FBCP Families | 06.03.2023

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

I sure missed you last week, but I had a really rich and meaningful retreat experience. Thanks to Pastor Mary, Michael, Karin, Cynthia, and Chip for their extra help so that I could be off. I am so excited to worship with you this coming Sunday, especially since your kids will be singing in service! As you know, they have been practicing "Way Maker" each week with Cynthia and have been sounding so good. Please bring your kids at 9:30 AM this Sunday so they can rehearse in the sanctuary and be ready for the morning. We'll have coffee and breakfast snacks for parents in the courtyard during that time so you can hang out together. Please note that all kids who are singing will sit in the first two rows together at the start of service and then can sit with their families after we are done singing. Thanks for your help in allowing our kids to lead worship in song!

Kids Camp

We hope you saved the date for June 19-23 for our annual kids summer camp! We are focusing on all the ways that God has created us for light and goodness as we explore both literal and metaphorical light. Our summer camp is always an awesome time for our kids to get to know each other and other adults in their church family better. We invite members of our congregation to lead activities based on their own passions and expertise, and this year is going to be a blast! You can register your kids here. Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with registration. If you are an adult in our community and you want to help with any part of camp, let us know! 

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Childcare will be open starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service. 

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for worship and communion since this is the first Sunday of the month. Make sure your child picks up a fun survey to fill out during worship—Pastor Mary will have that ready in the lobby, and it's always a favorite activity for our kids (and youth!). Any kids who are coming early with parents attending a Sunday School class can be dropped off upstairs at 8:50 AM. You might want to have some discussion this week about how your kids are experiencing church and our worship service. It's a great time to let them ask questions, too!

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What part of worship was most memorable for you this week? What made it stand out to you?

• Why do you think  we begin each service with gratitudes? 

YOUTH

We are excited to have our regular youth gathering after worship this week! Parents can pick up their youth at the park gate on Union Street at 1:30 PM. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Special Updates for Families at FBCP

Hi, Friends!

I hope you had a chance to read John Jay's letter about how we will continue to "do church" even in the midst of suspending our usual Sunday morning gatherings. You and your kids have been on my mind extra the last few days, and I am writing with so many emotions as I think of you. I'm sad, of course, that we won't be together in person on Sunday (it's my favorite day because of our gathering!). I'm also grateful for you and our church family, knowing that we get to go through this in community. And I have increasing joy and excitement about the creative ways we can come alongside one another. Today's email is meant to explain what you can expect from me and Pastor Mary in the coming days and weeks, so read on for all the details!

Sunday Specials 

Starting tomorrow, everyone will receive an audio church service in place of our usual Sunday gathering. Though there is no substitute for our physical presence together,  I promise it will offer its own beauty and meaning. I hope you and your family and friends can take time to listen and interact with it together.

You will also receive a video Bible lesson for kids to watch and some suggested discussion and activities you can do right in the home to go along with the lesson (which will match the theme of John Jay's preaching). It is our hope that these Sunday resources provide fun ways for you and your kids to engage with your faith and one another at home (and we are super pumped to make meaningful and silly content to share!).  

Weekday Wonders

Outside of Sunday, I will also be sharing other types of resources for you to use with kids during the week, especially since schools have closed. We want to provide all we can to help you create moments of joy, rest, learning, and fun, and we want kids to be able to experience God's presence and love in new ways during the weeks ahead. In short, we want you to thrive in the home in this season, so we are working hard to help you do just that!

Connection Captains

And, most importantly, we will be checking in on you to see how you are doing, share a word of love and encouragement, and assess any needs you have so we can try to help meet them. We are your church family, and we are eager to live out that special calling. For now, please let me know if you have any pressing needs or questions. We are standing by to take your calls, texts, emails, letters carried by animals (who knew?!)—whatever method you prefer! For reals, connection is most important right now, so don't hesitate to reach out. 

One Last Thing

This brief pause in regular Sunday gatherings is its own kind of fast. But it's also the perfect opportunity to have conversations with kids (and adults!) about what "church" really is. We love our church building, and it's truly special. But "being the church" is not about a building; it's about embodying the love of Christ and pursuing God together, in community, as a family. So that's what we are doing as best we can. If you catch anyone in your home saying something like "church is canceled," make sure you clarify that, though a specific gathering may not be happening, church is never canceled. We will keep being the church—and that is such good news! 

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!