FBCP Families | 32

Hi, Friends!

It finally feels a little more like fall, and I am grateful for the possibility of rain that we need so much. I pray that you are able to find moments of refreshment and rest for your family during what I know continues to be a challenging season in so many regards. 

Halloween Updated Plan

We had hoped to use our park space for a gathering on Halloween, but due to the Pasadena Public Health Department's restrictions, we have to shift our original plan. We know that may be a disappointment, but we are determined to make the most of the day and the opportunity to connect with our kids! So, here's the plan: Pastor Mary and I, along with some special friends, will be making our way to your homes in costume with treats to share. We would love to see your kids as we do some reverse trick-or-treating (definitely heavy on the treat!) and bring a little Halloween cheer to your door. If your kid would like to be in costume, too, we would love to take their picture to share with our families and to record a message to pass on to the next house we visit. If it's okay for us to make a Halloween visit, please click the button below so we can coordinate a time to come. 

Zoom Out Cards

Sometimes when we feel worried or stressed, it can be helpful to take a break and get outside ourselves, so to speak. These Zoom Out Cards include a series of fun facts that can help us bring things back in perspective and appreciate how vast and amazing God's creation is (and how creative, playful, and detail-oriented God is). Have fun zooming out!

Sunday 

KIDS

This week we have a special little video featuring photos and fun from our Liturgy for Families with Kids. If you weren't able to make it, you can get a glimpse of the fun we had! And if you did come, then you'll get to see all the fun all over again. We love our families and worshipping together!

YOUTH

This week we are back in the park with our youth for a safe gathering! We have some fun new activities planned to help us connect to God and others. We can't wait to spend time with our awesome youth! Stay tuned for future plans in 

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Phenomenal Friday #42

NEWSLETTER ABOUT CHURCH BUSINESS

Hey church friends, 

Pastor John Jay here with another monthly newsletter, digital only because the November paper mailer is close behind. I want to share how we are planning for our big yearly congregational meeting affectionately known as Gratitude Night. This is the meeting where we vote on our proposed Ministry Budget for the following year, as well as leadership nominations to the Board of Deacons. We also receive an update from the FBCP Foundation Board at this time. In the “Before Times” this would have been a potluck in the gym on the Sunday evening preceding Thanksgiving. But since these are the “After Times,” we will be adjusting. Fortunately, we have gotten pretty good at adjusting! Let me share the process with you so we are all on the same page. 

On November 8th our Deacon Officers will join me to host a Town Hall after Sunday morning worship to share all of the recommendations with the church. You will hear about our Ministry Budget proposal for next fiscal year (January-December 2021). You will also receive the candidates being recommended for Deacon service. We will share the Budget documents with you all ahead of the Town Hall by paper mail and electronically. Two weeks later on November 22nd, we will join together for a Gratitude Day worship service. We have moved this from an evening gathering to Sunday morning, essentially folding the meeting content into a worship context. This will allow us to take our time and to frame our central church business procedures within prayer, Scripture, singing and teaching. Voting will follow the normal process, with an additional option of voting by text for those who will be listening over the live stream audio. This will allow all active members to participate while still respecting the sliding scale of risk and comfort with the health guidelines we are practicing. We will explain all of this in more detail the day of, but for now you just need to know that you can participate on November 22nd either in person or remotely by text if you are listening from home. 

We are finalizing the budgeting process as I write this, and I am so grateful for the faithfulness and generosity we have all continued to practice in these weird and scary months of 2020. We are in a healthy budget position going into 2021, which feels miraculous and also consistent with who we are as a church. Fear and anxiety normally constrain generosity, which means that we have chosen and practiced trust and hope in God throughout this wilderness season. Praise God, and thank you! 

We anticipate next fiscal year (January-December 2021) to be another unpredictable year. Anticipating unpredictability means budgeting with flexibility and shifted logistical priorities, particularly around how we sustain ministries while still affected by the virus and attending disruptions. When you receive the proposed Ministry Budget, you will also receive a short narrative companion that describes the how and why of this process. In order to mail you these documents, we need to have a current physical address on file. If you want to make sure to receive this packet, you can confirm your contact details below and we will check it against our records. I look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks. Until then we are…

Less without you,

Pastor John Jay

 
 
 

THIS WEEK’S TRACKS:

Sunday Special | EP 32

Happy Sunday, Friends!

Today Izzy and Mo find themselves at a feast provided by God, but they have to learn a lesson about not complaining first. Watch out—strange things are falling from the sky!

TALK IT OUT

  • Recap: What did God provide for the Israelites even though they complained so much?

  • Check In With Yourself: How did you feel as you imagined the story (especially the falling bread!)?

  • Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about God's care for the Israelites and their situation?

APPLY IT

  • We have shared this recipe for bread in a bag before, but this time you could make it for a neighbor or friend! Attach a little tag or note that says "God provides" as a reminder of God's faithfulness to the Israelites and to us.

  • The Israelites complained a lot, even though God did miraculous things for them. Try to notice any time that you start to complain this week. When you do, stop and ask God to help you to be grateful. You could write down what is making you complain, and then ask God to help you with that situation. After taking a moment to pray, cross out that item of complaint and write a new thing that you are thankful for. Here is a sample prayer: Dear God, Teach us to be grateful at all times and not to complain. Help us to enjoy the blessings you give us every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Much love,

 

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

FBCP Families | 31

Hi, Friends!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Yesterday and today I've had the privilege of being at a virtual summit for a Fuller youth ministry cohort we are part of. It's been a really engaging time to think about our youth and cast new vision for our ministry going forward. Our youth leadership team (Grant, Grace, Tasha, and Chip!) continue to be such a gift to our community, and we were honored to have Naomi be our youth representative. We appreciate your prayers for our youth and all they have to bring to our church family!

