FBCP Families | 08.03.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

Happy August! I know that this time of year can feel really busy as summer winds down and many of our families gear up for another school year. We are starting a new preaching series on Sabbath this month, and it feels like a perfect time to reorient ourselves around rhythms of rest before we slip into the busyness of fall. I pray that your families find ways that meet your needs to slow down and remain grounded. I'm really eager to re-imagine Sabbath as a community. See you tomorrow!

Women's Brunch | August 10

Women (and girls!), we hope you can join us for brunch in the Southside Room on Saturday, August 10, from 10am-12pm. This month, Pastor Leslie will be sharing her story of faith and a time of communal singing. We hope you can join us for a time of fellowship, food, and fun together as we continue to deepen our friendships with one another. Text “brunch” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP, and feel free to invite a friend. 

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. I will send more detailed information to parents, but here is an overview of the morning: On that Sunday, our rising Kindergarteners will come at 9:45 AM with their parents to check out their new learning spaces upstairs, and then they will spend one last day in the nursery celebrating with all their friends and leaders. Our rising youth will get to spend one last day up with the kids to celebrate with all of them, and then they can stay for the youth gathering after worship. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 10:20 AM to receive your little ones. This week our nursery kids will explore the story of the woman at the well.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for worship and communion since this is the first Sunday of the month. Make sure your child picks up a fun survey to fill out during worship—Pastor Mary will have that ready in the lobby, and it's always a favorite activity for our kids (and youth!). It will be a beautiful morning together as a church family, and we welcome the presence of our kids in worship. This month our preaching series will be on Sabbath, so our kids will get to be there as we explore the creation of rest this Sunday.

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What does Sabbath mean?

• Why did God create rest?

YOUTH

We have our regular youth gathering after worship. We'll have lunch and wrap up at 1:30 pm. Parents can pick up their kids in the church  park off Union Street. Parents, keep an eye out for information about youth girls and guys groups starting back up in August.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 08.02.2024

Sunday

• Join us for worship in the sanctuary at 10:30am as we partake in communion together (note: crackers are gluten free)! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Please note that because this will be the first Sunday of the month, our kids five years old and up will join us in the sanctuary for service. Our youth are invited to join us for our regular lunch and fellowship after service. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• Our Yarn Craft Group welcomes any crafty knitters or crocheters to join the biweekly fun in the Parlor after worship on Sunday, August 4th. Bring snacks to share (optional) and a water bottle. Email Whitney or Justine if you have any questions. 

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is peanut butter and other nut butters.

Small Groups

• We are excited to launch small groups this fall. Please let us know of your interest to lead or attend weekly groups in homes around the area. You can text “small” to 626.727.9498, and we will follow up with more information as we launch in September. These groups will create opportunities for growth and formation in the context of an intimate circle of belonging. There will be a leader training on Sunday, August 11th. Email Pastor Lindsay with questions.

Coming Up

• Several of you are joining us for the Dodgers vs Pirates game next Friday, August 9, at 7pm! You can drive and meet us at the game or join a group of us gathering at the church at 5:30pm to ride the metro train in together. Our group tickets are sold out. Email Pastor Chip with questions. Play ball!

• Ladies of all ages, we hope you can join us for brunch in the Southside Room on Saturday, August 10, from 10am-12pm. This month, Pastor Leslie will be sharing her story of faith and a time of communal singing. We hope you can join us for a time of fellowship, food and fun together as we continue to deepen our friendships with one another. Text “brunch” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP, and feel free to invite a friend.

• Pastors Lindsay and Mary, along with our Family Ministries, will celebrate Promotion Sunday on Sunday, August 11th. This is when kids who are starting Kindergarten are invited to join the elementary classroom upstairs, and kids who are entering 6th grade are invited to sit with us during worship service. Parents of rising kinder students, Pastor Lindsay will be in touch with you this coming week about coming a little early on August 11th to tour the upstairs rooms and get familiar with the new space. Sixth graders are also invited to start meeting in the lobby after worship each week for our regular youth gathering and lunch. Email Pastor Lindsay with questions.

• August 11th will also be a day we want to invite all of our students and educators to bring your backpack, briefcase, whistle or pencil case to worship. We will be sharing a blessing for the upcoming school year during service.

• Our Passive-Aggressive Pickleball group will meet on Sunday, August 11th, at 7pm in the gym off Union St. Text “pickle” to 626.727.9498 if you haven’t already. Email Tim with questions. We have paddles and balls available; bring your parking ticket for validation, and a bottle of water.

• Oaxaca Team—We are having a team meeting for our missions trip (October 18-26th), after service on Sunday, August 18th. At this meeting, we'll hear from Dave Miller, who leads the ministry with Adventures in Life, and learn more about specifics of our trip. Lunch will be provided. Email Pastor John Jay with any questions.

• If you’re interested in helping with Family Ministries, but missed the training in May, we invite you to let Pastor Lindsay know about your interest. We are having a make-up Family Ministry Training on Sunday, August 25, at 9:30am in the nursery. Pastors Lindsay and Mary will go over how they thoughtfully connect with kids of all ages during worship. All staff and volunteers go through a background check process, and we take our family ministry seriously so they receive the best care we can give them. Thanks for considering this fun way to partner in nurturing the community at FBCP! Text “train” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP for the training, and email Pastors Lindsay and Mary with questions.

Job Opportunity

• Our amazing building attendant Ryan will be heading to college this fall, and we are looking for someone to take his place on Sunday mornings. If you know someone who doesn’t attend FBCP (because we would hate to take them out of worship!), but is trustworthy and would like to help us manage the building and coffee service on Sunday mornings, please let us know. Weekday evening requests may be asked as well. Email Marcie for more information about the job.

Summer Travels

• Busy traveling this summer? No problem. Catch up on the latest services with our archive of worship audio found here.

Regular-ish Happenings

• Yarn Crafts Group | 8/4 after worship | Parlor

• Grief Group | 8/11 at 9am | Room 214

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 8/11 at 7pm | Gym

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 8/24 | TBD

Six Weeks at a Glance

8/9 - Dodger Game
8/10 - Women’s Brunch
8/11 - Promotion Sunday
8/18 - Oaxaca Team Meeting
8/25 - Family Ministry Training
8/25 - Basics Lunch
8/31 - Choir Retreat
9/1 - FBCPride Group Lunch
9/8 - Oaxaca Bake Sale
9/8 - Fall Sunday School
9/14 - Men’s Breakfast

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 | 07.27.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

This morning the youth are sorting and organizing all the donated school supplies at Friends In Deed. This is a years-long tradition for our youth, and we are so thankful for FID and the work they do in our neighborhoods. Thank you to all who were able to contribute this year so that all kids can start school with the supplies they need. The youth and I  look forward to seeing you in worship tomorrow!  

Women's Brunch | August 10

Women (and girls!), we hope you can join us for brunch in the Southside Room on Saturday, August 10, from 10am-12pm. This month, Pastor Leslie will be sharing her story of faith and a time of communal singing. We hope you can join us for a time of fellowship, food, and fun together as we continue to deepen our friendships with one another. Text “brunch” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP, and feel free to invite a friend.

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. I will be emailing families this week about what to expect on that day and in the new routine going forward. In the meantime, your kids can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready at 10:20 AM to receive your amazing kids. This week our nursery kids will continue to explore the story of the sick man who was lowered through the roof by his friends. Last week my kids had a great time playing with a cardboard  room, roof, and mat that Engry made for our little ones

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families or in the pews in the front with me. This week we will continue to explore gratitude and how we can be more grateful for creation. We are so thankful for the intergenerational learning that happens in our family ministry spaces.

