A note on giving as it relates to the Eaton Fire crisis

When you give to the work of First Baptist Church of Pasadena, you are directly impacting the work of relief and recovery in our communities of Pasadena and Altadena. We feel clarified in our purpose and calling, and believe that the core practices of faith that we have been nurturing for years now become responsive to this crisis. To that end, we do not imagine segmenting out the work of “relief” from our regular ministries. Rather, we imagine our entire community flowing into new expressions of our deeply held convictions. Our mission statement is: “The mission of First Baptist Church of Pasadena is to create a community of moral formation under the lordship of Jesus Christ, where love of God and neighbor flourishes, where the church regularly gathers for corporate worship, and where lives are consecrated for service in the kingdom of God.” Now we are interpreting this mission in light of a devastating fire and unimaginable human suffering and need. Our core vision is unchanged, but its expression is alive and dynamic. We are convinced that stewarding generosity through the Main Ministry Budget is the healthiest and most impactful practice for our church community at this time. Thank you for your trust and partnership. It means the world to us and we would surely be…less without you.

Generosity is the engine of the universe. In the Trinitarian vision of God, generosity is an ever-flowing movement of grace and love, which extends out to all of creation. Our own generosity is born out of an awareness that our lives are received as gifts from God. We are not self-made. Therefore we hold our possessions lightly, so they might be turned loose for the help and healing of the world. When you give to the ministry budget of FBC Pasadena, you make possible the work and worship which keep our community unique and purposeful.