involved in weekly Bible studies. Carroll Turpin, Women's Ministries moderator, said:

“I think the awesome participation in our Bible studies is drawing women closer to Christ and to each other in the body of this church. I feel there is a growing love of this community of women and a desire to share in service together.”

We anticipate growing our outreach to the community through Urban Ministries. A search committee is interviewing candidates for the position of Director of Urban Ministries. We have abundant opportunity to serve those who may be less fortunate and to fulfill the great desire of PCPC’s people to serve others, as demonstrated through relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Indonesia. Already, some 500 PCPC folks volunteer at least monthly in various urban ministry settings, from Mercy Street in West Dallas to Union Gospel Mission downtown.

In May we will host a juried arts festival, “Exploring the 23rd Psalm.” Reaching out to the artistic community through a juried arts festival gives artists the opportunity to express their faith and show their art and perhaps causes others to consider the truth of scripture for the first time. It also gives PCPC the opportunity to show the love of Christ to the community and enjoy the wonderful creations.

The Senior Pastor Search Committee was elected by the congregation in November. Entrusted with such a significant task, the group is now meeting, praying, learning about the orderly process, and uniting in its goal of finding the Lord’s man for the senior pastor who will lead us in our next generation of ministry. Pray earnestly for these men and women.

Along with the celebration of the joys of the Christmas season, we also celebrate all the Lord is doing among us. I pray that we will be full of the celebration that comes with the joy of our Savior’s coming and with the hope of all that we anticipate because of the power of the gospel manifested among us.