Director of Educational Ministries:
Rev. Tripp Hudgins

christmas 2011

Children and Youth In Worship

During the Christmas holiday we are taking the opportunity to enjoy worship together as we celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ.

All are welcome to the final Advent Prayer Service this Friday in the church sanctuary at 7:30pm. We will take some time for quiet reflection and to remember that the holidays are not always joyful for everyone...sometimes we simply wonder if there ever will be Peace on Earth. All are welcome.

On Saturday, December 24 at 5:30pm we will host a family-friendly Christmas Eve service. We'll sing together and hear the stories of Christmas. All are encouraged to join us for this service of light.

On Christmas Day we will worship together at 10:00am in the sanctuary. We gather as a family of faith and share in the joy of Christmas. Pastor Rick will preach.

Finally, on January 1, Pastor Rick will be away and I will be preaching. As we're still in the Christmas Season (Q: What day of Christmas is New Year's Day? Remember, there are 12 days of Christmas!) this will be a simple service for all of us to spend some time with one another as we worship God in the new year.

Children's Church will continue on January 8, 2012. Also, as is our custom, the youngest of us (anyone 6 and younger) is welcome to leave the service any Sunday. Child care is always available.

I'm excited for the weeks ahead!

What about Global Christianity?

FBCPA has a long history of giving to global missions. How much do you know about the present state of global Christianity? The latest Pew Research findings are online. You could lose yourself in all the findings. Have fun!

"A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 2.18 billion Christians of all ages around the world, representing nearly a third of the estimated 2010 global population of 6.9 billion. Christians are also geographically widespread – so far-flung, in fact, that no single continent or region can indisputably claim to be the center of global Christianity." ~ The Pew Research Findings

I wanted to provide something for us all no matter where or when we might be when we can make time for a brief prayer or contemplation. This is an online resource that I enjoy: www.d365.org/followingthestar. I encourage you to carve out a moment to reflect on scripture or an image of some kind (as we discussed a couple of weeks ago). There are some great online resources that can help you.

First Baptist is now on Facebook and Twitter. Are you? Please find us there and make a connection. We're sharing the Gospel we have been given through social media. You can stay in touch or make comments. We'll post links of interest such as current events, church fellowship opportunities, and even sermons! We hope to find you there.

Peace and All Good Things,
Pastor Tripp

December 2011

What will be the next step? What will they do next? These are the kinds of questions facing participants in the Occupy Movement across the country. What's next? Their camps are being broken up. They are being sent home or arrested. So, what's next? Will they even be able to call themselves "Occupy" when they aren't occupying anywhere any longer? Will they be able to use their slogan (We are the 99%!) any longer? Even their language may become irrelevant.

As I have been listening to these news stories, I have been reminded of our congregation. The question, "What's next?" is a living question for us. The Strategic Planning Team has been meeting. The Outreach Taskforce has been meeting. We are worshiping in the name of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the God of Love on Sundays. We are giving of ourselves, from our wealth of riches and of compassion. In @Church, the younger members of our community are discussing desire and faithfulness...What does it mean to miss God? We're all looking for a way forward as a community of faith in all of the question's complicated and faithful facets. We are all asking "What's next?"

It's Advent. It's the season where we confess once again that we don't exactly know the way forward, but we know how the story is supposed to end. We know that God enters the world. We know the angels will sing and everything will be made new and different. We know that the story that begins as a miraculous birth ends in resurrection. But as familiar as the story may be, what is most compelling to me is that I am much like those who stand and wait for whatever is next. I really don't know what's next in God's desire for the Church. I don't know what might come in the night, what the angels might sing or what might be asked of me. I just don't know.

But I do know it always ends in resurrection. No matter what the sacrifice might be, no matter what tribulation may come, resurrection is the end of the tale whenever God is the author, and brothers and sisters, God is always the author.

Grace and Peace to you this Advent Season.

What's next?
Pastor Tripp

november 2011

ADULT EDUCATION: The month of November we will explore the history and spirituality of Christian practice. On November 6 and 13 we will walk through Richard J. Foster's classic book, Celebration of Discipline. Then on November 20 we will introduce you to Brian McLaren's work, Finding our Way Again: The Return of The Ancient Practices. During each gathering we will take a little time to pray with Rutba House (a Baptist intentional community in Durham, North Carolina.) and their Common Prayer. Finally, beginning in Advent Pastor Rick will lead us in a study of The First Christmas by Borg and Crossan.

We hope that you will be able to join us!
~ Pastor Tripp Hudgins

NOTE: "God's Politics" has picked up Pastor Tripp's sermon from October 23, "We Are The 100%." You can read their (lightly edited) version of it here. Pastor Tripp has written for Sojourners once or twice before, but was surprised when the editor of "God's Politics" Blog asked to reprint the sermon on their site.

