A family of interdependent churches.
Meet Brian Basler
on February 16th, 2024
Hello Park family,My name is Brian Basler. My wife Cathy and I first came to Park in 1993 when the church was one location in Lincoln Park. Over time, we became members at Near North and are now settled in at Forest Glen. Currently, I serve as an usher, help support the setup team, and come alongside the men's and marriage ministries.As God has grown me throughout my Christian journey, I have serv...  Read More
Meet Kyung Kim
on February 16th, 2024
Greetings, Park Community Church family!My name is Kyung Kim. My wife Hera and I have been attending South Loop for four years and are so blessed to be a part of Park. I currently serve as an usher and on the setup and men's ministries and Hera serves in the children's ministry.We relocated to Chicago from San Francisco right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn't the best planning, but...  Read More
The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 25
on December 25th, 2023
Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-18We can see God’s plan throughout all of the Bible, God’s Word. We can see His plan to rescue His people from sin, His plan to bring a Savior to His people from the promise of Abraham, and His plan to bring a Savior who is also a King from the family of David. Behold, Jesus, our Emmanuel, God with us, has come. The one through whom the world was made was born for our salvati...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 25
on December 25th, 2023
In the beginning, when God spoke into the darkness, light shone, and all of creation came into being. And yet, soon humanity fell and darkness reigned over us, around us, and in us. But today we celebrate that God stepped into our sinful and broken world.History hinges on the moment when a baby was born so that a weary world can now rejoice.Behold, Jesus, our Emmanuel, God with us, has come. The o...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 24
on December 24th, 2023
Matthew 2:1-12Some time after Jesus was born there were others who came to worship Him. These wise men were Gentiles, meaning they were not of Jewish descent. They traveled a long distance from their homes in search of the “King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). A star in the sky led their way, echoing a prophecy found in the book of Numbers: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 24
on December 24th, 2023
Every piece of a nativity scene fits seamlessly together. We place the manger in the middle of the stable, drawing glances from the animals. Mary and Joseph are a pair, kneeling peacefully over their newborn child. The shepherds sit to one side, as at home in this stable as they have been in countless others. Then we line up the wise men.They stand tall, holding their precious gifts of gold, frank...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 23
on December 23rd, 2023
Matthew 1:18-25Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph. He was part of King David’s family, the family that God had promised to send His Savior through. Joseph was a humble carpenter, but there was so much more to him. Joseph was chosen by God to be Jesus’ earthly father.When Joseph found out that Mary was going to have a baby, he planned to walk away from her, because the baby wasn’t theirs toge...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 23
on December 23rd, 2023
We don’t know Joseph very well since the Bible says very little about him, but Jesus knows him well. It was Joseph, alongside Mary, that raised Jesus, taught him to walk, and wash, and talk. It was Joseph who came home from work to find Jesus running into his arms. It was Joseph that spent days with Jesus teaching him the skills of carpentry, how to saw, sand, and sell their creations.Jesus was Jo...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 22
on December 22nd, 2023
Luke 1:5-25, 1:57-80Zechariah was a priest who loved and believed in God. He had been waiting for God to send the King He had promised. One day, when Zechariah was working in the temple, God sent an angel to Zechariah to tell him he would have a son who would get the people ready for Jesus, God’s promised King.Zechariah told Gabriel he couldn’t believe any of this. As a punishment for his unbelief...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 22
on December 22nd, 2023
One pregnancy was late. One was early. The opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel begin with the intertwining stories of two pregnancies.Zechariah and Elizabeth had been trying to conceive for years. They had prayed and waited, and watched other children grow. But never their own. For years Elizabeth’s tidy and quiet home had first whispered then screamed “barren"! And now they were too old.Mary and Jo...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 21
on December 21st, 2023
Luke 1:45-56God sent an angel to Mary. The angel told Mary that she would have a Son, but he would be no ordinary son, she was to name her Son Jesus, and He would be great. God had chosen Mary because she was beautiful inside and out, and loved God. She would carry and care for God’s own Son.Mary rejoiced to be part of God’s great plan to save the world from sin. She was happy that God had chosen ...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 21
on December 21st, 2023
Telling my children "I love you to all the moons” is my attempt to express to them the weight behind the three simple words, “I love you."I used to say the more common phrase, “I love you to the moon,” but I was left with this nagging feeling that I wasn't adequately communicating what I wanted them to hear.Being able to vaguely comprehend the distance between the earth and the moon made the expre...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 20
on December 20th, 2023
