February 2024 Tapestry

TAPESTRY

What Does Jesus See?

When I was sixteen, I went out for the badminton team at school (yes, really). I was having trouble connecting with the shuttlecock and my coach asked me if I wore glasses. When I said no, she suggested that I get my eyes checked. Sure enough, I was near-sighted. When I finally got glasses, I found myself saying, “I didn’t know you could see that!” I could actually see things that were far away! And my badminton abilities improved greatly!

What does Jesus see? I imagine that if you asked this question in a group of children or youth, they would answer, “Jesus sees EVERYTHING!” (Kind of like Santa in the song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”).

During Epiphany we have been focusing on seeing Jesus and knowing that Jesus sees us. As we move into Lent, later this month, we will be exploring the theme, “What Does Jesus See?” and pondering the significance of it. We will begin where we have left off in Epiphany with the reality that Jesus sees us— who we really are, who we were created to be, our struggles, our passions, our insecurities, our gifts and talents. We will also try to understand how Jesus sees our neighbor. They could be our family, friends, people in our church family. Our neighbor could be someone who lives on our block, or even on the street. What does Jesus see that, for us, is invisible? We know that Jesus sees kids! What does that mean for us? And what difference does it make when we begin to catch a glimpse of how Jesus sees the world?

During this season of Lent, we will explore in creative ways “What does Jesus see?” We will do it through the arts and through walking and praying through our neighborhood. Hopefully, we will begin to notice people, things, situations, that we haven’t noticed before. Maybe like putting on glasses. When we consider what Jesus sees we may find that we are changed.

As we prepare for the season of Lent, let us all begin to pray that we will be transformed by the discoveries we have when we consider “What Does Jesus See?”

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

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

Rev. Karen Mazzeo Interim Pastor of Children’s Ministries karin@fbcredlands.org

Angel Florence Church Administrator angel@fbcredlands.org

Sally Rehfeldt

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Jennifer Winter Communications Specialist jennifer@fbcredlands.org

Rhiannon Fisher Youth Director youth@fbcredlands.org

Jared Sumners Intern for Young Adult Ministry jared@fbcredlands.org

Saul Cruz Senior Maintenance/Custodian

Lent: From Waiting to Reflecting (and a little more waiting)

by Pastor Glenn

Take a moment and reflect back to your senior year of high school. If you were like me, I spent much of that year anticipating what was to come as the days and months slowly approached graduation. Lots of waiting was involved in that last year of school–waiting for the end of classes, tests, and assignments; waiting for celebrations like end of year socials and parties; waiting for the opportunity to finally have a diploma in hand and know that school was finally done.

Graduating was a truly joyful time for myself and my classmates. All of the waiting had paid off, and we celebrated our accomplishments and the end of this phase of our lives. I had spent much of that last year writing about my senior year experiences through a series of prose stories that served as my way of journaling. I spent the next few years after graduation working full time and increasingly involved in ministry at my church (my educational years would come later), and I continued doing my creative writing. I found that my stories were a mix of what was happening to me at the time, but also a good dose of reflecting on the last two years of high school. Those two years were the beginning of huge social, musical, and spiritual development for me, and even though high school was over, those areas of growth continued into those first years of my formal adulthood. My state of waiting during my senior year evolved into a period of deep reflection on what had come and how that would impact what was to come.

As we leave the holiday season behind us, we no longer find ourselves in the period of waiting that characterizes Advent. During Advent, we remember how God’s people anticipated the coming of the Messiah, and we also remember God’s promise that Christ will return to us in the future (our “second Advent”). This month, we prepare to enter the season of Lent–the days and weeks that precede Easter Sunday. During Lent, we have the opportunity to reflect upon God’s great sacrifice for us through the experiences leading up to the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus. There are six Sundays in the season of Lent, and forty additional days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The significance of “forty days” can be found at least a few times in scripture, including the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness before he went into public ministry. During that time, Jesus fasted, prayed, and was tested. One can imagine the amount of reflection Jesus experienced during this time of solitude. It is after this period in his life that he went forth sharing the Good News about God’s love and Grace.

As we enter into Lent as a church family, there will be a chance for us to reflect on how God reveals himself to us, both individually and as a body of believers. But there’s a little waiting that can also happen in this process. Many of us at First Baptist are anticipating how God will be using us in the year to come: how we can better love one another, and how we can better love our community. After the overwhelming nature of the pandemic and the other challenges we face moving forward into 2024, we now wonder what comes next for us. Are we ready as a congregation to take our reflections and waiting and translate them into actions and efforts that truly make a difference in the community and world? May the Holy Spirit move within all of us to step into new possibilities and new opportunities to be used for God’s glory and to be reflections of our gracious and amazing Lord. Soli Deo Gloria.

