Pastor’s Weekly Update January 7, 2022
Happy New Year, Friendship Family!
I pray this update finds you well! I greet you in the great name of Jesus, and I thank God for you!
Well, God has allowed us to see a New Year, and it is purely by His Grace. Beloved, do not be afraid to face life in this New Year. This New Year has a lot of promises for us. Trust God, and everything will be fine. Again, Happy New Year!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual Watch Night Service and our Celebration Sunday Worship Service. I trust and pray these services blessed you. While I did make changes to the Celebration Service Reception, it was a good Sunday for us, and I am very grateful for your participation both online and in person. God has been good to us here at Friendship.
Friendship, with the surge of the Omicron Variant, I want to encourage you to do everything you can to keep yourself safe. Please wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask. Health officials suggest that we utilize N-95 Masks or that we double masks. A cloth mask alone is not enough against the Omicron Variant. Remember, pray, don’t panic, take precautions, and remain patient.
We will continue to meet in person for Sunday Worship and offer our live stream service. All persons attending in person must wear masks when moving about on the campus. If you do not feel well, please stay home. This request is a necessary precaution. If something changes, I’ll send a push notification and an email notification.
Please note that our Administrative Team is onsite daily, and we continue to provide support to the membership as needed and to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, we are currently having difficulty with our phone system. We hope to have this addressed very soon. For now, please get in touch with church staff via email, and they will call you back.
If you need to come up to the church, please call before you come so we are prepared for your arrival. Many things can be handled electronically, including a request for contribution statements. You can request a CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT HERE. Also, our food pantry remains open, and our staff is available for their support as well.
Friendship here are a few things we want to be sure you know:
Please note most Bible Studies start back next week. We had a few of them start back this week, but we should be in full effect next week.
KINGDOM WIVES BIBLE STUDY
The Kingdom Wives Bible study resumes this Saturday, January 8th, at 9am. The wives will kick off the year by looking at how the lessons of the study Sacred Marriage can shape their goals for ministry in marriage this 2022 year. You don’t want to miss this time of personal reflection, planning, and preparation.
21- DAY CORPORATE FAST
Please note that our time of prayer and fasting for 2022 begins Monday, January 10th, and goes through Monday, January 31st. This fast is a 21 Day Fast of your choosing. As with last year, I am only giving you the dates and access to a daily prayer line. You must decide through prayer and commitment what type of fast you will do. Again, this is a fast of your choosing. You can choose a complete fast, selective fast, or partial fast. You must govern your own fast and grow closer to God. Here is a fasting guide designed by Pastor Miles McPherson and The Rock Church HERE to assist you. Join us each day for prayer at 12p. To connect with our prayer services, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#. We have prayer leaders for each day as follows:
CONVOCATION
Please note that I am still planning Convocation 2022 and will update you next week.
SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY
The Side by Side Couples Ministry will kick off 2022 on Friday, January 14th via Zoom at 7:00pm. This class uses the book entitled The Art of Marriage: Growing Together in Christ. The topic of next Friday’s session is The Guidebook for Growth. You can join the meeting via Zoom HERE. Should you have any questions, you can contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel by email at [email protected] or call (949) 652-1489.
NEW MEMBERS CLASS
On January 16th, we will begin a new eight-week New Members Class session. Suppose you joined Friendship, but have not completed the New Members Class. In that case, we strongly encourage you to complete this eight-week course that will introduce you to Friendship’s foundational beliefs, biblical doctrine, and operations. This course takes place in person on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. To register, CLICK HERE.
NEW BIBLE CLASSES
Friendship family, we have two new Bible classes starting in January and February:
The first class is a Precept study on the book of Mark: The most critical question you will ever answer is this: Who do you believe Jesus Christ is? With all the opinions floating around - He’s a good man, a teacher, a prophet, the Son of God - how can you know who is right? The book of Mark’s account of Jesus’ life gives you the answer. Rather than rehearsing what people said about Jesus, Mark shows you what Jesus did. Facilitated by Dr. Laseanda Wesson, this 10-week Precept course starts on Tuesday, January 25th, at 7:30pm and will be held virtually. If you’re seeking a solid understanding of the book of Mark, we invite you to join this study! Unfortunately, space is limited, and participants need to purchase their own workbook in advance via the Precept site. We look forward to studying the book of Mark together and discovering that Jesus left no doubt about who He claimed to be. To enroll, please go HERE. To order your workbook, please go HERE. Please note for a comprehensive study (approx. 60 minutes of homework), select Precept Upon Precept. If you are pressed for time but still want a solid understanding of the book of Mark, select the In and Out Study (approx. 30 minutes per day).
