The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
June 2019
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
BRAVE and AMAZING A Message from Pastor Shawn
Over the years I have led many mission trips. I have developed the practice of asking the mission team members to debrief their experiences of the day. One of the things I ask is if anyone has a quote of the day. This quote can be something said by a fellow team member or it can be from someone we met during the day. Every once in a while one of these quotes takes on a life of its own. One of the quotes that lasted nearly 17 years while I was at Purdue was, “Shawn says ‘No.’” You can only imagine what was the original cause of the quote, though after a while most people did not know. It was used for every appropriate situation. A few weeks ago a team of 8 went from our church to Rainbow Acres for about a week on a mission trip. We enjoyed our stay at this residential community for adults with special needs. We did landscaping and painting lines in the parking lot. We also enjoy spending time with the “ranchers” (name for the residents of Rainbow Acres), eating meals, dancing, playing Bingo, and just hanging out. Every evening our group was split and assigned houses where we would eat with the ranchers of that house. We would go to the same house each night so that we would have the opportunity to get to know a particular group of ranchers fairly well. I, along with Gen, University of Redlands student, was assigned to a house of women. As we sat around the table we had the opportunity to engage in conversation. Each evening as we were finishing our meal one of the residents, I’ll call her “Mary,” would come and tell us about a medical procedure that she was going to have soon. I would guess that “Mary” is developmentally about 5 or 6 years old. She would
Issue No. 6
describe each part of what she was going to experience during this procedure and then she would say, “And I’m going to be brave and amazing.” Clearly she was repeating the words of someone who has been preparing her for the procedure and trying to keep her from worrying. “I’m going to be brave and amazing” has become that quote that is taking on a life of its own. At the recent and untimely death of Rachel Held Evans I have decided that she was “brave and amazing.” I think of different people in the Bible and in history that were “brave and amazing.” And I think that through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit we can be “brave and amazing.” For “Mary” those words were meant to give her confidence. I believe that the people who were telling her this were reminding her of other difficult and scary experiences through which she has already come and proven herself to be “brave and amazing.” As we consider the things that God is calling us to do as followers of Christ and as a church, may we face the scary, difficult and intimidating with the knowledge that in Christ we will be “brave and amazing.” Not for our sakes but for the Kingdom’s sake. In Christ, Pastor Shawn
COVER
STAFF
1 A Message from Pastor Shawn : “Brave and Amazing”
Rev. Dr. Shawn Zambrows Senior Pastor shawn@fbcredlands.org
2 Staff and Contents
Nicholas Quient Associate Pastor nicholas@fbcredlands.org
MINISTRY 3 Pastor Nick : “Hope to Grieve” 4 Richard W. Steffen: “Ecumenical, Inspirational, Meaningful” 5 Prayer to God 6 Children’s Ministry
MISSIONS 7 Worldwide Prayer Concerns:
Pakistan - Canada: Asia Bibi, Myanmar/Burma, Thailand
Rev. Cheryl Sneller Director of Children’s Ministry cheryl@fbcredlands.org Richard W. Steffen Minister of Music rwsteffen@gmail.com Linda Gentile Organist
11 Rainbow Acres Missions Trip 2019
Nathan Jones Youth Director youth@fbcredlands.org
FELLOWSHIP
Angel Florence Office Administrator angel@fbcredlands.org
8 Nathan Jones: Our Lenten Pilgrimage to Puerto Rico
13 Ann Smith: Interview with Tom Herron
NEWS 14 Church News + FBCR in Action
Isa Terrell Communications Specialist isa@fbcredlands.org Richard Colunga Buildings/Grounds
15 June Calendar
The Tapestry is published monthly by The First Baptist Church of Redlands, 51 West Olive Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373.
Telephone: 909-793-3289 Web: www.fbcredlands.org
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Office Hours Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sunday: 8 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. I 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
MI NI S T RY
Hope to Grieve
Pastor Nick Quient
“And I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with humanity, and God will make a dwelling place with them, and they will be God’s people and God will be with them as their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no more mourning, nor crying, nor anguish any more—these things have passed into nonexistence. –Revelation 21:3-4 (My translation)
What a week it has been. The loss of Rachel Held Evans has rippled across all sides of the Christian family and it only feels like we are now beginning to process our grief. For many, this is a time of pain and heartbreak, and for others it is a time that echoes of stillness. Often it feels like there are no words to say or write. Yet, here I am, trying to write some of them down. In working through numerous book projects, I have returned numerous times to the Bible study we did on the Book of Revelation last summer, and the words found toward the climax of John’s visionary experience, written above for you. Written to a fledgling group of small assemblies (churches) who were destitute, without hope and legal representation, and being subjected to violence, John’s vision is not a cinematic exploration of vengeance and God’s wrath—although God often gets pretty wrathful in there. Rather, the thrust of the entire book is on the final victory of God—the culmination of the Kingdom of God.
Earlier in John the Seer’s visionary experience, he says this fateful phrase: “the sea was no more” (21:1). The sea, that roiling cauldron of chaos that God was in constant war with is finally undone—no longer will chaos reign upon the land in God’s new creation. It is a remarkable vision of peace, of shalom, of the healing of all creation. We know it is not that time right now, but we know that one day—one day—it will be. It may be at that great day of the resurrection, or it may be sooner than you think. Sometimes the Holy Spirit works wonders in such times. And that is where grief and pain can slowly be transformed into hope and joy. Do not mourn or feel guilty for how you feel today or tomorrow. God is big enough for your grief and my grief and your neighbor’s grief. That is why God gifted the Psalms to us. Not even Moses could see God’s face. Yet, at the end of all things, God will show God’s self to all of us without reservation. One day, I hope, our grief will be seen through the lens of the defeat of death and the presence of God. Our grief, then, will be observed with new eyes. So: mourn, grieve, do as the Spirit leads, but do not lose sight of hope. Live with the knowledge that Death will be no more, and God is present even in times such as these.
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Ecumenical, Inspirational, Meaningful by Richard W. Steffen, Minister of Music We have shared music together during the last 34 years and Aprils. Of those, we have rejoiced on Resurrection Sunday on 25 Sundays in April, and I have celebrated my birthday on two of those 25. But worship at First Baptist Church in April 2019 was special, and I will always remember it. It began on April 7. Our Lenten Meditation was another reading in the series that we used throughout our Lenten season: “Forty Days: A Journey through the Desert of Lent” from The Worship of the People. And then we were blessed by two vocal music selections that were written by First Baptist Redlands people! The first was the spiritual song “Colossians 3,” written by Jonathan Peske this year. The lyrics were based on Colossians 3:12-17. And then as we moved into the time of The Lord’s Supper, the Worship Choir sang “Father, Forgive Them.” With the lyrics of this song inspired by Luke 23, the words and the music of this selection were written by J. Ronald Gentile in 1986. What a blessing to have these two composers in our church. Palm Sunday was exciting. Linda Gentile began our service with the Harold DeCou arrangement of Jean-Baptiste Faure’s song “The Palms” (1864). Our procession was led by our combined children’s choirs, as 25 children in robes and carrying palm branches entered our sanctuary. Following the reading “Scattered Palms” from “Forty Days,” Ellie Huynh shared a sign language presentation of “The Lord’s Prayer” as we listened to the musical selection “As It Is in Heaven” by Michael W. Smith. Good Friday evening: ecumenical, inspirational, meaningful. During the week after our church hosted the Redlands Festival Singers concert in January of Mozart’s music, I began the adventure of writing this year’s Redlands Ecumenical Good Friday Service. This is the 3rd consecutive year that the ministers from seven Redlands churches have organized a worship service for Good Friday evening. An intriguing aspect of this service is that each year folks in Redlands can experience worship in the style of the church that is hosting it that year. As I told the Combined Choirs that evening this year: “Tonight we won’t be singing chants as we did at Trinity Episcopal and we won’t be reading creeds as we did at First Presbyterian. And we will sing several songs written after 2000.” Our service this year included scripture, music, video, readings, and prayer: all centering our thoughts on the passion of Jesus. We were led by 10 ministers, 3 readers from First Baptist Church, our Worship Ensemble and our instrumentalists, and a Combined Choirs group of 70 singers that filled our choir loft.
