The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
Jan 2020
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
Issue No. 1
2 0 / 2 0 V ision A Message from Pastor Shawn
and Brang Ying are already blessing our church with their presence. Our podcast is touching the lives of people all over the world! We have an amazing, talented, committed staff. God has led us to this place. But we still need vision for what God has next!
It has been a long time since I had 20/20 vision without the help of corrective lenses. It used to be that I only needed correction to see far away. Now I need lenses that help me see far and close-up. But with that help, I am pretty close to having 20/20 vision. As we enter the year 2020, the question is, “What is our vision?” This is a question to ask ourselves individually, but also to ask ourselves as a church family. How can we see clearly what God is calling us to be and do as we move into a new decade? We start by closing our eyes. Ok, maybe we don’t always close our eyes when we pray, but prayer is where we start in order to have clear vision. We need regular times of sitting quietly before God, listening to what God is saying to us and lifting up to God our questions, needs and concerns. We also listen to God as
we read and study the Bible. As we get more practice listening to God, we turn our ears to those around us, whether they are fellow church family or our neighbor in the community. We ask questions to clarify that we are hearing clearly and we pray for discernment. We share with others who are also praying and listening to see if we find commonality in what we are discerning. 20/20 vision doesn’t always come quickly. It also doesn’t always come at once. So we need to wait on God. God is already doing great things among and through us. We have a committed group of leaders in our congregation. We are involved in so many ways in the community of Redlands. We are a church that supports World Missions. We have a partnership with a church and school in Myanmar and as a result we will have two teachers here with us while they get their master’s degrees at the University of Redlands. Ja Seng
Join me as we continue to pray for “20/20 Vision.” God has given us amazing resources as a church. But we must use them wisely as we move into a future in which we thrive in following Christ and making a difference in the world around us. We can look at our history as a church and see how we have been a part of how God has impacted and shaped Redlands and beyond. But even with the current wealth of resources we have right now, if we are not faithful in our use of those resources, we, as a church, will only be in the history books. I believe that God has an exciting future for the First Baptist Church of Redlands. During this season of Epiphany, please commit time to intentionally pray for our church, particularly for vision. Let’s listen all around us for the voice of God. Also, commit with me to share our gifts, talents, time and resources, as much as it is possible, to the ministry of this church and beyond!
Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn