Weekly Updates 08.13.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Here are the updates and announcements you need for the week.

  • This Sunday we are worshipping in the sanctuary at 10:30AM and we have a full service planned. Come early to hang out with folks in the lobby and prepare for our time together. As a reminder, here are our community guidelines for worship in the sanctuary.

  • We’ll begin our service with an open time of sharing gratitudes, so we invite you to consider this prompt as we head into Sunday: What is something the last year has taught you that you’re grateful to carry forward?

  • This Sunday the nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies, and those parents can enter through the park or the courtyard off the sanctuary and pick their kids up after worship ends. Our kids four years old and up can join us in the park, and parents can drop them off at the Union Street gate. Youth will be joining us in the sanctuary for worship or serving with kids.

  • This week we are asking you to bring canned chicken or tuna for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry if you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!

  • We have resumed our Thursday noon Bible study! Join us each week for a lively discussion about the book of Galatians. Email Pastor Chip with any questions.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you in our sanctuary on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

FBCP Families | 08.07.2021

Hi Friends,

Tomorrow will be a special day for the life of our church family as we gather again inside our beloved sanctuary. We have learned so much about what it means to worship God during uncertain times, in unconventional places, and with unusual practices. Thanks to all who made worship in the garage a meaningful and life-giving experience through such challenging times. This Sunday we will again be surrounded by the beauty of our sanctuary, and it will be an emotional and powerful time of worship together. We will be in masks, which will be a sign of our continued love and commitment to one another. This next season of church life holds great potential as we look to the future with one another in mind.

To keep our kids safe and minimize risk with our unvaccinated population, we plan to hold our kids programming outside until we feel it's wise to go indoors. We are so grateful to have a park space that we have learned how to put to good use for all kinds of things like family liturgies, Sunday programming for kids, and a summer camp. Tomorrow we will be ready for a beautiful morning of learning and connecting with our kids (more details below). And after worship, all generations will gather in the park for a potluck, one of our favorite ways to fellowship at FBCP. We hope to see you there!

Roster Updates

Our online database keeps great track of birthdays and ages, but it does not always update the grade levels for our kids and youth. After the long season apart during the pandemic, we want to make sure our records are updated and that we can help kids and youth get to the right places going forward. If you have a child or youth, would you please take a quick minute to fill out their updated information on this form? Thank you! 

Kids

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers under four years old. Childcare will be open from 10:15AM until the end of worship. Parents can enter the building through the park gate on Union Street or from the courtyard by the sanctuary. 

Our kids four years old and up can join us in the park for a fun morning including a Bible story, activity, and snack. Parents can enter from the Union Street gate and sign their children in for the morning starting at 10:15AM. After worship ends, parents can reunite with their kids in the park. We hope you can stay for the potluck, too!

Youth

This Sunday the youth will join us in the sanctuary for worship and then attend our all-church potluck in place of our usual youth gathering. Youth who want to serve with kids can join us in the park, and any youth in the sanctuary are welcome to be part of our hospitality team. 

We hope to see you soon!

With love and gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Weekly Updates 08.06.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Here are the updates and announcements you need for the week. Read to the end for a special video link!

  • In case you missed the announcement on Wednesday, here is our worship update for shifting inside this Sunday, August 8th. Bring your favorite mask and be ready for all the emotions that will come with being together inside again. We are so pumped to be in our beautiful sanctuary and to share a potluck in the park afterwards. You’re invited to bring main dishes and side items to share with your church family. Potlucks are a speciality at FBCP, so we hope you can stay for fellowship and yummy food. We hope to see you there!

  • This Sunday we have some special instructions for our families with kids. The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies, and those parents can enter through the park or the courtyard off the sanctuary and pick their kids up after worship ends. Our kids four years old and up can join us in the park, and parents can drop them off at the Union Street gate. Kids in the park can reunite with their parents after worship at our potluck outside. We are so excited to have regular Sunday programming with our kids again! Youth will be joining us in the sanctuary for worship or serving with kids.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you in our sanctuary on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

FBCP Families | 07.31.2021

Hi Friends,

Camp was such a blast this past week! We learned so much while having an awesome time together, and we had the best team of camp volunteers on the planet. We explored the idea that we were made for love—to both give and receive love well. As we dove into our daily themes, our campers were insightful about all kinds of concepts like being brave, wise, and generous as we serve and make others feel loved and safe. We shared Bible stories, played games, ate yummy snacks that tied to our themes, made gifts to give to local service partners, learned to sign a blessing, sang worship songs, and were visited by some super silly puppets. We even had a bounce house and water slide to end our week. Thanks to everyone who made it such a beautiful time of learning and playing together!

