The Denver Park Hill Church was blessed to receive a Mission Impact Fund grant from the General Conference for 2023-2024. The church was one of 19 grantees selected worldwide. Our goal is to be a “Light on a Hill” to our community with health as the principal tenet and entering evangelistic opportunity.
In 2021, we enlisted the aid of Percept Group, Inc. to produce a demographic analysis of a one-mile radius surrounding our church, representing 19,339 residents. Our goal was to develop a “ministry area profile” of our local community to best determine how to meet the needs of our specific population in a relevant, sustainable and effective manner to ultimately make disciples as admonished in Matt. 28:19-20. The demographic study we commissioned also identified six primary areas of concern or need among the residents living within that one-mile radius surrounding our church: 1. Health and Wellness 2. Crime and Safety 3. Personal Finances 4. Racism and Social Justice 5. Family Disintegration 6. Spiritual Guidance and Teaching.
In 2022 the church determined that the first step in rolling out our strategic plan was to get to know our neighbors better. To that end, Denver Park Hill held an all-day community block party themed “Getting to Know You,” last August. The block party addressed each of the identified areas of concerns or need in a collective way. Our four objectives in hosting this event were to: 1) maintain missional stewardship of our surrounding community 2) help create a healthier community by resourcing their predetermined needs, 3) develop a database of community members to keep them apprised of ongoing church-sponsored activities, 4) foster continuing relationships with our neighbors and friends that could potentially open doors to extend the gospel invitation.
With the Mission Impact Fund granted in 2023 we will continue our outreach entitled “Healthy Community” on August 6, 2023. The theme encompasses resources for physical, mental, financial and most importantly spiritual health.
This year Denver Park Hill will partner with hospitals and the Rocky Mountain Lifestyle Center utilizing NEWSTART
(Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air, Relaxation and Trust) as the foundational components of the health fair. Various tents will house information, food, activities and health assessments related to the NEWSTART program. In addition there will be a farmer’s market, entertainment, Jovial Gardens (a non- profit group that teaches participants how to easily plant a garden in their yard for a sustainable food source), educational and fun activities for children, job fair, college/vocational school fair, gang violence information, Jayden’s place (an organization that provides a safe place for youth), free food and much more. City officials, police and firefighters for the Park Hill community have been invited to attend.
Please pray for the members of Denver Park Hill Church as we reach out to our community in love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Deborrah Jackson is a member of the Park Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denver, Colorado.
