You may have heard that here at LCPC we believe that the home is the primary place for spiritual formation. It is Children’s Ministry’s desire to partner with parents as they raise their children. This can be done in a wide variety of ways and here’s one of them.

We have put together a Lenten Family Activities Guide for you to use with your family at home. In it we have gathered family activities that we chose to coordinate with the themes of this church-wide study during Lent on the book of Mark.

We hope that you will take this opportunity to set aside half an hour each week for the 7 weeks of Lent to spend together as a family participating in these activities. To make it as easy as possible we have included the necessary supplies that you may not have around the house.

We also have scheduled a training/discussion group that will meet twice during the 7 weeks. These meetings will provide tips and suggestions on how to use this with your family (adapting for different ages, etc.) as well as provide an opportunity for you to meet and share with other parents.  Please contact Heather Henry (mailto:heather@lacanadapc.org) or (818) 790-6708, x252) for more information.

Ash Wednesday Service  [WED, FEB 22, Sanctuary]

Join us for this celebration of the beginning of a 40-day journey (Lent) to new life and renewed faith. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper and receive the imposition of ashes.

HISTORY OF ASH WEDNESDAY

Ash Wednesday is the Wednesday of the seventh week before Easter and the first day of Lent. The day is named for the practice of imposing ashes, a practice that many congregations have found to be a very meaningful part of the Ash Wednesday liturgy.  Using ashes as a sign of repentance is an ancient practice, often mentioned in the Bible [ e.g., Jonah 3:5-9; Job 42:6; Jeremiah 6:26; Matthew 11:21 ] . The early Christians adopted the use of ashes from Jewish practice as an external mark of penitence.

A Shared Lenten Practice: Daily Reflection

Ash Wednesday is for us today, as it is for all Christians, the beginning of a forty-day journey to new life and renewed faith. At the beginning of the journey we are called to face ourselves and our current situation of life with honesty and clarity. During the journey we are encouraged to engage in some spiritual practice that will help us to say “no” to the self-seeking that diminishes us and to say “yes” to God and God’s life in and through us. The Lenten journey is a corporate journey and it can be particularly powerful to join with the community to engage in a shared practice. When we practice together we are encouraged by one another and we see the results expressed in the whole as well as in the parts.

You are encouraged to commit five minutes at the beginning or end of each day during this next six weeks to reflect on the 24 hours just completed. (You can do this in the shower in the morning or as you lie in bed before going to sleep!)

Ask God to guide you as you recall the events, encounters, and circumstances of your day, at what has been happening in you and around you. Then take a moment to “look” and “listen” to what you remember.

Ask God to help you see and hear:

Where have you met me today, God?

How have I received or chosen your gift of life; how have I missed or refused the offer?

Tell God “how you are” with what you are able to see and hear.

Mark the new day. Let go and let the day past be what it is with God. Commit the day ahead and yourself to God.

If it is helpful for you, you may want to recall the meaning of the sign of the cross received in the imposition of the ashes at the beginning of the journey. With your own thumb make the sign of the cross on your forehead as a physical expression of your commitment to live the day before you as a new day on the Lenten journey to life.

RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET is a unique way to experience Shakespeare’s writing through comedy & song.  This show is a hilarious mash-up of classic literature, science fiction, and golden oldies such as ‘Teenager in Love’, ‘Born to be Wild’ & ‘Great Balls of Fire’ which everyone will enjoy.  “I wanted to do something new and challenging with the show, so we pulled together a wonderful cast that are not only actors and singers, but will also play instruments to provide the music.  This production is fun for the whole family–with robots, aliens, and of course, TRUE LOVE! The pop-rock music blends with the excitement of the story and is a show you don’t want to miss.  FORBIDDEN PLANET proves once and for all that LCPC’s Drama Ministry is ‘Born To Be Wild’!” says Justin Fisher, LCPC’s Drama Ministry Director.

The Drama Ministry will follow RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET, with THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) in May, a hilarious look at all things Shakespeare.

RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET will take place in the Worship Arts Center of La Canada Presbyterian Church for one week-end only: Friday 2/24 & Saturday 2/25 at 8 pm; Sunday 2/26 at 2 pm.  General Admission $15, student with ID $10.  Free parking, air conditioned and wheelchair accessible.

The four Schwinds will all be serving as ambassadors of Christ aboard the ship, which will be stationed in various ports of West Africa, by invitation of the governments. Steve will be involved in spiritual formation, cross-cultural relations and program development involving the some 400 people who live aboard the ship. Lisa will be the dental hygienist for all of the people on board, and she hopes to be involved in other aspects as well. The girls will be attending school aboard ship. They will continue to support the work of their parents by their participation in the telling of Bible stories. Steve can recite many parables and stories from memory from the Gospels, and Lisa and the children have worked out how to act them out. The girls also plan to visit people recovering in the hospital ward of the ship.

