SERVICE: SUNDAYS AT 8:00AM & 11:30AM

Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: June 4, 2021

Hey there, Friendship Family!

I pray your Friday is going well. I also pray you have had a fantastic week and are experiencing the grace and favor of our great God! 

Wednesday, I shared a devotional with the 12-noon prayer group that reminded us to “Let go, relax, be still, and know that He is God!” This world can get so overwhelming. As a result, we may wake up some mornings with a mixed outlook on our day: we love God and are grateful for the life we have in Him, and, at the same time, our joy can be clouded by endless responsibilities.

Work duties, house chores, in addition to supporting our children, spouses, friends, and parents, are all blessings, but we need rest. Jesus encouraged taking a spiritual break. Our Lord and His disciples were often busy advancing the kingdom of God. Mark 6:31 says, “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” 

I want to encourage you to read that Scripture again as if Jesus is speaking to you. That’s Mark 6:31b, and it says, “‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” God wants you to get to a quiet place in His presence, even if for only five or ten minutes, whenever you feel overwhelmed. Oh, the peace and love we can experience in the presence of the Lord! It is truly amazing to see the things that seemed to matter fade away and become nothing compared to our God’s calm presence. “Let go, relax, be still, and know that He is God!”

I am praying for you. I am praying for the Friendship Family as a whole! Always! I pray you will join me tonight for prayer at 7:30pm on our prayer line for our monthly prayer meeting! I prioritize prayer because I know that prayer changes things! 

As we slowly come out of this pandemic, we must continue to prioritize prayer. There is no quick fix for a global health crisis, nor for someone who has lost the sense of God’s presence. Instead, we must simply pray faithfully and consistently and watch God work on our behalf. 

Beloved, we must prioritize prayer as the June 15th reopening date draws near here in California. The local news outlets have reported that the tier system here in California is slated for retirement on June 15th.  The news also reports that state officials will lift most coronavirus-related capacity restrictions and physical distancing requirements. New guidelines will most likely allow people who are fully vaccinated to go without masks in most situations. Let’s continue to pray for the process.

California has now at least partially vaccinated 70% of its adult residents against COVID-19. As a result, over the past month here in Southern California, we have continued to see a decline in Covid cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This is excellent news! We must, however, continue to wash our hands, watch our distance, and wear our masks, whether vaccinated or not, and we must continue to advocate for the vaccine. I know there are various views on this, but I am convinced that the vaccine is helping us in this particular situation. 

Here are your announcements for this week….

MONTHLY FAMILY PRAYER SERVICE TONIGHT
TONIGHT is our MONTHLY Church-wide Prayer Hour. We pray TONIGHT, June 4th, from 7:30p to 8:30p on our church prayer line HERE. Join the Prayer Posse and me. This prayer meeting is an open time of prayer, so if you feel led to pray, then simply unmute your line and PRAY! See you there!

SPECIAL SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE EX-HOUR
Tomorrow evening, Saturday, June 5th, at 6:00pm, our Christian Education Ministry invites you to join us on the FBC YouTube channel for a special Saturday Night Ex-Hour Live Event! This is a bonus Ex-Hour session that will review all we have explored and experienced in our study of the Gospel of Luke.  Join us for this interactive discussion as our own FBC teachers and preachers examine the scriptures and encourage thought and discussion on how we apply them to our lives.  A special musical guest will also join us! Don’t miss this special edition of Saturday Night Ex-Hour Live!”

SUNDAY WORSHIP
  • This Sunday is the First Sunday of June, and this is the first Sunday we do not require pre-registration to attend our in-person worship service. We pray that you will join us for worship this Communion Sunday.

  • If you cannot worship with us in person, please remember to gather your communion elements so we can all take Communion together. For more information on how to prepare yourself for Communion virtually, please go HERE

  • IN-PERSON EX-HOUR: 
In-person Ex-Hour meets each Sunday from 10am to 11am each Sunday on campus. We invite you to stay after the first service or come earlier for the second service to attend Ex Hour in person. We are studying Job & Ecclesiastes beginning this Sunday.

  • VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We continue to need willing workers to help us with our regathering efforts and weekly worship experience. If you are willing to volunteer and help us execute weekly worship, WE NEED YOU! To volunteer, please contact Rev. Eric Archer at [email protected], and he will direct you to the right ministry opportunity. If you are unsure what ministry is right for you, fill out the CHANGE MAKER form by clicking HERE. Remember we are Saved to Serve.