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We moved through six sections as we worshipped. 1. We Gather and Pray Linda began our time together with ‘Rhosymedre’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams. We joined together in singing “Here I Am to Worship.” The Combined Choirs filled the sanctuary with “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Pastor Nick In’t Hout from Young Life College at the University of Redlands led us in a time of reflection about prayer. 2. Who Are You, Jesus? Melanie Medlin played the part of a woman who saw the relationship between Jesus and Peter throughout Jesus’ ministry in a soliloquy that she wrote. Our Worship Ensemble shared “Thy Will.” 3. I Am the Alpha and the Omega Pastor Cheryl Sneller brought the prophesy of Isaiah in the passage called “The Suffering Servant.” Pastor Nick Quient gave insight into Jesus from Paul, the Apostle, from his letters. 4. Is It Nothing to You, All Ye That Pass By? We experienced the honesty of despair in the video “Have You Forsaken Me?” from “Forty Days.” We read Luke 23 by hearing different voices deliver the passion narrative, using the ministers, the Choir, and the gathered community. 5. This Is My Body. This Is My Blood. We worshipped through song and in the breaking of bread and sharing of the cup. The Choir sang “Let Us Break Bread Together” as The Lord’s Supper was presented by ministers at several locations in the sanctuary. Our instrumentalists led three Taize songs during our Communion time. 6. We Respond by Serving Our Offering went to support the work of the Redlands Family Service. Scott Nelson and Jonathan Peske played “Find Us Faithful.” Our Hymn of Response used the 90 year old text of “Before Your Cross, O Jesus.” And Linda concluded our service with the moving organ selection of “He Who Suffers God to Guide Him” by J. S. Bach. On Resurrection Sunday, the amazing flower cross and many lilies in the sanctuary greeted us. Our Worship Choir, Worship Ensemble, God’s Kids Choir, Drum Circle, instrumentalists, an Easter video, and a Brass Ensemble from Citrus Valley High School inspired us. That worship month concluded on April 28; a special song on this day was shared by Garrett Zambrows. It was the American Gospel Song “Ain’t No Grave” attributed to 12 year old Claude Ely in 1934 and sung by Johnny Cash on his posthumous album American VI: Ain’t No Grave. And we sang the chorus of that song as our final response. April 2019: to God be the glory!
by Pastor Nick Quient
O God, who on this day didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
Loving God, We thank you for your cleansing presence, your kindness displayed to us in Christ. As we approach Pentecost, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, poured out upon all of us. We thank you for including us as your sons and daughters and giving to us the ministry of reconciliation. We thank you for dwelling with us and in us in times of struggle.
—The Book of Common Prayer We ask you to be over us, and with us, and over our family, and with our family. We ask you for the words to say, and for the peace of mind to know when to be still. We ask you to make your healing presence known to us, and to guide us through this time. May our prayers to you in this season remind us that we are not alone in this world. We pray for rest for teachers and students as school winds down for the summer, and we thank you for the tireless witness of our gifted teachers and leaders. May they have time for fun, family, and relaxation. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Keep us safe and whole in you. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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C hi ldren ’s ministry
Thank you so much for the generous donations of Easter eggs. They were filled by the dedicated Easter Egg Team (Thank you Erin and friends). The energy in the children’s classrooms has been high this month as they have stepped into the journey of Jesus towards the cross. It is a challenging narrative to communicate to children.