OCTOBER 2011

Friends of God,

Thank you all for the kind welcome on Sunday. I'm looking forward to getting to know the First Baptist family better. The kids and I spent some quality time together (ukeleles and nerf boomerangs make for quality time) and have already made some interesting decisions about our time together. We may come up with a name for the class. @Church is one option. "This is not school, it's church" said one young preacher. We'll see how it unfolds.

Please keep me and my wife in your prayers as we continue to get our bearings here in the Bay Area. Everything has changed and it's going to take some time, of course. And everyone has been very kind. Still, the adjustment period can be challenging. Your prayers are most welcome!

Peace and All Good Things,
Pastor Tripp

 

From former Director of Educational Ministries and Family Life
Rev. Linda Pickens-Jones

August 2011

Dear First Baptist Friends:

Well, finally I can appear from behind boxes and to do lists to let you know that all is well. We moved successfully from Santa Clara to Carmichael, with the movers electing to complete both parts of the move in one day. It was a whirlwind, but thankfully we had wonderful help from friends and family.

Our first Sunday (July 11) at St. Mark's United Methodist Church went very well. We received warm greetings, and feel as if we will be 'at home' in this church. They served a wonderful Asian Chicken Salad at a welcoming brunch, and it's clear that the food is going to be great here! There are 2 worship services, with about 600 people attending the two services, so it is an active and busy church. They even had a fireworks booth on a nearby corner—firework sales for non-profits are a big deal in the Sacramento area. I was invited by a number of women to attend the United Methodist Women's monthly meeting (the mission and fellowship women's group of the UMC) and was then I realized that I am truly both retired AND the minister's wife!!

We celebrated my father's 90th birthday here at our new home on July 9th, which was a real treat for us. We are surrounded by lovely trees, including three redwoods, so it was fun to share it with the family. My mother and father enjoyed seeing the house and we had a number of the family around, including a grandniece and grandnephew, who at 2 ½ are really adorable. We were surprised with a visit from all of them on Alan's first preaching Sunday, including my parents. It was great.

My primary reason for writing is to thank you for your gracious farewell to me and the celebration for me on my last Sunday with you. From the 'quilt' from the children and youth, to the song from the kids, to the lovely reception and kind words, and then the surprise 'love gift' check—it was wonderful. I enjoyed my time at 1st Baptist, and feel a real fondness for my time there. I will miss you and will often remember you in my prayers. I will miss seeing the children and youth, and hearing what they have to say about life and faith. I will miss the collegial time with Pastor Rick and with Oleta. I want to stay connected through the Spire, and would enjoy hearing from any of you if you visit up this way.

I thank you for the opportunity of serving Christ through my ministry with you. May God bless you and keep you faithful in all you do as a church.

Linda Pickens-Jones

june 2011

Join the festivities after church on Sunday, June 5th, when we honor our graduates, and recognize the Sunday School kids and their teachers. Following worship there will be a Salad Potluck, coordinated by the parents of the Sunday School. Then a special treat—a puppet show by professional puppeteers designed to please all ages! Thanks to Betsy Koester for making these arrangements. The Sunday will mark the last session of the Adult Forum until Fall.

This year Clara Ramirez will be graduating from Middle School to enter High School, and will be our speaker during worship. Clara will receive a special gift from the congregation. Omar Ramirez is moving up to Middle School from elementary, and will be reading the scripture that Sunday. We celebrate with these young people as they grow in their educational experience. We rejoice with our other children, as school comes to a close, and they anticipate their summer experiences. Oscar Ramirez will become a sophomore in high school, Daniel Ramirez will be in 7th grade, Daniel Ha will next year be a 5th grader and enter his last year of elementary school; Dylan Ha will be entering 2nd grade; and our 2 kindergarteners, Deborah Ha and Leo Alexander, will be moving on to the realm of the big kids in 1st grade. Little Dustin is still in preschool, but is almost 4 years old!

It is good to be a church family, sharing in the lives of these children and youth.

Pastor Linda

May 2011

Unfortunately, I have some sad news to report. We found out just last week that Pastor Linda will be leaving us the middle of June. As most of you know, Pastor Linda's husband, Alan, is pastor of the United Methodist Church in Campbell. In the Methodist system pastors are appointed to congregations by the bishop and the bishop's cabinet. Sometimes these moves can happen very quickly, which is what happened here, as Alan has been appointed pastor of St. Mark's Methodist Church in Sacramento, beginning July 1. So, they will be moving the end of June.

Pastor Linda has done wonderful work with our children and youth and has been a terrific colleague. I'm sure you share my grief in letting her go, but this is an excellent opportunity for Alan, so we need to wish them well. Linda regrets not being here when this news is shared but, as you are aware, she and Alan are on a well-deserved vacation cruise on the Mediterranean, having left yesterday. Linda and I did meet with the families of our children and youth on Sunday to let them know.