There are plans being laid for an LCPC missions trip to the Mercy Ship in 2013. The Schwinds deeply appreciate the financial support they are receiving from LCPC. They cherish the love, support and prayers of our congregation.

MARITAL R & R “DATE NIGHT” 1/21/12 VIDEO NOW ON LCPC’S WEBSITE

Marriage & Family Therapist Sharon Hargrave’s one hour presentation is now available for viewing on the church’s website. If you missed the evening or want to review it again you can see it here.

And don’t forget … the NEXT two “DATE NIGHT” meetings with Dr. Terry and Sharon Hargrave will be Saturdays March 3 and May 5 at 6:15pm in Fellowship Hall. These are FABULOUS presentations for your marriage … and your friends’ marriages also. Why not invite them?! $10 a couple. … Really? REALLY!

MARITAL R & R SMALL GROUPS NOW FORMING

If you would like to be in a Couple’s Small Group that will focus on the ideas and skills that Dr. Terry and Sharon Hargrave have been presenting to us (October 28, 29 and January 20), please email Barbara Pettit at barbara@lacanadapc.org to sign up. You do NOT need to have been at either of these presentations to participate. The Groups will meet 8 or 9 times and use the training manuals and DVDs that the Hargraves have developed specifically for this kind of Small Group usage (“5 Days to a New Marriage”).

Description :: APPLY NOW

APPLY NOW

Job Description :: APPLY NOW

APPLY NOW

+ Thank you for your interest in our Summer 2012 Intern Ministry program.  The youth ministry staff is excited about the summer events planned for the youth and look forward to partnering with college-aged students throughout the summer.  If you love God, younger students, messy games, Forest Home, pool parties, Bible Studies, and seeing students (and yourself) grow spiritually then this may be a great opportunity for you.

+ Each summer the youth ministry invites college-aged students to be interns for the purpose of providing them the opportunity to serve and learn in the different areas of our youth ministry. Please read this job description to get a better understanding of this ministry and the requirements and expectations of our Summer Interns.

+ SIM is a ten-week, 30 hours/week, summer program.  If selected, we will work out your specific start and end dates.  SIM includes opportunities to serve in either Junior High or High School ministry. To apply to be a Junior High Intern, you must have graduated from high school in 2011 or earlier.  High School Interns must be 20 years of age or older.

+ To apply for Junior High SIM, please complete the form linked below by FRIDAY, March 2, 2012.  You will be notified in March regarding our decision.  AN APPLICATION IS NOT CONSIDERED COMPLETE UNTIL WE HAVE RECEIVED THE FILLED OUT REFERENCE FORM FROM YOUR THREE REFERENCES. We have made that even easier this year by putting it online.  It is your responsibility to ensure that we receive your reference forms.  We will send you confirmation that we received your application via the email address you provide. The Youth Staff, Youth Ministry Support Team, and your references will all be involved in the selection process for SIM.

Please call or email Jim Staniels, (818) 497-2023, james@lacanadapc.org, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding the Junior High Summer Internship Ministry.

Job Description :: APPLY NOW

Click here to download a registration form.  Click here to download a scholarship request form.

Beach, golf, bike riding, or just taking a nap.  It’s waiting for you at the Pierpont Inn in Ventura.  Far enough away to get away.  Close enough to get there Friday evening.

But it’s not just the fun.  It’s the nourishment your spirit needs.  Rev. Dan Baumgartner, Senior Pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church, will help us open ourselves to God, along with the guys who are there to share their stories and lives together. Dan has repeatedly led men’s retreats with topics ranging from “Work & Faith” to “Sexual Purity in an Impure World.”

Rev. Dan knows what it is like in the business grind through his 10 years as a Director with CARQUEST Auto Parts.  He had plenty of time to reflect on that life while at Princeton Theological Seminary.  Then Rev. Dan spent 14 years as a pastor before starting at Hollywood Presbyterian in November 2010.  Dan and his wife Anne have three children—sons Jesse and Nick and daughter Dana.  As a newly empty nester, Dan has more time now to run, bike and hike.  He also is a voracious reader.

Mark your calendars and contact Gloria Hill (gloria@lacanadapc.org)  today to register or register on Sunday mornings in the NartheX.  We are going to have a great time.  Face it. You need a break.  And spiritual nourishment.  Let’s do this.

Click here to download a registration form.

INFO:  Gloria Hill (gloria@lacanadapc.org)