In February, our War Room Bible Study class begins and will be held virtually on Thursdays at 7pm. We likely remember and have seen the movie War Room, released in 2015. It was a powerful movie on the power of prayer. It focused on a couple wrapped up in their lives and had become complacent in their relationship with the God who created them for their glory. Sometimes, we, too, become wrapped up in our hectic lives and forget our first Love and the subtle enemy who wants to keep us from Him. Participants will be called to evaluate their spiritual life and growth through this Bible study, uncover their true character, trust in the God of grace, declare victory over the true enemy, and find their identity in their Savior. If you desire to strengthen your prayer life this year, we invite you to attend this study and discover that prayer really is a powerful weapon. This class will be facilitated by Deaconess Celeste Wall and Sister Le Shon Archer and will be held weekly starting Thursday, February 3rd. Participants are asked to purchase their own books and may do so via Amazon or Christianbook.com. To enroll in the class, please go HERE.
IGNITION YOUTH CONFERENCE
Attention all youth in the 6th through 12th grades, our Youth Ministry invites you to attend the Ignition Youth Conference on January 21st - 22nd. This is a weekend experience for middle & high schoolers designed to intentionally create an environment where students can exalt Christ, engage scripture through messages and small group discussions, and be equipped with the necessary tools to pursue Christ passionately.
At the Ignition Youth Conference, there will be four Gospel-centered messages that cater to youth, high-energy worship, and a weekend experience that will inspire our students to be the best version of themselves, leaning into who God created them to be. Plus, the conference offers an awesome concert featuring Social Club Misfits, a Christian Hip-hop duo. Space is limited, so sign up soon. The cost of the conference is $40. Parents are welcome to attend. The event begins on Friday evening, January 21, from 6:00 pm until 9:30 pm. We then resume on Saturday at 9:00 am and go until 9:00 pm. Click HERE for more information and to register.
TRANSFORMATION MINISTRIES CONFERENCE 2022
I am excited to announce that I have been asked to speak at the next Transformation Ministries Conference being held on February 10th and 11th at South Shores Church in Dana Point. This is the conference we hosted for Transformation Ministries in 2015 here at Friendship. The 2022 Transformation Ministries Conference is built around the theme: Only GOD. We will revisit the book of Acts and look at how the supernatural work of God turned the world upside down. I will speak from the thought, ONLY GOD IS WORTHY! HERE is the link to Transformation Ministries advertisement for the conference this week, featuring your PASTOR.
All of you are invited to attend the conference! It is FREE for you to do so as long as you register under Friendship! To register, go HERE. Select “I need to add my name to my church’s registration.” Then enter Friendship Baptist Church for the church name and enter our church address which is 17145 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, CA 92886. Then enter your contact information under Attendee Information. Let me know if you have a problem by emailing me HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow us on our social media pages for upcoming content. For Facebook, that’s @Friendship Baptist Church. For Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, it’s @wearefriendshipchurch.
General Church things to remember:
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV; Romans 1:16-17 ESV
Prov. 16:3, Ps 37:5-6, Ps 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7
Well, that’s all I have this week. Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
Happy New Year!!!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
I pray this update finds you well! I greet you in the great name of Jesus, and I thank God for you!
Well, God has allowed us to see a New Year, and it is purely by His Grace. Beloved, do not be afraid to face life in this New Year. This New Year has a lot of promises for us. Trust God, and everything will be fine. Again, Happy New Year!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our virtual Watch Night Service and our Celebration Sunday Worship Service. I trust and pray these services blessed you. While I did make changes to the Celebration Service Reception, it was a good Sunday for us, and I am very grateful for your participation both online and in person. God has been good to us here at Friendship.
Friendship, with the surge of the Omicron Variant, I want to encourage you to do everything you can to keep yourself safe. Please wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask. Health officials suggest that we utilize N-95 Masks or that we double masks. A cloth mask alone is not enough against the Omicron Variant. Remember, pray, don’t panic, take precautions, and remain patient.
