The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
Nov 2021
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
Gratitude
A Message from Pastor Shawn
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 2 Timothy 1:3,4 NRSV “Gratitude is… more than just an emotion. It is also a disposition that can be chosen and cultivated, an outlook toward life that manifests itself in actions—it is an ethic.”
Diana Butler Bass, Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks
Issue No. 11
My favorite Thanksgiving dinner table is the one that is not perfectly rectangular because other tables have been added to make it so that more people can be there. I like it when the chairs don’t match, and two people must sit together on a piano bench because everyone wants to be at the table together. I enjoy finally sitting down together to eat all the foods that we have been smelling as they cook. And then there is the time when the eating slows down and we just enjoy each other’s company, the laughter, the stories, as we calculate how long it will take to make room in our stomachs for pie. It is a time of being thankful. As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, we naturally think about being thankful--or gratitude. In her book, Grateful, Diana Butler Bass talks about the centrality of Gratitude in the life of God’s Kingdom. In a world that is focused on possessions, materialism, this gratitude is different. It is a disposition toward life that understands God’s graciousness to us and therefore our living life among people with whom God is also gracious. As a result, we experience the goodness of generosity, which goes handin-hand with gratitude. There is no hierarchy with this generosity—it is not an act of power over someone. For that reason, we can choose and cultivate a way of living life that is steeped in gratitude and exemplified in generosity. Even our Thanksgiving traditions are marked by a combination of gratitude and generosity. Diana Butler Bass says that, while in the “world” power is like a pyramid, in the Kingdom of God it is like a table—a table that is big enough to seat anyone who wants to be there. As we celebrate the traditions of Thanksgiving by sharing around the table with family and friends (as much as is possible in these times) and as we practice the giving that we do so that families in our community are able to have food during this season, let us remember the graciousness that we have experienced from God in our lives. And may this life of gratitude and generosity not be limited to a season, but may we continually cultivate gratitude and generosity as a lifestyle that always works to make room at the table for any who wishes to be there.
Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn
COVER
MISSION 7 Worldwide Prayer Concerns: Rwanda, Mexico, Congo
1 A Message from Pastor Shawn: “Gratitude” 2 Staff and Contents
F E L LOWS H I P
MINISTRY
8 Local Outreach: Thanksgiving Food Basket Guide
3 Pastor Nick : “The Gospel of Generosity”
9 Jonathan Peske: “Kachin 2.0: After Graduation”
4 Richard W. Steffen: “Being Grateful” 5 Prayer to God 6 Children’s Ministry: “Vanquishing Monsters”
NEWS 10 Church News 11 November Calendar
S TA F F Rev. Dr. Shawn Zambrows Senior Pastor
Sarah Refeldt Organist
Rev. Nicholas Quient Associate Pastor
Nathan Jones Youth Director
Rev. Cheryl Sneller Director of Children’s Ministry
Angel Florence Office Administrator
Richard W. Steffen Minister of Music
Isa Terrell Communications Specialist
The Tapestry is published monthly by The First Baptist Church of Redlands, 51 West Olive Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373. All material for the Tapestry should be typed and emailed no later than the 15th of each month to tapestry@fbcredlands.org. If you would like to be added or removed from the Tapestry mailing list, please email tapestry@fbcredlands.org. Current and previous Tapestry issues are available in digital format at issuu.com/fbcr.
Contact us: admin@fbcredlands.org 909-793-3289 www.fbcredlands.org Our office will be semi-open during regular office hours. However, we are still receiving mail and phone messages. Staff can be reached by email (see above). Office Hours Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
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MI NI S T RY
The Gospel of Generosity Pastor Nick Quient
One of my favorite people on the planet is Ms. Louise. Ms. Louise was a member of St. Barnabas Church in Pasadena, CA. Allison and I attended this small church while we were at Fuller, and Ms. Louise was part of the deep backbone of the church. She was quite old when we met her, but her attitude and spirit never moved beyond her youth. She recently passed on to glory, but her memory lingers still in the walls of that small church building.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV) Money is the root of all sorts of complexities. When I was a kid, I wanted to be rich so I could play hockey all day. Growing up lower middle-class had some ups and down as it relates to funding, but something that always stayed with me were the folks who were most generous. Others, it seems, were more interested in being powerful or Lordly over others. Such an upbringing demonstrates who is truly gracious and generous. One might think of the scene from the Gospel of Luke 21:1-4: “Looking up, Jesus saw rich people throwing their gifts into the collection box for the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow throw in two small copper coins worth a penny. He said, “I assure you that this poor widow has put in more than them all. All of them are giving out of their spare change. But she from her hopeless poverty has given everything she had to live on” (CEB). How we live demonstrates where we believe our treasures are.