Lent 2024

What does Jesus see? What does he see happening in our communities, in our hearts, in our relationships with one another? We will have several opportunities for spiritual reflection during the months of February and March as we enter the Lent season, all centered around the theme of “What Does Jesus See?”

COMMUNITY ART EXHIBIT

We are inviting individuals in both our own church family and among the local population to submit artistic presentations that connect with our Lenten theme, “What Does Jesus See?” That question might be answered in different ways to different people, and we ask that people feel free to answer that question in a multitude of ways: through paintings, sketchings, sculpture, photography, or other types of visual media. We will gather submissions and display them in an exhibition in our Chapel that will be on display throughout Holy Week for the church and the community at large, and will be integrated into our worship throughout the week.

Submissions will be collected throughout Lent through Monday, March 18 to be included in our exhibit. Please contact Pastor Glenn if you have any questions.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PROGRAMMING FOR LENT

Our Wednesday night programming during Lent will be centered around our theme of “What Does Jesus See?”. Our season will begin with our Ash Wednesday service on February 14. After that, each week that follows will include two options to participate:

• KALEIDOSCOPE: each Wednesday, we will explore the question on “What Does Jesus See?” through a different artistic or creative lens. These sessions will range from different visual arts expressions and other forms of media.(A specific list of offerings will be announced soon.)

• PRAYER WALKS: each Wednesday, a member of our church family will lead a group for a short walk around our church neighborhood, leading the group in focused reflection and prayer about an aspect related to our theme of “What Does Jesus See?”

2nd ANNUAL SIDEWALK CHALK FESTIVAL

On Palm Sunday weekend (March 22-24), we will once again turn the sidewalks that border our church with colorful chalk-based art works! More details are to come, but we hope you will join us that weekend to fill out our corner of Redlands with joy and vibrancy!

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

Burma/ m yanmar

Various news sources

This February marks the third anniversary of the 2021 coup by military leaders to regain power in Burma, also known as Myanmar. At the time, the nation had been moving towards more and more civilian control of the government, and young adults had hope for a brighter future. When the 2021 coup happened, the military claimed they would only hold on to power for one year, but they have not shown a willingness to release control. However, according to the New York Times, armed resistance forces have gained territory in the past year and now control certain townships and areas. Without outside help, they remain unlikely to topple the junta. The United Nations estimates that about one-third of Myanmar’s people are facing food shortages, which is about 18 million people. According to Burma Human Rights Network, the junta’s forces have destroyed 74 churches since the coup. In October, a lawsuit alleging war crimes was filed against the junta in a Filipino Court, as victims from the majority Christian Chin state asked for justice and claimed the junta had destroyed churches, murdered civilians, mutilated bodies, burned down houses, and used humanitarian aid as a weapon of war. International Christian Concern has named the junta as one of the world’s top persecutors of Christians.

Pray for all those who are suffering during this civil war. Pray for food to reach hungry people, and for a new era of peace and justice to dawn on the people of Burma. Pray for those within the military forces to see how they are oppressing others and repent of their actions. Pray for God to move in a mighty way to lift up the nation of Burma and fill it with hope. Pray especially for our friends in Bamaw and for the Roberts school.

Congo

Various news sources

Pray for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which recently re-elected its incumbent president Felix Tshisekedi. In 2019, he was the first leader to come to power in a peaceful transition since the country’s independence in 1960. His first term had led to some economic growth and expansion of education and health services. In this recent election, he was declared the winner with 73% of the vote over his opponents’ claims that the election was a “sham.” Pray that supporters of the losing candidates would not turn toward violence. Pray for those who are unemployed in Congo to find work, and for an improvement in life expectancy, which is currently around 60. Pray that government leaders would serve the people in a just and caring manner.

Ifyouhaveinformationtoshareaboutthepersecutedchurchor newsfromthemissionfield,pleaseshareitwithJonathanPeske

Dear Church Family,

This will be my last post for Mission Commission for a while. Cheryl and I need to do some important family work and care for her mother. It will be a great journey as we serve and care for her. With wonder, we will see what God will do. Thank you for the privilege of serving with the Mission Commission.

International Ministries lost an amazing Global Servant in December with Madeline Flores who served in the Dominican Republic. I wish you all could have witnessed her care for many whom others would not be involved with. When Cheryl and I went to the leper home where she would go, we witnessed the love and care of Jesus emanating from her as she walked through the place God was calling her at that time to serve.