This Sunday we are worshipping in the garage for the last time before going back to the sanctuary, and we would love for families with kids to join us if they are able. It's also a communion Sunday, which is always a reminder of our call to gather and share the love of Christ with one another. We hope to see you there!

For the Animal Lovers

If your kid loves animals, then they might enjoy the free resources on this page. You can scroll down to find videos with veterinarians and experts on guide dogs along with fun printable activities. We thank God for all the imaginative creatures in creation!

Kids

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers under four years old! Childcare will be open from 10:15AM until the end of garage worship. We hope this allows our youngest children to have a safe place to play and connect with each other and our loving nursery staff. If you're interested in helping with our nursery team, please let us know.

On August 8th we will welcome our entire church family back into the sanctuary! Stay tuned for more details about how the morning will flow for kids—we have some fun plans in the works . We hope you will also stay after worship for a big potluck in our park. We look forward to a special time of coming together in our beautiful sanctuary!

Youth 

This Sunday the youth will have a chance to gather and also learn more about the opportunity to join our hospitality team. We will serve lunch and finish around 1:30PM as usual. We are so thankful that we have such awesome youth in our church family!

With love and gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Weekly Updates 07.30.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Here are the updates and announcements you need for the week:

  • Early next week we will be posting our next worship update in preparation for shifting inside on August 8th. We will share any changes to our indoor practices in that communication. Our outdoor practices will stay the same for all activities that are in the open air. Also, tell your friends to get vaccinated. It is the best practice you can adopt if you have not yet.

  • Speaking of August 8th, we will also be having a potluck after worship! You’re invited to bring main dishes and side items to share with your church family. Potlucks are a speciality at FBCP, and we are so excited to share this kind of meal with one another.

  • This Sunday we will be gathering in the garage at 10:30AM for worship, and it’s also communion Sunday. You can bring your own elements or have a wafer and juice pack we provide. It’s our last Sunday in the garage, and we have lots to praise God for as we reflect on how we have been able to worship in creative ways during the past year. Come early to settle in and greet one another. See you there!

  • During worship in the garage, our nursery will be open for babies and toddlers. Parents can enter off Union Street to drop kids off and sign them in. We are so grateful our youngest ones have a place to play and connect!

  • This week we are asking you to bring cereal for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry if you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!

  • We are back on for Thursday noon Bible study! Join us in the park for a lively discussion about the book of Galatians. Email Pastor Chip with any questions.

  • Choir will have a rehearsal August 4th at 7:00pm in preparation for worship on August 8th. You can contact Pastor Leslie for more info and to lend your voice to our community.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

Weekly Updates 07.23.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Here are the updates and announcements you need for the week:

  • We are keeping an eye on the changing indoor requirements coming from local health agencies. We will share any changes to our indoor practices after our Covid Advisory Team meets on August 1. Our outdoor practices will stay the same for the next two weeks as we continue to meet in the garage.

  • This Sunday we will be gathering in the garage at 10:30AM for worship. Come early to settle in and greet one another. We know it’s been a hot week, so bring a water bottle to fill at our water stations. See you there!

  • During worship in the garage, our nursery will be open for babies and toddlers. Parents can enter off Union Street to drop kids off and sign them in. We are so grateful our youngest ones have a place to play and connect!

  • This week we are asking you to bring cereal for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry if you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!

  • To our families with kids, here is the registration for our kids camp if you still want to sign your kids up. Camp runs from July 26-30, and we can’t wait to play and connect with our church family. Keep an eye out for a parent email coming soon to all registered campers!

  • Please note that next week on Thursday, July 29th, we will take a break from Bible study but will resume the following week. Email Pastor Chip with any questions.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

FBCP Families | 07.22.2021

Hi Friends,

We had a great time with our kids on Sunday, and we had the chance to pray over lots of spaces in our church and for unity in our church family. It was a special time of reflecting on our call to be unified even though we love how different each of us is.

This Sunday we are worshipping in the garage, and kids are invited to join us there. The nursery will be open for our babies and toddlers. In the meantime, we are gearing up for camp on Monday and continuing to get ready for regular Sunday school starting August 8th. You can join us in praying for our youngest ones and our teams as we learn and grow together!

Having Better Conversations with Young People

The Fuller Youth Institute recently shared this article about how to have better conversations with teenagers, and it has some great tips and food for thought. (And really, these tips are great for thinking about conversations with people of all ages!) I am so grateful that we have a church where all generations can thrive and grow together, and I pray that we continue to live into that vision as the body of Christ.