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• Think of all the people who make it possible to eat the food you have on your table. Brainstorm with your family and then offer a prayer of gratitude for all those that helped the food grow and get to your home.

• What are ways we can care for creation as a way to thank God for all that has been made?

YOUTH

We are back on for our regular youth gathering after worship. We'll have lunch and wrap up at 1:30 pm. Parents can pick up their kids in the church  park off Union Street. Parents, keep an eye out for information about youth girls and guys groups starting back up in August.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 07.26.2024

Community Dinners

• We hope you enjoy a dinner around the city tonight with other FBCP folks. Thank you to our Community Dinner hosts for gathering people around their dinner tables—the Chen, Christopher, Edic, Ellis, Jennings, Synder-Hallett and Young households—thank you for your hospitality!

Sunday

• Newer friends to FBCP (if you’ve been attending for less than six months), join Pastor John Jay for coffee this Sunday, July 28, from 9-10am in his office. This is a time for folks to get to know a couple other people in a smaller setting and share with Pastor John Jay any questions. Text “coffee” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP. We look forward to getting to know you!

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth are invited to join us for our regular lunch and fellowship after service. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• Join us as we pray for our global servants around the world this Sunday, July 28th, after worship in the Parlor. We invite you for thirty minutes of prayer for our FBCP-supported American Baptist servants in Mexico, Lebanon, Turkey and Thailand as they love and support others around the world and share the light of Christ through service. Email Pastor Lindsay with questions.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is soup/chili/stew.

Small Groups

• We are excited to launch small groups this fall. Please let us know of your interest to lead or attend weekly groups in homes around the area. You can text “small” to 626.727.9498, and we will follow up with more information as we launch in September. These groups will create opportunities for growth and formation in the context of an intimate circle of belonging. There will be a leader training on Sunday, August 11th. Email Pastor Lindsay with questions.

Coming Up

• Our Yarn Craft Group welcomes any crafty knitters or crocheters to join the biweekly fun in the Parlor after worship on Sunday, August 4th. Bring snacks to share (optional) and a water bottle. Email Whitney or Justine if you have any questions. 

• Ladies of all ages, we hope you can join us for brunch in the Southside Room on Saturday, August 10, from 10am-12pm. This month, Pastor Leslie will be sharing her story of faith and a time of communal singing. We hope you can join us for a time of fellowship, food and fun together as we continue to deepen our friendships with one another. Text “brunch” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP, and feel free to invite a friend.

• Pastors Lindsay and Mary, along with our Family Ministries, will celebrate Promotion Sunday on Sunday, August 11th. This is when kids who are starting Kindergarten are invited to join the elementary classroom upstairs, and kids who are entering 6th grade are invited to sit with us during worship service. Parents of rising kinder students, Pastor Lindsay will be in touch with you this coming week about coming a little early on August 11th to tour the upstairs rooms and get familiar with the new space. Sixth graders are also invited to start meeting in the lobby after worship each week for our regular youth gathering and lunch. Email Pastor Lindsay with questions.

• August 11th will also be a day we want to invite all of our students and educators to bring your backpack, briefcase, folios, and pencil cases to worship. We will be sharing a blessing for the upcoming school year during service.

• Our Passive-Aggressive Pickleball group will meet on Sunday, August 11th, at 7pm in the gym off Union St. Text “pickle” to 626.727.9498 if you haven’t already. Email Tim with questions. We have paddles and balls available; bring your parking ticket for validation and a bottle of water.

• Oaxaca Team—We are having a team meeting for our missions trip (October 18-26th), after service on Sunday, August 18th. At this meeting, we'll hear from Dave Miller, who leads the ministry with Adventures in Life, and learn more about specifics of our trip. Lunch will be provided. Email Pastor John Jay with any questions.

Job Opportunity

• Our amazing building attendant Ryan will be heading to college this fall, and we are looking for someone to take his place on Sunday mornings. If you know someone who doesn’t attend FBCP (because we would hate to take them out of worship!), but is trustworthy and would like to help us manage the building and coffee service on Sunday mornings, please let us know. Weekday evening requests may be asked as well. Email Marcie for more information about the job.

Guiding Principles

• Our summer preaching series has been focusing on the revised Guiding Principles updated by the deacon board this past year. In case you’ve missed any with summer schedules, the full list of principles can be found on our website here, and the archive of worship audio can be found here. Stay tuned through July for the remaining topics!

Regular-ish Happenings

• Yarn Crafts Group | 8/4 after worship | Parlor

• Grief Group | 8/11 at 9am | Room 214

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 8/11 at 7pm | Gym

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 8/24 | TBD

Six Weeks at a Glance

7/26 - Community Dinners
7/27 - Youth Backpack Sorting at FID
7/28 - Prayer for Global Servants
8/9 - Dodger Game
8/10 - Women’s Brunch
8/11 - Promotion Sunday
8/18 - Oaxaca Team Meeting
8/25 - Family Ministry Training
8/25 - Basics Lunch
8/31 - Choir Retreat
9/8 - Oaxaca Bake Sale
9/8 - Fall Sunday School

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

Weekly Updates 07.20.2024

Pray for the Youth

• Our youth are enjoying the San Diego area on their Summer Retreat this weekend. Thanks to Pastor Lindsay and a group of volunteers (Bri, Jensen, Jessica and Michael) for planning a meaningful and fun weekend for them! Also, thanks to those who signed up to help with meals and snacks (Chens, Cindy, Ellises, Gaby, Jonathan, Kathy, Marcie and Susan)! The retreat would definitely be less without this amazing outpouring of love.

Sunday

• Our Friends In Deed's Backpack + School Supply Drive ends tomorrow, Sunday, July 21st. Click here to read a list of recommended items to donate. Please bring all items to worship this Sunday and leave them with the Hospitality folks. The backpacks and school supplies will be included in a prayer of blessing during worship. If you prefer to donate money, visit fbcpasadena.com/giving, select “Friends In Deed” from the drop down menu, and Shawn will shop for you. Email Shawn with any questions. Thank you for your participation! 

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth will be at their retreat this weekend, but we will resume out regular gathering on the 28th. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• Our Yarn Craft Group welcomes any crafty knitters or crocheters to join the biweekly fun in the Parlor after worship this Sunday, July 21st. Bring snacks to share (optional) and a water bottle. Email Whitney or Justine if you have any questions. 

• Our Passive-Aggressive Pickleball group also meets this Sunday, July 21st, at 7pm in the gym off Union St. Text “pickle” to 626.727.9498 if you haven’t already. Email Tim with questions. We have paddles and balls available; bring your parking ticket for validation and a bottle of water.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is baking items (small bags of flour, sugar, oil, etc).

Coming Up

• Our Community Dinners are happening next Friday, July 26th, at homes across the city. The dinners are currently full and participants should have received an email from their hosts this week, but you can text “dinner” to 626.727.9498 to be on the waiting list. Email Pastor Chip if you have any questions.

• Next Sunday, July 28, from 9-10am, Pastor John Jay will have a casual coffee for newer folks in his office. This is different from our Basics Class, which will be happening on August 25th for people ready to consider baptism or membership. Next week’s coffee is a time for folks to get to know a couple other people in a smaller setting and share with Pastor John Jay any questions or comments they have about church. We hope you can make it!

