Sunday, December 8 at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 15 at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 15 at 11:15 a.m.
Tuesday, December 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Thank you to everyone who donated and dedicated a lily for our beautiful Easter service! The full list of donors and dedications are below:
The Vawters’ Daughters gathering on the first Friday evening of each month is an informal affair attended by women of the congregation. Active members, regular attendees, and visitors alike are always welcome.
Jennie C. and Emma K. Vawter, founders of the Sunday School
The gatherings started with a couple of dinners in the late 1990s to introduce the wife of our new pastor to the women in the congregation. From there, it blossomed into a great way to socialize on a regular basis.
The new group initially met at a restaurant for dinner, drinks, and delightful diversion. One evening, after a few drinks, someone mentioned the name of an historic First Pres family: Vawter. A riff ensued, and, voila! “Vawters’ Daughters” became the official name – we being the spiritual offspring of the church founders, Emma and Jennie Vawter. The group’s name also rhymes nicely.
The next iteration of the social event was to move to in-home potluck dinners to allow for a more intimate and less expensive experience. Soon afterward, the gatherings were organized using Evite.
Occasionally, the gatherings centered around a theme, such as a mid-century cuisine (which was so bad it was funny), donuts (when the first Friday in June one year fell on National Donut Day), or a holiday (Valentine’s Day and Halloween among the favorites). Almost always, December brought a lively gift exchange that included thievery and trickery as participants aimed to go home with their favorite gift. (Yes, we realize this is conduct unbecoming of church ladies.)
With the first lockdown of the pandemic in 2020, Vawters’ Daughters gathered mostly via Zoom for a couple of years, with a few people occasionally gathering in-person at someone’s home. But we’re back in person again – and so happy to celebrate our Vawter heritage with First Pres friends – old and new.
Don’t be shy! We’d love to have you join us.
Sunday, December 3 at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, December 17 at 11:15 a.m.
Sunday, December 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 24 at 7:00 p.m.
From it’s beginnings at Compassion Camp this past summer, our Shine Children’s Music Ensemble, led by Emily Audras, has become the place where kids, music, and love for Jesus come together. Join us on Sunday, October 22, Harvest Festival Sunday, as the Shine Ensemble will sing in our worship service and add their voices to our community praise of God and God’s love for us.
First Pres is excited to announce that the 2023 Harvest Festival will be on Sunday, October 22 from 11 am to 1 pm. You’re not going to want to miss out on all the fun. For kids there will be pumpkin painting, awesome inflatables, face painting, balloon twisting, an amazing petting zoo, carnival games, and arts and crafts. For adults, there is our Food Garden where the coffee and donuts are free and lunch is available for purchase. We’ll also have a harvest festival themed photo area where individual, family, or group photos can be taken. So sign up now to attend! Proceeds from the event support the Rebecca Hall Children’s Fund. To help raise money, sponsor a booth or activity. You can check out our Instagram video from last year’s festivities!
We are excited to have the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus singing in worship on Sunday, October 15. The GRAMMY® Award-winning Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) provides choral music education of the highest quality to young people who represent richly diverse racial, economic, and cultural backgrounds.
You’re invited to join in after worship on Sunday, October 8 for Pizza & Bingo. Come to the Ren Room following the service for fellowship, fun, and great prizes. Everyone is welcome! To sign up click here or use the Church Center app.
The Great Bible Giveaway continues through the month of September. We’re giving out Bibles to anyone who requests one. We have a Story Bible for families with young children, a Children’s Bible for elementary-aged kids, a thinline Common English Bible for youth, and the latest translation of the New Revised Standard Version, the Updated Edition, for adults. And all you need to do to get your very own Bible is to sign up and pick your Bible. There is no cost but donations will be accepted. So come and be a part of thee Great Bible Giveaway! Register to receive a Bible online or via the Church Center App.
Jr. High and High School Students are invited to an after school homework and hang program!
We will provide light snacks while they study. Please let me know if this is a good time and date for you and your family (we can be flexible if this does not work for the majority).
We switched the day to Thursdays for that reason, and we will continue weekly (except November 23nd) up to a break from December 21th until we start back up on January 11th in the new year.
Contact Jen Philbin with questions. Register online or via the church center app to let us know know if your child can make it, it’s a great opportunity to invite a friend! Donations are always appreciated for snacks but not required.