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

PASTOR’S WEEKLY UPDATE FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Greetings & Salutation Friendship Family! 

Again, I greet you in the great name of Jesus! 

Beloved, we live in a world that constantly screams for our attention: children to raise, bills to pay, bosses to please, and issues to address. We long to fly away from all our stress and worries at such times. 

The antidote that cures worry today is the same as in David’s day. David, the man God used to write some of the most beautiful verses in the Bible, experienced many trials and tribulations. Whenever trouble entered his life, David knew what to do.
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalms 34:4.
Take heart, Beloved! No matter how much pressure you are under, God is with you. God does not want us to worry because He knows worry accomplishes nothing. Worry left unchecked can manifest itself physically in various illnesses, making things worse. The next time you start to lose hope, seek the Lord. He can deliver you and provide you with peace that surpasses all understanding.

AMEN! 

Well, beloved, let me give you a few announcements and get you back to your Friday!

WOMEN’S PRAYER CONFERENCE
Ladies, the time has come! