November 2014 Tapestry by The First Baptist Church of Redlands

The First Baptist Church of Redlands

TA PE S T RY Woven Together In Love: Colossians 2:2 November 2014

ISSUE No. 11

A LETTER FROM THE INTERIM

Facing forks on the road of life A

lthough still smitten by the beauty of Redlands, I have certainly been enjoying the fall pictures taken during the Barwicks trip to Alaska and the Dillows travels in New England. One of the pictures sent by Ben Dillow was of a road framed by the picturesque fall foliage. Ever the literary-minded professor, Ben gave it the caption: “We are in the shadow of Frost country here in Vermont … looking for the fork … but sometimes only one road presents itself in the yellow wood … so we took it. Perfect.” Seeing Ben’s picture and reading his caption directed my thinking to one of my favorite poets, Robert Frost and his inspirational poem, “The Road Not Taken.” One of the attractions of the poem to me is that it reminds me of decision-making encounters I have experienced in life both literally and figuratively. Literally: decisions made at a fork in the road while walking or driving; and figuratively: life changing decisions made at a fork on the road of life, metaphors for the crises and difficult decisions I have faced.

Of course, for all of us, life is filled with those forks in the road whether in the spiritual, emotional, material or physical realm but I am so thankful that we don’t have to make those decisions alone. Our Lord who knows all about us, wants to help us in making those decisions. Two Scriptures come to mind that affirm the Lord’s promise of help: Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5. The first, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths,” and the latter: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” A friend also reminded me of something else in the poem. The traveler not only made a decision but then acted on his decision. “I took the road less traveled by…” So often in life we can get to the difficult place of making a decision but because of fear, procrastination, outside pressures, or a number of other things, we fail to act on our decision. I often think of the story of Apostle Peter who, with some of the other disciples, was out on the sea

in a terrible storm and Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. Peter called out, “Lord, if it’s you, bid me come to you.” Jesus said, ”Come.” Immediately, Peter got out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus. Peter, like the traveler in the poem, made his decision and then acted upon it. He got out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus. The story tells us Peter was doing fine as long as he had his eyes on Jesus. When he took his eyes off Jesus and looked around, he began to sink in the water. As I think of the poem and also the Peter story, I remind myself of the importance of not only making decisions but acting on decisions I make and in doing so, keeping my eyes on the Lord to guide me. If I do, hopefully I won’t be like the traveler in the poem, who says: “I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence.” Faithfully yours, Pastor Richard

FELLOWSHIP

MISSIONS

MINISTRY

COVER

CONTENTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A Letter from the Interim Contents and Staff Box A Few Words from Pastor Deena

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, written plainly, and emailed no later than the 10th of each month to tapestry@ fbcredlands.org. Title the Word document with your name, the article’s name and the month. 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.

5 Questions With Caitlin Carson Pastoral Search Committee Update: Winnowing Through Pastoral Applications

Worldwide Prayer Concerns: Congo, Iran, Ukraine Missions Commission Update: Members Attend Regional Baptist Conference

Giving Our Thanks to God at Agape Dinner Shellie & JoAnn: Cooking from the Heart

S TA FF

Reverend Richard Burke Interim Pastor richardb@fbcredlands.org Deena Barwick, Ph.D. Associate Pastor of Family Ministries deena@fbcredlands.org Jared Sumners Youth Director jared@fbcredlands.org Richard W. Steffen Minister of Music rwsteffen@gmail.com Eric Goddard Music Director eric@fbcredlands.org Linda Gentile Organist Angel Florence Office Manager/Bookkeeper angel@fbcredlands.org

CALENDAR

Amanda Warner Communications Administrator amanda@fbcredlands.org

10 11

Upcoming Service Opportunities The November Calendar

Dennis Chenevert Buildings/Grounds

CON TACT S

Telephone: 909-793-3289 Web: www.fbcredlands.org Email: admin@fbcredlands.org Office Hours Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sunday: 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

A few words from Pastor Deena A Time To Be Thankful

ovember. It is fall and a new season to be thankful. Sometimes I get so hung up on grousing about what isn’t going right, that I miss the little nuances of all that IS right. This is true for my personal life, as well as my work life, and my spiritual journey with Jesus. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we read, “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you, who belong to Christ Jesus, to live.” This seems like a pretty tall order, doesn’t it? And it is getting pretty close to the holiday chaos season, too. Be cheerful no matter what. Pray all the time. Thank God, no matter what happens. For me, these are always hard to follow. Not because I don’t love Jesus and want to; but rather because I am still human and sometimes want to control everything around me! Be cheerful no matter what. This means taking the positive attitude everywhere with you! Smile. Just smile. It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown. So, unless you are on a facial exercise regime and need to be frowning more; just smiling at every situation, every person, every mess in front of you (before you blow off steam) will begin a better approach to a resolution. I sometimes get the opportunity to visit people who can’t attend church right now. I am amazed at their ability to keep smiling and enjoy the conversation regardless

of their pain, their struggle or just their depression with the situation. Every time I leave someone’s home (or hospital, or care facility), I feel like I am walking on feathers – so much lighter are my burdens, my complaints, and well, just my attitude for the rest of the day. Try something for one whole day: smile at every one you meet – even the car who just cut you off in traffic. Smile and say a prayer for them. Be cheerful no matter what. Pray all the time. I struggle with this one. When I am trying to control something, I find I am not praying about it first. Pray all the time, to me, means to pray before making a decision, before trying something new, or just a prayer of thankfulness or praise. Praying for someone in need is the easy prayer, or at least a quick reaction to begin praying. And then there is the prayer that doesn’t seem to ever get answered. In other words, it means the prayer isn’t getting answered the way we want it to be answered. A while back, my daughter kept asking me to pray for a big decision she needed to make. Every time we talked, she would ask if I was still praying. I would tell her: Yes, of course, I am. She told me that her prayer wasn’t being answered and she was frustrated. I told her, “Then change your prayer and listen better.” She thought I was crazy but said she would try. I didn’t ask how her decision was going for a long

time, rather, just let her work it out with Jesus in her own way and His own timing. A week ago, she said she needed to confess something – while it was hard to do, she did change her prayer and the decision worked out better than she had imagined or anticipated. She was thankful for an “unanswered” prayer. Prayer is talking to God. Talking with God needs to be a twoway conversation. Sometimes you just need to be quiet and listen for God’s voice. Pray all the time …. and listen. Thank God no matter what happens. When was the last time you thanked God for a bad day? Or for that pain in your side? Or for the hurt in your heart? I confess, I do not do this often enough. When I have had a bad day, I usually just grouse about it. Aches and pains? I just whine about them too. So, I am going to try to look at bad days or aches and pains or disappointment as a good thing and thank God for the opportunity to look at my day or pain with a new perspective. Not easy to do, I know; however, if I start with a smile and pray for wisdom, I am going to believe that my journey with Jesus that day is going to be a lot better! May I challenge you to try the same for just one day? Jesus is kind. We can be thankful no matter what! -Deena Barwick, Associate Pastor of Family Ministries

Have you recently borrowed a pot, pan or other item from the church kitchen? If so, we would love if you could return it as soon as you are able. Thank you!

M I N I S T RY

5 Questions with Caitlin Carson

Caitlin Carson teaches the Junior Disciples every Thursday night. She comes from a nonprofit agency called South Coast Community Services which provides mental health services to community agencies. Partnering with First Baptist, she focuses on such topics as positive behaviors, social interactions, being a good person and character building. She was raised in Yucaipa and received her master’s in school counseling from the University of Redlands.

1. What interested you in teaching this age group? I love children, and I really appreciate this group. They’re very bright; they’re very eager to learn. I think they bring a lot to the table. I look forward to seeing them. 2. I heard a lot of the kids really like your class, what are some of the things you like to do in it? I have a tradition of playing a few of their favorite games every time. Kids appreciate routine, so we always do something that’s familiar. And I always try to incorporate something that’s new or different. What I’ve been doing lately is three-week units in which we’ll focus on an idea or theme. So for example, we did loyalty and then I brought in different games and activities that focused on that theme. It’s nice for them to be able to worship and have fellowship together, and to have time to let loose and have fun. I try to focus not just on the serious stuff but let the kids be kids, too. 3. What are some of your goals for the class? What do you hope the students will get out of it? Bottom line, I really want them to take away messages from the Bible. I