Our “Leveling Up” children’s ceremony will be on Sunday, June 9th during our Worship Service. We will recognize our new Junior Disciples leveling up from 2nd to 3rd grade with a gift Bible. Our 5th graders are moving up to the youth group. We will continue to celebrate after the service by hosting an ice cream refreshment table. It will be under the portico beside the Chapel to say thank you for the 30+ adults and
After the 2nd Thursday night dinner of the month we have been scheduling an outdoor play time on the lawn. In the month of June it falls on June 13th which is also our last Thursday night gathering for the school year. On May 9th we had a blast playing kick ball. If truth be told, I overheard Wendy Peske and Gregg Sneller say they haven’t had so much fun in a long time. I would agree. Adults and youth, join us for lawn games June 13th and you will be saying the same.
Lights, Camera, Action is our Bible exploration theme. It is a video series that we create. Come and join us in this creative task. The Beginning: One Person’s View of the World Kids will learn how the world began and how we became separated from God. The Prophets: Movie Previews Kids will learn how the prophets told of Israel’s fall and Christ’s coming. The Church: Will Our Video End Happily Ever After? Kids will learn how the early church grew and their place in the story of the Bible.
Intergenerational Lawn Game Night: Thursday, June 13th. It will be held after our last Thursday Dinner. Come and Play at 6:45. No classes or childcare.
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youth that have served in the education program of our Church this year. Everybody Welcome!
Junior Disciple Summer Session will begin on Sunday, June 16th and run through September 1st. The Junior Disciples will go to the Board Room during the sermon and discover why The First Baptist Church does what it does. Church members who have knowledge and experience in a topic have been asked to share with the children. The first session concerns the Bible and the importance it has for American Baptists. After the summer sessions they will be joining our deacons to help serve during the worship service.
Summer Junior Disciple Campfires will be held on Sunday, July 7th and August 4th at Pastor Cheryl’s house from 4:30-6:00. You will get wet so bring a towel and a change of clothes.
Stay Alert for other special events this summer.
May we enjoy the world like a child, Blessings, Pastor Cheryl
MI S S ION S
Worldwide Pray er Concerns
“But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.” –Hebrews 10:32-33
pakistan - canada: asia bibi TheGuardian.com We have long followed the story of Asia Bibi, who was falsely accused under Pakistan’s blasphemy law and sentenced to death back in 2010. Her appeals took years, but after numerous setbacks, she was finally released from prison in December of 2018. But she was also the focus of numerous violent protests and death threats. For the past six months, she has been prevented from leaving Pakistan. But in early May, she was finally allowed to flee to Canada, where she joined her family who had already immigrated there. Praise God for this answer to millions of prayers! We are so happy that she can finally spend each day together with her husband and children. Pray that they would be kept safe from those who still harbor hatred towards her. Pray that they are able to start a new life together in Canada.
myanmar/burma www.persecution.org International Christian Concern reported on numbers from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stating that in 2018, there were 47,000 people who were displaced by fighting in 21 townships. The government in Myanmar has not allowed the UN to deliver aid to these refugees, despite numerous attempts. The government has a new strategic plan to work towards closing the more than 140 camps for internally displaced persons, many of them Kachin people. Please pray that aid can get to those who need it most and that people will be able to return home in the near future. Pray for those who are in the camps to have hope and know that God loves them and has not forgotten them.
thailand www.internationalministries.org Jeff and Annie Dieselberg are praising God for the provision of the money needed to purchase a new building for the NightLight ministry! They successfully raised 11 million baht ($355,000) and even ended up with some extra money to pay for renovations! The purchase of the building means that NightLight will now have a stable and secure home for years to come. It will also be used by the Song Sawang Church as a meeting place. Pray that this ministry would continue to offer a new hope and future for exploited women in Thailand.
- Jonathan Peske If you have information to share about the persecuted church or news from the mission field, please share it with Jonathan Peske.
