Hi, Friends! I can't wait to see you on Sunday. It's so good to be back to work and at church. This week is our launch into a study on generosity as a church family, and it's the perfect way to begin a new year. I am pausing to give thanks for you. We really do have something special here at FBCP, and Pastor John Jay's sentiment from last week’s sermon rings true: we are all less without one another. Here's to a year of thankfulness and growth together!
Nursery - Elementary
This Sunday we are back to our regular Sunday school classes for kids! Mary and I will be teaching, and we can't wait. Since we haven't seen the kids since before Christmas, we are going to read the story of the magi visiting Jesus—we don't want them to miss out on that special part of the Christmas narrative. Plus, the wisemen didn't show up until after the birth, so we feel we are just in time with this lesson. It's also a great way to help kids focus on generosity just as the adults will. Woot!
Family Discussion Starters:
Why did the magi choose those gifts for the baby Jesus?
What gifts has God given you?
What is a gift you want to give to God?
Prayer: God, help us to recognize the gifts you’ve given us and to be thankful for the things we have received. Amen!
Children's Choir
Children's Choir is back up and running this week! Ms. Cynthia has some fun songs to teach the kids, and we look forward to their leadership in worship next month and this spring! As a reminder, children have choir as part of their regular Sunday morning class time.
Youth
This week we are back to regular youth group after worship service! We look forward to spending time together over lunch and preparing for our upcoming winter retreat.
Youth Winter Retreat
If you haven't signed your youth up for Winter Retreat, then head on over to this page for information and registration information. We are so excited for next weekend and the fun we are going to have with our youth as we explore what it means to seek first the Kingdom as we love others and ourselves. Our sweatshirt logo was made by none other than Corrie Alvaro (a Venn diagram made of hearts!). If you are not a youth, please join us in praying for a Spirit-led weekend of fun and growth!
For Good Measure
(formerly known as "News You Can Use")
It's a new year, so I am playing around with some new wording in my weekly post. This section will continue to be a little extra something good you can use, read, ponder, or do during your week. Ya know...just for good measure.
Faith in an Anxious World
It's no secret that anxiety and depression are realities in the lives of our youth, not just adults. The Fuller Youth Institute has created a new podcast that features conversations with experts about how our youth (and adults!) can settle into hope and faith in the midst of an anxious world. It's about awareness, understanding, and practices that can help all of us. I'm excited to listen and thought you might want to check it out, too. We will be exploring more of these topics with our youth in the coming months, so let me know if you're interested in joining the conversation with our youth leadership team!