PASTOR’S WEEKLY UPDATE FEBRUARY 18, 2022
.Happy there Friendship Family!
I greet you in the precious name of Jesus! It’s a glorious name!
The book of Philippians contains a great passage about the name of Jesus when it says:
I greet you in the precious name of Jesus! It’s a glorious name!
The book of Philippians contains a great passage about the name of Jesus when it says:
“God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11.
Yes, there is something powerful and glorious about the name of Jesus!
I sincerely pray that your week has been going well, and if it has been a challenging week, I pray that God has reminded you that He is with you in the challenges! AMEN!
Did you get a chance to read last week’s Ex-Hour lesson? If not, you can go back to last week’s update, download the PDF for the lesson, and read the lesson from the sixth chapter of Daniel.
I want to encourage you to join us for Ex-Hour on Sundays. Remember we have Ex-Hour, both in-person and virtual. This week’s lesson comes from chapter seven of Daniel and deals with Daniel’s series of visions concerning the future. The title of the lesson is Future Seen. Here, God gives a glimpse concerning His future Kingdom. I have provided a link to the lesson for your review. The big idea of the lesson is that God is in control of the future. To access this week’s EX Hour lesson, go HERE.
Remember, God is STILL good to us!
Here are a few announcements for you…
TEACHER’S MEETING
Please join us for our first Teacher’s Meeting of 2022 tomorrow, Saturday, February 19th, at 10 a.m. We will meet virtually on Zoom. Discussion topics will include a recap of Christian Education highlights from 2021 and the Christian Education calendar for 2022. As a follow-up to our last meeting, we’d also love for you to share any actions you’ve implemented or experienced that have encouraged FBC members or guests to engage in Christian Education/Bible Study. We look forward to seeing you TOMORROW! Join the meeting HERE.
WOMEN’S PRAYER CONFERENCE
Ladies, it is with excitement and joy that the Friendship Women’s Ministry invites you to join them for the 2022 “Virtual” Prayer Conference! If there ever was a time when we needed to pray, that time is NOW! The conference takes place on Saturday, February 26th at 10:00 a.m., so mark your calendars and save the date to join the community of ladies for a time of Prayer & Praise. The speaker for this event will be the Rev. R. Janae Pitts-Murdock, Senior Pastor of the Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. To register, please go HERE.
CSU SUPER SUNDAY
Next Sunday, February 27th, is CSU Super Sunday. CSU Super Sunday is a partnership with the California State University system to highlight and emphasize the accessibility to higher education to children and adults alike. We will have a guest speaker at our services, current students, staff, and alumni will be available in the quad between services, and there will be a brief hybrid presentation for our youth at 10:am (right after Ex-Hour.). That presentation will use the regular youth ExHour login via Google Meet located HERE. Don’t hesitate to contact Rev. Jaron Singley for more information.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
Don’t forget we have several Bible Studies available for your spiritual growth, including Ex-Hour on Sundays, both in-person and virtual, and classes throughout the week. Please stop by our church website to get more information on classes we offer and classes scheduled to start soon.
CALIFORNIA MASK MANDATE UPDATE:
The State of California has lifted its indoor mask mandate on Wednesday, February 16th. Meaning vaccinated individuals do not need to wear their masks indoors. This mandate is an honor system approach. The state expects citizens to be honest about their vaccination status, and if they are unvaccinated, they should be masked when at indoor public venues.
As previously stated, we at Friendship will not immediately follow this new decision. For now, we will continue mask-wearing until at least the end of February. This allows us to watch the numbers and make better decisions for the future. We do not want to police people and feel we have to verify an individual’s vaccination status. So, for now, masking continues for worship at Friendship. We will update you in a couple of weeks on our next steps and plans for our worship services by Friday, March 4th. Thank you in advance for your support and your understanding.
COUNSELING SERVICES AVAILABLE:
Rev. Felton Patrick Christian has joined our team as the Interim Director of Outreach, Counseling, & Evangelism. He is available for Christian Counseling Services if you need them. To schedule an appointment, you can call the church office and speak with Leigha Carrington.
INTERNET SCAMS:
Please beware of internet CROOKS! These individuals have been sending emails to leaders and members of our church saying they are Pastor Curry or another staff member trying to get you to give them money or gift cards! Please know that I will not do this. I will not ask you ONLY to email me. We will not email you saying we are stranded somewhere. I appreciate that you love and trust me, but you cannot trust these internet CROOKS. When in doubt, please call the church office, or if you have my number call me directly. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY OR GIFT CARDS. THIS IS NOT OUR STYLE!
General Church things to remember:
Well, that’s all I have this week.
Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
I sincerely pray that your week has been going well, and if it has been a challenging week, I pray that God has reminded you that He is with you in the challenges! AMEN!
Did you get a chance to read last week’s Ex-Hour lesson? If not, you can go back to last week’s update, download the PDF for the lesson, and read the lesson from the sixth chapter of Daniel.
I want to encourage you to join us for Ex-Hour on Sundays. Remember we have Ex-Hour, both in-person and virtual. This week’s lesson comes from chapter seven of Daniel and deals with Daniel’s series of visions concerning the future. The title of the lesson is Future Seen. Here, God gives a glimpse concerning His future Kingdom. I have provided a link to the lesson for your review. The big idea of the lesson is that God is in control of the future. To access this week’s EX Hour lesson, go HERE.
Remember, God is STILL good to us!