Kids

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers under four years old! Childcare will be open from 10:15AM until the end of garage worship. We hope this allows our youngest children to have a safe place to play and connect with each other and our loving nursery staff. If you're interested in helping with our nursery team, please let us know.

Our kids summer camp is almost here! Camp starts Monday and we can't wait. You can still register with this link. Camp this year will focus on learning about how God loves us in fun and playful ways as we remember how fun it is to play together with the other kids at church. If your kids have friends who want to get to know our community, they are welcome to invite them! We are committed to making sure that we maintain the right safety considerations for our unvaccinated population of kids, and we also are praying this will be a time when the kids in our church can really get to know one another better before we return fully to the sanctuary in August.

Youth 

This Sunday the youth who are not helping with kids camp will be gathering for our regular time together after worship for lunch and fellowship. Youth who are helping with kids camp can join our leader meeting where lunch will be served as well. Everyone can head to the park after worship in the garage, and we'll wrap up everything at 1:30PM.

This Saturday the youth will be heading to Friends In Deed to sort and prepare the school supplies from the backpack drive. We can't wait to serve and have fun together with the wonderful staff at Friends In Deed!

With love and gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

FBCP Families | 07.17.2021

Hi Friends,

We are so excited for our time with kids in the park tomorrow, and we are busy planning for our kids camp that is coming up. Just a reminder that parents can register for camp using the link below. If you want to help volunteer any of the days at camp, we would welcome your help! Just email us and we can get you plugged in for a week of fun and learning together. 

We have also been busy getting our kid spaces organized and ready for when we return inside. As we monitor the virus variant and continue to discern best practices for kid safety, we will keep you posted on where Sunday school will happen once we are back in the sanctuary. We are so grateful that we have lots of space both indoors and outdoors so that we can welcome our kids safely at church! Stay tuned for updates as we look ahead to August 8th and our return to the sanctuary for worship.

Kids

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers under four years old! Childcare will be open from 10:15AM until the end of garage worship. We hope this allows our youngest children to have a safe place to play and connect with each other and our loving nursery staff. If you're interested in helping with our nursery team, please let us know.


We have programming in the park for kids this Sunday! We have a special morning planned that will help them explore the same passage that Chip will be preaching about in the garage, and we can't wait to spend time learning and growing with our kids. Parents can drop kids off and sign them in at the Union Street gate to the park at 10:15AM. See you soon!

Our kids summer camp will take place July 26-30 from 9am-12pm. You can register with this link. Camp this year will focus on learning about how God loves us in fun and playful ways as we remember how fun it is to play together with the other kids at church. If your kids have friends who want to get to know our community, they are welcome to invite them! We are committed to making sure that we maintain the right safety considerations for our unvaccinated population of kids, and we also are praying this will be a time when the kids in our church can really get to know one another better before we return fully to the sanctuary in August. 

Youth 

We have a great time at our youth movie night yesterday! Thanks to the Chen Family for hosting in their backyard home theater. This Sunday the youth will be gathering for our regular time together after worship, and we'll be working on a project using grant money we were recently awarded. Lunch is included, and we'll wrap up at 1:30PM.

Youth should also mark their calendars for Saturday, July 24, from 9am-12pm. We will be heading to Friends In Deed to help them sort and prepare the school supplies after they have received all the backpack drive donations. Lunch and ice cream will be included, and we can't wait to serve and have fun together with the wonderful staff at Friends In Deed!

 

With love and gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

P.S. Tomorrow is National Ice Cream Day, so keep an eye out for deals on this delicious cool treat! Here are a few you might want to check out.

Weekly Updates 07.16.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Happy Friday! Here are all the updates and announcements for this week.

  • This Sunday we will be gathering in the garage at 10:30AM for worship. Come early to settle in and greet one another. We know it’s been a hot week, so bring a water bottle to fill at our water stations. See you there!

  • During worship in the garage, our nursery will be open for babies and toddlers. Kids ages four to ten years old can join us in the park for programming. Yay! Parents can enter off Union Street to drop kids off and sign them in. We look forward to a time of fun and learning with our younger ones!

  • This week we are asking you to bring pasta and pasta sauce for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry if you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!


  • This is the last Sunday to bring items for our Backpack Drive with Friends In Deed. Many families will be facing the same financial concerns as they have in the past, and probably some new ones, too. This could make preparing their kids for the new school year an even bigger challenge since there are so many costs that come into play for a new school year. If you would like to help out, here are some things to consider:

    • Please avoid all red and all blue backpacks. This is very important to Friends In Deed.

    • Backpacks should be sturdy enough to handle the rigors of a student's day and the crazy amount of books they heft around, especially for our high school students.

