Issuu

The First Baptist Church of Redlands

T A PE S T R Y

J uly 2022

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.7

Welcome to Pastor Glenn Molina! A Message from Pastor Shawn

We are so excited to introduce you to our new Associate Pastor of Arts in Worship and Community Life! He is Glenn Molina. Pastor Glenn began with us on Sunday, June 19. He brings with him to our church family his spouse, Shanti, and his children, Olivia and Jacob. Pastor Glenn is a Cubs fan, probably because he was born in Chicago. His name is derived from two Cubs players at the time of his birth (ask him about that). As a kid he moved to the Pasadena area, where he grew up and lived until recently. He was a part of the Altadena Baptist Church, where he grew up and eventually joined the staff as Director of Worship Arts. He received his Masters Degree in Worship, Theology and the Arts, from Fuller Seminary. Four years ago the Molina family moved to Highland where Pastor Glenn taught at the Redlands Christian Middle School. Shanti teaches elementary school in the Banning School District.

Not only does Pastor Glenn know how to direct a choir, he has composed and arranged choral music and worship songs. He plays several instruments, including piano, which he can play with scored music, chord charts, and by ear. He has done some film-making, and can lead the congregation in a wide variety of styles of music. Not only are we looking forward to how our new Associate Pastor is going to help enhance our worship experiences, but we are excited about ways that he will help us to reach out and connect with our community through music and the arts. Get ready to get involved in ways that maybe you never thought of! And if you want to hear a good story, or two, ask Pastor Glenn about when he came to our church for the first time. And then ask about the second time. You may be surprised! So let’s all give a wonderful welcome to the Molina family! We are excited to have you as a part of the FBCR family! Grace and peace in Christ, Pastor Shawn

COVER 1

FELLOWSHIP

A Message from Pastor Shawn: “Welcome to Pastor Glenn Molina!”

Ann Smith: “Interview with Wilt Kishimoto”

Summer Book Study 2022

Staff and Contents

MISSION 3

Worldwide Prayer Concerns: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Nigeria

Submitted by Gregg Sneller: “Issac’s Story”

Kay Kallander: “Gregory Gifts Update”

NEWS 10 Church News 11 July Calendar

STAFF Rev. Dr. Shawn Zambrows Senior Pastor shawn@fbcredlands.org

Nathan Jones Youth Director youth@fbcredlands.org

Glenn Molina Associate Pastor of Arts in Worship and Community Life glenn@fbcredlands.org

Angel Florence Office Administrator angel@fbcredlands.org

Abby Kishimoto Interim Director of Children’s Ministries abby@fbcredlands.org

Isa Terrell Communications Specialist isa@fbcredlands.org

Rhonda Bauer Interim Choir Director rhonda@fbcredlands.org

Stephen Stark Senior Maintenance Custodian stephen@fbcredlands.org

Sally Rehfeldt Organist playitbach@verizon.net

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 Office Hours Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

MI NI S T RY

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

Mexico www.internationalministries.org Many of you will remember when Sarah Nash came and spoke at our church before traveling to serve in Bolivia. In recent years, she married Luis Matos and now he has also been commissioned as a Global Servant. Together they discerned that God was leading them to serve in Mexico, rather than Bolivia. Praise God for the work Sarah was able to do at the House of Hope in Cochabamba, Bolivia and the organizational pieces she was able to complete as she worked towards setting up Talitha Cumi Girls’ Clubs. Due to covid-related church closures, she was not able to train mentors and actually launch the clubs during a recent visit to Bolivia, but she has made it possible for someone else to carry that project forward. Pray that God will raise up the next person who can complete that work which will bless the girls involved. Pray for Sarah and Luis as they continue discovering how God plans to use them in Mexico. Praise God for their willingness to serve and for the 95% of needed financial support they already have received.

NIGERIA

Dominican Republic www.internationalministries.org Please pray for the continuing ministry of Ketly and Vital Pierre in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Ketly was undergoing treatment in the US for breast cancer over the past year, and we rejoice that her last mammogram showed no evidence of cancer. Praise God for taking care of her during this time. She also was encouraged to seek ordination, and began that process last fall. If all goes smoothly, she will be ordained this coming September. Ketly and Vital rejoice in the positive news they have heard about the work being done in their absence to implement the Talita Cumi Girls’ Club program in the Dominican Republic. Vital was also able to lead a Haitian pastors’ retreat that was quite fruitful. Later this summer, they will return to La Romana, DR, to continue serving as Global Servants. Pray for God to continue to use these Global Servants to advance the work of the Kingdom.