Ms. Louise taught me the gospel of generosity. She taught me that the gospel of generosity is not necessarily about money. The gospel of generosity is about an attitude, a lifestyle, a way of simply being or existing. I recall Ms. Louise being a bit tired after worship one Sunday morning and I was going through some pretty difficult existential pain (due to stress and whatnot) and she sat with me and let me essentially decompress. We sat together in the hospitality center/room and we just talked. She asked questions and just spent time with me. She didn’t cut me a check for ten million dollars, but she preached the gospel of generosity right there and it took me until this time to remember that lived sermon. Our generosity tells the story of who we truly are. And this gospel of generosity is demonstrated in God’s own self-giving activity, where Jesus “emptied himself by taking the form of a slave” for us. The gospel of generosity is a life that is lived under the shadow of God’s goodness and grace. Like Ms. Louise, sometimes it means sitting with someone and gifting them your time. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, it means emptying yourself of divine privileges for the sake of others so as to bring them to glory. All of our lives are meant for the glory of God, to rightly display what God desires for us. May our generosity overflow in service to others and may we continue to ask the right questions.
Painting: “The Widow’s Mite.’ James Tissot 3
Being Grateful by Richard W. Steffen, Minister of Music
Early this year on Zoom, a group of us considered the topic of gratitude. Our church had recently experienced the Christmas season in a blessed but unusual way. I will always be grateful to so many for the inspirational Christmas cantata that was shared on YouTube as part of a December worship service. And our Christmas Eve service on YouTube was inspirational and unique, and I thank Nathan Jones for joining me as we recorded ourselves playing handbells in our empty Chapel for that service. We played bells to a pre-recorded accompaniment piano track I had made in the sanctuary. Hearing bells at Christmastime is beautiful; recording and sharing that song that way was certainly different. So, the idea of talking about being grateful after our Christmas experiences in the middle of a pandemic was intriguing. We used a book and videos by Diana Butler Bass as we talked. This quote is from her book: “Gratitude, at its deepest and perhaps most transformative level, is not warm feelings about what we have. Instead, gratitude is the deep ability to embrace the gift of who we are, that we are, that in the multibillion-year history of the universe each one of us has been born, can love, grows in awareness, and has a story. Life is the gift. When that mystery fills our hearts, it overwhelms us and a deep river of emotions flows forth – feelings we barely knew we were capable of holding.” From Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, by Diana Butler Bass, 2018. I remember specific times of gratitude. I was attending Taylor University in Indiana, and in 1971 our part of Interstate 69 was just completed; that road greatly improved my 40-mile drive back home. And 50 years later, Marla and I traveled on Interstate 70 this fall, and it opened up to us parts of the Rocky Mountains that we had never seen. I am grateful for the effort of those freeway designers and workers. On that trip, we stood on Pikes Peak (in 5-degree wind chill temperature!) In early November 1806, President Thomas Jefferson sent out a military party led by 27-year-old Lieutenant Zebulon Pike to map the terrain of the western and southern Louisiana Purchase. Pike and his team sighted the distant mountain Tava and tried to climb to the summit. They made it as far as Mt. Rosa, located southeast of now named Pikes Peak in his honor, before giving up the climb in waist-deep snow; they had already gone almost two days without food. (We reached the summit on the new Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, and we were grateful for the technology and the work making that trip possible.)