• Join us as we pray for our global servants around the world next Sunday, July 28th, after worship in the Parlor. We invite you for thirty minutes of prayer for our FBCP-supported American Baptist servants in Mexico, Lebanon, Turkey and Thailand as they love and support others around the world and share the light of Christ through service.

• Ladies of all ages, we hope you can join us for brunch in the Southside Room on Saturday, August 10, from 10am-12pm. This month, Pastor Leslie will be sharing her story of faith and a time of communal singing. We hope you can join us for a time of fellowship, food and fun together as we continue to deepen our friendships with one another. Text “brunch” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP, and feel free to invite a friend.

Guiding Principles

• Our summer preaching series has been focusing on the revised Guiding Principles updated by the deacon board this past year. In case you’ve missed any with summer schedules, the full list of principles can be found on our website here, and the archive of worship audio can be found here. Stay tuned through July for the remaining topics!

Regular-ish Happenings

• Yarn Crafts Group | 7/21 after worship | Parlor

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 7/21 at 7pm | Gym

• Grief Group | 8/11 at 9am | Room 214

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 8/24 | TBD

Six Weeks at a Glance

7/19-7/21 - Summer Youth Retreat
7/26 - Community Dinners
7/27 - Youth Backpack Sorting at FID
7/28 - Prayer for Global Servants
8/9 - Dodger Game
8/10 - Women’s Brunch
8/18 - Oaxaca Meeting
8/25 - Basics Lunch

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 | 07.20.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

The youth are well into their retreat this weekend, and we are so thankful for the chance to connect and practice deep listening with them. A huge thank you to all those who provided  delicious meals for us—we have felt so loved by our church family! We will miss seeing you in worship but are excited to share more about our experience next week. Please pray for Pastor Mary who has COVID and will miss being in worship and with the kids tomorrow. It seems like many viruses are going around, so we are praying that all our families can rest and remain healthy these last weeks of summer. 

Youth Backpack Sorting

Youth, we hope you can join us next Saturday, July 27, from 9:00-11:30 AM at Friends Indeed. We'll pack and sort school supplies as is our tradition to help prepare for their annual backpack distribution. It's going to be a great way to serve our community and hang out (breakfast burritos included!). Let me know if your youth can join us (parents and family members are welcome to come, too). 

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready at 10:20 AM to receive your amazing kids. This week our nursery kids will explore the story of the sick man who was lowered through the roof by his friends.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families and then leave with their leaders when they are dismissed. This week we will spend time with a fun book on kindness, and Sally will be leading along with some new volunteers! We are so thankful for the intergenerational learning that happens in our family ministry spaces.

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What does kindness mean to you?

• What does it feel like to receive gratitude from someone else?

YOUTH

Next week the youth will be back on for our regular youth gathering with lunch. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

FBCP Families | 07.13.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

I look forward to worshiping with you tomorrow, especially as we look at our value for creation care. I just spent a week at the beach in awe of the ways God has made creation so vibrant, beautiful, and mysterious. Tomorrow will be a rich time together as we gather, and I can't wait to see you!

Youth Swim Party Tomorrow!

The Powells have graciously offered their pool and home to us this summer for some fun in the sun. All youth are invited to come hang out after worship this Sunday from 12:30-4 pm. We'll gather after worship and head over to the Powell's for lunch, swimming, volleyball, basketball, and trampoline play. Let me know if your youth can join us so I can get a count for food. If you're willing to help drive kids over, let me know that as well. They live at 2011 East Woodlyn Road, Pasadena, CA 91104. 

Summer Youth Retreat

As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. We are so pumped for this chance to get intentional time with our youth in a new setting! You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready at 10:20 AM to receive your amazing kids. This week our nursery kids will continue to explore the story of Mary and Martha.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families or sit with Pastor Mary and me in the front pews. This week we will spend time remembering moments of kindness for which we are thankful, and we'll do some tangible gratitude remembering practices we find in scripture.

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What are some of your favorite memories of when someone showed you great kindness?

• How do you like to express your gratitude to people you love?

YOUTH

We will see our youth at the Powell's house for lunch and swimming after worship today! Next week the youth will not meet since we will be on our youth retreat. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 07.12.2024

Summer and Fall Updates

• In case you missed Pastor John Jay’s update last week, check out the latest updates from FBCP. This letter gives updates on our summer preaching focus, new small groups launching in the Fall, and staffing updates. Enjoy!

Sunday

• Our monthly Grief Group will meet this Sunday, July 14th, at 9am in Room 214. It is a space for anyone experiencing grief or loss to be with others in a similar season. Reach out to Jon Rinkus if you are interested in joining this group. Jon is a trained Hospital Chaplain through Fuller and provides a rich space for folks to process grief. 

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth are invited to a swim party at Dave & Kara’s house after worship this Sunday. Lunch is included! Email Pastor Lindsay for more information. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is rice and beans.

Friends In Deed Backpack + Supply Drive

• First Baptist Church of Pasadena invites you to participate in our partner organization Friends In Deed's Backpack + School Supply Drive thru July 21. Click here to read a list of recommended items to donate. Please bring all items to worship between now and July 21. If you prefer to donate money, visit fbcpasadena.com/giving, select “Friends In Deed” from the drop down menu, and Shawn will shop for you. Email the office if you would like to arrange a time to drop items off to the office Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm. Thank you for your participation! 

More in July

• Our youth are invited to enjoy a weekend in San Diego for their Summer Retreat next weekend, July 19-21. Church family—thank you to those who signed up to help feed the group! We could still use a few more folks to fill in a few meals. Please consider preparing a meal that the team can heat up while they are in the rental house. Check out this form for more details. Contact Pastor Lindsay with questions.

• Our Yarn Craft Group welcomes any crafty knitters or crocheters to join the biweekly fun in the Parlor after worship on Sunday, July 21st. Bring snacks to share (optional) and a water bottle. Email Whitney or Justine if you have any questions. 

• Everyone is welcome to play at our Passive-Aggressive Pickleball meetup on Sunday, July 21st, at 7pm in the gym off Union St. Text “pickle” to 626.727.9498 if you haven’t already. Email Tim with questions. We have paddles and balls available; bring your parking ticket for validation and a bottle of water. It is likely to be warm!

• One of our favorite traditions, Community Dinners, is around the corner on Friday, July 26th, at homes across the city. These dinners of 6-8 folks at each home are a fun way to get to know people in a casual setting. We will be dividing up the signups into homes this week, so we appreciate prompt RSVPs. Email Pastor Chip if you have any questions. Text “dinner” to 626.727.9498 to reserve your spot!

• Join us as we pray for our global servants around the world on Sunday, July 28th, after worship in the Parlor. We invite you for thirty minutes of prayer for our FBCP-supported American Baptist servants in Mexico, Lebanon, Turkey and Thailand as they love and support others around the world and share the light of Christ through service.

Guiding Principles

• Our summer preaching series has been focusing on the revised Guiding Principles updated by the deacon board this past year. In case you’ve missed any with summer schedules, the full list of principles can be found on our website here, and the archive of worship audio can be found here. Stay tuned through July for the remaining topics!