think being a Biblebased group is very important. Each time we have a theme, there’s usually a Bible verse or Bible story that goes with it. I don’t want it to be just like school. I want them to interact with it, feel what the message is about, pretend that they were there during the time the passage took place. What would it be like? Why would you act that way? So we investigate the passage in a more hands-on way. I want them to get something out of it that’s meaningful but I want them to enjoy the time that they have together. 4. What do you mean by interactive? For example, the past few weeks we’ve been looking at passages from the book of Daniel — Nebuchadnezzar, the statue, his friends who were in the fire, Daniel in the lion’s den. So first we read and illustrated the passage. Then on another night, we made up skits and acted it out. I put them in the driver’s seat. I’m not telling them how to act it out; I’m not telling them what to say. They know what the story is, and they’re able to interpret it and tell it to each other. They really like to be creative. I bring in costumes, props; we had a dress rehearsal last week, and this week, I’m bringing in popcorn and it’s going to be a big production where they get to act it out. I like it because they’re in charge of what they created. Obviously it’s

the story in the Bible but it’s their interpretation. And I think when peers do it for each other, it’s more meaningful than me sitting here telling them about it. That’s what I mean by interactive. I like to put them in charge of what they’re doing. It sounds like you guys have a lot of fun. Oh yeah, we’re crazy. It’s controlled chaos. 5. What’s been the most rewarding part so far? I really like it when the students remember stuff that I didn’t tell them to remember. I’ve had students who memorized passages in the Bible I didn’t assign to them. That’s really cool. And I like when they’re able to make connections with the passage or the topic. They connect it to their life. I really like it when I know that it’s sunk into their world.

PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE

Winnowing through pastoral applications T he September Search Committee report noted that work on the church profile has been completed. This document may now be accessed at http://tiny.cc/FBCRProfile.

Completing The Profile

The completion and publishing of the profile is a vitally important step forward in our search process. It is a process that has occupied the committee almost since March as we have labored to honestly portray who we are and what we are looking for. As the committee completed its varied tasks of deciding, organizing and writing, we then handed our efforts to what we called The Production Crew — largely a euphemism to say we handed our work to Laci Morgan who, though not on the committee, volunteered to format and design the profile. We hope you don’t think it too selfcongratulatory when we say we think she has done a magnificent job which does us all proud. Please take the time to extend your appreciation to her when given a chance.

Broadcasting The Search

With the completion of the profile, the committee now moves to the next critical phase of the search which is at once both a process of broadcasting our search widely, and then simultaneously entertaining and processing applicants’ materials. How do we broadcast our opening? Well, in a variety of ways. We have placed an ad in the Christian Century, which you may spot in their October offering. Our open pastor position was also advertised in the Ministry Opportunities Listing, a service of the ABC/USA. Additionally, mailings were made to a variety of seminaries,

graduate schools of theology, and to important folks in the denomination who are positioned well to share the news of our opening and — with us— the names of potential applicants. Any member of the congregation with knowledge of a potential candidate is encouraged to invite that person to access our profile and, if interested, make

“Please support our efforts with thoughtful prayer, as we too pray for the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our labors.” that interest known to the Search Committee in care of the church office. Members of our church community can also simply forward a potential candidate’s name to Ben Dillow or Mark Estey co-chairs of the Search Committee. The committee has also accessed the American Baptist Personnel Services in Valley Forge. This is a very rich resource for us, because active pastors across our denomination keep their profile on file there. In each pastor’s profile is the normal biographical materials — education, experience, references, a brief essay — but also, importantly, each pastor isolates their top eight pastoral strengths. The computer takes our top eight desired pastoral strength preferences (those things we listed in our job description that we noted were our most important pastoral skills — and which were outlined in our ministerial vision letter included in last month’s Tapestry) and attempts to match our wishes with the strengths of the pastors’ profiles on hand.