Wall Street Journal an other news sources We are praying again for Nigeria this month after a horrific attack on a church service on Pentecost Sunday left at least 50 people dead and many more bloodied and wounded. Some of the dead were children. According to published reports, “masked attackers walked into a Pentecost service at the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Ondo state spraying bullets and detonating explosives.” The attacker’s motives and identity are unknown. Ondo State is in the southern region of Nigeria and is usually a more peaceful area, so that makes it even more concerning. Please continue to pray that the government is able to help protect citizens in Nigeria, especially as they come together to worship. Pray against hateful divisions between groups in that nation. Pray for the families who are grieving the loss of loved ones, as well as for survivors who must grapple with the trauma they endured.

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

Issac’s Story

submitted by Gregg Sneller

Greetings, I am writing this from the U.S. while Bill is in Yemen working alongside national colleagues to set up emergency health clinics in six refugee (IDP) camps. He will return to the U.S. in time for the World Mission Conference in Green Lake, WI (first week of July) after which we will spend a month speaking at churches, visiting family, and picking up supplies… with plans to be back in Goma (Dem Rep of Congo) by midAugust. In Goma, preparations are ongoing to increase the ministry to homeless, vulnerable children from only Saturdays to full time. Builders are finishing the construction of a new two-story building for that purpose, and there is a wonderful team of 30 young people being trained for the tasks ahead. One who has offered to contribute is a young man named Isaac Here is his story. Isaac was abandoned by his family at the age of 10 and grew up on the streets of Goma. He lived from meal to meal, slept wherever he could find shelter, and begged, stole, and bartered to stay alive. Life was both dangerous and hard on the streets; in fact, he told me that most of the friends in the picture, whom he used to hang out with are no longer alive. Isaac eventually found his way to HEAL Africa. He heard the word of God, started to attend regularly, believed his life was worth something, was baptized, then found a job and turned his life around. Fast forward several years later is when I met him, now married with two children.

Isaac (picture on the left) in a red shirt around the time he was abandoned and later as a teenager having grown up on the street with some of his friends (in the red shirt)

In February of this year, their house caught fire; there were no firetrucks or water hoses to extinguish the flames and within an hour it burned to the ground. Our church at HEAL Africa took up a collection to help them build a new house out of wood and tin sheets on the empty lot where their previous home had stood. I saw him one day after church and asked him how it was going. “The house is up”, he said, “but there was not enough money left to buy a door”. Here in Goma where there is much insecurity and armed robberies, a strong door is a necessity. His wife was home alone with two small children when Isaac was at work, and fearful. I asked him how much a door cost… when I gave him $30, the price of a door, he jumped up and down in excitement and rushed out of my office, shouting over his shoulder, “I am going to buy it now! My wife will be so happy!!” When he learned of our work with street children, Isaac wanted to pitch in, believing God would want him to touch lives of children on the street, as had happened to him. Here in Goma, a pair of shoes for a homeless child, or a wooden door to give a family security are so much appreciated! Your gifts make that possible. Thank you from so many whose lives you have touched. Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:2-4 Love, Ann and Bill Clemmer

New home with a solid door

Gregory Gifts by Kay Kallander

As we approached Christmas, 2019, First Baptist Church of Redlands was blessed by the Arthur Gregory Jr. estate with a very generous gift. In 2020, the decision was made and approved by the congregation to divide $1,800,000 into four “buckets.” The first was Tithe and Gifting for $180,000. Second was Care of Church Property for $360,000 and the third was Ministry Growth for $360,000. The fourth was for Investment and Endowment for $900,000. In each month of the Tapestry, there will be an update or a story as to how these funds have been and are being used as well as the interesting history of the Gregory family in the Redlands citrus industry. Work began right away and within the Tithe and Gifting bucket the decision was made and approved to share the majority of the gifts locally. There would also be gifts for our region as well as international giving. One of the first major gifts to be given was to Rainbow Acres, a regional organization in Camp Verde, Arizona which is a “Christian Community with heart that empowers persons with developmental disabilities to live to their fullest potential with dignity and purpose.” Many in our congregation have volunteered at Rainbow Acres and appreciate their mission to serve. Rainbow Acres used their gift of $20,000 to add on a much-needed shaded patio for the Rangers to be able to sit outside and be protected from the warm Arizona days.