Regular-ish Happenings

• Grief Group | 7/14 at 9am | Room 214

• Yarn Crafts Group | 7/21 after worship | Parlor

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 7/21 at 7pm | Gym

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 8/24 | TBD

Six Weeks at a Glance

Thru 7/21 - FID Backpack Drive
7/14 - Youth Swim Party
7/19-7/21 - Summer Youth Retreat
7/26 - Community Dinners
7/27 - Youth Backpack Sorting at FID
7/28 - Prayer for Global Servants
8/3 - Women’s Brunch
8/9 - Dodger Game
8/18 - Oaxaca Meeting
8/25 - Basics Lunch

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

Summer and Fall Updates

Dear Church friends and family,

If you are interested, I would love to pull back the curtain on some of the things that are happening behind the scenes at First Baptist Church of Pasadena. This letter will cover our summer preaching focus on Sunday mornings, our staff transitions and their ministry impacts, and especially our plans for more Small Groups to launch in the Fall, the state of our culture, and the calling to nurture sanity in chaotic times. 

PREACHING

Last year I (Pastor John Jay) worked with the Deacons to revamp our internal Guiding Principles. One of the sections in which I was most involved related to our Ministry Outcomes. The old version was out of date, having been written by a different set of leaders before my time as pastor. So I dove in with the Deacons and we rewrote the entire set of guidelines. We retained values and principles that continued to resonate, but we also added entirely new core principles that reflect an honest expression of who we are today and the values we actively embrace. On June 2, we began reflecting on these ministry outcome statements for our preaching focus.  We made the decision to focus on our Guiding Principles in preparation for what is proving to be a challenging year culturally. We live in uneasy times, with anxiety and fear being the most obvious symptoms (at times spilling over in outright violence). It is within this storm that we discover the power and promise of our core values as a community. We speak often of being curious and generous, and those continue to be great first principles. Our Guiding Principles direct our attention deeper as a community, allow us language and practices to re-form our imaginations, and provide antidotes to the toxic effects of our cultural sickness. Our summer preaching focus will bring us back to these core foundations. You can find the full list of Ministry Outcomes at fbcpasadena.com/principles. We will shift our preaching in August and focus on “Sabbath” as a set of practices to ground us in God’s goodness through the month. 

STAFF TRANSITIONS

This summer Lindsay will officially transition to her new role as Formation Pastor. She has been in her current role as Family Pastor since joining the staff full time six years ago. Lindsay will be focusing on church-wide spiritual formation, leading Sunday School and Small Group ministries, as well as other smaller gatherings related to formation. She will continue to oversee the youth ministry as a subset of formation work, and she will supervise the reconfigured Family Ministry staff. She will also increase her preaching practice, which is a huge gift to our church. Family Ministry under Lindsay’s leadership (assisted by Mary Winchell) has thrived, grown, and (most crucially) become deeply integrated with the larger church as an intergenerational place to give and receive. Lindsay is splitting her time between wrapping up her time as Family Pastor (including planning for the transition in Family Ministry leadership) and building a cohesive Small Group ministry we plan to launch in the Fall. Mary Winchell has offered to remain on staff until we hire a new Family Pastor, at which time her current role will conclude. We are currently interviewing candidates for the Family Pastor position, and hope to have more to share soon! The ideal candidate will be values-driven and less focused on program building. We believe that kids thrive best when their family systems are healthy. Our next Family Pastor will be someone skilled in ministering to both kids and their adult caretakers. 

We also have had a change in our Sound Technician as Kenny finished up his time on staff last Sunday. He will be moving back home to Hong Kong, and we are less for it. However, we have the fortune of welcoming Stephanie Wong to the staff as our new Sound Technician on Sunday mornings. Steph has a background in church sound and has been attending our church for the last several months. Please make sure to stop by the sound booth and say hi!

HEALTH OF CHURCH

I continue to be delighted at the overall health of our church community. We have kept up with our budget commitments, with giving outpacing spending halfway through the year! Thank you all for your faithful generosity. While we have missed many of you as summer vacations and travel pull people away from Sunday morning worship more regularly, we continue to feel a sense of vibrancy in the pews on Sunday mornings. I encourage you to listen back to the Sundays you missed here. We celebrated the conclusion of our huge building project to climate control the kid spaces (and a couple of all-church spaces). Now those of you who serve in Family Ministry have the added bonus of being in the most comfortable part of the church! The Parking Garage continues to generate more revenue than we budgeted, so a huge thanks to Perfect Parking and Rich Laski for their leadership. The Deacons have a special Sunday they are planning in September, so stay tuned for more info. You won’t want to miss it. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

First Baptist Church of Pasadena is in a unique position. We continue to experience signs of new life, vitality and generosity. Our community remains non-anxious despite the chaos of the news cycle. Our gatherings are little “islands of sanity” (to borrow a phrase from Margaret Wheatley), and we believe that God is honoring our commitment to full presence and sincere faithfulness. The next few months will present us with lots of cultural anxiety, and we will once again meet those moments with the deeper calling to be God’s people practicing God’s love in God’s good creation. As always, in this work we would be… 

Less without you,

Pastor John Jay

johnjay@fbcpasadena.com

FBCP Families | 07.06.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

Happy July! I am in North Carolina visiting Gavin's family, and we are heading for the beach. I pray that each of your families experiences lots of rest and play as summer continues. I am so grateful for the new AC units in our kid spaces as the weather heats up. A huge thanks to Dave Ekstrand, the Foundation, and our electricians for making our rooms comfortable for our active kids and adult leaders! 

Youth Movie Night

Tomorrow evening (July 7) the Jennings family is hosting a youth outdoor movie night at their home. The youth can gather for pizza at 7:30, and then they'll start the movie at 8pm when the sun goes down. You can contact Sara at 626-808-3309 if you have questions. They live at 625 Avocado Ave, Pasadena. Yay for extra youth fun, and thanks to the Jennings family!

Youth Swim Party

The Powells have graciously offered their pool and home to us this summer for some fun in the sun. All youth are invited to come hang out after worship on Sunday, July 14, from 12:30-4 pm. We'll gather after worship and head over to the Powell's for lunch, swimming, volleyball, basketball, and trampoline play. Let me know if your youth can join us so I can get a count for food. I'll send out the address to parents as it gets closer. Yay!

Summer Youth Retreat

As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. We are so pumped for this chance to get intentional time with our youth in a new setting! You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

Tutoring

One of our own youth, Judah Alvaro, has started his own tutoring services. If you would like to talk to him about working with your child or to find out more about his areas of expertise, check out the flier below for more information. Yay for youth leaning into their gifts!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service and 10:20 AM for those coming just to worship. This week our nursery kids will explore the story of Mary and Martha.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for worship and communion since this is the first Sunday of the month. Make sure your child picks up a fun survey to fill out during worship—Pastor Mary will have that ready in the lobby, and it's always a favorite activity for our kids (and youth!). It will be a beautiful morning together as a church family, and we welcome the presence of our kids in worship.

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What does discipleship look like?

• What are ways we become disciples of Chris together?

YOUTH

We are on for our youth hangout this week! Jensen will be leading in my absence. I look forward to seeing our youth next week!

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 07.05.2024

Tomorrow

• The Holy Walkamolies group is on the move! This month’s hike is starting earlier (8am) due to heat, and the location has changed to Deukmejian Wilderness Park in La Crescenta (due to road closures at Sunset Ridge). Thanks to Magda for leading a “forest bathing experience” tomorrow morning, July 6th. She is ANFT-certified and will lead the group through a sensory immersive experience, noticing the breeze, the sounds and the movements of the forest. Please RSVP here if you are planning to attend.

Sunday

• Join us for worship in the sanctuary at 10:30am as we partake in communion together (note: crackers are gluten free)! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Please note that because this will be the first Sunday of the month, our kids five years old and up will join us in the sanctuary for service. Our youth are invited to join us for our regular lunch and fellowship after service. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• Our Yarn Craft Group welcomes any crafty knitters or crocheters to join the biweekly fun in the Parlor after worship this Sunday, July 7th. Bring snacks to share (optional) and a water bottle. Email Whitney or Justine if you have any questions. 