We are able to ask for any number of matches we might wish; we asked initially for 40 and at present have thoughtfully examined each of these, setting aside those that in our mind are not a good match for a variety of reasons, and inviting the other candidates to examine our profile and website, and if interested in becoming a candidate, to submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae for our review. This is a work in progress and a task that will consume us for the foreseeable future. The beauty of working with “the computer” is that we can adjust or shift our priorities, our desired strengths, and expand or shift our pool of profiles should our analysis of what we are reading suggest the need to do so.

Furthering The Search

If a candidate continues to be of interest to us, we will request further information — videos of their preaching, letters of reference, responses to carefully crafted questions designed to assess strengths and fit with our church — and most certainly we will engage our most interesting candidates fairly early in the process with direct contact via phone and perhaps even live video with the help of the techies on our committee. We will be slow but sure in our winnowing, relieved of the need to hurry by virtue of the extraordinary skills of our Interim Pastor Richard Burke, and the health, support and patience of our magnificent faith community. We are buoyed by the sure knowledge that we are looking for one senior pastor, not twenty! Please support our efforts with thoughtful prayer, as we too pray for the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our labors.

M I S SION S

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

Congo Glen Chapman recently wrote with many specific prayer concerns with regards to the pastoral training school and a number of changes that are in the works. The pastoral school has always offered Bible college level training, but not a college diploma. The rural churches also struggle to raise enough funds to support their pastors. If the school was able to grant its graduates a college diploma, they could be bi-vocational, since they would be qualified to teach in the local high schools and draw a government salary. This is why Glen is now leading the transition process so that next year the school can be certified as a university level curriculum. The school is also hoping this change can reverse a trend of declining enrollment. In addition, since Pastor Mbu recently retired, Glen is doubling as the interim director, on top of his regular teaching and ministry load. Glen writes that the need in Kikongo is great, since zealous believers often start up independent churches with no training and little Biblical knowledge. Pray for God to provide abundantly for Glen and the school in this important time of transition. Pray also that God would make it possible for Glen to find opportunities to visit the local villages and share God’s word with them, even amid all these academic and administrative challenges.

Iran Pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini, who recently marked the passing of two years of his eight year prison sentence. Pastor Saeed is a naturalized American citizen serving time in Iran for his Christian work in that nation. His wife, Naghmeh, and their two children live in Boise, Idaho. They marked this anniversary with a prayer vigil, calling for his release. Yet despite all he has endured, Pastor Saeed’s faith remains strong. In a letter to his 8-year-old daughter, he told her, “People die and suffer for their Christian faith all over the world and some may wonder ‘why?’ But you should know the answer of why is who. It is for Jesus. He is worth the price.” Pray for Pastor Saeed, and the many others like him around the world who are faithful to Christ in prison.

Ukraine With all the other troubles in the world, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has slipped out of the headlines, but it continues to affect the lives of the people there. One of our members forwarded a message to me from their friend in the Ukraine, who describes daily life there. She writes that the people of Ukraine do not believe it will be over soon, and that men younger than 60 have been mobilized for war. Prices have doubled, while wages have remained constant. This woman gave up her job working in a hotel, because the hotel wasn’t getting any visitors and couldn’t pay her more than the child care for her daughter. Pray for the people of Ukraine to be able to live in peace and safety, without fear of Russian aggression. If you have information to share about the persecuted church or news from the mission field, please share it with Jonathan Peske.

MISSIONS COMMISSION UPDATE

Members attend regional Baptist conference

historic event recently took place during the annual meeting of American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles and American Baptist Churches of the Southwest and Hawaii at The First Baptist Church of Glendale on Oct. 4. As a part of a two-day event called Homecoming 2014, both regional American Baptist organizations that include churches from Arizona, Nevada, Southern California and Hawaii, became one, in response to the desire of expanding its regional resource support network and to strengthen their relationship with ABCUSA. Several members of The First Baptist Church of Redlands, including Lloyd Howard, Herb Dominguez, Ed and Diane Irving, Marilyn Peck, Hugh Huntley, Jan Roberts, José Mendoza and Pastor Richard Burke, had the privilege to attend as delegates. “Baptists Around The World: New Trends As Witness” was the title of the presentation given by the Keynote Speaker, Dr. Neville Callam,

general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance. He shared his experiences while working with churches in different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and other regions of the world. The second day, the theme of his dissertation was “One Spirit, One Baptism, One Body, One Hope.” Surely we were renewed by his personal testimony of faith