If you loved our Liturgy for Families with Kids, then stay tuned for our next one! We will send out the next date and details so you can mark your calendars. We can’t wait to worship in the park again with you!

Halloween Updated Plan

We had hoped to use our park space for a gathering on Halloween, but due to the Pasadena Public Health Department's restrictions, we have to shift our original plan. We know that is a disappointment (for us, too), but we are determined to make the most of the day and the opportunity to connect with our families with kids! So, here's the plan: Pastor Mary and I, along with some special friends, will be making our way to your homes in costumes with treats and love and big smiles and air hugs. We would love to see your kids as we do this reverse trick-or-treating (definitely heavy on the treat!) and bring a little Halloween joy to your door. If your child would like to be in costume, too, that’s even better! If it's okay for us to make a Halloween visit, please click the button below so we can coordinate a spooktacular driving route. 


Watercolor Leaf Rubbing

Most of us have done leaf rubbings to make art using the intricate designs in creation, but this post shows a new twist on turning leaves into watercolor masterpieces. Grab a white crayon and some watercolors, and watch the leaves come to life on paper. (And for a fun word on why and how leaves change colors and what we can learn from it, check out SALT's Theology of Color.)

Sunday 

Kids

This week we are going to talk about manna and the way God chooses to provide for Moses and the Israelites. Join Izzy and Mo as they continue on the journey after leaving Egypt! (Oh, and we may have a related tasty surprise for anyone able to come to Outdoor Church tomorrow.) 

Youth

We are on for another Zoom gathering this week at 2PM. Here is the meeting link that you can use to hop on the hangout. We can't wait to spend time with our youth! 

More Youth in the Park

Our outdoor youth gathering went so well a couple of weeks ago, and we are excited for more chances to meet safely outdoors! Youth, mark your calendars for October 25, November 8, and November 22. More details to follow.


Sending you so much ❤️and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary



Sunday Special | EP 31

Happy Sunday, Friends!

Today we continue with the story of Moses. There's no burning bush this time, but there are some other crazy elements and acts of God. We also tell you how you could act out the story at home with your family because acting out scripture is one way to really experience it in a new way. We pray you have fun getting into character!

TALK IT OUT

  • Recap: What did Moses tell the Israelites when they were afraid, and what happened?

  • Check In With Yourself: How did you feel as you heard the Israelites complain, and how did you feel when God saved them?

  • Wonder: What are you wondering right now as you think about the moment God parted the Read Sea through Moses?

APPLY IT

  • Acting out the story is one way to help engage more of your senses. Try to really imagine what it would have been like to be different people in the story. If you do act this out at home, don't be afraid to pause and ask questions or share what you are wondering about in the moment!

  • To help you remember that God is with you in the most impossible of circumstances, you could make a painting using your footprint like the picture below! Here are the simple steps:

    1. Dip your foot in paint and then make a footprint on paper with your heel at the top, OR you could trace your foot on a piece of paper using a pen or pencil. This will become your Moses.

    1. Next draw some water on the left and right side of your foot. 

    2. Then add a staff and anything else to Moses' outfit. 

    3. Write either a verse from the story or a reminder from the story that you want to keep in mind the next time you are afraid. Some ideas: Remember to trust God! Just be quiet; God will fight for you! or God can do the impossible!

footprintmoses.jpg

We love you and are praying you have a wonderful Sunday!

Much love,

Pastors Lindsay and Mary




FBCP Families | 30

Hi, Friends!

My heart is still SO full from last weekend! Seeing our families with kids in person was such a gift and food for the soul. Thank you for all those who were able to come out and worship in the park with us—we thank God for the special families in our church who make FBCP even more special!  

If you joined us last Saturday, then you heard us announce that we are in the process of planning a chance for our families with kids to wear their costumes and safely show them off on October 31st. Stay tuned for more details as we continue to plan. We want to be sure we are in compliance with local guidelines and restrictions to keep everyone safe and be able to continue to worship together. We will send out the final details as soon as we have them!

Sunday 

KIDS

Last week we saw Moses talk to a bush that was on fire, and this week Moses finds himself in another seemingly impossible situation involving water, a high-speed chase, and that staff he always carries around. Keep an eye out for this week's kid video!

YOUTH

We had a blast in the park with our youth last week, and Chip shared such a good word on what it means to be rooted in Christ and pursue a personal relationship with Him.  We will be back to our Zoom gathering this week at 2PM. Here is the meeting link that you can use to hop on the hangout. We can't wait to spend time with our youth! 

At Home

Make Postcard Art

If you have a budding artist at home, they might want to create a postcard that will support the US Postal Service and be added to a collection and online gallery. It's an initiative started by two artists in hopes of educating folks about the USPS and democracy. Happy drawing!

More Family Time (Singing)

Looking for some new tunes to sing as a family? Check out this fun album called More Family Time by Ziggy Marley featuring tons of other artists. You can listen to it on various apps or watch animated music videos on YouTube. Get your dance party on!

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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