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our lenten pilgrimage to Puerto rico by Nathan Jones
During our worship service on Easter Sunday this year, I was surprised to realize that over the years I’d grown accustomed and even taken for granted the beauty of our sanctuary and worship service at Easter. Part of what led me to this realization was experiencing how our sanctuary itself seemed to give up its own beauty as a Lenten sacrifice beginning with the sudden appearance of rough scaffolding and raw wood when the old, dust-darkened and perhaps even Lenten-colored curtain came down. Where the old, familiar, and unnoticed curtain had been was revealed a dark, cavernous space and the hidden workings of the organ. I seem to remember the new screen being in place well before Easter, but the memory of that darkness lingered and then in the depths of Lent, our mission team left for Puerto Rico, gathering in the early morning dark at 1:00 am and landing in darkness in Puerto Rico at 10:00 pm. I hadn’t imagined that our trip would serve as a profound Lenten pilgrimage and meditation. Though we arrived in Puerto Rico in the dark of night but soon began to see and sense the destruction of Hurricane Maria everywhere we looked. Buildings were abandoned and moldering on the roadside, roofless and ruined, “That one there was a mega-church,” massive, but utterly destroyed. Tall hotel towers bore dark, gaping holes
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of shattered glass across their faces. It was shocking to think it had already been a year and a half since the Hurricane came ashore. Our team of 18 divided into two groups, and when ours eventually arrived at the houses whose roofs we were to repair, we found the first scattered with the shattered remnants of what had been an entire second structure. Tattered blue tarps, held in place by rubble and debris, were the extent of the repairs made to the home thus far, and they hid hundreds of square feet of tile. Inside
The first house the youth worked on before Hurricane Maria with the second story structure intact.
Clearing the remnants of the second structure & tile floor.
The growing pile of rubble removed from the roof.
the home, mold was everywhere and the ceiling was scarred with ragged chunks of missing concrete with red, rust-covered rebar spanning the gaps. Surely we wouldn’t be able to clear that roof in a week. How would we ever even begin the other two houses we were assigned? The other group had arrived at their first house to find there was simply no way to get up to the roof. After clearing our first roof in a marathonlong day that only ended because we couldn’t stop the setting of the sun, we’d later find our second roof to be covered in layers and layers of loose gravel, sticky tar, and thick red dust that looked like it had blown in from the groves back home. Brooms and shovels? A pressure washer? We needed a skid steer. How could we ever remove all of that? Our third house had no running water. How could we clean and prepare the roof? A single mother was living there with her young daughter and they had been without access to running water for more than a year. When we returned the next day, having arranged access to water from a neighbor, the family had left for the hospital. The door was barred.
We spent long hours working in the sun on rooftops living a week-long Lenten meditation on poverty, disaster, and labor, on dirt and the dignity lost in having no water to wash it off. Yet the Gospel was alive all around us. What do you do when you can’t get to Jesus? Climb up onto the roof and be lowered down again by your friends, but first, you buy a ladder and rope at Home Depot. Who is that woman alone, gathering water in a jug? Not a woman at a well, but a mother going from neighbor to neighbor, forced to beg for water to drink, clean, and bathe. We came to realize that we all have so much, yet we can’t see our wealth. We don’t notice our privilege because like the curtain hiding the dark workings of our organ, we’ve become unaware and forgotten what hides therein. How did Jesus give sight to the blind? He made mud and then opened our eyes as we scoured, scraped, and scrubbed it from those roofs. As we worshipped together on Easter Sunday, I saw our sanctuary with new eyes as if for the first time: a
The youth’s first roof, finished.