“A variety of activities made this two-day event a successful spiritual opportunity to enhance our vision for our missional call.” and the invitation to continue our commitment as Baptists with a passion for missions and evangelism, responding to human need through relief and sustainable community

development and more. Baptist World Alliance is a fellowship of 231 conventions and unions in 121 countries and territories comprising 42 million members in 177,000 churches. Dr. Callam extended the invitation to attend the 21st Baptist World Congress to be celebrated in Durban, South Africa from July 22-26, 2015. Churches were represented by more than 200 delegates from 70 congregations for the historic event to become one as American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles, the Southwest and Hawaii. This new covenant will facilitate the organizational work for increased impact of the mission of the kingdom of God among communities in California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii. A variety of activities made this two-day event a successful spiritual opportunity to enhance our vision for our missional call in both our communities and internationally. It featured worship with special musical guests teams and a choir, workshops led by national leaders and missionaries, and recognitions to several leaders for their hard work among our denomination and regions included the celebration of 40 years of dedicated work by Dr. Samuel Chetti, executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles, Southwest and Hawaii. During his leadership, the organization has grown not only as a ministry but also financially stronger. A special mention to staff members was also included. -José Luis Mendoza, vice chair of the Commission on National and World Missions

Herb Dominguez (middle) and Lloyd Howard (right) at the recent regional Baptist conference.

F E L L O WSHI P

Giving our thanks to God at Agape Dinner

olunteers like Wendy Peske began prepping for the Agape Dinner back in January. From creating the decorations to filling out forms, much labor has already been put into this year’s feast, which is expecting a turnout of around 200 guests. The Agape Dinner is not just about the turkeys, mashed potatoes and stuffing that are shared family style in the Fellowship Hall. It’s also about sharing stories of God’s work. “You see in the Psalms how important it is to express your thankfulness in a congregation. It’s just so neat to hear the wonderful things that God is doing in people’s lives. That’s the real thanksgiving part. The food is great but the sharing is better,” Wendy said. Last year a few dozen people spoke about their recent testimonies, many of them children who felt comfortable enough to grab the microphone and face the crowd. This year, the same experience will be repeated. And there will be one more way for people to express their thankfulness. Guests can write on paper leaves the names of people they are thankful for and then post it on a large tree taped to the wall. The

display will remain for a few weeks, a constant reminder of all the reasons we can praise God. “I think it’s really the church’s feast,” Wendy said. “It’s the one time we come together and eat like a big family. I feel that our church is really good at connecting people and this event just exudes it.” The dinner starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, with all the food served within the first 20 minutes. The cleanup starts around 8 p.m. sometimes lasting until 11. Volunteers are always appreciated. -Amanda Warner

AGAPE TICKETS ON SALE

Buy yours on the church patio before or after the worship service beginning Sunday, October 26. Families: $22 Adults: $10 Children 6-11: $3 Children 5 and younger: $1

“I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.” Psalm 35:18

Holiday Food Collection for Families in Need All donations must be received by Sunday, November 16. We will pray for the food (and all of its future recipients) during the worship service before sending it over to Redlands Family Service Association, where it will bless many in need.

Beginning Oct. 26, please place any of the following in the Narthex:

canned pumpkin canned yams canned cranberries broth canned vegetables box of cake mix frosting roasting pans holiday decorations

$20 gift card to Stater Bros to purchase a turkey dessert 5 pound bag of flour 5 pound bag of sugar box of dry milk or canned milk bottle of cooking oil box of stuffing

gravy mix or canned gravy bag of potatoes margarine onions apples oranges celery Jell-O