Again we will need to pull together, do some extra volunteering and pray until we find a good replacement for Pastor Linda. We know she herself is irreplaceable; it will not be easy to "fill her shoes." Her last Sunday will be June 12, Pentecost. In addition to celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit that day, we will also be celebrating the gifts that Pastor Linda has brought to our congregation…."

Pastor Rick

april 2011

Dear Families: A couple of items of interest to our First Baptist Families:

• A parent meeting on Palm Sunday, April 17 at 11:30-12:30 after church
• Holy Week plans
• Schedule for Sunday School in May
• Summer Camps

Parent Meeting Pastor Rick, Co-Moderator Carolyn Shepard and I would like to meet with parents to do some review of our programming for children and youth, hear your input, and do some planning for the future. The meeting will be on Sunday, April 17 at 11:30 a.m., immediately following church. Please bring a bag lunch for your child. I will have drinks and cookies available for them. We'll have games set up (Ping-Pong, balls, etc.) for after their light lunch, and will be under the supervision of an adult. The meeting will end by 12:30 p.m.

Holy Week

• The children/youth will be sharing in singing the anthem on Palm Sunday, April 17, and they are learning the music during Sunday School with the choir director Jan Gunderson. Consistent attendance will be helpful in them being comfortable singing the song!
• Maundy Thursday there is a light supper and a service representing the Last Supper with Jesus. It will be suitable for the participation of children, with special teachings for the kids.
• Easter Sunday, April 24th, we will have our traditional Easter Egg hunt following worship. The children and youth will take part in the Easter worship service, with Nursery Care for infants and young children, but no Sunday School.

May Schedule I will be gone on vacation for three Sundays--May 1, May 8 and May 15. Carolyn Sheperd will the the able lead teacher. I will be back in the classroom on May 22.

Summer Camps I want to double check if anyone is interested in camps being run by the Redwood Glen Summer Camps program. I sent brochures home to all you of you a number of weeks ago. I will be glad to explore with you the camp suitable for your child/youth. They sound interesting, and the church is offering scholarships. If you need another brochure, let me know. There are camps for those finishing 2-5th grade, 4-6th grade and 9-12th grade, including a music and drama camp.

See you in church! Linda

MORE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FOR OUR CAMEL EFFORTS

The children, youth and I thank you for your generous support of our Heifer Project effort to buy a camel for a village in Tanzania. You overwhelmed us with your response, and we now are sending enough money for a Camel, plus 1/4 camel, through Heifer International. Thank you, thank you! By the way, we named the camel "Milky" by popular vote at the last Intergenerational Night. Check out more information at heifer.org. As a personal note, I just learned from my daughter yesterday that she will be doing her "semester abroad" program through UC Davis in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (next January). I commissioned her to go and visit "our camel!"

Pastor Linda

march 2011

Kids on a Spiritual Adventure!

Treasure Maps in hand, First Baptist kids explored the 'wilds' of the Fellowship Hall in search of Treasure on Saturday, at the All Church Retreat. At each treasure location, they found a box with a quote from scripture, and some kind of activity to accomplish and a prize to collect. Each of the scriptures related to the idea of the Christian life being one of spiritual adventure. Big kids helped the little kids read and accomplish the tasks, so it was a real cooperative venture—a necessary thing for a going on an adventure! One treasure box reminded us of Jesus saying, "go and sell all you have, and give it to the poor, and then come and follow me." Gold coins (of chocolate) filled the box—and the kids had to go and share it with someone else. They did get one for themselves too! Another box reminded them to 'not be afraid' for God is with us—the fake snake didn't really scare any of them, and the candy earth worms were a unique treat. A poster was filled with pictures of all the 'good things God provides for us', and bright green water bottles affirmed that God gives us the 'water of life.' We learned about the directions of the compass, and talked about the compass giving us direction in life. For us the North is the Bible, the South is Jesus, the East is Prayer and the West is Community/Family/Church. All this spells out NEWS—Good News!

At the end of the day, a tired and lively crew, wearing their adventure hats, distributed compass magnets to all of the adult participants, to put up on our refrigerators to remind us that God is providing us with direction on our own Spiritual Journeys! We will continue with the theme in Sunday School for a few weeks, including the story of Paul's adventures at sea, and trying out an obstacle course.

The children, youth and I thank you for your generous support of our Heifer Project effort to buy a camel for a village in Tanzania. You overwhelmed us with your response, and we now are sending enough money for a Camel, plus 1/4 camel, through Heifer International. Thank you, thank you! By the way, we named the camel "Milky" by popular vote at the last Intergenerational Night. Check out more information at heifer.org. As a personal note, I just learned from my daughter yesterday that she will be doing her "semester abroad" program through UC Davis in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (next January). I commissioned her to go and visit "our camel!"

