Year-End Giving!
Before we get to the updates, time is winding down for the year of our Lord, 2019. Which means that there are only a few days left to give a financial gift to FBC Pasadena for this calendar year. To learn more about Year-End Giving, you can click below to read a post we shared last week. If you are ready to share a gift, you can do so with the form below.
It is week #52. Welcome to Christmastide!
Our staff is resting after a full Advent season of worship and gatherings. I hope some of you are able to do the same. Here in Pasadena things are turning their attention toward the Rose Bowl Parade. At FBCP, our attention is turning toward Sunday again, as we prepare to step fully into the Spirit of Christmas. Speaking of Sunday…
Sunday Worship
This coming Sunday morning Pastor Lindsay will bring us a teaching from Luke 2. The title of her teaching is “How to Hold a Story.” That is a great title, and I am excited to hear what she shares with us. I (Pastor John Jay) will be in worship helping out with Hospitality and anything else needed. So a little bit of staff musical chairs this Sunday, which is sure to be a rich time together.
Turning Towards 2020
We are excited to lean into this next decade with intention and purpose, and thrilled to have you along for the ride. You will find ways to connect deeper with our community through gatherings like Second Sunday Coffee with Pastor John Jay, BASICS class for those exploring membership, and our next Community Dinners to find new best friends and eat great food.
Also, I am itching to get into the teachings for next year. We will look at generosity, the Seven Deadly Sins tradition, approaching Jerusalem in Lent, Joesph and forgiveness in Easter, and some fun surprises in the summer. I have a stack of books waiting to be explored and a head full of ideas. Plus a heart full of affection for our community, with whom the work of faith often feels more like play than drudgery.
Holiday Office Hours
The last day our office is open in 2019 is Monday, December 30. If you are wanting to bring in a Year-End financial gift, this is the day to do so. In observance of our Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the church office will be closed Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1. The office will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2020.
New Year’s Day Parking
If you would like to enjoy the 131st Rose Parade, we have a limited number of free parking passes available at the Connections Desk that you can use in our Holly St garage on Rose Bowl Parade day.
Elwood Williams Memorial
I want to share a letter from a family member of Elwood Williams, who died last week after a year of health issues related to a heart attack. Elwood will be missed by all who knew him. Here is the letter from his family:
Elwood Williams passed away in his home on December 22, 2019. He experienced a heart attack in May and since then had been working hard in his usual resilient and optimistic manner to recover as best he could. One of his daughters was with him as he passed. The Williams family acknowledges and thanks the First Baptist Church Community for the fellowship Dad enjoyed and participated in these past 50+ years. A memorial service for Elwood will be held at noon on January 25 at Douglass and Zook Mortuary in Arcadia.
A Thank you from the Manns
Every year I get the gift of watching our church join together to buy Christmas gifts for families through Friends In Deed. Somehow the generosity and genuine care I see you expressing for our community gives me a picture of what Christmas ought to be. Thank you for faithfully bringing gifts for all 80 kids and thank you to those who were ready to buy gifts at the last minute in case any child was left forgotten. (❤️ Michael and Shawn Mann)