Shellie & JoAnn: Cooking from the Heart “I put just as much attention into this meal as I do for my family.” -Shellie

hellie Skinner might not remember your birth date, or even your last name, but she can recollect your favorite meal. Enchiladas, lemon meringue pie, bread pudding — these have been the favorites of some FBCR members, items that Shellie knows to make again and again. She tries to cater to people. So it follows that what she favors cooking most is the bread rolls. She whips it up by scratch, using no measuring cups or recipes, only her procedural memory. “It doesn’t matter when we have it, they always seem to enjoy it. And that’s why I think I like making it. The little ones and the older ones love when the rolls come out.” Shellie and her mom, JoAnn Stringer, have been cooking the church’s Thursday Night Dinner for more than 25 years. Shellie signed up in 1988 and JoAnn joined her a year later. The journey to become the chefs they are today began in their teenage years. Shellie learned by watching her aunt and mom, while

JoAnn says she taught herself over a period of two years. When she started as a newlywed, her husband commented that her food tasted like shoe leather. JoAnn’s come a long way since. But, she says matter-offactly, “Shellie is a better cook than me. I’m not bad, but she’s a little bit better.” In the midst of their busy work lives — Shellie works full-time at a middle school and JoAnn at a convalescent home — it’s become a treasured time for the two to come together and do what they love best. “I get pleasure out of knowing I did a good job and they’ve enjoyed it,” Shellie said. “I put just as much attention into this meal as I do for my family. I don’t do any less for this one; I probably put more into it.” JoAnn would agree, noting what keeps her coming back is the people. Many will give their compliments to the chefs, while others will take the trip down to the kitchen just to say they enjoyed it. Shellie and JoAnn are thankful. But with the task of cooking

for a hundred people comes the inevitable mess. So instead of sitting down to enjoy the fruit of their labor with the rest of the congregation, once the food is pushed into the Fellowship Hall, the two get straight to cleaning. A handful of faithful volunteers make the burden less daunting. Yet, the weekly meal is still a time consumer. The hours that go into it vary. Some meals are less demanding, while others may need to be started two days ahead. Angel Florence and Shellie will collaborate on the menu, while the Creeches help with the grocery shopping, both keeping in mind the seasonal items and current sales. Whatever is on the menu, JoAnn is sure to follow her best cooking advice: Use your imagination. “Just use your imagination,” she says, “and you’d be surprised how good it turns out.” -Amanda Warner

C A L E N DA R

Happy November Birthday To...

Performers at a previous Las Posadas event.

CREATE THE WORSHIP SLIDESHOWS The church is in need of volunteers who are tech savvy and able to use media programs such as Media Shout to create the weekly worship slideshows. Those interested please contact the church office.

LEARN HOW TO BE A MEMBER

Sunday, November 2 11:30 a.m. Are you curious about how to become a member of The First Baptist Church of Redlands? Well, bring your questions to Judson Hall and learn about the various ministries the church offers. Lunch will be provided.

ASSEMBLE TAMALES FOR LAS POSADAS

Friday, November 7 @ 6 to 9 p.m. Help cook tamale ingredients at the Holy Name of Jesus Church, 1205 Columbia Street, Redlands. Saturday, November 8 @ 8 a.m. to noon Help with the tamale-making assembly line at the Holy Name of Jesus Church.

DEDICATE A POINSETTIA

A table will be set up on the patio beginning Sunday, November 16. Sign up to dedicate a poinsettia in memory of or in honor of a loved one. The cost is $7.

ENJOY A PARENTS NIGHT OUT

Friday, November 7 6:30 p.m. at the Barwick’s House Parents of FBCR: Come have a break and a conversation with other adults! Bring a favorite dessert to share, or just enjoy a s’mores bar. Dress according to the weather since we will be outside.

VIEW OUR NEW WEBSITE

The church website has been redesigned in order to make it adaptable to every device — whether phone screen, tablet, or laptop. We will continue to revise the text to make it current to what's going on today at FBCR, and we welcome any feedback you may have. We're excited about the new layout and organization and hope that both visitors and long-time members will find it helpful and inviting.

TURN IN MEDIA RELEASE FORMS

If you haven’t already received a form, pick one up in the church office. Turn it into us as soon as you can. This helps us keep track of who doesn’t want us to use their image in our various publications.

