My goodness, church! We just celebrated three years together (and what. a. special. service. it was!)! When this church first started, “Tiger King” was dominating Netflix, a different president was in office, and the Dodgers hadn’t won the World Series since 1988 (cue Kirk Gibson’s famous fist pump!). What a journey it’s been. But the greatest of all has been sojourning together as una familia. This Sunday marks yet another movement for us as we officially step into our new space to worship together!
1st Sunday at Casa Grande
This weekend will bring our first official service at 1041 N. Altadena Drive, a home we’re affectionately calling: Casa Grande! These first two weeks we’ll be gathering in the Fellowship Hall (upstairs). But after that, the Sanctuary (ground level) will be our new home!
And church: we’re so eagerly anticipating a season of rootedness and rest in these coming months ahead. This building process has been a long journey filled with uncertainty and anxiety around every corner. Our hope is that as we head into the new space, we give ourselves time to gently ease into it together.
While there are many projects and renovations to consider, what if our first communal call is aimed at BEING before DOING. To catch our breath. To slow down. To let the new space speak to us. And to simply BE. And then over time to communally discern what to DO. What work would be best to invest in together, what projects to take up, and how we want to make this space our own going forward. That sounds like a sustainable, life-giving call.
So come rest with us in simple rhythms of worship and the Word, testimonio, and communion. The liturgical pieces that have shaped us since our first days – and will always be at the core of the community our God is shaping in and among us.
New Series!
This Sunday will kick off a new series that will carry us to Advent. We’re calling it Field Notes: Movements with a Migrant God.
And as Armando Scott has beautifully crafted our artwork and language for this series, we’ll turn here to him to share the vision for the series:
The title can be used both in exploring the movement in the scriptures, highlighting the nomads and migrants of scriptures. And can also be used as a guide for our families’ own movement/migration stories. These can be different and highlight all the movements we have found ourselves in. Whether across state lines, national, or vocationally, convictions, deconstructions, etc. Exploring the field notes of our own lives, testimonials, mission, justice advocacy, and of course, our literal move to a new worship space.
Stay tuned in these weekly newsletters for even more from Armando, as he will curate a section each week to highlight Movement & Migration in various creative ways for us to engage with.
Happenings & Events
October 1
This Sunday we’re kicking off our First Sunday Food & Fellowship shared meals once again! We’ll be heading to Madre Maiz, a local Mexican restaurant in Pasadena, as we continue to honor Latinx Heritage Month. And remember, these dinners are a great way to connect with people and are always open to any and everyone!
October 27
Join us Friday, Oct 27th (6:30-8pm) for a special Halloween weekend event! We’re partnering with our friends at Uncommon Voices and Kinship Collective for a screening of UVC’s short horror film, Refuse. I’ve seen it. It’s brilliant. And beautiful. And freakin’ terrifying! So much so, this one is definitely only for adults! You’re gonna wanna be there for the film and the Q&A after!
P.S.
In our email earlier this week regarding Joel stepping down from his role, I (Bobby) incorrectly typed Joel’s email address. I’m so sorry for the mistake — and want to make sure I rectify it here!
So if you tried sending Joel a word of encouragement/affirmation, you’ll want to do so with the correct address this time: joel@thechurchwehopefor.com