Friends at FBCP,
Starting August 8th, we will be returning to our indoor sanctuary worship! After waiting for such a long time, we are grateful to once again be surrounded by the familiar pews and stained glass, by our choir and our community. It will seem different after such a long absence, and we all will have extra feels. Lean into it all, laugh and cry, take some deep breaths and settle back in. This is a big shift.
Most of the last 73 weeks we spent outside worshipping in our parking garage. Until vaccines were widely available we found outdoors to be safest. Now our congregation has reached a very high vaccination threshold, substantially higher than even the region at large. This fact gives us a unique island of shelter from the worst outcomes of the virus. We are ready to return to a more fuller version of church life together, even as our safety practices will continue to shift and adjust.
We recognize that this return is not without tension since we are coinciding with a new phase of this plague season. We are returning inside with a mask requirement in place for all people, regardless of vaccination status. Right now we believe this is the best way to continue to care for one another while the plague shifts again with spikes and variants and kids returning to school. In the grand scheme of things, it's a small inconvenience to endure for the sake of being together again in our sacred space. If you choose to join us in worship, know you are joining a community built on kindness for one another and mutual trust. If you are not vaccinated and are eligible, please do so. If you cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, let us know so we can make sure to provide you with the care your vulnerability requires.
On August 8th we will also have a potluck in our park space so that we can safely fellowship without masks outdoors. These potlucks are a specialty at FBCP, and we are so excited to share a meal in the presence of one another and bring back those delicious recipes that we have missed from y’all all these months. Bring a dish to share and get ready for a special time together.
For this season we will continue to livestream the audio of our services on Sunday mornings at 10:30am. We will also keep our eyes on the horizon and maintain a curious posture, staying flexible for possible changes we need to make as the world continues to shift.
Throughout this plague season we have been grateful for our Covid Advisory Team made up of church members with specific expertise in medicine, risk management, trauma care. This team is diverse in perspective and social location, giving us a more holistic vision than any one of us could do alone. If you would like more information about our indoor practices and plans, you can email us as pastors@fbcpasadena.com and someone from our staff will be in touch.
Thank you all for the generous work of the last 73 weeks. You have remained faithful in presence, service and giving. You have trusted one another and kept faith with one another. You embraced practices that felt strange, scary or at times more intense than you wanted. We all moved through the toughest wilderness with grace and gratitude for all God continued to provide. And throughout there was hardly any grumbling from our church! This is a rare gift, and I want to acknowledge it as we make this shift toward the future together. We look forward to Sunday morning and all the emotions it will bring. It will, indeed, be so good to gather inside together and worship as the family of God.
As always we would be…
Less without you,
Pastor John Jay in collaboration with the Staff, Board and Covid Advisory Team