Friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts to humankind. From the beginning of time, He saw it wasn’t good for us to be alone, and so, He created community.

Community is, at its very core, God’s desire for us.

It is not good for the man to be alone, so I will create a companion for him, a perfectly suited partner.
Genesis 2:18

As humans, we desire it, too. New research from Cigna, shows nearly 60% of Americans are considered lonely. In 2021, Barna called loneliness an “epidemic.” We need each other, more than ever.

At Westside Family Church, we call our “small group community” experience “A2 Community.” The name comes from Acts chapter 2, which describes how the early church lived in community.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42

The early church set an example that has become our model. Doing life together is one of the best ways we know to show and express love for others.

Sherry and Ron Timbrook first experienced the power of a healthy A2 community while attending another church in 2011. Their 16-year-old son Parker required emergency brain surgery, and they will never forget how their small group community rallied around their family. Together for less than two years, the group was a source of strength and love during a difficult season. In the years that followed, that group became a critical place of encouragement, safe refuge, and hope as various families were dealing with cancer, death, and other life traumas. That group taught Ron and Sherry the power of community, and they knew they never wanted to be without it again.

When the Timbrooks first began attending Westside two years ago, the pandemic significantly limited gathering with others. Still, they were determined to make this new big church, “home.” They knew the way to do it was through a smaller group centered in their south Overland Park community.

This is their story about the power of community and hope. If you’ve been thinking about joining or starting an A2 community, we hope this story encourages you to reach out to Westside’s A2 Associate Director Kim Waite, and sign up today!

Winter 2011

“Parker?” Sherry stepped quietly into her son’s dark room. She and her husband Ron had just returned from church, and she was worried.

Parker had battled an insanely stubborn sinus infection for the past two weeks. They’d been to the doctor, urgent care and Parker was on several antibiotics but just wasn’t getting better. In fact, it seemed he was only getting worse.

“Yeah,” a muffled voice replied.

Stepping closer to his bed, Sherry squinted through the darkness. “Why do you have the pillow on your head?”

“The light really hurts my eyes.”

Stepping back to the doorway, Sherry called down the hallway to her husband, Ron. “We need to get Parker to Children’s Mercy right away. Will you go grab his jacket?”

Ron didn’t skip a beat. Sherry let some light come into the room from the hallway so she could see what she was doing. Stepping over discarded clothes on the floor, she approached Parker’s bed. Gingerly, she picked the pillow up off of his head.

“Parker, I need you to get up,” she started. That’s when she saw it. Parker’s forehead was abnormally swollen. Something was horribly wrong.

“I’ve got his jacket,” Ron offered as he stepped into the room.

“Ron, come look at this. We have to go now!”

Ron took one look at Parker’s face and launched into action, helping his son get up and then out to the car.

The following hours were filled with tests and uncertainty as Sherry and Ron waited anxiously and prayed. As they waited, Sherry connected with their small group, told them what was going on, and round the clock prayers began.

After what felt like an eternity, the doctor stepped into the hallway with Ron and Sherry and began telling them about the tests they’d already run.

“We need to do a spinal tap,” the doctor explained. “We just want to rule out that this isn’t meningitis. Parker is in pretty rough shape. He needs specialized care.”

Sherry felt a hot tear run down her face as she tried to wipe it away.

“I’ve ordered an ambulance to transfer him to Children’s Mercy downtown. We’ve reached out to a brain specialist from KU Med who will be there waiting for him when you arrive.”

“Can Sherry ride with Parker in the ambulance?” Ron asked.

“Of course, and I want to assure you that whatever this is, I’m confident our team there will be able to help.”

Ron and Sherry nodded and began gathering their things so Sherry could join Parker in the ambulance transport. Ron planned to follow in the car.

When they arrived, specialists immediately went to work on Parker with more tests and scans. By midnight the brain specialist told Ron and Sherry Parker they still didn’t know what was causing the swelling, but Parker required immediate surgery to reduce the pressure on his brain.

Sherry sent another text to their small group with an update, asking for prayer during the intricate surgery. Ron thought about the frailty of life as he prayed for their son. This whole thing started with a cold that developed into a sinus infection – a sinus infection that should have resolved with the help of antibiotics. Now their son, their only son, was in another room undergoing brain surgery.

Time slowed. Ron and Sherry paced and sat and paced some more while they waited.

In the wee hours of the morning, the surgeon finally emerged.

“Things are pretty touch and go, and Parker has been intubated. He’ll be spending some time in ICU. We’re hopeful for good results, but it will be sometime until we know if he is of the woods. We’ve had to intubate him to help his recovery.”

“How long are we talking about? Days? Weeks?” Ron asked.