    • The supplies needed are recommended by the Pasadena/Altadena area schools and a list is included here.

    • If you want to donate some funds and have Shawn shop for you, select “Friends In Deed” on the dropdown menu on our giving page.

  • To our families with kids, here is the registration for our kids camp that we sent out last week. Camp runs from July 26-30, and we can’t wait to play and connect with our church family. (And if you’re reading this and are interested in helping out, let us know!)


  • Join us on Thursday for our Bible study at noon in the park. We’ll be there every week for a time of discussion and fellowship as we look at scripture together. Our first focus is on the book of Galatians. There are no materials to download, but you are encouraged to bring a Bible (or we can loan you one!). Feel free to bring your lunch to eat, too. Hope to see you there! Email Pastor Chip with any questions.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

FBCP Families | 07.10.2021

Hi Friends,

We had a great time worshipping and sharing lunch together last week! I hope to see you in the garage tomorrow as we gather for our regular time of worship together at 10:30AM. Kids are always welcome! We are also getting ready for our upcoming kids camp. Please see below for registration information. We hope to see your kids there for all the fun!

Kids

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers under four years old. Childcare will be open from 10:15AM until the end of garage worship. We hope this allows our youngest children to have a safe place to play and connect with each other and our loving nursery staff, Tasha Cronin and Engry Lopez. Parents can enter off Union Street through the park and proceed through the gym. We’ll be there to lead the way! If you're interested in helping with our nursery team, please let us know.

Don't forget that we have programming in the park for kids again on July 18th. We look forward to another time of fun and learning with our kids while worship happens in the garage. 

Our kids summer camp will take place July 26-30 from 9am-12pm. You can register with this link. Camp this year will focus on learning about how God loves us in fun and playful ways as we remember how fun it is to play together with the other kids at church. If your kids have friends who want to get to know our community, they are welcome to invite them! We just don't plan to advertise beyond our families or open it up to the general public. We want to be sure that we can still maintain the right safety considerations for our unvaccinated population of kids. We also are praying this will be a time when the kids in our church can really get to know one another better before we return fully to the sanctuary in August. 

Youth 

This week the youth will be gathering for our regular time together after worship, and we have an exciting new project to present to them. Lunch is included, and we'll wrap up at 1:30PM.

This Friday we have a youth movie night at the Chen’s house! Parents, stay tuned for more details this coming week.

Youth should also mark their calendars for Saturday, July 24, from 9am-12pm. We will be heading to Friends In Deed to help them sort and prepare the school supplies after they have received all the backpack drive donations. Lunch and ice cream will be included, and we can't wait to serve and have fun together with the wonderful staff at Friends In Deed!

 

With love and gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Weekly Updates 07.09.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Happy Friday! Here are all the updates and announcements for this week.

  • This Sunday we will be gathering in the garage at 10:30AM for worship! Come early to settle in and greet one another. We know it’s been a hot week, so bring a water bottle to fill at our water stations. See you there!

  • During worship in the garage, our nursery will be open for babies and toddlers. We look forward to a time of fun and learning with our little ones!

  • This week we are asking you to bring peanut butter for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry if you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!


  • We also are continuing with our Backpack Drive for Friends In Deed. For two more Sundays we invite you to bring supplies for students in our neighborhoods. Many families will be facing the same financial concerns as they have in the past, and probably some new ones, too. This could make preparing their kids for the new school year an even bigger challenge since there are so many costs that come into play for a new school year. If you would like to help out, here are some things to consider:

    • Please avoid all red and all blue backpacks. This is very important to Friends In Deed.

    • Backpacks should be sturdy enough to handle the rigors of a student's day and the crazy amount of books they heft around, especially for our high school students.

    • The supplies needed are recommended by the Pasadena/Altadena area schools and a list is included here.

  • To our families with kids, here is the registration for our kids camp in case you missed it earlier this week. Camp runs from July 26-30, and we can’t wait to play and connect with our church family. (And if you’re reading this and are interested in helping out, let us know!)


  • Join us on Thursday for our Bible study at noon in the park. We’ll be there every week for a time of discussion and fellowship as we look at scripture together. Our first focus is on the book of Galatians. There are no materials to download, but you are encouraged to bring a Bible (or we can loan you one!). Feel free to bring your lunch to eat, too. Hope to see you there! Email Pastor Chip with any questions.


