A Call to Belong

When a local family hosted a game night in Aurora last August, no one anticipated what would develop from the evening. Less than 24 hours after Anthony and Kayleigh Finelli received an unexpected diagnosis about their son, they attended the game night and shared the news. The response was overwhelming, with the group turning to prayer on behalf of the Finelli family. After that night, the group decided that they should study the Bible together and Joshua Wallace reached out to Dan Larison to become a Community Group leader.

For the Finellis, the Community Group has opened their eyes to what it means to belong to the church. “We have a large Christian family who live locally and we tend to lean on them for prayer, encouragement, and spiritual guidance. But the support we have received from this group has shown us that also being a part of the body of Christ is important. It feels like an extension of the family.” Read More >

Meet the Pastoral Resident Class of 2021-2022

Down the halls and around in different ministries, you’ll see some new faces showing up to serve, learn, and teach. The new pastoral residents at Parkside Church are a unique set of men who are here to discern their callings. What the three residents share is a strong sense of seeking wisdom to discern whether pastoral ministry is right for them. 

Parkside's Newest Staff Members

Thank You, Brandon Smith

This week we said goodbye to one of our Pastoral Team members, Brandon Smith, as he and his wife move to Cincinnati. Brandon began as a pastoral resident in 2013 and joined the pastoral team upon completion of the residency. For the past seven years, Brandon has served in various roles including middle school, young adults, care ministries, community involvement, and has led a Sunday Morning Group. Read More >

Meet Parkside's Pastoral Residents

Beginning a new job in a new place during a pandemic can be overwhelming, but for Parkside’s four new residents, it has allowed them an inside look to how a church makes decisions. “When we began in August, all the ministries were starting up and trying to figure out how the church is going to do that with COVID precautions,” Peter Lindia said. “It was cool to get to watch and see how they’re making decisions.” 

The precautions have made it difficult to get acquainted though. “As far as ministry right now, it’s limited a lot of the kind of the human normalcy of ministry of getting together and being comfortable with each other. There’s always potential worries or scares there,” said Zachary Mashburn. Regardless, each resident is finding their place. 

Stepping Out in Faith

For two young mothers from Mongolia, a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Cleveland, Ohio, meant that their young children would receive life-saving heart surgery in the United States through the Children’s Heart Project, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse.

Taking the Next Step in Lake County

Dear Friends, the time is upon us [in Lake County] to take the next step in our church.

Open Spaces, Familiar Faces

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the idea of cooking for this food-focused holiday can be daunting.

Meet Ralph and Bob, Parkside

During the last week of August, cement trucks came in droves and crews poured and finished the foundation for Parkside Church’s new children’s wing. Once the concrete was set, crews were onsite at the start of September to begin setting the steel beams for the rest of the structure. Both projects mark major milestones for Parkside’s vision of building into the next generation and have been expertly managed by our representatives in the field, Ralph Repp and Robert (Bob) McCoy, co-owners of Choice Repps Construction Advisers.

Go Out Into the World

“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.”