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I am grateful that professor, poet, and writer Katharine Lee Bates did successfully reach the summit. During a summer trip in 1893 to Colorado Springs, Colorado, she and fellow teachers hired a prairie wagon for the journey. Near the top they had to leave the wagon and complete the climb on mules. She recalled, “When I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse.” Her poem was originally titled “Pikes Peak,” and it has been a blessing to so many these many years as the lyrics of the song “America, the Beautiful.” Her poem was first published in the July 4, 1895 edition of the church periodical, The Congregationalist. (This is my photo of the Centennial Memorial plaque placed in her honor and unveiled on October 5, 1993 at the summit.) And I am deeply grateful for you. You have given me a place to do the activity that blesses me: sharing choral music to the glory of God. You have given my family a church home, where you have nurtured, supported, and inspired our children. You have given your time and your talent to our shared music ministry for these many years. I thank you.
by Pastor Nick Quient
Loving God May we never despise your mercy and generosity You are patient, waiting for us and guiding us like a loving parent May we never forsake your kindness and goodness You are true and trustworthy, empowering us toward holiness and right action May we never take your compassion for granted Your mercies are new, new every morning Fill us Empower us In your mercy, have care on us We pray this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ our Lord May your Spirit be with us always Amen
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Vanquishing Monsters by Pastor Cheryl Early October I noticed many seasonal decorations appearing on people’s lawns and porches. Some were autumn scenes with haystacks, scarecrows, and pumpkins. The drought-colored neighborhoods of shades of brown had turned into multi colors of greens, oranges, reds and yellow. I closed my eyes and squinted (in my mind’s eye) and saw the brilliant Fall colors of New England’s hills set on fire with colors. The celebration of the changes of a season. On the other hand, bloody scary clowns, menacing monsters and skeletons were also emerging in yard decorations around town. One house I didn’t dare stroll past, with my one and half year-old grandson, for fear he would never see a clown as fun loving again. I pondered the observational fact that people were really into “fear” and the impact it produced. The purpose was an adrenaline rush, I wondered. Fear is an emotion we must deal with all our lives, young and old alike. So, I started doing a bit of research on the subject of fear in the area of Christian education for children. Using building metaphors, a keystone must be carefully set in an arch, so it won’t tumble down. Everything will come into balance and hold the structure up. FAITH is the keystone for a child for the Monster “Fear” to be vanquished. I focused on that thought. Faith is passed on by story and conviction. We adult believers are the children’s example of the
realness of faith. Faith cannot always be scientifically proven by our sense of sight (air is a good example). We might need to call on history, documentations of healings and miracles and intuitions of The Spirit. Then there is the concept of “You can’t see God, but you can see God’s works of creation: animals, people, mountains, food and the colors of autumn. Creation is awesome and God is the Creator of all things. Does that include monsters? God’s word speaks plainly about monsters, and we can read about them in the Old Testament. God’s people dealt with giants (remember Goliath?). The people feared sea monsters like Leviathan. And who were the Nephilim anyway? Daniel’s vision included the Four Beasts who came out of the sea. There are lots of ancient and recent theories about that one. Then there are the New Testament monsters of the last book: John’s Revelation. The Four Horsemen were envisioned as fierce and scary! The woman riding a beast was even scarier. Therefore monsters have to be dealt with. And what better way then to tell the story of grace and mercy to us, God’s children. Although we are protected by Jesus’ loving acts of redemption, there is no reason for us to remain ignorant. Let’s get those monsters out of the closet and begin to tell each other that “now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 By Faith: I believe that we are created in the image of God. I believe in God’s love because I have experienced it. I believe in grace and mercy for God’s children. I believe that Jesus is my keystone that through his sacrifice, strength, love and care for me, my life will not come tumbling down. For me the Word of God is for instruction, wisdom, training of righteousness and comfort. I am grateful that it is the Spirit’s job to assist me in understanding. That should start to vanquish fear and monsters.
Blessings, Pastor Cheryl
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missions
Worldwide Prayer 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
RWANDA WorldVision.org Praise God for the work of the reading camps that are part of World Vision’s Unlock Literacy program in Rwanda. Through the camps, the children get extra help learning to read, as well as books to take home. And teachers are trained in pedagogy so that they can be more effective. The kids get excited as they build their confidence in literacy and are able to have greater success in school. This means that they are more likely to remain in school and be able to pursue further education in order to reach their dreams as they grow into adulthood. Pray for children in Rwanda to be able to reach their full potential with the support of loving adults encouraging and educating them.
MEXICO www.internationalministries.org Pray for Jae Stockton as she continues her training in Mexico. She has finished her first level in Spanish Language School and has been growing and learning as she prepares for her work on the mission field. Pray for God to continue to draw her closer to Him as she studies and learns.
