Dear familia,

Here are a few exciting things we’d love to share with you in the life of our community:

I am so thrilled to continue to journey through the book of Acts together in the sermon series, “Moved by the Spirit.” We believe we have much to receive from this book and its great witness of our border-crossing God and boundary-breaking Spirit. Join us this Sunday as I continue to take us and we listen to God’s invitation to be on the move.

First Sunday Food & Fellowship

This upcoming Sunday, July 3 is our next monthly First Sunday Food & Fellowship dinner together. After our normal 4 PM Sunday service, we’ll head out for dinner together at a restaurant in Pasadena and Meleca Consultado will be leading this time. Come and join us! Any and all are welcome!

Sermon on the Mount in the First Nations Version

Next week we have one last powerful and meaningful read through the Sermon on the Mount in the First Nations Version. Sandy and Doug Schaupp have led us so beautifully, and this Indigenous translation of the Scriptures has opened our ears anew to hear these divine words in such captivating, compelling, and convicting ways. Please join us on July 6 at 7 PM online as we finish this time together. You can RSVP using this form. A Zoom link will be shared after doing so.

Pasadena City Council Letter

This Sunday, we have the opportunity to join in a housing justice initiative that our very own Sandy Schaupp is helping promote via her Housing Cohort with Reconcile Pasadena. One of the biggest obstacles to building affordable housing is a lack of sites. About ten churches in Pasadena would like to have affordable housing built on their underutilized land. However, churches are not properly zoned for this use. The letter asks for the city council to consider a citywide religious land zoning amendment that will permit housing. The housing crisis current statistics are as follows: 521 houseless in the last 2019 count, 700 students houseless in PUSD. Although The Church We Hope For does not own property, we can still make our voice count by signing this letter whether you are a Pasadena resident or not and support our sister churches that desire to re-purpose their land for affordable housing! Every signature counts. Come chat with Sandy at her table in the foyer on Sunday to grab a full copy of the letter if you are led to lend your voice in this initiative.

Familia, in looking at these elements, I see the love, life, and justice of Jesus on full display through our worship, witness, and life together! May we hear the invitation to be moved by the Spirit closer to God, to each other, and to the work that God is already doing in our communities.

You are so loved!

gracia y paz,

Inés