Issuu

The First Baptist Church of Redlands

T A PE S T R Y

Sept 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

Issue No. 9

Kick Off A New Season A Message from Pastor Shawn

Kick Off! Anyone who knows me reasonably well, knows that I am not a big fan of football. But when you spend all your time on a college campus, as I did for many years, you can’t get around the whole culture and excitement that comes with football season. At Purdue (and at other some other Universities) at kick off, all the Purdue fans hold up their keys and shake them as the team lines up alongside the kicker. As the kicker and the team move toward the ball the noise made by the fans crescendos and then stops suddenly as the kicker kicks the ball. It is hard not to get excited when all of that is going on around you. On Sunday, September 12, we will be celebrating the beginning of a new season at FBCR with what we call Kick Off Sunday. Though it may not be as loud as a football game at Purdue (or anywhere else) I hope that we will be enthusiastic about what will be going on at church in this new season. After not being able to meet in-person for so long, and even now still doing our best to deal with the on-going waves of this pandemic, we can be excited about the ways that we can connect with one another, help each other to grow in our faith, and join together to serve God in, through and beyond our church. Since the last time we had an in-person, Kick Off Sunday, we have done so many new things! We have people who are connecting with our church from all over the world. We have new people who have come to be a part of our church family.

As we start this new season, we will be exploring what we have learned in the focus groups in which we have participated in the month of August. We will discover what dreams we have for our church’s ministry and mission as we move into the future. We will begin to try some new things: experiment, succeed, fail, learn, adapt, and grow. All of this so that we may be effective, relevant and faithful to the call that God has for us as we journey together in God’s Kingdom. In worship we will focus on what it means to follow Jesus in the places God takes each of us in our journey with Christ, but also in our journey together as a church. We are thankful that as we Kick Off a new season of church life, we are confident that God is walking with us. Let us do all we can to listen to God’s voice as we strive to be about the work of God’s Kingdom. Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn

COVER

MISSION

A Message from Pastor Shawn: “Kick Off a New Season”

Staff and Contents

Worldwide Prayer Concerns: Lebanon, Haiti, Nigeria

F E L LOWS H I P 10 Announcements

MINISTRY 3

Pastor Nick : “John’s Artistic Vision”

Richard W. Steffen: “Kickoffs”

Prayer to God

10 Church News

Children’s Ministry: “Purposeful Weaving”

11 September Calendar

NEWS

S TA F F Rev. Dr. Shawn Zambrows Senior Pastor

Angel Florence Office Administrator

Rev. Nicholas Quient Associate Pastor

Isa Terrell Communications Specialist isa@fbcredlands.org

Rev. Cheryl Sneller Director of Children’s Ministry

Richard Colunga Buildings/Grounds

Richard W. Steffen Minister of Music Nathan Jones Youth Director

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.

MI NI S T RY

JOHN’S ARTISTIC VISION Pastor Nick Quient

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:13-14 (NRSV)

One of the most incredible and awe-inspiring images in the Book of Revelation is centered on John’s vision of Jesus. Jesus is at once a slain lamb, a prophet, and the one who exacts justice across the land. Jesus resides at the center of God’s actions and activity on the earth—where God is at work. And John paints this magnificent and cinematic-esque portrait of how God is often at work. Several key scenes focus on the worship of God and how innumerable and near-indescribable creatures sing to God and extol our Lord for his power, creativity, and might. All of creation essentially sings back to God about how good God is, and how God works in our lands. That is not to dismiss all of the intriguing images and complex allusions found in John’s apocalyptic vision, but it does suggest that ancient ideas of artistry were important to John—for he wrote with magisterial colors and vivid ideas. That, I think, might offer a new paradigm as we move into this new time. We have weathered numerous chaotic seas and waters and we have seen many of our mountains shaken—but God is still present with us. God is still good, and God is still at work in our world. And art is an essential part of that kingdom. John could have painted a vision of drab colors and boring concepts with rote dialogue and sappy characters. But he didn’t. Using the tools all around him—Israel’s Scriptures, images from the Roman Empire, iconic landscapes and islands—he painted a picture of God’s actions in the world. At the center of this landscape is a crucified and resurrected lamb, who died for the sins of the whole world and is somehow working to make all things new. John was an artist. John was a painter. John was someone who understood the power of the image and the word, and thus he invites his listeners and readers to live into that reality, where image and word have power to persuade and empower. May we find that we are filled with God’s artistic power as we paint and image a better world, centered on the Kingdom of the God of all creation.