Mitchell Carpenter — 2 Aaron Laycook — 3 Gavin Rafter — 3 Jennifer Winter — 3 Patty Craw — 5 Katherine Kluza — 5 Robert Best — 7 Paul Espinosa — 8 Corwin Rybchinskiy — 10 Caitlynn Brown — 11 Ethan Brown — 11 Holly Mercadante — 13 James Creech — 14 Jared Sumners — 14 Julianne Tveten — 14 Jamie Gatzke — 15 Jesica Jones — 16 Robin Rusk — 16 Michael Arthur — 17 Scott Medlin — 19 Eve Tompkins-Fisher — 19 Ken Gifford — 20 Marcus Hopkins — 20 Gary Watson — 20 Rosa-Lynne Kondor — 21 Melissa Miller — 21 Irene Stephenson — 22 Cynthia O’Neal — 24 Bill Darwin — 25 David Poore — 25 Wilt Kishimoto — 26 Marilyn W. Lapp — 26 Lindsay Roderick — 27 Heather Tariske — 28 Tyler Beltran — 30

You’re invited to a birthday dinner in your honor!

November birthdays eat free on Thursday, November 13 in the Fellowship Hall at 5:45 p.m. The Menu: Make-your-own soft tacos, beans, rice, salad and birthday cake and ice cream.

N OV E M BE R 2 0 1 4 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday

Saturday 1

Pray and give thanks for Family Service 9 a.m. to noon Family Service Day

Pray and give thanks for God’s unfailing Word 9 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Service 11:30 a.m. New Members Meeting 5 p.m. Singspiration

Pray and give thanks for the right to vote 8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast 5 p.m. Griefshare in the Lounge

Pray and give praise for Pastor

Pray and give thanks for those who give blood

Noon to 6:30 p.m. Blood Drive, RCH rooms C&D

Pray and give thanks for Inter-Varsity

and give and give 11 Pray 12 10 Pray thanks for thanks for

Burke 9 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time

Diaconate 8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast 5 p.m. Griefshare in the Lounge

commission members 6:30 p.m. Diaconate Meeting 7 p.m. Commission Meetings

Pray and give praise for music leaders and choirs 9 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time

and give 17 Pray 18 thanks for

23/30

and give 24 Pray 25 thanks for

caregivers 8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast 5 p.m. Griefshare in the Lounge

9 a.m. Sunday School 10:15 a.m. Worship Service 11:30 a.m. Fellowship Time

church volunteers 8 a.m. Men’s Breakfast 5 p.m. Griefshare in the Lounge

7 p.m. Executive Council

Pray and give thanks for Thursday Night Fellowship 5:45 p.m. Dinner line opens 6:30 p.m. Thursday night classes

Pray and give thanks for the Pastoral Search Committee 6-9 p.m. Prep for Las Posadas 6:30 p.m. Parents Night Out

Pray and give thanks for our young people 5:45 p.m. Dinner line opens 6:30 p.m. Thursday night classes

Pray and give thanks for office staff

Pray and give thanks for Pray and give Miriam Circle thanks for the men’s 1 p.m. Miriam fellowship Circle 6 p.m. Men’s Fellowship

Pray and give thanks for Jared and the youth program

Pray and give thanks for the U.S.A. 9 a.m. Tapestry Team

Pray and give thanks for Dennis and the grounds crew 6 p.m. Agape Dinner

Pray and give thanks for Mustard Seed

Thanksgiving: Church Office Closed

Pray and give thanks for Sunday School teachers

and give and give 21 Pray 22 Pray thanks for thanks for our

military and families 5-9 p.m. Put it Together in David’s Corner

and give 28 27 Pray thanks for

families

Pray and give thanks for the Women’s Bible Study 8-noon. Prep for Las Posadas 9-11 a.m. Women’s Bible Study in David’s Corner

Pray and give thanks for medical workers

Pastor Deena & Dale 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Put it Together in David’s Corner Youth Lock-In

29 Pray and give thanks for missionaries

Church Office Closed

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Do you want to continue receiving the Tapestry? Please fill out this form (see other side) and mail it or drop it off in our office at 51 W. Olive Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373, Attn: Amanda Warner, Communications Admin. We’ll only take you off our mailing list if we receive written or verbal consent to do so. And, if we do hear that you’re opting out, we’ll assume that you’re an eco-friendly and computer-savvy person who’d rather view our monthly newsletter online at issuu.com/fbcr.

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