“No matter who you are, no matter where you are, you are welcome here!”

February 2, 2024

Dear Pali Pres Family,

Well, it finally happened. My wonderful and beautiful wife, a proud Canadian to the core, decided that being married to an American, having two American sons, and calling America home for the past 10+ years was simply not enough. When it came to embracing her love of the good ol’ US of A, only citizenship would do! Thus, after a great deal of prayer and completing a pile of paperwork (and, of course, paying a hefty application fee), Mary officially began the process of going from being a permanent US Resident and Green Card holder to becoming a proud US Citizen.

It all started months ago when she submitted her application and loads of accompanying documentation. Then, a few weeks ago, she received a letter from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (under the Department of Homeland Security) to appear for her naturalization interview. This past Tuesday, January 30th, Mary made her way to the US Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and that’s when things got real!

After a one-on-one interview, Mary successfully passed the required test on American history and civics (I won’t tell you her score, but trust me…almost all of us would miss at least a few of the questions). After swearing an oath of allegiance to the United States it was official: Mary Fish was an American Citizen!

I could not be prouder of my wife, who considers this the single greatest moment of her life (ok, so that might be an exaggeration on my part, but she still considers this in her top 10, at least).

Congratulations Mary! Enjoy voting and jury duty, my dear!

Pastor Matt

Pali Pres 2024 Per Capita Appeal

Presbyterians are connected in many ways: through worship services, small groups, mission and outreach events and, on a larger scale, through our denomination. During 2024, Pali Pres is obligated to remit $48 for each active member as a way for us to share in the support of our denomination’s three governing bodies (Presbytery, Synod and General Assembly). In order for our church to conserve your generous contributions and our other sources of income to support our various ministries, we encourage each member to consider reimbursing the church for the $48 tax paid on your behalf. You may do so by check (marked Per-Capita) or on the church website. Thank you!

To read more about what per capita is—why it is important, what it is used for—check out this article from the PC(USA).

Pali Pres Information Board

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

A new information board has been installed on the front lawn! We hope this will help to inform the community about everything that’s happening at Pali Pres and our Preschool!

Sunday Funday Is On!

Pali Pres Sunday Funday, our fellowship time for children and families, WILL take place this coming Sunday, Feb 4 rain or shine! Should the weather not cooperate, we will gather in the Youth Room for fun and games and refreshments. Be sure to join us right after worship! Contact Lucy Garcia, Director of Children & Family Ministries, with any questions. See you Sunday!

Last Chance to Take Part in a Fallderol Fundraiser!

One of last fall's fundraiser activities, Shanghai Poker Night, still has four spots available. Next Friday, February 9th, will be a full evening of fun, starting with a delicious dinner served with wine, followed by six hands of a fun card game called "Shanghai Poker" (we'll teach you the simple rules that night!). Come to Janes Hall on our church campus, from 6:00-10:00 PM. It's a wonderful way to meet new friends, or spend time with current ones. Prizes for the winners! Win or lose, there's a great time to be had. The cost is $50 per person with all proceeds benefiting the church. The first four people to respond get the last open spots! RSVP directly to Nancy Gillette.

The Return of the Pali Pres Prodigals

Batter up!

Our co-ed church softball team, the Pali Pres Prodigals, is hoping to return in 2024 with our eyes focused on a payoff berth!

However, we need more players to round out the roster, or we won’t be able to play! Church members, preschool parents, friends, family, neighbors - all are welcome! No skill level is required. A basic knowledge of the game is certainly helpful, but our seasoned coaching staff is more than willing to host softball 101 for those in need.

Weekly games will begin in March/April in our West L.A. Interfaith League.

If you’re interested in being a part of this fun fellowship activity, please contact Will Saunders.

“It’s like deja-vu all over again.” - Yogi Berra

Join us for our Livestream Worship!

Join at 9:50am on Sunday Morning to enjoy the prelude, with worship beginning at 10am.

Sunday Refreshments

Bringing refreshments on Sunday mornings to share with our church is a loving and very important ministry. Thank you to all of you who have been doing this so faithfully. Please contact Refreshment Coordinator Jan Gong to sign up to serve.

Thank you to Jan Gong for last week's refreshments! This week's goodies are brought to us by The Frazier Family!

Sunday Sanctuary Flowers

A BIG thank you to Sylvia Boyd for providing last week’s sanctuary flowers. This week’s flowers are a gift from Pastor Grace & Charlie Park, in celebration of their anniversary!

We invite all of our church members and friends to provide donations for flowers to adorn our sanctuary, along with a special dedication of your choosing. The cost is $75 per week.

Please contact Will Saunders and the church will order flowers from a local florist to be placed in the chancel on Sunday morning.

Our Deacons will distribute the flowers to one of our members/friends after the service.

Thank you for helping make our sanctuary even more beautiful!

Sunday Sermon Teaser

This coming Sunday is Communion Sunday and we will reflect together on what this holy sacrament means for us in our walks of faith. Be sure to join us!

Give to Pali Pres

Don't forget, you can easily give your tithes and offerings through our website!

But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

-Hebrews 8: 6