Kickoffs by Richard W. Steffen, Minister of Music

Swimming at the Tokyo Olympic Games was so exciting. We watched Katie Ledecky and Caleb Dressel on their elevated starting platforms and we knew the importance of the kickoff for their competitions. They prepared themselves when they heard the starter’s command: “Take your mark.” After assuming their starting positions, arched over their knees, grasping the front edge of the platforms and waiting for all the swimmers to become still, they heard the electronic tone to start the race as they dove into the pool. Those amazing kickoffs! Mathew Luebbers, the Head Coach for the US Marine Corp Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team in Japan writes about turns during swimming races: the open turn, the tumble turn, the flip turn, backwards flip turn, and the bucket turn. As I watch swimmers change direction, I always have the same thought: those amazing “kickoffs” from those walls! Yes, the value of the kickoff! Summer for our faith community provided inspiration, rejuvenation, and the learning of new ideas (my experiences at the Green Lake Music Conferences have been invaluable); our fall kickoffs gathered us and those new insights together. God has blessed our faith community in very meaningful ways through worship during our nearly 134-year history. We rejoiced as our Children’s Choirs processed on many Palm Sundays carrying palms. We cheered as the God’s Kids Choir sang “Jump for Joy” on past Easter Sundays. And now that we are meeting together in-person, we see them active in our high school and middle school church youth groups or in college. We were inspired by our Austin organ and the Brass Ensemble on Easter Sundays for many years. These memories only mention the wonderful services we had during past Holy Week and Easter Morning worship! Preparation for our Advent and Christmas worship experiences were lovingly led by our Worship Commission. It did take both Jim Creech and Paul Zander to get this retired high school music teacher to meet them at Home Depot at 6:15 am on Black Fridays! Those men wanted the best poinsettias – and at a great price – for our upcoming Advent and Christmas Eve services. On most of those Friday mornings, I’d arrive with my 7-Eleven coffee and hope to find Paul still in line at the entrance there so that I could join him. Then we’d find Jim in an aisle inside with an all-ready filled shopping cart of poinsettias. And FBC did have the best as our children and their helpers laid the poinsettias in our chancel on those Hanging of the Green services as we sang:

“Gentle Mary laid her Child lowly in a manger; hail! the King of Glory!” We have praised our God through song in our digital services using our YouTube platform on 60+ worship services beginning March 22, 2020. We experienced the time of gratitude in November 2020 through our “Agape Dinner and Service” using Zoom. Many of you made videos for our virtual Christmas Cantata: “Heaven’s Child,” truly a new experience for many of us! Our time of introspection during Advent included “Blue Christmas: A Service of Reflection for the Longest Night of the Year” on Zoom. We celebrated the joy of Christmas on Christmas Eve on the Church Patio and again later using our YouTube platform. And we proclaimed the power of God over the grave on 2 Easter mornings during those long months: one digitally and the other in-person. Yes, God has blessed our worship. We have been blessed Sunday after Sunday by Doris Billings and Linda Gentile at our mighty Austin organ and our Boston grand piano, giving our faith community 50 years of combined musical joy. And it will be a joy to join with Sally Rehfeldt, our new Church Organist, at practices and on Sunday mornings. We are worshipping again in our sanctuary and now our faith community in worship is worldwide in real time because of livestream! Our worship can happen at 10 am Pacific Time on Sundays or anytime to worship, listen, sing, and pray using our FBC YouTube channel. And we will soon have another kick off at FBC: together in-person! Currently, the plan in our FBC Ministry of Music is to gather as a Worship Choir on Wednesday, September 8 at 7:00 pm in Field Hall. We rejoice as we kick off again, thankful for God’s presence these last long 18 months. And we join with the Psalmist and say: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (Psalm 46:1, 7 NIV)

by Pastor Nick Quient

Loving God You are worthy of our love and our worship You are generous and kind, merciful and gentle Your goodness invites us to reflect and repent and reconsider ourselves in light of your light Grant to us this day a new sense of vision, a new way of being Fill us with your Spirit Illuminate our minds and hearts Help us to paint a bigger and better world May your unceasing love guide us In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit One God—Forever and ever Amen

C hil dr e n ’s ministry

Purposeful Weaving by Pastor Cheryl Bright cool gradient colors of green, purple and blue strips of fabric. Radiant warm colors of red, yellow, orange and pink strips of cloth. Choose a plastic gridded mat and five colors in the cool or warm spectrum. Now pull out five strips from each color. Grap a strip from the opposite spectrum just to add interest. Remember to alternate the strips. First, one color goes over and under, the next color starts the opposite by going under and over. The strips begin to form a pattern, a colorful pattern, bringing the image together into something we didn’t expect. We are weaving. Weaving starts with a plan of purpose. Will it become a mat, clothing or rug? Next comes the preparation of many individual strips; colors chosen to create a certain pattern and mood. A plan of movement is decided upon whether it is over-under or something else entirely. The process begins and the pattern unfolds. It is evaluated as it is being woven. Something not working right? Pull the strip out, adjust and start again. Our children’s ministry has a plan of purpose. We plan to like strips of colored cloth woven into a strong mat. Our plan is to teach the children how to love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul and strength because God loved them first. Next, they learn about Jesus and the model of his life and the value he placed on them by either learning at home with family, attending Sunday School, Children’s worship and/or midweek Bible study. Jesus has so much love for them and hope for their future that he followed God’s plan to give up his life, allowing them to have access to the holy God. Finally, the strips of colored cloth weave us, the Church family, strongly together so the children may benefit from the diverse and intergenerational opportunity of a loving Church family. Blessings, Pastor Cheryl