  • The crisis in Myanmar continues, and there will be another virtual prayer time for the country led by leaders in the American Baptist Church on Monday, July 12, at 3 p.m. PDT. You are invited to join the prayer time over Zoom using this link. The Meeting ID is 790 997 8145 and the password is C323. Possible content will include a video on Dr. SaSa’s presentation on National Unity Government (NUG) at the Biennial Asian Alliance Convocation, the current dire Covid situation, updates from international partners, and advocacy sample letters to the U.S. House Representatives & U.S. Senators.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

FBCP Families | 07.03.2021

Hi Friends,

Tomorrow we have a special worship service in the park at 10:30AM, and it includes a taco lunch! We'll provide the taco bar, and we're inviting folks to bring a dessert if they are able—a soft transition back to our beloved potlucks.  We hope families with kids can enjoy this different kind of service and the chance to be with the church at large. And Cynthia will be there to help Leslie and John Jay lead us in worship, complete with hand motions for the songs our kids have been learning this last year at our family liturgies. It's going to be a great morning!

With summer well underway, I thought I would share this post with 50 free things kids can do in LA this summer. I am out of practice in terms of thinking about fun outings, and this list has lots of outdoor options to consider as we continue to navigate health and safety practices for our unvaccinated kiddos. Here's to adventure and play this summer!

KIDS

Please note that the nursery will be closed this Sunday so that everyone, including our nursery staff and youngest ones, can join us in the park for worship and lunch. If you need to bring any toys with your little ones to enjoy in the park, that's totally fine! We will be sitting at tables for worship rather than rows of chairs in case that helps you plan ahead.

Mark your calendars! We have programming in the park for kids four and up on July 18th. We look forward to another time of fun and learning with our kids while worship happens in the garage. 

And our kids summer camp will take place July 26-30 from 9am-12pm. You can keep an eye out for a registration link coming this week. Camp this year will focus on learning about how God loves us in fun and playful ways as we remember how fun it is to play together. If your kids have friends who want to get to know our community, they are welcome to join! We just don't plan to advertise beyond our families or open it up to the general public as we have in previous years in order to make sure that we can still maintain the right safety considerations for our unvaccinated population of kids. We also are praying this will be a time when the kids in our church can really get to know one another better before we return fully to the sanctuary and regular programming in August. 

YOUTH 

This week the youth will not be gathering separately but are invited to join the whole church for worship and lunch in the park. We hope to see them there! Next Sunday we will gather for our regular time after worship, and we have an exciting new project to present to them.

Youth should also mark their calendars for Saturday, July 24, from 9am-12pm. We will be heading to Friends In Deed to help them sort and prepare the school supplies after they have received all the backpack drive donations. Lunch and ice cream will be included, and we can't wait to serve and have fun together with the wonderful staff at Friends In Deed!

With love and gratitude for you,

Pastor Lindsay & Pastor Mary

Weekly Updates 07.02.2021

Friends at FBCP,

Happy Friday! Here are all the updates and announcements for this week.

  • This Sunday we will be gathering in the park at 10:30AM for worship and lunch! We hope you’ll join us on this first Sunday of the month as we share both communion and a full meal together. We’ll provide a yummy taco bar and refreshments, and we invite you to bring a dessert to share if you are able. It’s also a service we hope our families with kids will feel encouraged to attend, and we promise more fun songs with hand motions that our kids know well.

  • This week our nursery is closed so that our nursery staff can join us for worship and communion. All babies and toddlers are, of course, welcome to join us in the park if that works for your families, and next week our nursery will be open again.

  • This week we are asking you to bring canned tuna, canned chicken, or soup for the Friends In Deed Food Pantry if you are able. Right now this will help meet a major need in their supply. Thanks for contributing!


  • We also have officially started our Backpack Drive for Friends In Deed! For the next three Sundays we invite you to bring supplies for students in our neighborhoods. Many families will be facing the same financial concerns as they have in the past, and probably some new ones, too. This could make preparing their kids for the new school year an even bigger challenge since there are so many costs that come into play for a new school year. If you would like to help out, here are some things to consider:

    • Please avoid all red and all blue backpacks. This is very important to Friends In Deed.

    • Backpacks should be sturdy enough to handle the rigors of a student's day and the crazy amount of books they heft around, especially for our high school students.

    • The supplies needed are recommended by the Pasadena/Altadena area schools and a list is included here.


  • Join us on Thursday for our Bible study at noon in the park. We’ll be there every week for a time of discussion and fellowship as we look at scripture together. Our first focus is on the book of Galatians. There are no materials to download, but you are encouraged to bring a Bible (or we can loan you one!). Feel free to bring your lunch to eat, too. Hope to see you there! Email Pastor Chip with any questions.

Grace and peace to you as we head into the weekend. We can’t wait to worship with you on Sunday!

Less without you,

The FBCP Community

 

In Pasadena as it is in Heaven

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