• Everyone is welcome to play at our Passive-Aggressive Pickleball meetup this Sunday, July 7th, at 7pm in the gym off Union St. Text “pickle” to 626.727.9498 if you haven’t already. Email Tim with questions. We have paddles and balls available; bring your parking ticket for validation and a bottle of water. It is likely to be warm!

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is granola bars and other single-serve items.

Friends In Deed Backpack + Supply Drive

• First Baptist Church of Pasadena invites you to participate in our partner organization Friends In Deed's Backpack + School Supply Drive thru July 21. Click here to read a list of recommended items to donate. Please bring all items to worship between now and July 21. If you prefer to donate money, visit fbcpasadena.com/giving, select “Friends In Deed” from the drop down menu, and Shawn will shop for you. Email our Ministry Administrator Sally if you would like to arrange a time to drop items off to the office Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm. Thank you for your participation! 

More in July

• Our monthly Grief Group will meet on Sunday, July 14th, at 9am in Room 214. It is a space for anyone experiencing grief or loss to be with others in a similar season. Reach out to Jon Rinkus if you are interested in joining this group. Jon is a trained Hospital Chaplain through Fuller and provides a rich space for folks to process grief. 

• Our youth are invited to enjoy a weekend in San Diego for their Summer Retreat from July 19-21. Parents, remember to register soon to secure your tween/teen’s spot! Church family—we would love help feeding the group attending this retreat! Please consider preparing a meal that the team can heat up while they are in the rental house. Check out this form for more details. Contact Pastor Lindsay with questions.

• Anyone new-ish to the church is invited to Lunch with Pastor John Jay after worship on Sunday, July 21st. Bring your curiosity and conversation, and enjoy lunch and fellowship in the Southside Room. Text “lunch” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP.

• One of our favorite traditions, Community Dinners, is around the corner on Friday, July 26th, at homes across the city. Text “dinner” to 626.727.9498 to reserve your spot today! Text “host” if you’re up for hosting a dinner. Email Pastor Chip if you have any questions. These dinners of 6-8 folks at each home are a fun way to get to know people in a casual setting.

• Join us as we pray for our global servants around the world on Sunday, July 28th, after worship in the Parlor. We invite you for thirty minutes of prayer for our FBCP-supported American Baptist servants in Mexico, Lebanon, Turkey and Thailand as they love and support others around the world and share the light of Christ through service.

Dodger Game | Tickets are here!

• We hope you can join us for Dodgers vs Pirates game on Friday, August 9, at 7pm. You can drive and meet us at the game or join a group of us gathering at the church at 5:30pm to ride the metro train in together. Click this link to purchase tickets, or text “baseball” to 626.727.9498. Email Pastor Chip if cost is a concern or if you have any questions. He hopes to know how many folks are going by Monday to confirm our seats with Dodger Stadium—thanks!

Regular-ish Happenings

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 7/6 | 8am | Deukmejian Wilderness Park

• Yarn Crafts Group | 7/7 after worship | Parlor

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 7/7 at 7pm | Gym

• Grief Group | 7/14 at 9am | Room 214

Six Weeks at a Glance

6/30-7/21 - FID Backpack Drive
7/14 - Youth Swim Party
7/19-7/21 - Summer Youth Retreat
7/21 - Lunch with Pastor John Jay
7/26 - Community Dinners
7/27 - Youth Backpack Sorting at FID
7/28 - Prayer for Global Servants
8/3 - Women’s Brunch

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 | 06.29.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

We had an absolute blast at camp this past week as we explored how to listen well to all the amazing ways God speaks to us. We are so thankful for everyone who helped make it such a wonderful experience for all ages! We had youth, adults, and campers participating in LEGO challenges, singing, gymnastics, a sound recording lab, nature walks, labyrinths, a human knot activity, whole-body listening, and interactive snack times. We even had a real tortoise visit us! This Sunday we will sing a song in worship that we learned in camp. We pray it reminds you that we have a God who loves to hear from us and to speak to us. What a gift to spend a week building our intergenerational connections and becoming better listeners as the body of Christ!

Youth Swim Party!

The Powells have graciously offered their pool and home to us this summer for some fun in the sun. All youth are invited to come hang out after worship on Sunday, July 14, from 12:30-4 pm. We'll gather after worship and head over to the Powell's for lunch, swimming, volleyball, basketball, and trampoline play. Let me know if your youth can join us so I can get a count for food. I'll send out the address to parents as it gets closer. Yay!

Summer Youth Retreat

As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. We are so pumped for this chance to get intentional time with our youth in a new setting! You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

Tutoring

One of our own youth, Judah Alvaro, has started his own tutoring services. If you would like to talk to him about working with your child or to find out more about his areas of expertise, check out the flier below for more information. Yay for youth leaning into their gifts!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service and 10:20 AM for those coming just to worship. This week our nursery kids will continue to explore the story of the Good Samaritan.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families or sit with Pastor Mary and me in the front pews. This week we will explore how to express our gratitude in our day-to-day interactions. We are so thankful for our kids and volunteers! 

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What is one way someone helped you this week?

• What are your favorite ways to express gratitude?

YOUTH

We are back on for our youth hangout this week! I look forward to seeing our youth after worship. We'll have lunch and wrap up at 1:30pm as usual. See you tomorrow!

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 06.28.2024

Tomorrow

• All women and girls are invited to Descanso Gardens tomorrow morning, June 29th, from 10am-12pm! We will meet by the entrance to the gardens and enjoy the beauty of early summer together. Tickets may be purchased for $15 in advance online or in person at the Visitor Center. Bring comfortable shoes for walking. FBCP will provide a light lunch after our walk through the garden. Please text “garden” to 626.727.9498 if you plan to join us and email Pastor Lindsay with any questions.

Sunday

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth are invited to join us for our regular lunch and fellowship after service. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is canned chicken or tuna.

• Stop by the FBCP Hospitality Desk for a free Pride Month gift 🌈. Thanks to Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia for redesigning our buttons!

Friends In Deed Backpack + Supply Drive

• First Baptist Church of Pasadena invites you to participate in our partner organization Friends In Deed's Backpack + School Supply Drive from June 30-July 21. Click here to read a list of recommended items to donate. Please bring all items to worship between now and July 21. If you prefer to donate money, visit fbcpasadena.com/giving, select “Friends In Deed” from the drop down menu, and Shawn will shop for you. Email our Ministry Administrator Sally if you would like to arrange a time to drop items off to the office Monday-Thursday from 9am-3pm. Thank you for your participation! 

Meal Ministry Team

• Do you love to cook—or deliver DoorDash, and bless others with your culinary ideas? We have a Meal Ministry team that is called upon when needs arrive among church members. Let Pastor Lindsay know if you’d like to join the team. There’s no pressure to participate every time a need arrives, but you will be notified with the opportunity. Thanks for considering this generous act of service.

More in July

• Our Yarn Craft Group welcomes any crafty knitters or crocheters to join them in the Parlor after worship twice a month. Their next meeting will be next Sunday, July 7th. Bring snacks to share and a water bottle. Email Whitney or Justine if you have any questions. 

