The First Baptist Church of Redlands
TA PE S T RY Woven Together In Love: Colossians 2:2 SEPTEMBER 2014
ISSUE No. 9
A LETTER FROM THE INTERIM
I
Pastor Richard’s First Impressions
t is still hard for me to believe that I am finally here in beautiful Redlands, serving as your interim pastor. It was the third week of May that I was in my office at Huntington Baptist Church on Long Island, N.Y., my fourth interim, when I received a telephone call telling me of your interest in finding an interim pastor and asking if I might be interested in coming out here to meet with church leaders about the possibility of becoming that interim. Since I had already told the Huntington congregation that I would be stepping down at the end of July, after some goals I had worked with the church on had been completed, I was available. After prayer and consultation with some of our American Baptist leaders, I accepted your invitation to come out for a visit. The visit during the first part of June was a whirlwind experience. I arrived at Ontario airport, was met by Deena, who gave me a warm welcome and dropped me off at the motel to rest. Early that evening Lloyd Howard picked me up and took me to a dinner meeting with the members of the Pastoral Relations and Personnel Commission. It was a delightful evening and I immediately felt rapport with the members of the commission. Even more important I felt a love for the church and a warm positive spirit.
The next morning I attended a breakfast meeting with other commission members, followed by a tour of Redlands with Ben Dillow and then lunch with the staff. Again, I felt the warmth of this church family. That evening I met with the church council and brought a brief devotional to the group. Then I was dismissed while they discussed whether or not to extend to me the opportunity to become interim pastor. When I was invited back to their meeting, they did extend the opportunity to me. Usually I would want to take some time to think about the call but I had such a good feeling about the church, the spirit of the church family, that I accepted that night. According to an ABC News study a few years ago, first impressions were found to be the most important. The study showed that the opinions we form in the first few minutes of meeting someone play a major role in determining the course of the relationship. Of course since I have just begun, I can't discuss the course of our relationship but I can tell you what made me so excited to come out here and also humbled and honored by your request. It was based on my first impressions. When I arrived I was so impressed by the beauty of Redlands. Arriving at church I was impressed
by the beautiful sanctuary, by the organization and spaciousness of the educational building and how well maintained it is. Then, as Deena gave me a tour and explained the programs of the church, I was thrilled to hear about the many programs within the church and through the outreach of the church. But what impressed me the most was the spirit in the church. I was impressed by how proud the members are, not only of the facilities but of the members of the church and the wonderful leadership of the church staff and officers. A very important part of a good church spirit is the love the people have for one another. Jesus said "All people will know you are my disciples if you love one another." I certainly sensed that among the members. Of course, that does not mean that we will always agree with each other but it does mean that we will continue to care, forgive and be supportive of each other in good times and difficult times because we love each other in Christ. Thank you for giving me the privilege of being your interim pastor and may the first impressions I had, the spirit and the love I have sensed here bind us together as we serve the Lord in this place. Sincerely, Richard Burke