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new white organ screen, the Baptistery newly repainted in white, the pulpit and lectern draped in white and bearing bouquets of fresh white lilies, and at the center of all hung the living cross blossoming in white with shoots of white gladioli bursting out into the air. Truly, we worshipped together in beauty Easter morning, our Sanctuary a renewed symbol of Christ’s resurrection, of his promise of new life for all who follow him, and we heard the Gospel proclaimed anew: Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Yet as we worshipped, a different white was fixed in my mind and it remains there still: It is the gleaming, brilliant clean white of three newly-sealed rooftops shining in the tropical sun of Puerto Rico. It is a white that came to be through a Lenten pilgrimage of long days of travel and long hours of hard labor in the sun. It is a white that came to be through the prayers and generous giving of our congregation and through our covenant to serve Christ through mission. Puerto Rico is in desperate need and there is so much yet to be done, but truly, we can testify that the Resurrection is at work. Please continue to pray for Puerto Rico. Each of us who went has stories and unique experiences to share, so find encouragement to pray by speaking with one of us on the patio after the service, or ask for a story while walking to or from your Sunday school class, or ask us to share as we break bread together on a Thursday night, or come down to the BYF Room where we have pictures and a few artifacts we brought back on display. However you hear about our work, know that we thank you, thank you, thank you for sending us as your missionaries to Puerto Rico.
Gravel, tar, and dirt on the youth’s second roof.
PARTICIPANTS Adults:
Youth:
Nathan Jones
Mitchell Carpenter
Yholddy Jones
Colby Estey
William Jones
James Estey
Bruce Laycook
Sophie Kishimoto
Fleury Laycook
Henry McLaren
Tom Kirkpatrick
Seth Medlin
Allison Kishimoto
Lacey Wardschenk
Wilt Kishimoto Scott Medlin Cheryl Sneller Gregg Sneller
The youth’s second roof, finished.
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Recap
RAINBOW ACRES missions trip 2019
For a third year in a row we had a team go to Rainbow Acres in Camp Verde, AZ, to serve, April 29-May 4. This year there were 8 people on the team, three of whom are students at the University of Redlands. Two of the students, Hannah Shimizu and Ciel Yukami attend our Sunday morning worship during the school year. They brought their friend Genevieve Herle. The other team members were Barbi and Mark Carpenter, Pastor Cheryl Sneller, Pastor Nick Quient and Pastor Shawn Zambrows. Gregg Sneller was also there but, as he is on staff at Rainbow Acres, he technically was not on the team. Our primary work assignments were to work on landscaping in an area that is being developed as an outdoor gathering place called, “Paintbrush Park” and refresh the painted lines and handicap symbols on the parking lot. This is the second year that we have worked on “Paintbrush Park.” It was great to see progress on the area from last year when we cleared rocks from the dirt and installed the drip water system. This year we added to the plants that have been put in over the year. We also replaced the trees with a type that will withstand the wind and provide shade sooner than the ones that were originally planted. Finally, we covered the beds with rock mulch…which seemed a bit ironic considering we removed rocks last year. With both jobs it was satisfying to see progress made as the week went on.
In addition to the physical work, we had opportunities to get to know and enjoy company with the Ranchers. Rainbow Acres is a Christian residential community of special needs adults. The residents are called “Ranchers.” We shared meals with the Ranchers as well as played Bingo and had a dance. It was a great time and each team member was blessed by the relationships that we were able to build during the week. A week at Rainbow Acres allows one to experience a special kind of community. One truly feels accepted and a part of this community from the first enthusiastic welcome, through conversations over meals, by watching Ranchers caring and companionship with one another, and seeing what Ranchers are capable of when given the opportunity. There are few places like Rainbow Acres!
