Hi Friends,
We have lots of exciting happenings this month for our church family, including our Town Hall meeting this Sunday right after worship and our Gratitude Night potluck dinner on November 14th. If you want to stay after worship for Town Hall, you can pick your kids up in the park or the nursery after the meeting is over. At Gratitude Night, we will have childcare for babies and toddlers. All other kids are welcome to join us in the gym for dinner.
We are also excited to look ahead to the season of Advent. Because we know the calendar can fill up fast, here are some important dates you can mark for kids and youth:
November 21: Hanging of the Greens after worship — Open to everyone of all ages! The youth will participate in lieu of our regular gathering. Lunch is provided.
December 4: Youth Christmas Party at FBCP
December 11: Candlelight Carol Service Rehearsal 10:30am-12:00pm — Kids and Youth
December 12: Candlelight Carol Service — Kids and Youth arrive by 5:30pm
For the Candlelight Carol Service, our kids will be singing two songs. In addition, both kids and youth will be invited to participate in the nativity. Cynthia will be preparing the children's choir during their regular Sunday morning programming (yay!), and I'll be sending some song tracks over email to help your kids sing along and practice at home. We look forward to an intergenerational service as we reflect on the arrival of the Christ child. We'll be sending out more details about each event in the weeks to come, but we wanted to be sure you have those dates in mind as we head into Advent.
Kids
Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Childcare will be open from 8:50 AM until the end of worship so that parents can also opt to join one of our Sunday School classes. Parents can enter the building through the park gate on Union Street or from the courtyard by the sanctuary.
Our kids five to ten years old can join us in the park for a time of learning and playing together starting at 8:50 AM, too! Parents can enter from the Union Street gate to sign their kids in and can reunite with their kids in the park after worship. Pastor Mary and I have some different games and activities they can choose from during the adult Sunday School hour, and then we'll transition to our regular Bible lesson and time of play during the worship hour at 10:30 AM. This week we are turning our focus toward gratitude and various practices that ground us in thankfulness. We can't wait to explore what scripture has to tell us about this theme for the next few weeks!
Youth
This Sunday the youth will gather after worship for lunch and fellowship. We'll spend time talking about this week's scripture passage from Matthew and then work on our youth room renovation plans. Parents can pick up their youth at the park gate off Union at 1:30PM.
As a reminder, on Sunday, November 14, we have an inaugural gathering with the Pasadena Youth Coalition at McDonald Park from 2-4 pm. Keep an eye out for another email with details about that event. We're excited to partner with other youth in our city to see what we can learn and do together!
With love and gratitude for you,
Pastor Lindsay