  • VACCINATIONS:
Remember we are hosting a Vaccination Clinic here at Friendship this Sunday, June 6th. Unfortunately, due to low numbers, we had to cancel, Thursday, June 3rd. So if you know anyone who needs to be vaccinated, please encourage them to come this Sunday, June 6th. Vaccines will be administered in the Multipurpose Building, and participants will have the freedom to choose which vaccine they would like to receive. We will have all three: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. You do not need to make a reservation. You can simply show up. Please spread the word as we will have approximately 125 doses each day, and we want to be sure we do not waste any doses.

SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY:
The Side by Side Couples Ministry class, “The 5 Love Languages” is scheduled to meet virtually on June 11th at 7pm.  The topic for this class will be “Acts of Service.”  You can join the meeting via the zoom link included in the written portion of today’s message. Should you have any questions, you can contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel by email at [email protected]t or by his cell at (949) 652-1489.

BACCALAUREATE SERVICE ~ CONGRATS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
Each year, Friendship Baptist Church hosts a Baccalaureate Service for our High School Graduates. This big fancy word basically means that we will have a worship service to celebrate your graduation and thanksgiving to God for lives dedicated to learning.  This year, in conjunction with Children and Youth Day, our service will be held on Sunday, June 27th, at 8:00am. It will be here at the Friendship Baptist Church, in the sanctuary.  We invite you and your entire family to attend and be a part of this celebration service.  To properly recognize our graduates with their names and information, we need all our high school graduates to RSVP no later than June 11th. Please include your name, high school, and post-graduation information. RSVP by sending an email to: Rev. Jaron Singley at [email protected].

COVID RECOVERY KITS:
We still have Covid Recovery Kits through Providence Health and the Yorba Linda Rotary Club. These kits help individuals who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and are recovering at home. Each kit includes a pulse oximeter to monitor breathing, a thermometer, a box of masks, and a package of sanitizing wipes in a small canvas bag. If you or someone in your family could benefit from one of these kits, please call the church office and arrange to get one. 

General Church things to remember:

  • Phone Line for Worship: For our members who may have a tough time connecting to our worship service online for whatever reason, we are now offering a way for those members to dial in and listen to service over the phone. To access the service via telephone, members and guests need to dial 1 216-930-8774‬ and enter the PIN: 464 267 559‬#. It is live for both the 8:00am and 11:30 worship services.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

  • EX HOUR: Virtual Ex-Hour meets weekly on Sundays, and we are studying Job & Ecclesiastes. Virtual Ex-Hour takes place every Sunday through the video conference app ZOOM. Join us for class on Sundays at 10a via this link HERE. Also, there is a YOUTH EX HOUR: Our youth Ex Hour takes place during our designated EX Hour time via Google Meet. Parents, please encourage your students to join youth teachers for this biblically fun opportunity to learn God’s Word, connect with others, and grow. To join Youth Ex-Hour, follow the link HERE
 
  • WEDNESDAY Prayer Day: Join us each Wednesday for Prayer. We pray at 6:30a, 12p, and 6:30p. To connect with our prayer services, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#. 
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  • FBC FOOD BANK OPEN: The FBC Food Bank is OPEN with a new drive-thru system where our clients will receive a pre-packaged food box and a bag of groceries.  The Food Bank’s hours of operation are Tuesday - Thursday 2:30p-4:30p.   

  • COVID Membership Assistance Fund: We are STILL accepting applications for the COVID Membership Assistance Grant. If you are experiencing financial distress due to COVID19, we invite you to apply for one of our $500 assistance grants. The guidelines are available HERE, and the application is available HERE.

I look forward to worshipping with you Sunday! 

God loves you, Friendship, and so do I!  

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected!

In His Service,
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lK6ri-mjKfB2sIhmcqg2Hi5NyudCSRNzgARr3Mf2K6eUJbquKsJKTjRH8bwIsoC_hqMxDcBGgvz_iM-bLMT8GRoG7ZyW8HAgJwXEgcNgXaSzgCXTwPnItGvBjZf7eqWKVIIalN7w
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
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