• Apologies our last Passive-Aggressive Pickleball meetup was canceled, but it has been rescheduled to 7pm on Sunday, July 7th, in the gym off Union St. Text “pickle” to 626.727.9498 if you haven’t already. Email Tim with questions. We have paddles and balls available; bring your parking ticket for validation and a bottle of water.

• Our monthly Grief Group will meet on Sunday, July 14th, at 9am in Room 214. It is a space for anyone experiencing grief or loss to be with others in a similar season. Reach out to Jon Rinkus if you are interested in joining this group. Jon is a trained Hospital Chaplain through Fuller and provides a rich space for folks to process grief. 

• Our youth are invited to enjoy a weekend in San Diego for their Summer Retreat from July 19-21. Parents, remember to register soon to secure your tween/teen’s spot! Contact Pastor Lindsay with questions.

• Anyone new-ish to the church is invited to Lunch for Newer Folks with Pastor John Jay after worship on Sunday, July 21st. Bring your curiosity and conversation, and enjoy lunch and fellowship in the Southside Room. Text “new” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP.

• One of our favorite traditions, Community Dinners, is around the corner on Friday, July 26th, at homes across the city. Please let Pastor Chip know if you’re up for hosting a dinner. These dinners of 6-8 folks at each home are a fun way to get to know people in a casual setting.

• Our Holy Walkamolies hiking group plans to hike on July 27th. Text “hike” to 626.727.9498 to stay informed on the meetup location. Bring water, wear comfy shoes and email Nicole Ochi with questions.

• Join us as we pray for our global servants around the world on Sunday, July 28th, after worship in the Parlor. We invite you for thirty minutes of prayer for our FBCP-supported American Baptist servants in Mexico, Lebanon, Turkey and Thailand as they love and support others around the world and share the light of Christ through service.

Dodger Game | Tickets are here!

• We hope you can join us for Dodgers vs Pirates game on Friday, August 9, at 7pm. You can drive and meet us at the game or join a group of us gathering at the church at 5:30pm to ride the metro train in together. Click this link to purchase tickets, or text “baseball” to 626.727.9498. Email Pastor Chip if cost is a concern or if you have any questions.

Regular-ish Happenings

• Yarn Crafts Group | 7/7 after worship | Parlor

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 7/7 at 7pm | Gym

• Grief Group | 7/14 at 9am | Room 214

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 7/27 | Time + Location TBD

Six Weeks at a Glance

6/29 - Women’s Descanso Gardens Event
6/30 - FBCP Basics Lunch
6/30-7/21 - FID Backpack Drive
7/19-7/21 - Summer Youth Retreat
7/21 - Lunch for Newer Folks
7/26 - Community Dinners
7/27 - Youth Backpack Sorting at FID
7/28 - Prayer for Global Servants

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 | 06.22.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

Hooray! Camp is almost here! As a reminder, camp runs June 24-28 from 9am-12pm each day. We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family! Our youth are signed up to help, and we have a great line up of talented and fabulous humans from our congregation: Cindie Ekstrand, Jessica Henson, Nolan McSparran, Jenn Edic, Arielle Pittluck, Kate Jennings, and our staff! Pastor Mary and I are so thankful that we get to spend this special time with all who will attend. Please pray as we explore what it means to listen well in all kinds of amazing ways. Yay for camp!

Summer Youth Retreat

As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. We are so pumped for this chance to get intentional time with our youth in a new setting! You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service and 10:20 AM for those coming just to worship. This week our nursery kids will  explore the story of the Good Samaritan.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families or sit with Pastor Mary in the front pews. This week we will explore gratitude for all the ways our church community (and others!) work together to show God's love and help us thrive.

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What makes a community good and healthy?

• What are ways that people help your communities be places of safety and goodness?

YOUTH

Stay tuned for an announcement tomorrow about whether or not youth will meet after worship. I am recovering from sickness so will not be there, but we may have some youth leaders in my absence. Thanks for your understanding! 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 06.21.2024

Tomorrow

• Men, we hope you can join us tomorrow, Saturday, June 22nd, at 9am in the park off Union St. We’ll enjoy Lucky Boy burritos, and Michael Mann is going to lead us through a group dialogue. Text “bacon" to 626.727.9498 to help us with the food count. Email Pastor Chip if you have any questions. See you soon!

• Everyone is invited to stop by our booth at Pasadena’s 3rd annual Love, Loud & Proud Pride Month celebration tomorrow, June 22nd, from 5-9pm. The celebration takes place in front of Pasadena City Hall and it features many free and family-friendly activities. Our prayer is that we can be a loving presence in our community. If you park at our church lot on Holly St, bring your parking ticket for sticker validation.

Sunday

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth are invited to join us for our regular lunch and fellowship after service. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is cereal.

• Stop by the FBCP Hospitality Desk on Sundays in June for a free Pride Month gift 🌈.

Next Week

• Kids Camp is starting! Kids in grades kindergarten through fifth are invited to join us  June 24-28 from 9am-12pm! We are excited about our theme of "listening" this year, and we have staff and other lay leaders lined up to teach exciting activities! If you haven't signed up your kids yet, text "camp" to 626.727.9498 or click here to register. We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family. Thank you to our many volunteers!

• All women and girls are invited to a Descanso Gardens outing on June 29th from 10am-12pm! We will meet by the entrance to the gardens and enjoy the beauty of early summer together. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or in person at the Visitor Center. Bring comfortable shoes for walking. FBCP will provide a light lunch after our walk through the garden. Please text “garden” to 626.727.9498 if you plan to join us and email Pastor Lindsay with any questions.

• You’re invited to our Basics Lunch after worship on Sunday, June 30th, in the Southside Room. Whether you have been at FBCP for a short period or you would like to be baptized, become a member, or simply learn more about our church, our Basics Lunch covers all the main information about our denomination, history and an opportunity to ask a pastor any questions you may have. We hope that you can stay and get to know a few other folks. Text “basics” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP.

• Our special 3rd Floor neighbor the Center for Restorative Justice is starting a 5-week book club on Mondays in July from 6-8pm. The book club will be discussing Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower, and the discussion will be led by Dr. Tamisha A. Tyler, a Professor of Theology and Culture and Theopoetics whose latest project explores religion in the literary world of Octavia Butler. You can find out more information and register here. Location is a hybrid of online and in Pasadena. This is a great local opportunity! 

Dodger Game | Save the Date

• We hope you can join us for Dodgers vs Pirates game on Friday, August 9, at 7pm. You can drive and meet us at the game or join a group of us gathering at the church at 5:30pm to ride the metro train in together. Text “baseball” to 626.727.9498 if you’re interested. Email Pastor Chip if cost is a concern or if you have any questions. Registration link coming soon!

Scholarship Deadline Monday

• The FBCP Foundation is a separate entity established in 1958 by members committed to contributing financially to the church in the present and future years. Each year the Foundation has some funds set aside to disburse to FBCP members for post-secondary educational scholarships. Members interested in applying for the 2024-25 academic year can apply here. Due this coming Monday, June 24.