In addition, each of the seven commissions received $2,000 and the Executive Council received $1,000. They met to discuss how best to use the funds to bless other organizations. 1) “Youth Hope in Redlands was established in 2009 to build confidence and promote self-sufficiency for homeless, runaway, trafficked and at-risk youth, ages 14-24 by providing trust, hope, support, and education in a safe and caring environment so they may grow to be healthy, self-sustaining adults.” The Diaconate gift was used to update their computer lab which is used by their clients. 2) The Pastoral Relations and Personnel Commission’s gift to the ABCOFLASH region’s Palmer Seminary Grant provides scholarship money for pastors receiving continuing education for their ministries. 3) The Worship Commission divided their gifts and gave $800 to Youth Hope, $800 to the Christian Counseling Center and $400 to the A.K. Smiley Library Young Readers’ Room. 4) The Christian Education Commission gave funds to Communidad Organizada De Puenta Blanco, a Puerto Rican ministry, with needed computer software for tutoring and educational support. 5) The National and World Missions Commissions provided support for Melanie Baggao, an American Baptist Global Servant in Lebanon. There had been a massive port explosion a year earlier and there was a need for emergency relief. 6) The Redlands YMCA Distance Learning Program Scholarship Fund was supported by the Local Outreach Commission. 7) Finance and Property’s gift was divided and used for Steps 4 Life, a program to help with recently released parolees as they reenter society as well as Thrive Single Moms Ministry. 8) The Roberts School in Myanmar was able to help support the teachers unable to work during the Covid-19 pandemic by the gift of the Executive Council. You can see the gift we received from the Arthur Gregory Jr. estate is a blessing not only to First Baptist Church of Redlands, but also to the many organizations that were very surprised to receive these gifts allowing them to meet the needs of so many. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

F E L L O W S H IP

Interview with Wilt Kishimoto by Ann Smith

enough of each other to discuss marriage. He says there was no big proposal, simply a quiet agreement between the two of them. He first began to take Christ seriously as a sophomore at the U of R. He was attending InterVarsity which was led by Bill Murray Holmes at that time. He says that he and Bill came together over punk-rock as well as Bible study.

Wilt Kishimoto was named for the star Los Angeles Lakers forward Wilt Chamberlin. He was born in Los Angeles California. His family moved around California while he was growing up. They lived in Los Angeles, Glendale, Fullerton, Garden Grove, and Fontana. They spent the most time in Fontana where he graduated as a Steeler from Fontana High School. But he says he enjoyed the times they lived in Los Angeles and Fullerton more because there were more things to do and he had more friends to hang out with. He attended the University of Redlands where he majored in international relations (that’s a combination of political science, history, and economics). His father worked in the air conditioning field. Some of the family’s moves were to follow his job. His mother was a homemaker. She was active in a Peruvian/Japanese group of people who shared an immigrant background and enjoyed picnics and traditional gatherings. He has a younger sister named Gail Vargas who works as an accountant for a construction company. Wilt met Allison at the University of Redlands. He first knew Allison’s mother who was the director of student services. Later, he and Ally became friends as they played soccer there. They dated for two years. He says their courtship was unexciting. However, they did grow fond

His introduction to First Baptist Church Redlands was though the then Thursday dinner and Bible Study group. Many of his and Ally’s friends were also members. As they didn’t have children at that time, it was a pleasant way to socialize while learning about the Bible. Wilt’s favorite Bible story is the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:2-9). He says that it really resonated with him when he first heard it. And that he could see how different people reacted to the message of Christ in different ways – even though they were hearing basically the same thing. He says he doesn’t have a favorite Bible verse because he doesn’t think about the Bible that way. He sees it as an overall whole. He does like the book of Mark and enjoyed studying it with his Thursday night group. His favorite hymn is Come Thou Fount of Many Blessings (page 45 in our hymnal). He likes the imagery. And he doesn’t worry too much about the Ebenezer (for those of us who’ve forgotten, it’s the “stone of help” erected by Samuel to remind the Hebrews of God’s help in 1st Samuel 7:12). Wilt says he felt very close to God during the time of his mother’s final illness. She had a neurological problem and declined slowly. He says he spent a lot of quiet time at her side and felt God’s comforting presence during those times.

Summer Book Study 2022 What book? The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (published in 2021) When? Six consecutive Wednesdays (June 22-July 27) at 7:00-9:00 PM Where? the FBCR Lounge Who? All interested folks are invited to participate in this book study, where the expectation is for constructive discussion, inquiry, and learning. The sessions will be facilitated by volunteers in the group, but you do not need to facilitate in order to be part of the book study. Coordinators of the study are Martha Hone-Warren, Sunny Hyon, and Sanjeet Mann What is the book about? According to the publisher, The 1619 Project “weav[es] together eighteen [non-fiction] essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 [the year U.S. slavery began] reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.” Our six-week study will focus on various selections from the book. The book is a New York Times bestseller and winner of the NAACP Image Award. In addition, it was named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, Esquire, and Kirkus Reviews. Where can the book be purchased? Various online retailers (e.g., Barnes & Noble, Amazon); and if you want to support a local bookstore, try ordering from the Frugal Frigate in Redlands. The church will subsidize the cost of the book with $18. You will need to turn your receipt in to Angel with a request for “1619 Study.” Questions?: Email gladthoughts@gmail.com

News HAPPY July BIRTHDAYS TO...