CONGO www.internationalministries.org Ann and Bill Clemmer shared about how Sunday School teachers in the city of Goma started a new outreach to the hundreds of children there who live on the streets. They provided a shower and a meal, shared a Bible story, and then sang, danced, and played together. The first Saturday there were 30 kids and the next week there were 50. The teachers especially noticed one eight year old boy who stood out from the group because he was so enthusiastic as he sang and danced. His name was Meshack. Then, about a week later, he was struck and killed by a truck as he ran across a street. With no family, no one claimed his body from the morgue. When the Sunday School teachers found out, they pooled their resources to pay the fee to release the body, purchase a wooden coffin, and rent a truck to drive outside of town to the graveyard. Over a hundred children climbed aboard the truck to be with their friend’s body as it made its final trip. At the graveside, one of the teachers preached a sermon to the crowd of children. They prayed together and sang as they laid Meshack to rest. Praise God for the joy Meshack was able to experience in the last weeks of his life. Pray for the children in Goma to know they are loved by their Heavenly Father and pray for these Sunday School teachers who are welcoming these children in Jesus’ name. - 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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f e l l o wship
Local Outreach Commission/ Family Service Association Thanksgiving Food Basket Guide We are excited to partner with Family Service Association to provide Thanksgiving Meals to local families in need. Food donations will be collected on Wednesday nights in the breezeway and on Sunday mornings in the Narthex the first 2 weeks of November. (11/3, 11/7, 11/10 and 11/14)
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Roasting Pan
Cooking Spray
Storage Bags
Turkey Size Roasting Bags
Baking Soda
Napkins
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Baking Powder
Paper Towels
Boxed Potatoes (i.e. Au Gratin, Scalloped) Flour
Garbage Bags
Turkey Gravy
Sugar
Soups or Soup Mixes
Chicken or Turkey Broth/Stock
Evaporated Milk
Canned Tuna
Stuffing or Dressing
Canned Pumpkin
Canned Chicken
Canned Sweet Potatoes or Yams
Nuts
Dried Beans
Marshmallows
Cake Mixes & Frosting
Rice
Rice
Jello
Pasta
Macaroni & Cheese
Poultry Seasoning
Cereal
Canned Green Beans
Sage
Boxed Macaroni & Cheese
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Dried Rosemary
Peanut Butter
French’s Dried Onions
Bay Leaves
Jelly/Jam
Canned Corn or Peas
Cloves
Holiday Candy
Cranberry Sauce
Ginger
Flowers/Centerpiece
Biscuit Mix
Nutmeg
Holiday Napkins & Paper Plates
Cornbread Mix
Cinnamon
Game or Puzzle
Apple Cider/Juice /Sparkling Cider
Peppercorns
Potatoes / Sweet Potatoes
Salt
Gift Card to local grocery store for perishables
Onions
Pepper
Celery
Seasoned Salt
Apples
Plastic Wrap
Oranges
Aluminum Foil
Oil or Shortening
Waxed Paper
Turkey
Kachin 2.0: After Graduation
By Jonathan Peske, based on discussions with Jose Mendoza, Tom Kirkpatrick, Shawn Zambrows, Ja Seng Brim and Brang Ying We are asking for your help as our church continues to support Brang Ying and Ja Seng Brim after graduation. We are looking for additional donations to move us beyond our initial partnership and hope you can be part of extending this plan. Two years ago, we made a plan for how we as a congregation could support Ja Seng Brim and Brang Ying as they earned a masters degree at the University of Redlands. Through the generosity of the congregation and the work of the Spirit, we were successful! But there was one problem: the military coup that happened in February 2021 made it impossible for either of them to return home. Both Ja Seng and Brang remain here in the United States for an indefinite period of time as they wait for a chance to return. Ja Seng Brim, who graduated in December, is currently living with her sister in Jacksonville, Florida. She has a job at a restaurant and shares a car with her sister. She is hoping that the situation in Myanmar might allow her to return in the spring of 2022, so that she can prepare for the new school year to begin in June. All schools in Myanmar remain closed due to the pandemic. She does not currently have health insurance, so this is something we may need to assist her with finding. She has a community of other Kachin people in Jacksonville, so she feels supported and is doing well there. Brang Ying, who graduated in April, is currently living with Bruce and Fleury Laycook, as he has since his arrival in January 2020. He will be here until at least the spring of 2022, just like Ja Seng. Since there may be a risk of him being conscripted upon his return to Myanmar, it might even be that Ja Seng is able to return before he does. Since Brang Ying doesn’t have any family members here in the US, it is necessary for us to continue to help him during his stay, which has been involuntarily extended. The key areas of concern are employment, housing, transportation, and insurance. Brang would like to find a job, and he is in the process of applying for a work permit, but this
is not a rapid process, especially in this current climate. It is possible that this process will not be completed until sometime in 2022. Until the work permit comes through, it might be helpful if there was a way he could volunteer in a school setting, which would give him valuable insight into our education system. Do you have any specific ideas about how he might be able to volunteer in an educational setting, perhaps at a Christian School? Since the Laycooks have been hosting him for nearly 2 years, it would be helpful if someone else could help with that. Brang would prefer to be in Redlands, if possible, since he has become familiar with this city in his time so far. Would you consider possibly hosting Brang Ying in your house? So far, Brang Ying only had to travel a short distance to the university for classes, so he was able to get by without driving. But if he’s going to be here and have freedom of movement, a car becomes more of a necessity. Having a car would allow Brang to have more flexibility to volunteer, and make it possible for him to hold a job once his work permit comes through. Obviously, it would b helpful to get this transportation lined up before he starts looking for a job. He is currently studying to take the driving test. We would like to find an inexpensive car that he could use. Do you have a vehicle that you might be able to loan Brang for use during his remaining time here? We would also need to pay for car insurance, which we estimate might be about $200/month. In addition to car insurance, it will be important to continue his health insurance coverage once his student policy expires. We estimate that he might be able to find basic insurance through the government exchange for about $300/month. In addition, it will be important for him to have some money for basic personal expenses. During his education, he was receiving a stipend of $300/ month and we would like to reinstate that.
Cont’d from Page 10
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Ne ws Cont’d from Page 9 In order to meet these needs relating to transportation, insurance, and personal expenses over the next six months to a year, we are asking the congregation for help raising about $10,000 more for our Kachin Partnership fund. Can you make a commitment to financially support our Kachin Partnership fund? We asked Brang Ying about what other things he wanted to do while he was still here in the US. He said he wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, Palm Springs Aeriel Tramway, Disneyland, and possibly Magic Mountain. He wanted to see snow and go fishing. He also would like to visit Ja Seng Brim in Florida. Are any of these outings that you might be interested in taking him on? Of course, the most important way you can support this partnership is through prayer. What we all want to see is a return of peace in Myanmar so that the school can reopen and Ja Seng and Brang are able to return and share all the things they have learned.
HAPPY November BIRTHDAYS TO... 2 3 5 5 5 7 10 11 11 11
Mitchell Carpenter Jennifer Winter Patty Craw Debbie Troxel Katherine Yocum Robert Best Toby Morgan Caitlynn Brown Ethan Brown Paul Hansen
13 16 19 19 19 21 21 26 27 30
Olivia Miller Jesica Jones Scott Medlin Keith Niss Eve Tompkins-Fisher Melissa Miller Teri Ferris Ullon Wilt Kishimoto Lindsay Roderick Shawn Zambrows
Submissions for the Tapestry should be sent to tapestry@fbcredlands.org by the 15th of each month.
WEDNESDAY Dinner on the Lawn November 3 – Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas, Rice and Beans; Bread Pudding for dessert.
Will you please pray for Brang Ying, Ja Seng Brim, and the Roberts Mission School?
November 10 – Chicken and Gravy, White Rice, Roasted Vegetables; Carrot Cake for dessert.
Donations to the Kachin Partnership can be made by check with “Kachin Partnership” in the memo line, or through online giving portal at fbcredlands.org If you have other ways you would like to participate in this partnership, please email Jonathan Peske at jonpeske@hotmail.com for more information.
November 17 – Ham, Roasted Sweet Potato and String Beans, Fresh Baked Rolls; Pumpkin Dump Cake for dessert.
Autumn Moods by Carolyn Codd
Hazy light of skies with sun. The air, calm. But then a breeze. Leaves, brightly colored, let go---and fall. With other leavings, some tears. Days grow shorter, colder, darker. Then a thought: “I will never leave you or forsake you”, He said. Wind clears the sky to its vibrant blue. Sunshine breaks out.