“We’ll have a better idea in the next few days, but it’s likely a few weeks while we get this infection under control and watch how his body reacts as it heals. After draining the fluid, we determined Parker has a rare condition called Potts Puffy Tumor. Essentially, the sinus infection traveled and crossed the brain barrier.”

“Tumor...is it…” Sherry’s voice trailed as the doctor interrupted her, instinctively knowing where she was going.

“No, this isn’t cancer. It’s just a very rare infection caused by that sinus infection. It used to be a lot more common before the use of antibiotics. The antibiotics should have cleared it up, but they were not efficient for whatever reason. I expect Parker to recover fully, but we have some long days ahead of us.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Ron offered his hand to shake hands with the man who had just saved his son’s life.

“You are welcome. Now, the nursing staff is getting Parker settled into a room over in ICU. I’ll have a nurse come get you just as soon as you can go back and see him.”

Power of Love … and Community

Four long and grueling weeks followed the surgery. Sherry, determined not to leave without her son, stayed there day and night, sleeping on a makeshift bed in a corner of Parker’s hospital room. She occasionally stepped out of the hospital's front doors for fresh air and sunshine. Ron spent a majority of his days at the hospital as well.

The season could have been particularly lonely, but that small group of people from their church who’d been praying for Parker proved themselves to be more than prayer warriors. They were becoming family. Taking turns, the group, along with other friends and family, committed to bring home-cooked meals to the hospital several times each week so the Timbrooks could have a break from hospital cafeteria food. They often showed up with board games from home to help pass the time and distract with laughter. If an errand needed to be run, they were quick to help and also took care of other needs while Sherry spent weeks away from the family home.

Sherry and Ron were amazed by the display of sacrificial devotion and love from a group of people they’d known less than a year. These relationships rapidly became more profound than many friendships they’d enjoyed for years. Sherry and Ron were astonished by the power of love and community.

A New Group

It had been about 18 months since Ron and Sherry had made a shift in where they attended church. That small group they cherished for more than a decade had changed. Between moves, deaths, and other life shifts – not to mention a pandemic – the group no longer met on a weekly basis. It was a beautiful season in their life, but they knew it was time for something new, and in 2020, the Timbrooks found themselves at Westside Family Church.  

They loved the large community of believers and the friendliness and vibrancy they saw in the family and children’s ministries. They felt at home, yet something was missing – that small community experience. The more they learned about Westside’s vision for A2 Community, the more they knew this was precisely the heart they had for doing life with others.

During the ONE 2021 series, Ron and Sherry attended an A2 Community group. While they enjoyed meeting new friends, the group met in a location far from their neighborhood. Ron and Sherry began praying and talking about starting their own A2 group.

One problem: who would they invite?

After talking with a few people they’d met at the 8:15 service and hitting some walls, Sherry reached out to Kim Waite, Westside’s A2 Associate Director. Kim was able to connect the Timbrooks with Kim and Larry Gingrich. The Gingrichs didn’t live too far from them and were looking for a group in south Johnson County. Sharing a kindred heart for community, the four immediately hit it off. As they met others, they would extend invitations but trusted that God would take care of the rest.

Amy and John Powell (who often sat near them at the 8:15 service) soon joined their group and Sherry and Ron were thrilled that they finally had a core group of people.

October 2022

One afternoon, while vacationing in California, Sherry was relaxing on the villa patio catching up on some work.

“What are all of the email pings I keep hearing?” Ron asked.

“Emails from Kim Waite at church,” Sherry replied with a smile.

“Oh? Is that related to our A2 group?”

“Yes! With the start of the Unshakeable series, apparently lots of people in south Johnson County are looking for A2 communities.”

“Well, that’s great news!”

“It is! In fact, I was just thinking…we’re going to need to rearrange our family room and figure out a way to accommodate everyone! One of the couples even lives right down the street!”

“You’re kidding!”

“No – isn’t that fun? All this time and to find out there’s a Westsider on our street! Anyway, I talked with him this afternoon, and they will come on Tuesday!”

“Sherry, that’s just incredible. It’s amazing to watch God answer this prayer and desire of our hearts, expanding our community here where we live.”

“I couldn’t agree more!”

Post notes:

Within a matter of weeks, the Timbrook’s group exploded from 6 to 16, with many expressing a desire for a group to do life with beyond the Unshakeable series. The Timbrooks have this to say to anyone considering leading an A2 Community experience:

“I fully understand how scary it is to lead or even just be a part of a group. Westside has designed A2 as an easy stepping point, making the commitment easier because they give you all the resources and support you need. If you’ve been part of a group that didn’t gel, I know it can be disappointing, but try again – the right mix is out there. These groups are sacred and precious.”
Sherry Timbrook