Luke 1:39-45Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary was unable to have children, but God did a miracle in her. She was old enough to be a grandma, but God allowed her to become pregnant. She too would have a special baby.Elizabeth never thought she would have a child, but God was so kind to her. And now she was going to have a son. This was too good to be true, but it was true!Her son would have a very impo...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 20
on December 20th, 2023
One of the most recurring questions throughout the Bible is “Will God be believed?” In the silence, after God has spoken, will God be trusted to do what he says he will do?It's these questions of belief that are rattling through Mary’s mind as she sits behind the wheel, heading upstate to visit Elizabeth.In the complexity of Mary’s ordinary life, she’s feeling puzzled. Her faith is strong, until s...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: Day 19
on December 19th, 2023
Luke 3:1-20, 7:18-30John’s coming marked the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of one who would prepare the way for Jesus (Isaiah 40:3). He came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” and preached a message of repentance, calling the Israelites to humble themselves before God and to turn away from their sin (Luke 1:17).We too must humble ourselves and magnify the goodness of God through our own repent...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 19
on December 19th, 2023
John’s coming marked the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of one who would prepare the way for Jesus (Isaiah 40:3). He came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” and preached a message of repentance, calling the Israelites to humble themselves before God and to turn away from their sin (Luke 1:17).We too must humble ourselves and magnify the goodness of God through our own repentance. In the same wa...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: 18
on December 18th, 2023
Nehemiah 1:1-2:8, 13:15-22Nehemiah lived among strangers in a faraway place. He became very sad and wept when he heard about the destruction of Jerusalem and longed for peace and safety of his home.So, he began praying that God would provide a way home and rebuild the city of his fathers, the home of the Israelites. God’s hand was on Nehemiah when he asked the king he served if he could return hom...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 18
on December 18th, 2023
Nehemiah leaned in close as he listened to the reports of these Israelites, friends of his brother who had come from Jerusalem. How was the city faring?Other leaders had since returned from exile and had helped the city a great deal. Zerubabbel led the rebuilding of the destroyed temple. Ezra, the scribe, had studied the Torah deeply and taught the people concerning it.It seemed, even out of the a...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: 17
on December 17th, 2023
Jeremiah 7:1-15; 29:1-14Throughout their history, the Israelites turned from God and worshipped other idols. In his mercy, God gave them many chances to turn back.God sent Jeremiah, his last try, to call out for change one more time before he brought bad things upon His people. Jeremiah loved the people, and so he cried out to them, begging them to clean themselves up and return to God’s ways. But...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 17
on December 17th, 2023
"O come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel." he melodious cry that arose from the anguished people of God in exile, estranged from the place they’d always called home. They lifted up their voices, longing for Emmanuel, for the Messiah who would deliver them home, once again.For years Jeremiah had prophesied in Jerusalem, with pleading proclamations, trying to turn the people to repentanc...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: 16
on December 16th, 2023
Isaiah 6:1-7; 11:1-9Isaiah found himself in a smoke-filled room with trembling floors and flying angels shouting about God’s holiness and glory, he was in the throne room of God. And God was sitting on the throne. With all of this happening, Isaiah was overwhelmed.His response to being so near to God’s holiness was, “Woe is me!” As he stood before the perfect holiness of God, his own sin so clear ...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 16
on December 16th, 2023
Nobody wants to get coal in their stocking. Maybe once it was helpful, providing warmth through cold winters, but now, coal is just bad news. Because receiving coal means we’re bad. Honestly, it’s a hard message to receive. Because it involves acknowledging our own lack of goodness, admitting where we fall short. Most of the time, it’s easier to just sweep those things under the rug and hold out h...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree for Families: 15
on December 15th, 2023
1 Kings 18There was a new king in Israel, Ahab. And this was anything but good news. He was an evil king, who built an altar for Baal, the Canaanite god, promoting worship of this false god throughout the kingdom and turning people away from the True God.So God called the prophet Elijah to bring them back. He challenged the priests of Baal to a contest, seeing whose god can set the offering on an ...  Read More
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The Jesse Tree: Day 15
on December 15th, 2023
There was a new king in Israel, Ahab. And this was anything but good news. His first administrative decisions included building an altar for Baal, the Canaanite god, promoting worship of this false deity throughout the kingdom and turning people away from the LORD. And for a while, even with this change, the kingdom flourished. All seemed well. And people began to believe that their flourishing wa...  Read More
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