Friends at FBCP,
Happy Friday! We have a lot of important and fun updates to share with you this week, so read on for all the details.
We are gathering for worship in the garage at 10:30AM on Sunday. Come early to settle in and see the faces of your church family. (And if you know someone who needs a church home, we would love to welcome them to our concrete sanctuary!)
This week we are inviting folks to bring cereal and hearty soups for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry. We are excited to resume this regular practice of collecting donations for Friends In Deed, and right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!
On Saturday, May 15th, our global partner Melanie Baggao will be hosting a time of prayer over Zoom at 10AM. Melanie is preparing to return to Beirut after being in the U.S. for several weeks of rest and renewal. We pray she is blessed as she goes back to her ministry amidst a number of challenging circumstances in the country of Lebanon. To join the prayer time, please register with this link. Thank you for your continued prayers for Mel!
We’ll be hosting a Basics Class following the worship service in the courtyard this Sunday. If you are newer to this community and want to learn more about church life at FBCP and what membership looks like, this is designed for you. It’s a no-pressure time to hear more about who we are and a chance to ask questions, too! Lunch will be provided. You can register online here or contact Pastor Gretchen at gretchen@fbcpasadena.com with any questions.
Mark your calendars for Sunday, May 23rd! After worship we will head to the park area for a time of celebration and blessing for Pastor Gretchen and John Kelly. Both of these friends are finishing up their work contracts with our team in early summer, and we want to gather to say thanks for their presence and service. Gretchen is finishing up her Pastoral Residency program with us and has plans to stay in the area and continue in our community as a lay leader. Fantastic! We are so grateful for all the work she has done to build community within our church and around the city. After his internship ends in June, John Kelly is heading to Dallas, TX to join Wilshire Baptist Church as one of their new Pastoral Residents. We look forward to this time of fun as we honor their contributions to this church family!
If you recently got your first shot or need to let us know you received your second dose, you can click here to share that info with our staff. Yay for being vaccinated!
Union Station Services is hosting another online event on May 20th. Join them to learn the facts about homelessness and the critical need for more bridge (interim) housing for persons experiencing homelessness in our community. Learn about “pallet shelters,” an innovative, cost-effective way to provide housing through small shelters that provide basic necessities of life as well as onsite intensive, supportive services for unhoused persons awaiting permanent housing. Find out how you can help provide bridge housing for our unhoused neighbors and help them transition to permanent housing. Click here to register for this free event!
Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!
Less without you,
The FBCP Community