FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 16

Hi, Friends!

Sunday is a big day—our first Drive-In Church event! If you are able to join us, we would love to see your faces pull into the parking garage. If you aren't able to come (or if your kids can't stay in a car that long), then know that we will miss you and will still be working to stay connected to you. We will provide some fun things for kids to help keep them entertained and engaged during drive-in church, so let us know if we should plan to pack a drive-in kit for your child(ren).

Andddd...we are finally ready to share more details about our summer camp option! We are really excited for all that is to come as we plan the weeks to come. Because we can't gather in our church building and do camp like we normally would, we have designed a hybrid of virtual and in-person opportunities to stay connected and grow together. Read on for the details!

Compassion Camp

Theme

Our theme is Compassion: Be loved. Be kind. Be you! We are using curriculum from Illustrated Ministry, one of our favorite sources for goodness. They designed this camp for this very season, so the theme and activities are relevant and really meaningful. Our goal is to stay connected to each other, grow in compassion, and have fun.

Weekly Flow

Camp will last three weeks and run from July 12-August 2. At the start of each week, we will send out pre-recorded videos that you can watch and use at your own pace (crafts, movement, and other activities that you can do right at home). On Wednesday of each week, we will host a live Zoom option for those who want to connect online and do some games and activities in a virtual setting. At the end of the week (either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday—each week will vary), we will have an in-person opportunity to safely and briefly come together (think parades, a chance to show off your artwork from the week, a drive-by popsicle bar—things like that with safe distance!). 

Registration and Supply Pick-Up

We hope you will join us in whatever ways work for your family! You can register using the button below so that we can plan ahead to get supplies and surprises ready for you. On Saturday, July 11th, from 10:00AM-11:00AM we will have a drive-by pick up for families so that you can get some materials you will need at home for camp activities. You can come anytime during that window to grab a camp kit, wave to your buddies, and officially start your compassion journey! We will share more details as we get closer, but it will be a safe and fun way to launch camp.

 

New Wonders

Prayer Coloring Sheets

I may have shared this early on in quarantine, but I'm sharing again in case some coloring would help you (adults and kids!) relax and settle into God's peace. These prayer coloring sheets are designed to help you when you feel anxious. You could also color these as a way to wind down and pray before bed or as a break during the day if things feel overwhelming. 

Middle and High School Girls

American Baptist Women's Ministries is offering a virtual camp for girls in middle and high school. The curriculum combines science and technology projects along with faith formation. If you are interested and need scholarship funds, they have some available and we also have funds available to help. Registration is due July 8.

Sunday Specials

Sunday Video

This Sunday we have some fun news to share about our upcoming compassion camp! Tune in for details and some previews of what is to come for all our precious campers.

Youth Hangout

Note: Because this Sunday is a Drive-In Church day, we will be moving our youth zoom to 1:00 PM. We hope that gives everyone time to get home if they come for drive-in church! Here is the meeting link that you can use each week to hop on the hangout. We can't wait to hang out with our youth!


Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,


Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Phenomenal Friday #27

 

Drive-In Church Reminders

  • Plan to arrive between 10:00-10:15 AM so that you can get settled and say hi to everyone!

  • Bring a mask in case you need it.

  • Bring your elements for communion (nothing fancy required!).

  • Feel free to bring colors/pens to fill out your follow-along sheet.

  • Back into the parking space if you are able.

  • If you don’t have a car, come up to the pedestrian section on the fifth floor! Pit Crew will be there to guide you. Masks required in this area.

  • If you have donations for the Friends In Deed Backpack Drive, you can bring those to drop off.

  • We will have song sheets and follow-along sheets for those who want a paper copy.

  • Remember to be aware of your own health and use this site to do a self-check before going out in public.

 

Community Gatherings

Hi, everybody! One of the things that makes our community great is how much we like being with each other. While that has been challenging in the last few months, we want to create opportunities to gather in person as much as we can, as safely as we can.

We'd like to invite you to the next round of Community Gatherings. Like the community dinners we've had in the past, this is an opportunity for you to go to the home of a church member and spend some time getting to know them and others from our community better. While dinner won't be served, there will be other activities planned for the evening. And we'll be committed to those practices that will help us ensure everyone's safety: wearing masks, staying 6 feet apart, being outdoors.

You can register for a gathering either on Friday, July 24th or Saturday, July 25th. Please note that there are a limited number of openings available (but we'll be doing this again). There will be more details to come. Email Pastor Gretchen at gretchen@fbcpasadena.com if you have questions.

 

tracks from this week

Sunday Special | EP 16

Good morning, Friends!

This week we had some super fun guests: one of our FBCP kids and one of our Family Ministry volunteers! (Bonus: They are related!) Join us as we talk about what compassion is and why it matters so much as we follow Jesus today. 

After you watch the video, you and your family members can use the following discussion prompts and activities to apply the lesson.

Talk It Out

  • Recap: How did Jesus show compassion?

  • Check In With Yourself: How does it feel to think about being Jesus' agent for compassion?

  • Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about the story of the woman who needed Jesus to heal her?

Apply It

  • Reading about Jesus will always help us learn more about compassion, so make time for family reading and discussion about what Jesus does to feel the suffering of others and respond to it. Help ask questions like what does Jesus do? What does Jesus not do when He encounters someone who is suffering? What are you wondering about this story?

  • Here are some ideas adapted from Positive Psychology about how to help cultivate compassion with kids:

  1. Talk to your kids about suffering. Though it may prove to be a difficult conversation, helping children notice the suffering of others is a first step in cultivating the action needed to alleviate that suffering.

  2. Ask children who they would want to help in the world. They’re likely noticing more suffering than you might realize. Then help them brainstorm ways they could help where possible!

  3. Read books with compassion themes.There are many books for children with kindness and compassion as central themes. The more the topic is discussed, the greater the opportunities to practice in real life.

  4. Read about helpers. Help your child understand the helpers in their world and how their work in compassionate endeavors are valued.

  5. Teach them self-compassion. We learn too quickly to be hard on ourselves about failure. While we all want kids to succeed, notice when your children are suffering from that failure instead. Help them to know that it is okay to fail, especially if we can learn from it.

  6. Model, Model, Model. Show your children what it means to have compassion toward others and toward yourself. Be sure your interactions with children are led with compassion.

  7. Help them learn self-awareness. Teaching kids to be aware that their actions affect others is vital in understanding empathic action behavior. 

We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have. 

 

Much love,

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

Leslie

LYRICS

GOD I LOOK TO YOU

God I look to You
I won't be overwhelmed
Give me vision to see things like You do
God I look to You
You're where my help comes from
Give me wisdom You know just what to do

I will love You Lord my strength
I will love You Lord my shield
I will love You Lord my rock
Forever all my days I will love You God

Hallelujah our God reigns (repeat)
Forever all our days hallelujah

FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 15

Hi, Friends!

We know from talking to some of you that your needs have shifted almost week to week, and it's hard to know what you and your kids need at a given moment. Please know that if you think of ways that we can come alongside you or spread some joy and love to your kids, we are here to help in whatever way we can! And parents, this is a reminder that you are doing a great job—and are so grateful for the parent community at FBCP! Sending you much love this Friday.

New Wonders

At Home Nature Adventures

Thanks to Cynthia for sharing this fantastic resource from the Arboretum on making nature adventures right at home! Some standouts for me: plant people and living necklaces.

This One's for the Teens

If you have a teenager, then you might want to check out this virtual summer program put on by the YMCA. It's free and offers the chance to earn some community service leadership hours and a certificate.  (Thanks to Ms. Carolyn for passing this along!)

Learning How to Sit

Since many of us are working from home, this article might help you find a better way to treat your back while you sit at a desk, stand at a table, or relax on the couch. 

For Bakers and Cooks

Anna, a parent at FBCP, is offering up some awesome and barely used bakeware and cooking items, including some adorable cake tins and a hand crank pasta maker. She was going to donate them but would love for someone in our church family to get these kitchen gems if someone could use them. If you are interested in making a new home for these items, you can email her at agaemail@aol.com. 

Sunday Specials

Sunday Video

This Sunday we have more special guests lined up to help us talk about compassion. There is so much to learn about compassion and how important it is to Jesus!

Youth Hangout 

We are on for our regular noon call this Sunday, and here is the meeting link that you can use each week to hop on the hangout. Discussion, laughs, games, and creative prayer activities await. Yay for our youth! 