Regular-ish Happenings

• Yarn Crafts Group | 6/23 after worship | Parlor

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 6/23 at 7pm | Gym

• Grief Group | 7/15 at 9am | Room 214

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 7/27 | Time + Location TBD

Six Weeks at a Glance

6/22 - Men’s Breakfast
6/22 - Pasadena Pride Event
6/24-6/28 - Kids Camp
6/29 - Women’s Descanso Gardens Event
6/30 - FBCP Basics Lunch
6/30-7/21 - FID Backpack Drive
7/19-7/21 - Summer Youth Retreat
7/21 - Lunch for Newer Folks
7/26 - Community Dinners
7/27 - Youth Backpack Sorting at FID
7/28 - Prayer for Global Servants

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 | 06.15.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

I am in Oklahoma this weekend visiting extended family, and my kids have loved meeting some of their second cousins. I will miss being with you in worship tomorrow, and I know it's going to be a beautiful time together exploring our value of worship. Don't forget that we will have massages for all the guys in honor of Father's Day! Have a great Sunday, and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Summer Youth Retreat

We are making final arrangements for our upcoming youth trip and can't wait to hang with your amazing kids. In order to secure lodging, we would like to get a head count as soon as possible. As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Kids Camp Registration

We are already making plans for camp this summer, and registration is now open! Camp will run June 24-28 from 9am-12pm each day. We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family! Youth families, please note that the youth are invited to help again this year, and this can count for community service hours if they have any requirements through school or other organizations. 

Opportunity for Youth in Worship

Instruments of Praise is a community nonprofit organization based in Pasadena and is part of the Clergy Community Coalition. They would like to invite any musically-talented teens to a training week on the APU campus June 16-22. To learn more, check out their website and share this flyer with a friend!

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service and 10:20 AM for those coming just to worship. This week our nursery kids will continue to explore how God is a good shepherd.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families or sit with Pastor Mary in the front pews. This week we will continue to explore how our church family helps to form us in the image of Christ. 

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What does spiritual formation mean?

• What are ways we form each other when we gather together?

YOUTH

This week our youth NOT gather after worship so that they can spend time with families on Father's Day. We will be back on for our regular youth gathering next week.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 06.14.2024

Tomorrow

• Join our hiking group tomorrow, June 15th, for their monthly morning hike. Meet at church at 8:45am or the Eaton Canyon Nature Center at 9am. Eaton Canyon is a family-friendly 3.5-mile hike with multiple stream crossings to a waterfall. If you plan to carpool from church please email Nicole. Have fun, Holy Walkamolies!

• The City of Pasadena and the NAACP will host the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration and Roller Jam tomorrow, June 15, from 5-9pm in front of City Hall. Food for purchase and roller skate rentals will be available, along with community resources and free family-friendly activities. See this link for more details.

Sunday

• We invite all men to enjoy a five-minute complimentary massage this Sunday. Massage chairs will be set up in the back of the sanctuary and will be available throughout the service.

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth are invited to spend extra time with families in honor of Father’s Day, and we will resume our regular lunch and fellowship next Sunday. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is fruit & vegetable juice.

• Stop by the FBCP Hospitality Desk on Sundays in June for a free Pride Month gift 🌈.

Coming Up

• Men, we are going to keep the energy and conversation going from our last hangout with another at a get together this Saturday, June 22nd at 9am here at the church. We’ll enjoy Lucky Boy burritos and Michael Mann is going to lead us through a group dialogue that will be engaging and meaningful. This is a great opportunity to get to know others in the church and to share your voice. Text “bacon" to 626.727.9498 to let us know you’re able to make it. Email Pastor Chip if you have any questions. See you soon!

• The Pasadena Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department presents its 3rd annual Love, Loud & Proud Pride Month celebration on Saturday, June 22nd, from 5-9pm. The event features drag performances and story time, live music, dance competitions, local food trucks, arts & crafts activities, face painting, and resources from local LGBTQ+ organizations, community partners and allies. This is a free, family-friendly event with food available for purchase.

• A reminder that our Kids Camp is coming up from  June 24-28 from 9am-12pm each day! We are excited about our theme of "listening" this year, and we have staff and other lay leaders lined up to teach exciting activities! If you haven't signed up, text "camp" to 626.727.9498 or click here to register! We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family! Youth families, please let us know if your youth is planning to be a helper—we’d love to have them. Also!  At FBCP, we do a special version of camp which has a general theme but is made up from lessons taught by a combination of our pastors and lay leaders like you. If you have a hobby that you might want to share with the kids, please let us know and we’ll figure out how to incorporate your lesson into camp. We are less without you. 

• All women and girls are invited to a Descanso Gardens outing, June 29th, from 10am-12pm! We will meet by the entrance to the gardens and enjoy the beauty of early summer together. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or in person at the Visitor Center. Please text “garden” to 626.727.9498 if you plan to join us and email Pastor Lindsay with any questions.

• You’re invited to our Basics Lunch after worship on Sunday, June 30th, in the Southside Room. Whether you have been at FBCP for a short period, or been attending but would like to be baptized, become a member, or simply learn more about our church, our Basics Lunch covers all the main information about our denomination, history and an opportunity to ask a pastor any questions you may have. We hope that you can stay and get to know a few other folks. Text “basics” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP.

Scholarships Available

• The FBCP Foundation is a separate entity established in 1958 by members committed to contributing financially to the church in the present and future years. Each year the Foundation has some funds set aside to disburse to FBCP members for post-secondary educational scholarships. Members interested in applying for the 2024-25 academic year can apply here. Due Monday, June 24.

Church Organized for Work

• We rejoice with Dustin and Stormie as they welcome sweet Rusty Mae into the world! We invite you to bless them with meals through their Meal Train as they adapt to life with their new baby.

Regular-ish Happenings

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 6/15 | 9am | Eaton Canyon

• Grief Group | 6/16 at 9am | Room 214

• Yarn Crafts Group | 6/23 after worship | Parlor

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 6/23 at 7pm | Gym

Six Weeks at a Glance

6/16 - Father’s Day Massages
6/19 - Juneteenth
6/22 - Men’s Breakfast
6/22 - Pasadena Pride Event
6/24-6/28 - Kids Camp
6/29 - Women’s Descanso Gardens Event
6/30 - FBCP Basics Lunch
6/30-7/21 - FID Backpack Drive
7/19-7/21 - Summer Youth Retreat
7/21 - Lunch for Newer Folks
7/26 - Community Dinners

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 | 06.08.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

Last week our kids and youth did such a beautiful job leading in worship with song! Thanks to our adult choir, Pastor Leslie, and our parents for supporting this intergenerational experience. We are so blessed to have a church family where all ages get to be in community. This Sunday there are two things you won't want to miss! Joy Chura will be dedicated during worship, and then we will celebrate Pastor Chip's ordination service at 3pm in the sanctuary. We hope you can join us for these special moments in the life of our church community. See you tomorrow!

Summer Youth Retreat

We are making final arrangements for our upcoming youth trip and can't wait to hang with your amazing kids. In order to secure lodging, we would like to get a head count as soon as possible. As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Kids Camp Registration

We are already making plans for camp this summer, and registration is now open! Camp will run June 24-28 from 9am-12pm each day. We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family! Youth families, please note that the youth are invited to help again this year, and this can count for community service hours if they have any requirements through school or other organizations.

Opportunity for Youth in Worship

Instruments of Praise is a community nonprofit organization based in Pasadena and is part of the Clergy Community Coalition. They would like to invite any musically-talented teens to a training week on the APU campus June 16-22. To learn more, check out their website and share this flyer with a friend

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for growth!

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service and 10:20 AM for those coming just to worship. This week our nursery kids will explore how God is a good shepherd.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for the start of worship and then be dismissed to head to their classrooms together. They can begin service with their families or sit with Pastor Mary in the front pews. This week we will explore what it means to be formed by one another in the image of Christ. We will also have a special guest Nolan McSparran for some fun movement activities! 

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What does spiritual formation mean?

• What are ways we form each other when we gather together?

