Online Safety

Some of you have been receiving emails from an account disguised as John Jay’s, so we want to take this opportunity to address that issue and give some tips and reminders about online safety. Rest assured that the emails are not because of a hack or any kind of account invasion, but rather some kind of phishing scheme. With so much happening online these days, we know how important it is to protect your information. So, here’s a pastoral word on digital safety from John Jay!

Key Points to Remember:

  • All church emails will come from “<name>@fbcpasadena.com”, never from gmail or other places.

  • The church will only ask for money via check or through our online giving methods we discuss in the service (not in urgent-sounding emails!).

  • Delete and/or forward any scam emails to a staff member; do NOT respond or open any attachments.

  • John Jay shares other pro tips in the audio, so make sure to listen for those!

Sunday Special | EP 35

Happy Sunday, Friends!

This morning we are excited to share some photos of our fun adventures reverse Trick-or-Treating with our families! 

And we also want to make sure you mark your calendars for the next Liturgy for Families with Kids on November 14th at 10:30AM in our church park. We will have songs, a Bible lesson, a craft, and some yummy things to eat. Best of all, we will be there together Worshipping God!

Much love,

 

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

 

P.S. Speaking of worship, this week's teaching was on the tabernacle. We invite you to remember that you can make your own place of worship right at home as a portable sanctuary! Gather whatever helps you worship God—something to play or make music, your Bible, a blanket, some stuff animal friends, a journal or something to write on, coloring sheets, a nice place to sit outside—you can use lots of things to make a space where you can pray, sing, and worship God!  

FBCP Families | 34

Hi, Friends!

We had a blast visiting you on Halloween and seeing your wonderful costumes! Thank you for giving us some joy. We can't wait to see you next, and we hope you'll join us on November 14th for another fun time worshipping in the park (see below!).

I pray you are able to find rhythms of rest and time for play with your families this weekend. After a long and tiring election week and months of living in a pandemic, we are mindful of the toll that anxiety can have. Here's a post with information about how to help your child cope with anxiety in case you could use some reminders or extra resources. And, in the spirit of John Jay's sermon this week on tabernacle, we encourage you to let your children help create spaces of sanctuary and worship right at home (stuffed animals allowed!). 

More Liturgies for Families with Kids!

Get excited for the next Liturgy for Families with Kids! Mark your calendars for two Saturdays coming up: November 14th and December 5th. We'll gather in the park for an outdoor and safely-distanced worship event full of song, stories, activities, and the joy of being together. (And with the holidays coming up, we'll have some special ways to celebrate gratitude and advent!)

Serving Our Pasadena Neighbors on Thanksgiving

If you are looking for a way to serve in the community on Thanksgiving this year, then you might want to look into volunteering with Union Station Homeless Services. In addition to helping prepare and package food, they also need volunteers to serve dinner in a safe way to those who otherwise will not have a meal that night. You can find all the information and volunteer applications here.

Sunday 

Kids

We’ll be at Outdoor Church and hope to see all who can make it! We also have a special video and photo gallery to share, along with some sneak previews of what to expect at our family worship service on November 14th. We can't wait!

Youth

This week the youth will be gathering in the park starting at 10:15AM! We have a fun special guest and some exciting ways to connect with each other and our Creator. Hope to see you there! (Word on the street is that something yummy will be provided.)

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Encouragement on Election Day

On this Election Day, we are praying for our nation and for our own posture of faith and hope. This page offers a space to counter the noise and the anxiousness around us. We pray that each offering helps you center yourself in the peace of Christ.

 

A PASTORAL WORD FROM
JOHN JAY

 

A SONG TO BLESS YOU FROM LESLIE

 

A SCRIPTURE AND A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM GRETCHEN

 

A READING ON DEMOCRACY FROM CYNTHIA

 

SCRIPTURE AND A CHALLENGE FROM MARY

 

A WORD ON LIGHT FROM JOHN KELLY

 

A PRAYER FOR CATCHING YOUR BREATH

 

INHALE, EXHALE PRAYERS

One way to help regulate our emotions and quiet our anxious thoughts it to use the power of breath. These are simple breath prayers that you can pray aloud or to yourself. Taken from Liturgies for Parents.

 

FBCP Families | 33

Hi, Friends!

We are so excited to make our Halloween visits tomorrow, and we have only treats and love to share! We look forward to seeing our kiddos dressed up as we make the most of this day in such challenging circumstances. And don't forget that we turn the clocks back an hour this weekend! (For help talking about the history of daylight savings with kids, see this post.)

More Liturgies for Families with Kids!

We are also so excited to share the dates for two upcoming Liturgies for Families with Kids! Mark your calendars for these two Saturdays: November 14th and December 5th. We'll gather in the park for an outdoor and safely-distanced worship event full of song, stories, activities, and the joy of being together. (And with the holidays coming up, we'll have some special ways to celebrate gratitude and advent!)

Giving as a Practice

As we continue to invite folks to give to the World Mission Offering and as we approach Thanksgiving, this is a great time to talk about giving and sharing with our kids. If your child receives an allowance or saves up loose change, it might be helpful to ask them about the practice of giving and invite them to pray about being generous, too. Often the conversation around sharing and the opportunity to let them choose how to give can be a really powerful learning experience (as opposed to the adults setting a requirement). We are so grateful for the generosity of our church and the ways that we experience God's flow of abundance through one another, and we know our kids have generous hearts and spirits, too!

Sunday 

Kids

This week we are taking a break from our video and hope that you and your families can have a restful sabbath and time together (and perhaps recover from eating lots of candy Saturday night!). We hope to share some photos of our Halloween visits instead. We'll be at Outdoor Church for anyone who is able to join us!

Youth

This week we will have a Youth Zoom gathering 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! Our next gatherings in the park will be November 8th and 22nd.

Sending you so much love and virtual hugs!

With gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Sunday Special | EP 33

Happy Sunday, Friends!

This morning we are excited to share a little slide show of our recent Liturgy for Families with Kids and a special bonus feature made by some of our FBCP friends. We hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great start to a new week. We love you!


Choosing Joy

Because our first Liturgy for Families was such a source of joy, our challenge to you this week is to ask God for more joy and to be on the lookout for things that bring you laughter, smiles, or a warm feeling in your heart. We worship a God of joy even in the midst of challenging circumstances, so let's pray that we can help experience and share joy with those around us.

More Family Liturgies!

Oh, and stay tuned for more family liturgies in the park! We will be sharing dates and details this week so you can make sure to join us in November and December for more worship, fun, and joy as we gather together.

Much love, 

Pastors Lindsay and Mary

In Pasadena as it is in Heaven

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