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

Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: June 11, 2021

Greetings My Beloved Friendship Family!

I pray the mercy and grace of God overflows in your life, no matter what your situation may be.

I want to take a moment to share with my Friendship Church family how blessed I am to be called your pastor. Friendship is one of the greatest churches in this state, and it is a privilege to pastor some of the most wonderful people in God’s kingdom! 

I have been reflective all week. As some of you know, on Wednesday, June 9th, I celebrated thirty years of preaching! Thirty years is a long time. I was only 17 years old when I started preaching, and ever since I preached that first sermon, God has been good to me in the preaching ministry. So, as is my custom, I called Pastor Hopkins, the pastor of Truevine Missionary Baptist Church where I grew up, on Wednesday to thank him for allowing me the opportunity to preach and for his many years of support. He licensed me and ordained me, and I am grateful for his mentorship over the years. 

Friendship, I have served twenty of my thirty years in ministry here at Friendship! And I am grateful to be a preacher, to be a pastor, to be your pastor! So thank you for bearing with me! As I have reflected, I found myself in Psalm 9:1, where the psalmist declares, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” In the Psalms, we can find a wide range of emotions. I have told you this before! I am always encouraged, however, through the Psalms because they remind us to give thanks!
“Thank you, God, for our many blessings!”
I feel thankful, blessed, and grateful for so many things, and that includes serving here at Friendship! Thank you, Friendship, for your kindness, support, and prayers. I appreciate all the well wishes this past Wednesday. I also appreciate your diligent efforts to pray for me and call on the Lord on my behalf. I am most thankful for you.
“Thank you, God, for MY many blessings!”
As you all know, because it is said everywhere, including here, June 15th, REOPENING DAY is drawing near in California. This is the day where the coronavirus-related capacity restrictions and physical distancing requirements for ALL California residents and guests at almost all businesses and other institutions, including churches, will be lifted. Further, there will be a shift in the mask mandate. The mask mandate will be the hardest to navigate because we will be basically on an honor system. Please pay attention to the local news for updates in this area and always carry a mask, just in case. Also, for now, please know that when we worship, we will still wear masks. My goal is to keep everyone safe. Please be patient with us as we make our adjustments. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Here are your announcements for this week….

SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY:
The Side by Side Couples Ministry class, “The 5 Love Languages,” is scheduled to meet virtually tonight, June 11th, at 7pm.  The topic for this class will be “Acts of Service.”  You can join the meeting via the Zoom link HERE. Should you have any questions, you can contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel by email at [email protected] or by his cell at (949) 652-1489.
 
BABY DEDICATION SERVICE:
Sunday, June 13th, is our Baby Dedication Service. We are dedicating 12 babies to the Lord and supporting their parents and families. We anticipate over 150 individuals for this service. This service is ONLY for those families with children being dedicated and their invited guests. Thank you in advance for understanding.

SUNDAY WORSHIP (THINGS TO REMEMBER):
  • We no longer require pre-registration to attend our in-person worship service. We pray that you will join us for worship this Sunday.
  • 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. We especially need volunteers to serve in our MEDIA MINISTRY. Remember we are Saved to Serve.

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. That’s TODAY! You still have time! Please include your name, high school, and post-graduation information. RSVP by sending an email to: Rev. Jaron Singley at [email protected].

PASTOR CURRY & LADY KARIMA’s 7th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
I THANK GOD that on Monday, June 14th, Lady Karima and I will celebrate seven years of marriage. Happy Anniversary Karima! I am thankful to God for you!

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#.
     
  • 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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