Sunday Special | EP 22

Happy Sunday, Friends!

We hope that some of you can join us for Drive-In Church this morning! We know that it might be hard for some kids to attend, but we have some things ready to pass out to any kids who come. No matter where you are, we are sending you so much love this morning!

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 was Elijah doing in the desert?

• Check In With Yourself: How did you feel when you heard that God chose to whisper to Elijah?

• Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about Elijah's choice to run away to the desert and how God used something quiet to get Elijah's attention?

APPLY IT

• Set aside some time to be quiet with God—it could be while sitting in bed before you go to sleep, while walking around outside, or anywhere else you want to quiet yourself before God. Then see if you sense God telling you anything as you listen well. Try to do this even for a few minutes each day this week and see what God says.

• Bake some bread and remember the story of Elijah! This recipe shows you how to make bread in a bag and it only takes a few simple ingredients and yeast.  As you eat your bread, thank God for all the compassion and love God has for you!

• If you are like Elijah and feel more like giving up or complaining, tell God how you feel and then see if you can turn your complaint to a gratitude. God hears your frustrations and cares about them—and God also wants to help you do great things! Being thankful can help set us up to do great things with God.

We miss you and love you! Have a great week spreading compassion! 

Much love,

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 20

Hi, Friends!

August is here, and this Sunday we are really excited for Drive-In Church to start back up! We will be waiting to greet all who are able to come, and we will have snacks and activity sheets on hand for our kids and youth. Parents, if you can remind your kids to grab their favorite coloring/drawing utensils, that would be awesome! We hope to see you there if that works for your family, and no matter what, we are praying for you and sending so much love.

SPECIAL SINGING PROJECT

We are so excited to invite kids and youth to help us create an intergenerational choir piece! Parents, if you missed my email last week, you can head on over to this page for instructions on how to record your child singing for this special project. We are aiming to get submissions turned in next week before school starts up!

SO MUCH LOVE FOR YOU

This season has been long, and with summer coming to an end, we know that most families with kids are gearing up to start another school year online. Even if your kids are not in a traditional school program, fall is coming with no real change in our stay-at-home status. So, instead of sharing more resources this week, we are inviting you to share a prayer request with us. How can we be praying for you, your kids, and/or your family as a whole? Is there some way we could be supportive of your specific family needs right now? We are here to pray, listen, and help whenever possible. We love you and want to remind all you parents that you are still doing a great job!

SUNDAY SPECIALS

KID VIDEO

This Sunday we have a Bible story that is just right for the time—it's about Elijah hearing from God in unexpected ways when things were really hard for Elijah. Join us for a fun story and a reminder of God's compassion! 

YOUTH ZOOM

Please note that the youth will Zoom is scheduled for 1:30 PM to accommodate for those who are attending 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!

UPCOMING YOUTH EVENT

Mark your calendars for our next Youth Movie Night at the Chen's house! We will be watching another movie on Friday, August 14th at 7:30PM in the backyard with safe distancing. We can't wait to continue our movie adventures with Indiana Jones. Candy and all the fun are included.

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Leslie

DRIVE-IN CHURCH IS BACK!

Plan to arrive around 10:00 AM to settle in for 10:30 worship. Hope to see you there!

Phenomenal Friday #32

Mary

Judy

John Jay

Jeannette

Sunday Special | EP 21

Happy Sunday, Friends!

We are so grateful for all of the amazing learning and fun that happened over the last three weeks of Compassion Camp. Our campers were just the best—and they made us so hopeful about all the compassion they are bringing into the world! Today our video shares some more practical ways that we can show compassion to our neighbors and around our home. We hope it inspires you to think about the needs for compassion right next door and to ask God for new ways to love well. 

APPLY IT

Today Pastor Mary shared practical ways to show compassion to our neighbors. Consider some of her ideas and help your child to pray and imagine additional ways to love people well right from home.

• Pray for those who have no access to air conditioning in these hot days.

• Pray for those experiencing homelessness; ask God to take good care of them and to show you when you can do something to help.

• Make a sign that communicates love to those who see it.

• Pray as you walk by the homes in your neighborhood.

• Offer to help when you see a need you could meet, like putting out trash cans for someone on your street.

• When you hear sirens, pray for first responders and anyone in danger.

• Keep asking God to show you how to help!

And if you need one more example for inspiration, then check out this kid who decided to bless people with the gift of laughter by setting up a drive-by joke stand.

We miss you and love you! Have a great week spreading compassion! 