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Serving on a mission, service and sharing life with the Rainbow Acres Ranchers trip can be life changing. Pastor Shawn has been bringing groups of students for many years. Since becoming our pastor at The First Baptist Church of Redlands in 2016, she has led an annual service and mission trip to Rainbow Acres. Before that Pastor Shawn led many trips from Indiana where she served as a campus pastor at Purdue University. These trips can become life changing for the people that come. Opportunities to work and laugh together are abundant. Opportunities to share time with the Ranchers during meals can change a person’s world view about all members of the human family. Opportunties to worship and share joyful moments of dancing and games provide entry points into the wonderful lives of the Ranchers. Rainbow Acres has become a beautiful community where Ranchers with developmental disabilities live to their fullest potential. This growth has been made possible because people like Pastor Shawn and others who come on mission service ventures add value to the lives of Ranchers and staff. We are blessed to have Pastor Shawn who loves to care for the whole world and who encourages us to do the same. Pastor Gregg A. Sneller Partnership Advocate
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f e l l owship
Interview with
Tom Herron by Ann Smith
Tom Herron was born at St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, California, where he grew up and graduated from Sonora High School. He is the youngest of four children and the only boy. His oldest sister, Peggy is a nurse; his middle sister, Jennifer is a dentist; and his youngest sister, Kathleen, is a chemical engineer. He attended the University of Redlands and, growing to like the area, stayed after he graduated. He met his wife, Tammy, on a blind date arranged by his mother-inlaw’s best friend. They were married in 2002 by Tammy’s youth pastor at the Yucaipa Christian Church where she had grown up. Tom didn’t grow up going to church. However, his mother signed him up for Vacation Bible School in the summers. His first memory of a Christian experience is a VBS art project where his class made 10 Commandments Tablets. He began to think there might be something to Christianity while living in his dorm. He discovered that the beliefs of those in the dorm whom he admired had strong Christian influences in their lives. His entry into church life came in the form of an invitation to join the Trinity Evangelical Free Church’s gym on Tennessee Ave. The Herrons left Redlands for a year to be closer to their jobs in Hemet. While living in an apartment there, they discovered their love for old houses. When the time came to buy, they returned to Redlands. Not long after, they became restless at Trinity and began “church shopping.” What they were looking for was a church with a more accepting attitude towards all generations. What they found was that and more. Their son TJ settled the matter when he came bounding down the stairs from Betty Jo Grave’s Sunday School class and insisted on telling them about the whole experience – including the Bible Story.
Tom’s favorite Bible verse is: My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. - John 15:2
He says it reminds him that God expects us to take seriously how we treat each other every day. Tom’s favorite Bible Story is found in Luke 10:38-42 where Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary. He is impressed by Martha’s willingness to open her house to a traveling rabbi. His favorite hymn is “Be Not Dismayed” (Hymnal p. 619). He likes it for its historical association as well as its words. When Churchill met Roosevelt on the HMS Hood just before WWII, the Prime Minister chose this hymn for use at morning worship. One time when Tom felt really close to the Lord was just after the death of his sister Kathleen’s son after the young man had just graduated from UCLA. He felt that it was a gift for them to be able to grieve together and that out of that came new strength and faith. He rejoices that they have been able to move out of that sadness into the joy of the Lord.
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News
HAPPY June BIRTHDAYS TO... 1 - Deena Barwick
19 - Richard Carlson
2 - Holly Allen
21 - Don Olson
4 - Myra Daniels
22 - James Estey
4 - Kevin Fisher
22 - Charles Miller III
5 - Jonathan Peske
23 - Royal Copple
6 - Samuel Warren
23 - Fleury Laycook
7 - Hilary Craw
23 - Mae McLaren
8 - Barbara Williams
25 - John Townsend
11 - Betty Thomas
27 - Dianne Creech
12 - Richard Plantenga
27 - Penny Walker
13 - Ben Dillow
28 - George Nelson
13 - Claudia Guzman
28 - Allison Nottingham
13 - Madeline Keierleber
29 - Richard Bueermann
13 - Erick Mendoza
29 - Nicholas Quient
14 - Tom Hershey
29 - Michael Reynolds
14 - Lisa Olson
30 - David Hamilton
15 - Meridyth McLaren
30 - Melanie Medlin
18 - Haylee Richardson
30 - Lauren Olson
Do you have church news, photos, or recipes that you would like to share? Send them over to tapestry@fbcredlands.org by July 15th.