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Sunday Special | EP 15

Good morning, Friends!

This morning we are so excited to have three special guests join us (oh, plus some furry friends!). We talk about how to love people well and who Jesus tells us to love. To help us learn more about that, we read two stories. The first reading is from a book called "A Kids Book About Racism" by Jelani Memory, and the second story is about the Good Samaritan from the Bible.

Parents, we know that racism is a tough topic to talk to kids about, but we believe it's important. We also know that each parent has lots of decisions to make about when to have these conversations and what language they use to talk about race, especially for younger children. Our goal is to come alongside you and support you, so we wanted to give you the chance to preview our video and decide if that part would be helpful for your family. If you want to skip ahead to the Good Samaritan story, feel free to do that (the book about racism goes from 4:00-9:25 in the video, and you’ll see a notice pop up on the video, too). 

After you watch the video, you and your family members can use the following discussion prompts and activities to apply the lesson.

Talk It Out

  • Recap: What did Jesus say about who is our neighbor? How are we supposed to treat our neighbors?

  • Check In With Yourself: How does it feel to know that we are called to love everybody? What are reasons we sometimes give for not loving everybody?

  • Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about the story of the Good Samaritan?

Apply It

  • One way to think about how to treat others is to think about how you want to be treated. Think about the ways you can love others really well by putting yourself in their shoes and thinking about how you would want them to act toward you. Since we are staying home a lot, don't forget to think about the people in your own family (even brothers and sisters!) and how you might love them with more Jesus love. You could write your own journal or use something like these cards to keep track of ways you treat others how you would like them to treat you. See how that changes the way you see others!

  • Think about your neighbors around your house and how you could love them well. Maybe you could write a note or draw a picture or bake some cookies to share with a neighbor you don't know well or who lives alone. Be creative with your love for your neighbors!

  • Say a prayer to thank God for making all kinds of different people. You could even draw a picture of the world and all kinds of people in it as a way to thank God for making each one of us. Then ask God to show you how to love everyone well.

  • Listen to this song about how God made everybody in every nation!

We are praying for you! Please remember to email/call/text with any prayer requests you have. 

Much love, 

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 14

Hi, Friends!

I cannot believe that June is already halfway over! If you missed Pastor Gretchen’s information about Juneteenth as well as some other local opportunities for families in Pasadena this weekend, make sure you head on over to the Phenomenal Friday post (and there’s a message for dads there, too!).

We are excited to let you know about our summer plan for kids and anyone else who wants to do some joyful creating! Even though we can't do our regular Arts Camp, we can still have fun and grow as individuals and as a church. Our focus will be on compassion, and each week in July we will have a new theme and various ways you can learn something new to tap into God's heart of compassion. Best of all, we are inviting members of the FBCP family to share their gifts and talents with us as we explore the arts in order to bring more compassion to the world. We will be using videos, Zoom, and safe in-person opportunities in hopes that we can accommodate a range of schedules. We hope you will join us! If you already know you want to help out, use the button below to get plugged in. More details and information for families will be coming next week. Bring on the compassion!

New Wonders

This week we are sharing more ways to find joy in sharing, creating, and reading!

Father's Day DIY 

If you're in need of some fun ideas to do for or with dad, check out Kiwi Co's post with lots of ideas. We thank God for the father figures who have made such a difference in our lives!

Kidspace Project of the Day

If you are looking for some more projects to do this summer at home, Kidspace has some great ideas on this project page that you can check out regularly. Some favorites of mine from a first glance: word mobile, space in a jar, and intergalactic TP puppets.

Resources for Reading with Kids

Here Wee Read is a website created by Charnaie Gordon, an author, speaker, and founder of 50 States 50 Books. She loves books and instilling a love of reading in kids. Her posts cover a range of topics about literacy, including book recommendations, reading journal ideas, a summer reading list for kids, and where to find free or discounted books. 

Sunday Specials

Sunday Video

This Sunday we have some very special guests lined up to help us talk about love and kindness and justice and friendship! We can't wait to share some more familiar faces from our church family with you. Yay!

Youth Hangout! 

We are on for our regular noon call this Sunday, and here is the meeting link that you can use each week to hop on the hangout. Discussion, laughs, games, and creative prayer activities await. Yay for our youth! 

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

In Pasadena as it is in Heaven

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