Pastor Linda

February 2011

Sunday School News

Every week we've been discovering more about the Heifer Project, and their work in helping people in communities around the world. In our mission drive to raise enough money to buy a whole camel, we have been learning about the traditions and needs of the Maasai people in Tanzania and Kenya. Our newest memory verse is "Our soul waits for the Lord; God is our help and our shield." (Psalm 33:20) We talked about the traditional shield of the Maasai warrior (the men), who protect their villages, and we made our own shields. Thank you for all your gifts for our camel! We're getting close to having a whole camel to send through Heifer Project! Our big finale will be our "To Love a Camel" Intergenerational Night, where we will see a short video about Heifer project and announce our final fundraising receipts. Looking ahead, we will have visitors from the Pacifica Institute, who will be telling us about Noah's Pudding…it's a treat that the whole congregation will enjoy. Every Sunday Hugh Satterlee is our able and willing assistant and supporter in class. Thank you! During January Eleanor Satterlee has also provided leadership.

"Adventure in the Spirit" Children/Youth Program

Sunday, February 27th, 9:00 am-3:00 pm.
I'm excited that the younger church members will also be joining in th eir own day of fun and spiritual adventure as the adults are exploring a deeper spirituality in our own lives. It's important for everyone in the church to participate in this significant day together! The kids will be led by three wonderful young adults, students from UC Davis (Emily, Ashley and Jamie), who are involved in a variety of ways with their own churches, living active lives of faith and spiritual exploration. They all live in the Inter-religious community housing, sponsored by the United Methodist church. Be sure to sign up!

Quilts for the Homeless

With many thanks to everyone who has provided blankets and material for our ongoing project! We've been pretty involved in 'all things camel' this past month, but will be picking up on the project in February. A quilt/sleeping bag will be made by our class (or even two!) to be donated for use by someone who is homeless. These quilts are also called Ugly Quilts, a idea used by those who began this national project—not a statement on aesthetics, but on the fact that these are not 'fancy quilts' and have no street sale value, other than their warmth. The congregation will be helping to tie the quilt at our Valentine's Intergenerational Night on February 11th.

 

January 2011

The Friendship Tree

Please take a look at the bulletin board in the hallway near the Fellowship Hall, on our Thanksgiving Tree—which is now a Friendship Tree!

Last October our Sunday School responded to the invitation of the American Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to send a 'letter leaf' to add to a life size tree, to be displayed at the 29th Istanbul Book Fair. Each of the kids wrote a note about friendship. We have just heard back from the Consulate, with pictures of the event, and letters back from children in Istanbul! The Consulate says, "…thousands of Turkish children passed this tree and read your messages." One boy wrote, "I'd like to explain the significance of friendship. An American and myself are in a tree; I am an apple, and he is an apple on the tree. While children gather other apples, we are apples that remain on the tree, the two of us side by side. Our friendship will last for years."

The letters from 1st Baptist Sunday School, and letters from Turkish children are on display. The Turkish letters are being translated by some friends from the Pacifica Institute in Santa Clara for us.

God's world is wondrous, diverse and full of love!

Intergenerational Family Night Friday, January 21, 2011 6:30 p.m.
Save the date for the next Intergenerational Family Night, on Friday, January 21st at 6:30 p.m., beginning with a potluck, and followed by a program. We'll be learning more about Heifer Project and our buy a camel campaign, and also do some work on the quilt for the homeless. These are all part of the Children/Youth ministry right now at our church. Come help support the work of the kids!

 

See more Educational Ministries notes from 2010

 

Top Ten Facts about Me (Pastor Linda Pickens-Jones)

1. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and I grew up in Long Beach, California.
2. I was a sociology major in college, graduating from Cal State L.A.
3. I attended seminary at Claremont School of Theology, and received a Doctor of Ministry, writing a thesis on Multicultural Education in the Church.
4. I was baptized as an infant in the Methodist Church, confirmed in the Episcopal Church at 12, joined the Methodist church at 13, and I’ve been an active United Methodist ever since…that is, before I became part of 1st Baptist church!
5. I was ordained a deacon and then elder in the UMC in the 1970’s among the ‘second wave’ of women coming into ordained ministry.
6. I have served in ministry as a local church pastor, as a program coordinator on a regional level, as adjunct faculty in a seminary, and as a missionary.
7. My parents are both living, in Rocklin, California.
8. I am married to Rev. Dr. Alan Jones, who is pastor of Campbell UMC.
9. Our daughter Emily is a student at Foothill College (and will attend UC Davis beginning January 2010 in International Studies). Our son Daniel is a graduate student in vocal performance at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
10. I have a passion for travel, especially to Britain, and last year fell in love with Turkey! I am a new and zealous quilter. I love to write and also lead writing groups. I utterly enjoy a hot cup of tea curled up with a book of fiction.