Local Outreach
HYGIENE PRODUCTS FOR REFRESH & RENEW As we travel this summer, please remember the travel hygiene products for Refresh and Renew. They continue to provide, supplies for the shower ministry. Also Amazon and Walmart gift cards. The Refresh and Renew tub remains in the Narthex, ready to be filled and items are collected on Wednesday’s. Thank you for supporting this ministry.
Local Outreach would like to thank our generous congregation for their gifts, for the Easter boxes. Family Service is so appreciative for our 14 boxes of food, (an all time high) cash and gift cards. Family Service were thrilled and enjoyed the decorations, candy, and miscellaneous items. Local Outreach is so proud and appreciates your support!
LAST THURSDAY NIGHT DINNER
June 13, 5:45 p.m.
Senior social group Tuesday, June 4th, noon. Judson Hall. All seniors are invited to join together for a time of socializing. Bring a sack lunch. First Baptist group at the Redlands Mayor’s Breakfast. May 16.
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Pray for Myanmar
Pray for Openness
Pray for Parents
Pray for Courage Pray for Asia Bibi
9:30 a.m. Nursery/Toddlers 10:15 a.m. Worship Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time 11:45 a.m. Prayer Meeting, Board Room
23 30
9:30 a.m. Nursery/Toddlers 10:15 a.m. Worship Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time 11:45 a.m. Prayer Meeting, Board Room
16
- Pentacost -
8:30 a.m. Nursery/Toddlers 9 a.m. Sunday School Classes 10:15 a.m. Worship Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time 11:45 a.m. Prayer Meeting, Board Room
9
8:30 a.m. Nursery/Toddlers 9 a.m. Sunday School Classes 10:15 a.m. Worship 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time 11:45 a.m. Prayer Meeting, Board Room
2
Sunday
Pray for Missionaries
Pray for Servant Hearts
Pray for Church Staff
8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast Plymouth Village
24 Pray for Obedience
8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast Plymouth Village
17
8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast Plymouth Village
10
8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast Plymouth Village
3
Monday
Pray for God’s Grace
Pray for Thailand
25
Pray for Self-Control
7 p.m. Prayer Meeting, Board Room
18
6:30 p.m. Diaconate, Lounge 7 p.m. Christian Ed, Field Hall Fin. & Prop., Judson Hall Local Outreach, Library Worship, Boardroom
11 Pray for the Displaced
7 p.m. Prayer Meeting, Board Room 12 p.m. Senior Social Group, Judson Hall
4
Tuesday
Pray for Mentors
Wednesday
Pray for Selflessness
26 Pray for Prayfulness
1 p.m. Miriam Circle 6 p.m. Men’s Fellowship
19
12 Pray for Kindness
5
See events online at: http://www.fbcredlands.org/calendar.html
Pray for Embracing Change
Pray for Joy
27 Pray for Safe Travels
20 Pray for Positive Speech toward others
5:45 p.m. Thursday Dinner 6:45 p.m. Game Night
13
5:45 p.m. Thursday Dinner 6:45 p.m. Classes
6
Thursday Pray for the Poor
Pray for Patience
28 Pray for Friendships
21
closer to God
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It
29 Pray for Childlike Faith
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It
22 Pray for growing
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. “Juneteeth,” Isreal Beal Park
Pray for Guidance
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It 9 a.m. Women’s Bible Study: “Conflict with the Accuser,” David’s Corner
8 Pray for Boldness
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It 8 a.m. Hunger Walk, U of R Memorial Chapel
1
Saturday
14 Pray for Self-Awareness 15
Emergency Workers
7 Pray for
Friday
June 2019
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The First Baptist Church of Redlands 51 West Olive Avenue, Redlands CA 92373-5243 909-793-3289 | www. fbcredlands.org
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