Every Monday since the start of our Shelter in Place order, we have been helping out with food distribution for local families in need. The process has been lovingly coordinated by a long-time teacher at Casa Grande High School. While she has been making this happen for quite some time, the need has only grown as many people have lost their jobs.  We provide food for approximately 60 families each week. Much of the food is donated from local stores and restaurants and additional food is purchased with cash and gift card donations. Families usually receive 3 grocery bags full of essentials; fruits and vegetables, bread, pantry staples like pasta and beans, meats, eggs, and treats. We have also been able to supply families with toilet paper and sanitizer each week.
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Sometimes we are tasked with filling bags. It is an amazingly organized, stream-lined system where each person has a specific bag to pack and then moves it along the line. Everyone participating wears a mask and gloves. Lucy is great at running the bags to the driveway and sorting them in preparation for the drivers to pick them up. She is also the go-to person for adding the toilet paper to the bags at the end. We are also assigned the job of taking the broken-down boxes to Casa Grande where we use their large recycle bins. It's amazing how many small details are so important in a process like this.
 
We are fortunate enough to have two full-sized refrigerators at our house, so most weeks we store the donated meat in our garage freezer to keep it fresh for the following Monday's delivery.
 
Around lunch time on Mondays, we load up the back of our car and get ready to make deliveries. We are given our spreadsheet with a list of 8 addresses to deliver to. The list has been strategically organized by neighborhoods, making the delivery process very efficient. We unload bags on the porch, knock on the door, and head back to the car; the process is completely contact-free.
 
Trey can't always join us because his school time actually starts at 12:30 but some weeks his History teacher gives him a pass to miss his Zoom class. Lucy is always eager to help and hasn't missed a Monday. Eddy is often given some of the heavy lifting jobs and he does the driving when we make deliveries.
 
Many of the people who help out each week are Casa Grande students, some are Casa Grande graduates. I feel blessed to be a part of such a loving and giving community.
 
Sincerely,
Grete K. Hansen
​

We are in the middle of Holy Week, and on Thursday night we will gather online for our Maundy Thursday service and hear the story of Jesus' final days. It has become a bit of a Holy Week tradition of mine to pull out this wonderful little story from Brennan Manning and give it a read. May it bless you in these dark days of Holy Week, as you consider the story of Jesus' saving work on the cross.

From The Signature of Jesus, by Brennan Manning

There is a story of an old man who used to meditate early every morning under a big tree on the bank of the Ganges River. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: “Hey, stupid old man, what’s wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don’t you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?” The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger’s eyes he said calmly, “My friend, just because it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save.”

Sitting here at the typewriter in my study, I turn to the symbol of the crucified Christ on the wall to my left. And I hear Jesus praying for his murderers, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

The scorpion he had tried to save finally killed him. To the passerby, who sees him stretched out on the tree roots and who shouts, “Only a madman would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, ungrateful creature,” I hear Jesus answer, “My friend, just because it is fallen mankind’s nature to wound, that does not change my nature to save.”

A modified version of this article originally appeared on March 20 in The Exchange, the weekly FPCP eLetter.

​To the saints who are in exile and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you, and peace.
 
I write to you from my home here in Petaluma on this third day of mandatory sheltering-in-place. In many ways, life has remained the same. I still get up in the morning, cook my oatmeal, brew some coffee, and catch up on the morning news while I eat my breakfast. Some things have stayed the same, but other things have changed significantly. The church has suspended all of its in-person activities through at least the end of the month. I can’t go to the gym. Some of our favorite restaurants are closed, and our Bay Area family can’t even drive up for a visit.
 
As we are all scattered around Sonoma County and around the country, I am reminded of God’s people in the Old Testament, conquered by the Babylonians, deported and living in exile. Public life as they knew it had come to an end.
 
In much the same way, we now find ourselves in a time of disruption, loss, disorientation and vulnerability; when so many of our familiar traditions have been stripped away, and we are left to consider the true heart of our faith, our relationship with God, our life together, and the things that are most precious to us.
 
In thinking about all this, I am also reminded of these powerful words of God, spoken by the prophet Isaiah to the people in exile. Isaiah 43:18-19:
 
          Do not remember the former things,
          or consider the things of old.
          I am about to do a new thing;
          now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
          I will make a way in the wilderness
          and rivers in the desert.
           
How might God use this peculiar time of exile to do something new in us? In our families? In our congregation? In our nation?
 
I invite you to join me on Sunday morning for something new. Join me on this Fourth Sunday of Lent as we go online and “Worship In Exile.” On the FPCP homepage you will find instructions on how to sign-in to the worship video feed. You’ll also find links to a downloadable bulletin, activities for kids, and other items you’ll want to have on hand.
 
Also, I encourage you to stay connected. Call one another. Reach out to ask how your friends and neighbors are doing. Stay informed by checking our FPCP website and social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). And don’t hesitate to reach out to me, or any one of our church leaders if you need anything. We are here for you, and we’re in this together. Be well, my friends.
 
I hope to see you Sunday!
 
Pastor John

Hello all you wonderful social distancers!  I'm excited to have this brand new blog set up to stay in touch with you. It's a simple way to share information, but mostly it's one more way for us to stay connected. To that end, we'll be posting more frequently on the FPCP Website, Facebook, and Instagram pages -- posting for grownups AND for kids. If you're already social media savvy, check it out right now. If you're not so social media savvy, it's never to late to start. And you can start right now! if you're reading this post and wondering why some words are in blue font, that's a great question. Those words are hyperlinked to take you directly to those sites, meaning if you click on the word Facebook, it will automatically take you to the FPCP Facebook page. It's just that simple. Keep watching for new posts and updates on all our social media platforms, and I look forward to connecting with you from afar!

Today is day one since the order to shelter in place went into effect here in Sonoma County, and now, like it or not, many of us have a lot less structure to our days than we are used to. This new structure (or lack of structure) can lead to additional anxiety, loneliness, depression and boredom, but there are some intentional things we can do to help stay healthy in body, mind and spirit. 

​Click here to read a great article by Sister Mary Catherine Perry, a cloistered nun with the Dominican nuns in Summit, New Jersey. For the past 29 years, Sister Mary has chosen to practice social distancing, and she's got some helpful tips for those of us just getting started. I found it helpful, and I hope you do to.

Peace to you all,

Pastor John 

Good morning, First Presbyterian Church! I woke up this morning to the sound of rain, and was reminded of how dependent we are on things often outside of our control. I was reminded of how dependent we are on water, and how dependent we are on God and God's provision.

This is one of the themes of this Third Sunday of Lent. And since we aren't gathering for worship, I have put together a short liturgy for you to use at home. Spend some time with this Sunday Morning Home Liturgy that I have attached below. Just click on the link and it should open the pdf file. The Scripture from Exodus 17:1-7 is the story of Israel's great need in the wilderness, thirsting for water, and God's miraculous provision to satisfy their need. Spend some time with the liturgy on your own, or with someone close by. My prayer is that God in Christ would encounter you this day in your own places of fear, anxiety and need.

Grace and peace to you all.

Pastor John