The First Baptist Church of Redlands
TA PE S T RY Woven Together In Love: Colossians 2:2
MARCH 2016
ISSUE No. 3
A MESSAGE FROM THE PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE
We Found Our New Pastor! It was a day so glorious that even the weatherman celebrated. On a picture perfect February 7th, nestled somewhere between the elegant tones of the church bell choir’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” (itself the last selection of a stunningly beautiful morning of worshipful church music) and Pastor Shawn Zambrows’ invitation to “Go Fishing,” members of the First Baptist Church of Redlands must have acknowledged the twin pulls of being led and being blessed. It was a day inviting celebration, rejoicing, confirmation and closure to what was nearly a two year search for our next senior pastor. February 7th was the final day of Candidate Week, a series of days dedicated to exploring with the church community, in a host of different forums, the recommendation of the Senior Pastor Search Committee to call the Rev. Dr. Zambrows as our new Senior Pastor. In the Business Meeting immediately following Worship, called to process that recommendation, the congregation overwhelmingly and enthusiastically confirmed that call. And thus it is that the Rev. Dr. Zambrows will serve as the 16th senior pastor in the 130-year
history of The First Baptist Church of Redlands, succeeding Rev. Dr. Joe DeRoulhac’s 25-year ministry. Pastor Shawn will begin her pastorate on the 1st of May. Rev. Dr. Zambrows currently serves as the Pastor/Director of the American Baptist affiliated campus ministry at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, a position she has held since 1999. Prior to her move to Indiana, Dr. Zambrows served as the pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Los Angeles, and served on the campus ministry staff at the University of Southern California, a position she held for some 15 years. In recommending Dr. Zambrows to the church, the Search Committee noted with pleasure her long standing and diverse commitment to the American Baptist denomination, a record of contributions that brought strong recommendations to the Search Committee from respected church leaders across the country. Both she and her husband, Rod, have long shown
a strong commitment to mission work and work with children, youth and young adults, both locally and around the world. Her welcoming manner and inclusive theology seemed to be, for the First Baptist church community, both affirming and challenging. Both the committee and the congregation found themselves powerfully drawn to her warm, thoughtful, empathetic and caring manner. Dr. Zambrows earned her BA degree in Classical Civilizations from the University of California, Santa Barbara, her Master of Divinity Continued on Pg. 7