We will continue to meet in person for Sunday Worship and offer our live stream service. All persons attending in person must wear masks when moving about on the campus. If you do not feel well, please stay home. This request is a necessary precaution. If something changes, I’ll send a push notification and an email notification.
Please note that our Administrative Team is onsite daily, and we continue to provide support to the membership as needed and to the best of our ability. Unfortunately, we are currently having difficulty with our phone system. We hope to have this addressed very soon. For now, please get in touch with church staff via email, and they will call you back.
If you need to come up to the church, please call before you come so we are prepared for your arrival. Many things can be handled electronically, including a request for contribution statements. You can request a CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT HERE. Also, our food pantry remains open, and our staff is available for their support as well.
Friendship here are a few things we want to be sure you know:
Please note most Bible Studies start back next week. We had a few of them start back this week, but we should be in full effect next week.
KINGDOM WIVES BIBLE STUDY
The Kingdom Wives Bible study resumes this Saturday, January 8th, at 9am. The wives will kick off the year by looking at how the lessons of the study Sacred Marriage can shape their goals for ministry in marriage this 2022 year. You don’t want to miss this time of personal reflection, planning, and preparation.
21- DAY CORPORATE FAST
Please note that our time of prayer and fasting for 2022 begins Monday, January 10th, and goes through Monday, January 31st. This fast is a 21 Day Fast of your choosing. As with last year, I am only giving you the dates and access to a daily prayer line. You must decide through prayer and commitment what type of fast you will do. Again, this is a fast of your choosing. You can choose a complete fast, selective fast, or partial fast. You must govern your own fast and grow closer to God. Here is a fasting guide designed by Pastor Miles McPherson and The Rock Church HERE to assist you. Join us each day for prayer at 12p. To connect with our prayer services, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#. We have prayer leaders for each day as follows:
⚫ Monday: Pastor Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
⚫ Tuesday: Sister Joyce Jackson
⚫ Wednesday: Rev. Jaron Singley
⚫ Thursday: Deacon Charles Owens
⚫ Friday: Lady Karima Curry
⚫ Saturday: Rev. Yvette Glover
⚫ Sunday: Sister Melanie Porter
CONVOCATION
Please note that I am still planning Convocation 2022 and will update you next week.
SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY
The Side by Side Couples Ministry will kick off 2022 on Friday, January 14th via Zoom at 7:00pm. This class uses the book entitled The Art of Marriage: Growing Together in Christ. The topic of next Friday’s session is The Guidebook for Growth. You can join the meeting via Zoom HERE. Should you have any questions, you can contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel by email at [email protected] or call (949) 652-1489.
NEW MEMBERS CLASS
On January 16th, we will begin a new eight-week New Members Class session. Suppose you joined Friendship, but have not completed the New Members Class. In that case, we strongly encourage you to complete this eight-week course that will introduce you to Friendship’s foundational beliefs, biblical doctrine, and operations. This course takes place in person on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. To register, CLICK HERE.
NEW BIBLE CLASSES
Friendship family, we have two new Bible classes starting in January and February:
The first class is a Precept study on the book of Mark: The most critical question you will ever answer is this: Who do you believe Jesus Christ is? With all the opinions floating around - He’s a good man, a teacher, a prophet, the Son of God - how can you know who is right? The book of Mark’s account of Jesus’ life gives you the answer. Rather than rehearsing what people said about Jesus, Mark shows you what Jesus did. Facilitated by Dr. Laseanda Wesson, this 10-week Precept course starts on Tuesday, January 25th, at 7:30pm and will be held virtually. If you’re seeking a solid understanding of the book of Mark, we invite you to join this study! Unfortunately, space is limited, and participants need to purchase their own workbook in advance via the Precept site. We look forward to studying the book of Mark together and discovering that Jesus left no doubt about who He claimed to be. To enroll, please go HERE. To order your workbook, please go HERE. Please note for a comprehensive study (approx. 60 minutes of homework), select Precept Upon Precept. If you are pressed for time but still want a solid understanding of the book of Mark, select the In and Out Study (approx. 30 minutes per day).
