PARKVILLE – Church walls don’t mean much when it comes to partnering together for the gospel.
That was part of what was on display at Parkville 4 the Gospel, a joint worship service / event that brought hundreds to a busy park in this Kansas City suburb. The four churches participating were Fellowship Kansas City; Fellowship of Grace, Park Hill Baptist Church and River Park Baptist Church.
“At the beginning of the year, us four pastors got together and had a conversation,” said Tyler Wilkins, senior pastor of Fellowship KC. “Our mission is the same, we’re all within four miles of each other, we’re trying to reach the same communities with the same gospel, but historically we’ve never partnered together.”
PARKVILLE – Four churches from north of the river in Kansas City came together for a joint worship service in here May 21.
They decided it was time to change that, so they began planning ways they could come together for the gospel. The first step, they decided, was a joint worship service in the most visible spot in town. Parkville is known for English Landing Park, a prominent strip of greenery that runs for a mile along the Missouri River, and it was the perfect spot for the four congregations to gather, May 21.
Wilkins said their goals were two-fold.
“We wanted it to be an encouragement to each of our congregations,” he said. “We wanted them to know there are people worshipping the same Christ we’re worshipping just a couple miles down the road.”
“But we also wanted it to be an outreach event as well,” he said. “If we have hundreds of people worshipping in the park there are going to be hundreds of other people just walking by who would maybe get a glimpse of something that was going on and maybe connect with us.”
With the sun shining and 500 people worshipping, the day was a success, Wilkins said.
“It was a sweet day,” he said. “Each church took a different role and responsibility in the service, and it went great.”
Wilkins preached that morning, bringing a sermon from Ephesians 1, presenting the gospel and exhorting believers to partner together for the gospel.
Wilkins said the experience was great, and the four churches are looking to the next step they can take to partner together for the gospel in Parkville, including the joint worship gathering becoming an annual occurrence. They also plan for opportunities for joint outreach and fellowship.
“Our churches were encouraged by it, and we hope this sets the stage for us working together even more for the advancement of the gospel as we engage with the community,” he said.