YOUTH

This week our youth will do a special creative project for our youth room during our youth gathering, so please try to make it if you are in town! We will gather in the lobby and head over to the Southside room together. Lunch will be included, and we will wrap up at 1:30pm as usual. 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay

Weekly Updates 06.07.2024

Church Organized for Work

• We rejoice with Dustin and Stormie as they welcome sweet Rusty Mae into the world! We invite you to bless them with meals through their Meal Train as they adapt to life with their new baby.

Tomorrow

• Join us at the Altadena Walkabout tomorrow, June 8th, with activities from 10am-6pm. FBCPride will have a booth at the Altadena Senior Center from 2pm-6pm. Contact pride@fbcpasadena.com if you have any questions. Also, stop by the FBCP Hospitality Desk on Sundays for a free gift during the month of June 🌈.

Sunday

• Join us at 10:30am for worship in the sanctuary! The nursery will be open as usual for our toddlers and babies. Our kids five years old and up can join us for the first part of worship and then will be dismissed to their classrooms with their leaders. They can sit with their parents or join us in the front rows at the start of service. Our youth are invited to join us for our regular lunch and fellowship after service. The Prayer team will be available at the front of the sanctuary toward the end of the service to pray with those who would like to receive prayer.

• We invite everyone to celebrate the official ordination of Pastor Chip Barabas at a special service on Sunday, June 9, at 3pm in the Sanctuary. This extra step of ministerial accomplishment is indeed an event to be celebrated and acknowledged together as a community. We hope you ALL can join us! Text “Chip” to 626.727.9498 to let us know you’re planning to come.

• The Friends In Deed food pantry item this week is pasta and sauce.

Coming Up

• Men, you are invited to join us for a time of fellowship on Saturday, June 22nd, at 9am at the church. These men’s breakfasts happen a few times a year, and they always turn out to be a great time to share a meal and hear a story of faith. Email Pastor Chip with questions.

• The Pasadena Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department presents its 3rd annual Love, Loud & Proud Pride Month celebration on Saturday, June 22nd, from 5-9pm. The event features drag performances and story time, live music, dance competitions, local food trucks, arts & crafts activities, face painting, and resources from local LGBTQ+ organizations, community partners and allies. This is a free, family-friendly event with food available for purchase.

• Read on for some new Kids Camp links! Camp will run June 24-28 from 9am-12pm each day and  registration is open! We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family! Youth families, please let us know if your youth is planning to be a helper—we’d love to have them. Also!  At FBCP, we do a special version of camp which has a general theme but is made up from lessons taught by a combination of our pastors and lay leaders like you. If you have a love of gymnastics, painting, butterflies or anything that you might want to share with the kids, please let us know and we’ll figure out how to incorporate your lesson into camp. We are less without you. 

• All women and girls are invited to a Descanso Gardens outing, June 29th, from 10am-12pm! We will meet by the entrance to the gardens and enjoy the beauty of early summer together. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or in person at the Visitor Center. Please text “garden” to 626.727.9498 if you plan to join us and email Pastor Lindsay with any questions.

• You’re invited to our Basics Lunch after worship on Sunday, June 30th, in the Southside Room. Whether you have been at FBCP for a short period, or been attending but would like to be baptized, become a member, or simply learn more about our church, our Basics Lunch covers all the main information about our denomination, history and an opportunity to ask a pastor any questions you may have. We hope that you can stay and get to know a few other folks. Text “basics” to 626.727.9498 to RSVP.

Scholarships Available

• The FBCP Foundation is a separate entity established in 1958 by members committed to contributing financially to the church in the present and future years. Each year the Foundation has some funds set aside to disburse to FBCP members for post-secondary educational scholarships. Members interested in applying for the 2024-25 academic year can apply here. Due Monday, June 24.

Regular-ish Happenings

• Yarn Crafts Group | 6/9 after worship | Parlor

• Holy Walkamolies Hiking Group | 6/15 | 9am | Eaton Canyon

• Grief Group | 6/16 at 9am | Room 214

• Passive-Aggressive Pickleball | 6/23 at 7pm | Gym

Six Weeks at a Glance

6/08 - Altadena Pride Walkabout
6/09 - Chip’s Ordination Service
6/16 - Father’s Day Massages
6/19 - Juneteenth
6/22 - Men’s Breakfast
6/22 - Pasadena Pride Event
6/24-6/28 - Kids Camp
6/29 - Women’s Descanso Gardens Event
6/30 - FBCP Basics Lunch

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 | 06.01.2024

Beloved Friends and Families with Kids,

Tomorrow, June 2, our kids and youth will be joining our adult choir in singing during worship. We have been practicing during our regular Sunday time with kids and youth, and you can help them practice at home one last time with this listening track and with these lyrics. We are asking parents to please bring kids and youth to the sanctuary at 9:30 am tomorrow to practice with the choir one last time. All kids who are singing will sit together in the front pews for the start of worship and then can return to sit with their parents after the choir anthem.  We'll have pastries for parents so they can hang out before worship. On this Sunday we will also take time to honor and celebrate our graduates, so it will be a full and beautiful service with a chance to bless those in this milestone moment. I look forward to a full time of worship with your families tomorrow!

Summer Youth Retreat

We are making final arrangements for our upcoming youth trip and can't wait to hang with your amazing kids. In order to secure lodging, we would like to get a head count by next Monday, June 3, if possible. As a reminder, the retreat will take place July 19-21 in the San Diego area. You can register your youth here. Let me know if you have questions about your youth's participation or if cost is an issue. 

Kids Camp Registration

We are already making plans for camp this summer, and registration is now open! Camp will run June 24-28 from 9am-12pm each day. We are excited to help our kids encounter God's love together with people from our church family! Youth families, please note that the youth are invited to help again this year, and this can count for community service hours if they have any requirements through school or other organizations. 

Opportunity for Youth in Worship

Instruments of Praise is a community nonprofit organization based in Pasadena and is part of the Clergy Community Coalition. They would like to invite any musically-talented teens to a training week on the APU campus June 16-22. To learn more, check out their website and share this flyer with a friend!

Promotion Sunday  | August 11

This year our Sunday for kids to move up to an older age group will be on August 11th! We are excited for our kindergarteners and sixth graders to make their transition to our older kids and youth groups, respectively. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer. In the meantime, they can continue to participate and soak up the time with their current groups. Yay for gr

SUNDAY

KIDS

Our nursery room is open this Sunday for babies and toddlers four years old and under. Our nursery staff will be ready starting at 8:50 AM for those who are attending Sunday School before service and 10:20 AM for those coming just to worship. This week our nursery kids will continue to explore the story of Jesus feeding the crowd.

Our kids five to ten years old will join us in the sanctuary for worship and communion since this is the first Sunday of the month. Make sure your child picks up a fun survey to fill out during worship—Pastor Mary will have that ready in the lobby, and it's always a favorite activity for our kids (and youth!). This week we will begin to explore our church mission and guiding principles as our new teaching series for summer kicks off. It will be a beautiful morning together as a church family, and we welcome the presence of our kids in worship!

Discussion Questions for the Table at Home:

• What do you appreciate most about our church?

• What are some things we do together as a church family? 

• Why does each person matter in our church family?

YOUTH

This week our youth will join us for our regular gathering after worship. We will wrap up at 1:30pm as usual.  Please note that next Sunday, June 9, our youth will do a special creative project for our youth room during our youth gathering, so please try to make it if you are in town! 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for being such a special community of families!

With deep affection for you,

Pastor Lindsay