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

Lebanon Wall Street Journal August 4 marked the one-year anniversary of the explosion at the port of Beirut that killed over 200 people and injured more than 6,000. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded. In a matter of seconds, millions of lives were forever changed. The explosions, felt 150 miles away, destroyed 200,000 homes, 10,000 businesses, and four hospitals. More than 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored at the port for years because the government had not followed through on safely disposing of it. A fire at a nearby warehouse led to the blast, though the exact chain of events remains unclear. Many citizens are demanding the government be held accountable for allowing the nitrates to sit there for so long, but the investigation and rebuilding efforts are all proceeding very slowly. The currency has been sharply devalued and the residents of Beirut often face blackouts as the power system struggles to keep up. Pray that more responsible leaders would emerge in the government. Pray for all those who are still suffering physical, mental, or economic effects from this blast. Pray especially for Dan and Sarah Chetti and Melanie Baggao, our American Baptist Global Servants who work there in Beirut.

HAITI Evergreen Notes Last month we had prayed for Haiti and for a new vehicle for the eye clinic that Nzunga and Kihomi run. Janet Roberts shared that she had read about how a truck actually was purchased and has been delivered to the clinic in Haiti! Praise God for his provision of the vehicle, for helping get it shipped over to Haiti, and guiding it through customs! Pray that this vehicle would be a blessing and multiply the ministry of the clinic. Pray also for Haiti’s recovery following the most recent political upheaval, the earthquake and the severe storms.

Nigeria www.persecution.com Praise God for the release of Pastor Polycarp Zongo, who was released in June after being kidnapped in October 2020 by the group Islamic State West Africa Province. Praise God for helping him make it through his seven-month ordeal and pray for his continued recuperation.

- Jonathan Peske If you have information to share about the persecuted church or news from the mission field, please share it with Jonathan Peske.

KICK-OFF SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 12 9:30 AM A celebration on the Patio/Lawn area

* Sunday classes will start on Sept. 19 at 9:00 AM

Ne ws

HAPPY SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS TO... 1

Tim Lowe

Kathy Economen

Mark Carpenter

Sabrina Chenevert

Connie Chambers

Jeff Kirkpatrick

Tammy Herron

Patricia David

Vicky Miller

Mary Jane Auerbacher

Abraham Nelson

Carolyn Codd

Don Forden

Christina DeRoulhac

Hillary Aguirre

Michael O’Neal

William Jones

Matthew Winter

Submissions for the Tapestry should be sent to tapestry@fbcredlands.org by the 15th of each month.

In Memory

James Creech 11/14/1941 to 7/30/2021 Paul Zander 1/5/1941 to 8/12/2021

WEDNESDAY DRIVE-IN TAKE-OUT 1. Order in advance online at tinyurl.com/ FBCRTakeOut. **NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MIDNIGHT** - All orders must be made in advance. (If ordering online is not an option, call the church office and leave a message with a phone number to reach you) 2. Make payment online on the donation page of our website or write a check to be given to server upon pickup. $7 adult; $4 child (11 & under) 3. Come to the church parking lot between 5:45 and 6:15 PM, park in a designated space and remain in your car. 4. Place a paper with your name on it on your dashboard. 5. Wait for someone to bring your order to your car. Your meal will be packaged to-go. Please wear a mask for the safety of your server. For those unable to drive-in, delivery is available.

MENU September 15 – BBQ Chicken, Potato Salad, Roasted Veggies; Pineapple Upside Down Cake for dessert. September 22 – Chicken or Cheese Enchiladas, Beans and Rice; Brownies for dessert. September 29 – Oven Fried Chicken, Macaroni & Cheese, Roasted Veggies; Cookies for dessert

Pray for Nonbelievers

14 Pray for the Desperate

15 Pray for Grace for Others

28 Pray for Tech Team

Pray for Haiti

the School Year

22 Pray for

10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed

9:00 a.m. Sunday School Classes

26 Pray for Refugees

7 p.m. Executive Council online

6:45 p.m. Fun and Games for all ages (outdoors)

5:45 p.m. Dinner on the Lawn

29 Pray for Patience

6:45 p.m. Speed-Friending (outdoors)

27 Pray for Children

10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed

Pray for Separated Families

5:45 p.m. Dinner on the Lawn

9:00 a.m. Sunday School Classes

War-Torn Countries

19 Pray for

6:45 p.m. Worship and Praise (outdoors)

Pray for an Uplifting Attitude

Pray for School Staff

7 Pray for Health Workers 8 Pray for the Cooks

1 Pray for those who have lost family

Pray for Bolivia

7 p.m. Youth Group online

7 p.m. Bible Study