Summary
The membership of First Presbyterian Church, Altadena (FPCA) includes 261 active members, with approximately 100 attending Sunday worship. Most of these active members are Nisei over age 70. There are 298 inactive members on the rolls and there are approximately 40 active non-members who participate regularly in church activities. There are two Sunday morning adult education classes with over 30 persons involved in the Sunday morning Adult Education class with an average of 20 in the classes. We have 10 children irregularly in the Godly Play curriculum, 4 in the nursery, and 11 irregularly in youth group activities.
We are currently awaiting the start of our new senior pastor. The Rev. Mark Buchanan will commence his Call on July 1 of this year.
Pastors Nicholas Iyoya and Harriet Johnson, both honorably retired from active ministry and both former ministers of our church, have graciously agreed to carry on the role of visitation ministers for our infirm and hospitalized congregation members.
We have two persons on the pastoral staff: Deborah Williams (Director of our children and youth efforts), and Virginia Christman, our Fuller Seminary Intern. Our staff also includes Alice Young (church secretary) and Ted Tajima (newsletter editor). Our session has staffed for the future, stretching us and encouraging us to grow spiritually and numerically.
Church facilities, at 2775 Lincoln Avenue, include a sanctuary (seating 300), a Christian education building (eight classrooms plus offices), and a social hall and kitchen (dining room for 250; assembly for 430). We also own a manse. Our operating budget for 2008 is just under $250,000 and we have just under $520,000 in reserves. We have 105 giving units that pledged about $136,000 last year. We also had 116 persons (separate from giving units), give about $70,000 for specific projects or designated giving. Our members tend to be most generous with specific projects and with designated giving.
Small Groups
Numerous groups carry out regular ministries of the church (committees, choir, and a monthly hot meal ministry). The Presbyterian Women (PW) gathers in various configurations for Bible study, for crafts, and in circles. Presbyterian Men meet quarterly with others in our Japanese Presbyterian Church (JPC) network of eighteen churches. In addition, of about 130 active youth and adults at FPCA, about 1/2 are involved in weekly or biweekly Bible studies or "support" groups. Some of these groups have historic and ongoing ties with some of the mission activities.
Events
Our corporate history, the significant of our relationships, the importance of gathering around meals, and our outreach into the community are all embedded in the events of our annual calendar. The monthly potlucks, holiday meals, and the Spring chicken dinner allow us to be hospitable to ever broadening circles of family and friends. Worship near Memorial Day gives time for names to be read and candles lit in memory of those who have been part of our extended family. The children of the church and neighborhood enjoy the Easter egg hunt, on one summer Sunday we worship and picnic in a nearby park, and our summer beach picnic is enjoyed for intergenerational fun. We appreciate conversations during our spring church hike and the shared breakfast, and the fall CROP walk provides money for hunger alleviation. The annual rummage sale brings inexpensive items to family and neighbors. Our largest event is the Fall Festival, which celebrates the 1968 move into our present facilities and welcomes the broader Japanese American community and our local neighbors to a day of games, food, fund-raising, and memories.
Denominational Relations
The First Presbyterian Church, Altadena, decided to become Presbyterian in the mid 1940s. For over 50 years, our laity and clergy have taken a vital interest in the business and concerns of denominational bodies. In recent years, elders have faithfully attended Presbytery meetings, and some pastors and delegates have served presbytery committees. An FPCA elder was elected as a commissioner to General Assembly, and two of our elders serve have served as Trustees of Monte Vista Grove Homes, a Presbyterian retirement home for pastors, missionaries, and spouses. We continue to participate generously in regular and special, denominationally sponsored missions and projects, and about 7% of our annual budget go to General Mission. PCUSA students at Fuller Theological Seminary are often welcomed as interns. Our Presbyterian Women contribute to the San Gabriel Presbytery and have sent representatives to PW's national gatherings.
Mission Activities
In additional to financial involvement, FPCA has an ongoing relationship with several missionaries as noted below:
Our Missionaries
Tim & Juji Boyle, Japan
Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Kang, St Petersburg, Russia
Michael & Chris Mason, Japan
John & Anne Wheeler-Waddell, Ethiopia
First Presbyterian Church of Altadena has sent over 20 men and women into ministry and mission. These include positions as pastors, counselors, chaplains, and ministers in Christian agencies, denominational executives, and missionaries.
Locally and ecumenically, we are significantly involved in the annual Church World Service/CROP walk, we give financially and participate in service with Union Station (a multi-service rehabilitation center), we give financially to the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Areas Churches (ECPAC) to support their work with needy families, and we contribute financially to the local cold weather shelter and to Five Acres (a home for youth). The PW supports Project Angel (the county hospital’s fund for needy families) and Friends Outside (a prison project), and several other mission projects. The total annual amount of these commitments is about $8,000.