Following her death, we had to decide where to send the monthly gift we had dedicated for her work. We chose to send it to Moise and Deliris. Though they need much more, we wanted to increase the amount. In the reply from Deliris, she said, “Please keep us in your prayers. Madeline passing is still hurting International Ministries. For more than 50 years they haven’t experience something like this. Next week, I will be in El Salvador, preaching at the Centenary of the Baptist School I was a Mission for ten years. Moise will be in Tijuana. He is very busy. Yesterday we had a meeting with the people of the Civil Association of the Shelter where we are going to build.”

We told them about the Matching Grant and they are excited about it. We will keep you informed of the progress. (Remember we made a commitment to assist with $45,000 as a Gregory fund matching grant to assist in building a center that will support the work with migrants at the border in Tijuana).

The life of Madeline, Moise and Deliris all have reflected lives committed to justice, care and sharing the love of Jesus with those whom many would consider as outcasts. Thank God for our partners at International Ministry who are continuing to engage the world with the amazing love of Jesus. I close with a photo of an infant dedication in a church in the Dominican Republic with Madeline offering the blessing of a young girl’s life.

Submitted by Gregg Sneller Mission Commission

First Baptist Church of Redlands

Dear Friends,

I am writing, on behalf of the Board of Friends of North East Christian University to thank you for your very generous grant of $20,000 from the Arthur Gregory Legacy Fund of the First Baptist Church of Redlands. Your gift is very timely as we seek to complete the funding for the construction of the Center for Advanced Religious Studies Building on the campus of North East Christian University.

This new facility is a multipurpose building which includes classrooms, faculty offices a library and seminar facilities. It will also include guest rooms and residential space for conferences and church groups. The building has four floors, and the approximate cost is $500,000 of which we have now raised $320,000. Two floors are completed, and we hope to have the building completed by the end of 2024.

The Center for Advanced Religious Studies will house the programs leading to the MA in Christian Studies, MA in Religious Studies, Doctor of Ministry and PhD in Theology. It also houses the Capacity Training Center which provides leadership and training programs for members of the business community. These programs meet an educational need of the business community and provide an additional source of revenue undergirding the basic liberal arts program of the university. For the immediate future it will provide much needed space for the residential liberal arts program.

Thank you again, for your generous support of North East Christian University.

Cordially,

Peter H. Armacost

Board Member, Friends of North East Christian University

The FBCR Youth not only participated in several of our advent events in December, but we also had our annual Christmas lock-in on December 15th. We ate, played broomball, did a White Elephant gift exchange, made hot chocolate, played games, and watched a Christmas movie. It’s becoming an exciting tradition everyone looks forward to every holiday season. Keep an eye out for news about activities, service projects, and fundraiser opportunities in the new year!

Rhiannon

Lock-In Fun and CPR Training Class

FBCR Youth are doing great things!

Redlands High School Orchestra playing at Holy Trinity Church

Redlands Marching Bands perform in London’s New Years Day Parade

Lillian Peske, Elise, Jaiden Valero , John Baker, Taylor Herron, and TJ Herron. The Baker Family

Ministry Information Lunch

New to the church? Interested in becoming a member? Please join us for a Ministry Information Lunch in the Boardroom after church on Sunday, February 18. At that time you can learn more about our church and its ministry, as well as find out information regarding membership. If anyone is interested in attending, please talk to Jonathan Peske or email the church office.

Thank you, Jonathan

Ying Sang Ying daughter of Brang Ying born 12/24/2023.

In Memory of

Robert (Bob) Best

November 7, 1932 - December 8,2023

Dorothy Alma Bryson Sease

August 14, 1927 - January 20, 2024

Celebration of Life

Robert (Bob) Best February 17th, 11:30 a.m. Church Sanctuary

would you like to volunteer in the church office during the week? Maybe you can do once a week, or maybe you can only do once a month. w hatever your availability I’d like to hear from you. Contact a ngel at 909-793-3289.

Wednesday Dinner Menu

February 7 – Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, with apple crisp for dessert.

February 14 – Birthday Dinner – BBQ Chicken, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, with cake for dessert.

February 21 – Pepper steak, white rice, salad, fresh baked rolls, with cookies for dessert

February 28 – Ham & scalloped potato casserole, roasted vegetables, corn muffins, with assorted desserts.

The Ladies Lunch and Conversation group has enjoyed our past six months of delicious times together. We will continue in the new year and hope more ladies will be able to join us.

We meet on the first Tuesday of the month from 11:30am to 1:00pm. downstairs in Fellowship Hall. Bring a salad to share with 6-8 people. No reservations required. If you have food allergies or challenges, please feel free to bring your own lunch and come join us at the tables for lunch and wonderful conversation.

Here are the dates for the next six months, so mark your 2024 calendars and come join the fun!

February 6, 2024 march 5, 2024

april 2. 2024 may 7. 2024

June 4, 2024