As many of you will recall, Parkside Church was asked to adopt a small church in December of 2007. That church, located in southern Summit County between Akron and Canton, was launched as a second campus called Parkside Church in Green. Over the past six years, God has moved in profound ways at the Parkside Green Campus and it is believed the best is yet to come.

Early on, the Green Campus was connected to Parkside Bainbridge in many ways, but most visibly through a video feed that enabled the Canton-area congregation to sit under the preaching of Alistair Begg. During this time, Green's pastoral team was developed and expanded; lay leaders were identified and trained; and the church grew in number and ministry reach. Starting with a foundation of about 45 people from the former church, Parkside Green now has an average attendance of 300 adults and 80 children.  

For the past two years, Pastor Adam Romans has taken on the full-time responsibilities for preaching and leading the congregation in Green. He is quick to point out that the small groups ministry is one of the strengths in the church. “As a church family, we are blessed to have a strong small group network led by Pastor Jonathan Holmes, who also oversees the counseling ministry and leads various Bible studies," says Adam. "For the past several years, Jonathan has been modeling, developing, and empowering small group leaders, and in turn, these lay-leaders are doing an incredible job caring for the body.”

Two years ago, it also became clear the pastoral team was in need of an additional pastor to work with students and music. “The Lord has truly blessed us with the addition of John Yany,” says Adam. “He is uniquely gifted for his role in leading our students and music. His heart for the ministry is very evident. It has also been exciting to see our church embrace this young man and appreciate all that he does by way of leading us in corporate worship.” John is a Moody Bible Institute graduate, a native to Egypt, and was a Parkside intern before joining the team at the Green campus. 

Parkside Green has also made some changes in recent years. The building has been updated to have a warmer and friendlier aesthetic. The children’s ministry has begun to make its way through a four-year series called The Gospel Project where children can learn the whole of the Biblical narrative. In March of this year, the active membership also affirmed a local elder board consisting of four men. These additions, along with the prayers of many, have been foundational in sustaining this gospel ministry in the Akron and Canton area. 

Conveniently located by Malone University and the University of Akron, the church has been a draw for many college age students. “My fiancé and I absolutely love it here,” says church member Autumn Berry. “We began attending Parkside [Green] two years ago while we were finishing our degree at Malone University. We enjoyed the morning worship service and began to make meaningful connections with people at the church. After graduating from Malone we decided to stay around the Canton area and it was comforting to know we had a church family to embrace us and care for us. “

We have been blessed to see many new faces added to the Parkside Green family in nearly every age group. In addition to Sunday morning worship, everyone is encouraged to attend the men’s and women’s Bible study or a Life Group where they can join together in intentional Christian community. 

If you live in the Akron/Canton area or know someone who is looking for a church in southern Summit County, feel free to attend or invite them to an upcoming worship service or community event. Parkside Church in Green gathers every Sunday at 10:30am for morning worship and on Wednesday’s at 7:00pm for men’s and women’s Bible Study. For more information about the church, please check out our website at www.green.parksidechurch.com.