2-24-19

The newest addition to the FOL Family! Nora Flores. 

 

FOL Servant Appreciation Potluck: Today
Our annual FOL Servant Appreciation Potluck is today! Join us in the Cafeteria immediately following the service.

Lenten Preparation
As we prepare for the season of Lent, a preparation document and a devotional will be available at the Info Table

Special Members’ Meeting: March 3
FOL members, please join us for a special meeting on Sunday, March 3rd at 9am in the Stephens cafeteria. We will discuss the Teters’ sabbatical and leadership updates.

Ash Wednesday Service: March 6
Our Ash Wednesday Service will be held on Wednesday, March 6th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Training Center (2060 Santa Fe Ave, LB).

Daylight Savings Time: March 10
Please note that Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 10th. Remember to set your clocks forward!

Baptisms at Cabrillo: March 10
Sunday, March 10th is our biannual baptism service. Please note that our service will begin at 10am at the Cabrillo High School swimming pool (2001 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach). Our entire worship service will take place at Cabrillo.

Sunday Services at Muir: March 17 & March 24
Stephens’ auditorium will undergo renovations, so FOL will meet in the Muir Elementary School Auditorium (3038 Delta Ave, LB) on Sunday, March 17th and Sunday, March 24th at 10:00 am.

Weekly Events
• Youth Group: High School Group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and Middle School Group meets on Fridays at 7:00 pm.

Learning to be a Guest

Learning to be a Guest
by Vanessa Carter

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Tongva people whose land this was before it was stolen.

When I hear about Christian hospitality, my mind usually drifts to how I can be a better host. Instead, last week, Jesus-loving indigenous people from the lands now called the United States and Australia asked me to consider being a good “guest.”

As part of a project on ecojustice, career discernment, and Christ, I attended the 2019 Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute: “Indigenous Justice and Christian Faith: Land, Law, Language” in Ojai, CA, from which I have just returned. I was humbled by the indigenous leaders who shared their pain, their joy, and their love of Jesus.

On Tuesday, we studied Luke 9 and 19 — Jesus sending out his disciples and Jesus being the guest of Zacchaeus. Both stories are those of guests: people who have materially little and are dependent on their hosts. As a middle-class white woman, this is generally far from my experience of the world.

For indigenous people, however, relating as guests is more the norm — particularly when it comes to relating to creation. Nature is not to be dominated, but appreciated as that which sustains us and points us back to God, the Creator. A new friend, Ms. Four Stars, told me a story of her childhood, picking only the middle berries on the bushes so birds could have those on the top, and mice those on the bottom. She tread lightly on the earth as a guest and played well with our Creator’s other creations.

This comes in massive contrast to westward expansion, manifest destiny, and the California mission system — which resulted in the enslavement, kidnapping, and state-sponsored genocide of indigenous Californians. This brutal history doesn’t reflect the meekness and vulnerability of Luke 9 and 19. Rather, it reflects westerners — some even under the banner of the church — assuming the role of hosts, not guests.

As I have returned home, I am left unsettled. I am a 34-year old woman who was reared in California and knew so little of the depth of this history. I am of European descent and am more likely to see myself as host instead of guest. While nature nurtures my relationship with God, I am so thinly connected to it, unlike my indigenous friends.

Lord Creator, in your mercy and grace, please decolonize my reading of scripture and my relationship with you and your creation. Lord Provider, please help me learn to practice the vulnerability of being a guest. Lord of Justice, please teach me to see our indigenous sisters and brothers and work to repair the damage we have done. Amen.

Vanessa became a member of FOL in 2017 and loves tutoring the junior high kiddos and riding bikes. She works at USC but graduated from UCLA (go Bruins!) and has a certificate from Fuller Theological Seminary. 

2-17-19

Do You Want to Be Baptized? February 24
If you want to be baptized, the baptism class is scheduled for Sunday, February 24th, after the service. Please sign up at the Info Table or email Emily (emily@folcov.org).

FOL Servant Appreciation Potluck: February 24
This month’s Family Sunday will be our annual FOL Servant Appreciation Potluck. FOL is providing the meat for tacos. Please sign up to bring taco toppings, sides, desserts, and drinks.

Special Members’ Meeting: March 3
FOL members, please join us for a special meeting on Sunday, March 3rd at 9:00 am in the Stephens cafeteria. We will discuss the Teters’ sabbatical and leadership updates.

Sunday Services at Muir: March 17 & March 24
Stephens’ auditorium will undergo renovations, so FOL will meet in the Muir Elementary School Auditorium (3038 Delta Ave, LB) on Sunday, March 17th and Sunday, March 24th at 10:00 am.

Baptisms at Cabrillo: March 10
Sunday, March 10th is our biannual baptism service. Please note that our service will begin at 10:00 am at the Cabrillo High School swimming pool (2001 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach). Our entire worship service will take place at Cabrillo.

5000 Pies Caters
Did you know that 5000 Pies, our church’s Social Enterprise, caters? Chef Mike offers anything on our menu as well as any type of food you request. If you or anyone you know has upcoming events, please consider using 5000 Pies. Please check out our Catering menu online (5000pies.com) or at the Info Table.

Weekly Events

  • High School Group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
  • Middle School Group meets on Fridays at 7:00 pm.

2-10-19

Prayer Hospital: February 15
Sarah Groot and the Prayer Team invite you to come and receive individual prayer for inner healing and physical healing. We also invite you to bring friends and neighbors who would like to receive prayer. The prayer time will be on Friday, February 15th at the Training Center from 5:30-9pm. Please visit the Info Table for more details after the service.

FOL Servant Appreciation Potluck: February 24
This month’s Family Sunday will be our annual FOL Servant Appreciation Potluck. FOL is providing the meat/main dish. Please sign up to bring sides, desserts, and drinks.

5000 Pies Valentine’s Day Gifts
If you are looking for a last minute Valentine’s Day gift for teachers, co-workers, friends, etc., you can purchase cookie bags from 5000 Pies (our church’s Social Enterprise). Place your order today at the Info Table.

Weekly Events

  • High School Group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
  • Middle School Group meets on Fridays at 7:00 pm.

2-3-19

Lenten Preparation
As we prepare for the season of Lent, a preparation document and a devotional will be available at the Info Table

Meet the Pastor: Today
If you are new to FOL and want to learn more about our church, please join us after today’s service in the cafeteria for a reception with Pastor John.

Prayer Workshop: February 15
Sarah Groot and the Prayer Team will host a prayer workshop on Friday, February 15th at the Training Center from 5:30 – 9:30 pm. Please visit the Info Table for more details after the service.

FOL 12th Anniversary Service: February 10
Join us for our 12th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, February 10th. Please don your Sunday best for our group photo. God has been so faithful!

Weekly Events

  • High School Group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
  • Middle School Group meets on Fridays at 7:00 pm.