Much ❤️,

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

Leslie

Phenomenal Friday #31

AN INVITATION TO STEP BACK

Today John Jay shares a reflection on how scripture informs the circumstances of our present day. The second half of the track is an instrumental score that John Jay created as an offering for peace and rest. We pray you are blessed in listening and taking a moment to step back. Grace and peace, friends.

CLICK FOR VIDEO GOODNESS

If you missed the Daily Encouragement posts from this week, then you can check them out by clicking on them below! Each post has videos from Compassion Camp that will make life sweeter and more fun. Enjoy!

THIS WEEK’S AUDIO TRACKS:

Mary and Fun Friends

MORE FUN FROM

COMPASSION CAMP! ⬇︎

FBCP Families | Weekday Wonders 19

Hi, Friends!

We can't believe that Compassion Camp is winding down, but we are thankful that our pursuit of compassion never ends. If you've had your Week 3 Campsite open but haven't refreshed your browser lately, then give it a refresh for a few updated items. We will continue to explore compassion as a church because that's what Jesus was all about. A huge thanks to all of our church family who helped us experience compassion the last three weeks! 

Compassion Camp Friday Zoom Movie Party
You're invited to join us for a Zoom Movie Party and closing camp session! This week's camp Zoom will be on Friday from 6:00-8:30 PM. We will hang out, watch a short movie, and wrap up our camping adventure! Click here for the zoom link.

Children and Youth Choir Project
Keep an eye out for a separate email with information about an intergenerational virtual choir project with kids, youth, and our adult choir. It's going to be a really beautiful and fun experience. We hope your kids will join!

New Wonders

VACCINES EXPLAINED FOR KIDS

If your child is wondering what a vaccine is and why it takes so long (or if your child just loves science and exploring new things), then you might enjoy listening to Vox's short podcast episode that explains how vaccines work in a really fun immersive listening experience. It also has an episode discussion guide for kids who want to delve deeper into the science behind experiments and vaccines. I can tell you honestly that I learned a lot!

SPARK JOY AND WHOA

Kiwi has some  ideas for ways you can spark joy with some experimenting at home before school starts up. Check out these different options—I especially like the candy one and the Sports Science page!

Sunday Specials

SUNDAY VIDEO

This Sunday we have one final activity video to share as part of Compassion Camp! Pastor Mary is going to show us how to be present to the world and our neighborhood in simple but practical, everyday ways. Join us as we continue to cultivate compassion! 

YOUTH ZOOM

This week the youth will Zoom at 12PM. 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!

Announcement; Youth Movie Night!
Mark your calendars for our next Youth Movie Night at the Chen's house! We will be watching another movie on Friday, August 14th at 7:30PM in the backyard with safe distancing. We can't wait to continue our movie adventures with Indiana Jones. Candy and all the fun are included.

Sending you so much ❤️and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Lindsay, Ruthie, and Chip

A CHANCE TO SUPPORT FRIENDS IN DEED

No copy of the flier needed - just tell your server that you are making your purchase to support the Friends In Deed fundraiser. CPK Pasadena will be open from 11 am-10pm on Thursday. Some outside seating is available, as well as takeout.

Lindsay and the Ellis Family

Sunday Special | Ep 20

Happy Sunday, Friends!

We can't believe we are about to start our last week of Compassion Camp! We are having a blast with your campers—they have been learning and doing so much. Today's little video is a recap of where we have been, some things to look forward to in this last week of camp, and a look at our drive-through pickup yesterday. 

Today we are sharing some children's book recommendations from our Compassion Camp curriculum. These books are listed as great companions to our final week of camp as we focus on having compassion with the world. You may want to get a copy of some of these to read at home so you can continue to talk about compassion. (And a word on children's books: They are not just for children!)

• Melena’s Jubilee, Zetta Elliot 

• The Marvelous Mustard Seed, Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso 

• When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree, Jamie L. B. Deenihan 

• No Water, No Bread, Luis Amavisca 

• Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights, Rob Sanders 

And one last thing to share! This free printable sign is a fun way to bless all the delivery drivers who come to your home (or you could make your own!). Set out something nice as a thank you to those who are out there making sure we get the things we need. This blog post has some easy ideas for what to leave out for your delivery drivers. 

We'll "see" you tomorrow morning for our final week of camp!

Much love, 

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

Leslie

Phenomenal Friday #30

THIS WEEK’S TRACKS

Grace

Lindsay