Here are a few announcements for you…
TEACHER’S MEETING
Please join us for our first Teacher’s Meeting of 2022 tomorrow, Saturday, February 19th, at 10 a.m. We will meet virtually on Zoom. Discussion topics will include a recap of Christian Education highlights from 2021 and the Christian Education calendar for 2022. As a follow-up to our last meeting, we’d also love for you to share any actions you’ve implemented or experienced that have encouraged FBC members or guests to engage in Christian Education/Bible Study. We look forward to seeing you TOMORROW! Join the meeting HERE.
WOMEN’S PRAYER CONFERENCE
Ladies, it is with excitement and joy that the Friendship Women’s Ministry invites you to join them for the 2022 “Virtual” Prayer Conference! If there ever was a time when we needed to pray, that time is NOW! The conference takes place on Saturday, February 26th at 10:00 a.m., so mark your calendars and save the date to join the community of ladies for a time of Prayer & Praise. The speaker for this event will be the Rev. R. Janae Pitts-Murdock, Senior Pastor of the Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. To register, please go HERE.
CSU SUPER SUNDAY
Next Sunday, February 27th, is CSU Super Sunday. CSU Super Sunday is a partnership with the California State University system to highlight and emphasize the accessibility to higher education to children and adults alike. We will have a guest speaker at our services, current students, staff, and alumni will be available in the quad between services, and there will be a brief hybrid presentation for our youth at 10:am (right after Ex-Hour.). That presentation will use the regular youth ExHour login via Google Meet located HERE. Don’t hesitate to contact Rev. Jaron Singley for more information.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION NEWS
Don’t forget we have several Bible Studies available for your spiritual growth, including Ex-Hour on Sundays, both in-person and virtual, and classes throughout the week. Please stop by our church website to get more information on classes we offer and classes scheduled to start soon.
⚫ BIBLE READING SMALL GROUPS
We are excited to announce that we have Bible Reading Small Groups coming! If you desire to read God’s Word in 2022 and/or were among those who recently stood up, expressing a willingness to read the Bible in one of 5 ways this year, we want to help and encourage you! Again, we are offering five small groups. Each group will read a different Bible reading plan: OT, NT, Gospels, Pentateuch, and Psalms/Proverbs 3 times. So, for example, if you want to read the OT, you can join a group where others have selected the same reading plan. The same applies to the other four reading options. Each group will complete its reading plan in 90 days! That’s right! You can complete reading at least one plan before summer!
Groups will meet starting the week of March 6th and will meet twice monthly for no longer than an hour. Please note that the group time is intended for participants to connect time, not teaching what was read. Group time is an opportunity for discussion, for readers to share insights on the reading, and encourage one another on their progress. So let’s read God’s Word together in 2022 Friendship! To join a group, please select the appropriate link below.
Small-Group Meeting Dates & Leaders:
⚫ Monday (1st and 3rd): Pentateuch, 7pm (Karen Ammons): Enroll Here
⚫ Monday (1st and 3rd): New Testament, 7pm (Keah Talley & Le Shon Archer): Enroll Here
⚫ Tuesday (2nd and 4th): Old Testament, 6pm (Bill Jenkins): Enroll Here
⚫ Wednesday (2nd and 4th): Psalms/Proverbs 3x, 7 pm (Shawna Chambers): Enroll Here
⚫ Thursday (Every other): The Gospels, 6pm (James Shelby): Enroll Here
Here are a few church office updates…
CALIFORNIA MASK MANDATE UPDATE:
The State of California has lifted its indoor mask mandate on Wednesday, February 16th. Meaning vaccinated individuals do not need to wear their masks indoors. This mandate is an honor system approach. The state expects citizens to be honest about their vaccination status, and if they are unvaccinated, they should be masked when at indoor public venues.
As previously stated, we at Friendship will not immediately follow this new decision. For now, we will continue mask-wearing until at least the end of February. This allows us to watch the numbers and make better decisions for the future. We do not want to police people and feel we have to verify an individual’s vaccination status. So, for now, masking continues for worship at Friendship. We will update you in a couple of weeks on our next steps and plans for our worship services by Friday, March 4th. Thank you in advance for your support and your understanding.
COUNSELING SERVICES AVAILABLE:
Rev. Felton Patrick Christian has joined our team as the Interim Director of Outreach, Counseling, & Evangelism. He is available for Christian Counseling Services if you need them. To schedule an appointment, you can call the church office and speak with Leigha Carrington.
INTERNET SCAMS:
Please beware of internet CROOKS! These individuals have been sending emails to leaders and members of our church saying they are Pastor Curry or another staff member trying to get you to give them money or gift cards! Please know that I will not do this. I will not ask you ONLY to email me. We will not email you saying we are stranded somewhere. I appreciate that you love and trust me, but you cannot trust these internet CROOKS. When in doubt, please call the church office, or if you have my number call me directly. PLEASE DO NOT SEND MONEY OR GIFT CARDS. THIS IS NOT OUR STYLE!
General Church things to remember:
⚫ 2022 CHURCH THEME:
United & Unashamed: God’s People United in Mission, Ministry, & Mandate
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV; Romans 1:16-17 ESV
⚫ FEBRUARY PRAYER FOCUS:
Praying for Friendship’s Faithful Walk in the Love of Christ
Ephesians 5:2, 2 John 1:6, John 13:34, Colossians 3:14
⚫ BIBLE READING
You have 316 days to complete a Bible reading plan, including today. At Friendship, we encourage every member to read one of six Bible reading plans in the year. These plans include;
✔️ 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)
⚫ SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow us on our social media pages for upcoming content. For Facebook, that’s @FriendshipBaptistChurch. For Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, it’s @WeAreFriendshipChurch.
⚫ 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!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
Posted in COVID-19