FOR YOUR CALENDAR Summer BBQ series, 6:00 Pm

Rhiannon Fisher

Allie Baker

Benjamin Kronberg

Donnie Allen

Marcia Melcher

Elizabeth Updegraff

Saturday, July 30, 2022 I Redlands

Ruby May Price

Solace Huynh

Yholddy Jones

Laura Hunt

Saturday, August 6, 2022 I Redlands

Bob Welles

John Parke

Saturday, August 13, 2022 I Redlands

Sara Graham

Loretta Bueermann

Sunday, August 14, 2022 I Yucaipa

Irene Coggins

Norma Martinez

Niki Farmer

Barbara Stein

Chanda Lowe

Rod Zambrows

Paul Williams

Lloyd Savage

Linda Hollenberg

Robert Carpenter

Teri Jensen

Paul Espinosa

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

Saturday, August 20, 2022 I Redlands Sunday, August 21, 2022 I Yucaipa SUMMER MUSIC CAMP FOR YOUTH ENTERING GRADE 6-12 July 22-24 (Friday - 4-7 P.M., Saturday - 9AM-4PM, Sunday - Presentation during Worship Service) Conducted by Rhonda Bauer. For more information contact Rhonda at rhonda@fbcredlands.org or Abby at abby@fbcredlands.org. GUEST PREACHERS (Sundays July 3 - July 17)

In Memory

Marguerite “Marge” Emrick 12/2/1928 to 6/1/2022

Pastor Shawn will be on vacation and at the World Mission Conference until July 18. Guest preachers will be... -Sunday, July 3, the Rev. Mike Ballinger, Chaplain at Plymouth Village -Sunday, July 10, the Rev. Dr. Ken Fong, Retired Pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church, Los Angeles, now member at FBC Pasadena. -Sunday, July 17, Ms. Jill Lowrey, International Ministries Donor Advisor and former Global Servant in the Congo.

Pray for the AV Team

Pray for the Injured

7/24: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Youth Music Presentation

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

24 Pray for Self-Control 31 Pray for Humbleness

Jill Lowrey, preaching

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

Pray for Leaders

Safe Travels

26 Pray for

7 p.m. Executive Council online

5:30 p.m. Celebration of the life of Marge Emrick

7 p.m. Book Study, Lounge

27 Pray for Nigeria

7 p.m. Book Study, Lounge

Rainbow Acres

20 Pray for

19 Pray for Tolerance

18 Pray for Doctors

Pray for Caregivers

17 Pray for Empathy

13 7 p.m. Book Study, Lounge

Pray for Mexico

Pray for the Molina family

7 p.m. Book Study, Lounge

Wednesday

7 p.m. Commission Meetings

Pray for the Commissions

Tuesday

7 p.m. Local Outreach Commission (zoom)

Pray for Comraderie

- Independence Day -

Monday

10:15 a.m. Worship in-person: Sanctuary and Livestreamed Dr. Ken Fong, preaching

His Perfect Peace

10 Pray for

Chaplain M Mike Ballinger, preaching

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

Sunday the Homeless

1 Pray for

Friday

Pray for Single Parents

Pray for a Cheerful Heart

28 Pray for Patience

29 Pray for those struggling with faith

4-7 p.m. Youth Music Camp

Forgiving Spirit

22 Pray for a

15 Pray for those suffering afflictions

7 Pray for Discernment 8 Pray for Community

Thursday

J u ly 2 0 2 2 Pray for Rest

Pray for Firefighters

the Persecuted

8 p.m. Usher at Redlands Bowl

6 p.m. Summer BBQ, Redlands

7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It

30 Pray for Growth

5:30 p.m. Campfire Sing and Picnic Dinner

9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Youth Music Camp

7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It

23 Pray for

7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It

Domincan Republic

9 Pray for

7 a.m. Walking for the Health of It

Saturday

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

Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID San Bernardino, CA Permit No. 2111

Worship Outside the Box

This summer we will have some opportunities for worship and fellowship that will happen “outside the box.” They will happen outside of the building, on the lawn. They will happen outside of Sunday mornings, Saturday nights. They will happen with more relaxed format than what we normally do on Sunday mornings— “outside the box.” Put these dates on your calendar and invites some friends to join you “outside the box.” Details will be available soon! Saturday, July 23, 5:30 p.m. “Campfire Sing and picnic dinner” Saturday, August 20, 5:30 p.m. “Family Stage Night and Potluck”