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November 24 – No Wednesday Night Dinner
Stewardship Reminder We are so thankful that we all are able to support the ministry of our church, because it is the ministry of all of us! As we are looking to the end of this year, would you prayerfully consider what you would be able to give to so that we might meet the budget needs for 2021. You can give online at www.fbcredlands.org or by mail or in person. Also, this is a good time to begin to consider what you will plan to give for the 2022 year, which will be here before we know it! May we all be blessed as we cheerfully give to God’s work through our church.
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Pray for Self-Reflection
Pray for Gratitude
-First Day of Advent-
10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed
9 a.m. Sunday School Classes
28 Pray for Family
10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed
9 a.m. Sunday School Classes
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-Thanksgiving Food Collection-
11:15 a.m. “Gratitude Challenge” Fellowship and Refreshments - Patio
10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed
9 a.m. Sunday School Classes
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-Thanksgiving Food Collection-
Pray for the Cooks
Pray for Congo
Separated Families
7 p.m. Executive Council online
23 Pray for Restful Time
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Pray for Unity
-No dinner or Gatherings-
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6:45 p.m. Gatherings
5:45 p.m. Dinner in the Chapel
17 Pray for Godliness
-Thanksgiving Food Collection-
6:45 p.m. Gatherings
7 p.m. Commission Meetings
10 Pray for the Less Fortunate
-Thanksgiving Food Collection-
6:45 p.m. Gatherings
5:45 p.m. Dinner in the Chapel
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5:45 p.m. Dinner in the Chapel
Pray for the Clemmers
Pray for Empathy
Pray for Mexico
Pray for Spiritual Growth
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Pray for Jae Stockton
Pray for Gracefulness
Friday
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-Thanksgiving-
Give Thanks
7 p.m. Youth Group online
6:30 p.m. “Corner Booth” Class online (check with leader)
Pray for Sunday Classes
Pray for Rwanda 7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It
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9 a.m. Women’s Bible Study: “Spiritual Gifts”
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It
13 Pray for the Women’s Group
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It
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Saturday
7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It
26 Pray for Ja Seng Brim 27 Pray for Brang Ying
18 Pray for the Oppressed 19 Pray for Selflessness
7 p.m. Youth Group online
6:30 p.m. “Corner Booth” Class online (check with leader)
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7 p.m. Youth Group online
6:30 p.m. “Corner Booth” Class online (check with leader)
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Wednesday Thursday
6:30 p.m. Commission Meetings
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2
Tuesday
29 Pray for the Homeless 30 Pray for
22 Pray for Safe Travels
7 p.m. Manuscript Study on James
15 Pray for Friends
7 p.m. Manuscript Study on James
10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed
9 a.m. Sunday School Classes
Pray for Guidance
8 Pray for Wisdom
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Monday
7 Pray for Selflessness
Sunday
N OV E M b E R 2 0 2 1
All meetings, classes, and studies are online unless otherwise indicated
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
Gratitude Challenge 2021 “A Sense of God’s Wholeness” “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message) The past two years were filled with fret and worry. Will my toilet paper last? What if the store does not have what I need? What will happen if I catch Covid? What if I get others sick? When is it safe to be with others? Did I remember a face mask? The Worship Commission is inviting each of us to take time to refocus these many worries into prayers. We are organizing a Gratitude Challenge to help us displace worry at the center of our lives and replace it with a sense of God’s wholeness. The challenge will kick off on Sunday, November 14 with a fellowship time after church that will include our
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dearly missed sugary treats. (If you are interested in helping bake individually sized treats, please contact Wendy Peske.) Then you will receive opportunities to participate in the Gratitude Challenge each day for two weeks as the church year draws to a close. Some of you may be wondering, “Wait! What about the Agape Dinner?!? I have waited two years for it!” As our commission worked to organize the Agape Dinner for this year, we encountered challenges in creating a special dinner and fellowship time that would be welcoming for all in the church. By hosting the fellowship time after church on Sunday, we are all able to be together in person outside in our wonderful courtyard. The dinner a few days later on November 17 will have a Thanksgiving theme, but without all the trappings of an Agape Dinner. We want to be clear that we do intend to host an Agape Dinner in future years when the specter of Covid is not looming over us. This time of expectant waiting offers a chance to reflect on what it felt like for those who waited for Jesus to come. Until then, we are invited to allow the presence of Christ in our lives to displace the worries swirling around us as we enter into this season of gratitude.