Friends at FBCP,
Here are the updates and announcements you need for the week.
This Sunday
Join us for worship in the sanctuary at 10:30 am as we kick off 2022! Instead of fellowship time in the lobby before service tomorrow, we will be having a more quiet and contemplative time of music being played as people enter for worship. The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids four years old and up will join us in the sanctuary. Youth are also invited to join us for worship. Please note that there is no youth gathering after service tomorrow, and that Children’s Church will resume meeting outside in the park on Sunday, January 9th. As a reminder, here are our community guidelines for being together in the sanctuary.
As we exercise best practices amid this continued season of COVID, we recommend upgrading your masks if you’re able from cloth ones to those proven to be more effective in protecting against the virus. Upgrades in masking options include double masking or switching to 3-ply medical/surgical masks, N95 and/or KN95 masks. This will help us to continue to develop sustainable practices as learn how to thrive together as a community.
Given reduced staff resources this Sunday, we will shift communion from the sanctuary to your homes. You can expect an audio recording from Pastor John Jay to guide folks receiving communion wherever you are gathered and whoever you are with.
We’ll begin our service with an open time of sharing gratitudes, so we invite you to consider this prompt as we head into Sunday: When things are really hard, how does gratitude ground your spirit?
You can also prepare for worship by listening to this week’s scripture recording. You’ll hear a combination of sounds and scripture in this meditation on Matthew 12:1-14 read by Pastor Chip.
This Sunday we are asking you to bring any non-perishable food item of your choice or a can opener for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry as you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!
Future Happenings & Other News
Our Thursday noon Bible study will resume meeting next week on Thursday, January 6th. Join us each week on campus for a lively discussion about the upcoming Sunday teaching text. Email Pastor Chip for more details.
We need volunteers to help us take down the greens after service on Sunday, January 9th. If you’re free, we’d love to have your help with taking down the Christmas decorations in the sanctuary and putting them back in storage. We’ll eat lunch together before getting to work taking everything down and making sure everything is labeled and organized for proper storage. Email our office if you’re interested in helping out.
Sign up to join our new series of Sunday School classes starting on Sunday, January 16th from 9-10 am. We’ll have four different classes you can choose from, and childcare will be available so parents can attend. Please note that the start date has been pushed back one week as we’ve had to make some adjustments due to COVID. To find out more information about the different classes being offered and/or to sign up, click here.
The Rose Bowl Half Marathon will be Sunday morning, January 16th, with limited street access around the church from 6-11 am. Be sure to check out the road closure map so you can plan your route and give yourself extra time you might need for getting to service.
Grace and peace to you as we head into the new year. We can’t wait to worship with you in our sanctuary on Sunday!
Less without you,
The FBCP Community