In February, our War Room Bible Study class begins and will be held virtually on Thursdays at 7pm. We likely remember and have seen the movie War Room, released in 2015. It was a powerful movie on the power of prayer. It focused on a couple wrapped up in their lives and had become complacent in their relationship with the God who created them for their glory. Sometimes, we, too, become wrapped up in our hectic lives and forget our first Love and the subtle enemy who wants to keep us from Him. Participants will be called to evaluate their spiritual life and growth through this Bible study, uncover their true character, trust in the God of grace, declare victory over the true enemy, and find their identity in their Savior. If you desire to strengthen your prayer life this year, we invite you to attend this study and discover that prayer really is a powerful weapon. This class will be facilitated by Deaconess Celeste Wall and Sister Le Shon Archer and will be held weekly starting Thursday, February 3rd. Participants are asked to purchase their own books and may do so via Amazon or Christianbook.com. To enroll in the class, please go HERE.
IGNITION YOUTH CONFERENCE
Attention all youth in the 6th through 12th grades, our Youth Ministry invites you to attend the Ignition Youth Conference on January 21st - 22nd. This is a weekend experience for middle & high schoolers designed to intentionally create an environment where students can exalt Christ, engage scripture through messages and small group discussions, and be equipped with the necessary tools to pursue Christ passionately.
At the Ignition Youth Conference, there will be four Gospel-centered messages that cater to youth, high-energy worship, and a weekend experience that will inspire our students to be the best version of themselves, leaning into who God created them to be. Plus, the conference offers an awesome concert featuring Social Club Misfits, a Christian Hip-hop duo. Space is limited, so sign up soon. The cost of the conference is $40. Parents are welcome to attend. The event begins on Friday evening, January 21, from 6:00 pm until 9:30 pm. We then resume on Saturday at 9:00 am and go until 9:00 pm. Click HERE for more information and to register.
TRANSFORMATION MINISTRIES CONFERENCE 2022
I am excited to announce that I have been asked to speak at the next Transformation Ministries Conference being held on February 10th and 11th at South Shores Church in Dana Point. This is the conference we hosted for Transformation Ministries in 2015 here at Friendship. The 2022 Transformation Ministries Conference is built around the theme: Only GOD. We will revisit the book of Acts and look at how the supernatural work of God turned the world upside down. I will speak from the thought, ONLY GOD IS WORTHY! HERE is the link to Transformation Ministries advertisement for the conference this week, featuring your PASTOR.
All of you are invited to attend the conference! It is FREE for you to do so as long as you register under Friendship! To register, go HERE. Select “I need to add my name to my church’s registration.” Then enter Friendship Baptist Church for the church name and enter our church address which is 17145 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, CA 92886. Then enter your contact information under Attendee Information. Let me know if you have a problem by emailing me HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow us on our social media pages for upcoming content. For Facebook, that’s @Friendship Baptist Church. For Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, it’s @wearefriendshipchurch.
General Church things to remember:
- 2022 CHURCH THEME:
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV; Romans 1:16-17 ESV
- JANUARY PRAYER FOCUS:
Prov. 16:3, Ps 37:5-6, Ps 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7
- BIBLE READING
✔️ The entire Bible,
✔️ The Pentateuch (or the first five books of the Old Testament),
✔️ The entire Old Testament,
✔️ The Gospels (or the first four books of the New Testament),
✔️ The entire New Testament, and
✔️ Psalms and Proverbs (3 times)
- IN-PERSON EX-HOUR: In-person Ex-Hour meets each Sunday from 10am to 11am each Sunday in the Multipurpose Building. We invite you to stay after the first service or come earlier for the second service to attend Ex Hour in person.
- EX HOUR: Virtual Ex-Hour meets weekly on Sundays via ZOOM. Join us for class at 10am via this link HERE.
- YOUTH EX HOUR: Our youth Ex Hour takes place during our designated EX Hour time via Google Meet and in-person. Yes, it’s a hybrid approach! 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.
- CHILDREN’S MINISTRY VIDEO: Remember there’s a weekly Children’s Ministry Worship Video designed to keep our children connected, encouraged, and worshipping! Rev. Jaron Singley works hard weekly to produce a Children’s worship video. It is available through our website HERE or the Friendship YouTube Channel HERE.
- WEDNESDAY Prayer Day: Join us each Wednesday for Prayer. We pray at 6:30am, 12pm, and 6:30pm. 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 2:30pm-4:30pm.
- 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.
- COVID Membership Assistance Fund: We are STILL accepting COVID Membership Assistance Grant applications. 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.
Well, that’s all I have this week. Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
Happy New Year!!!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
Posted in COVID-19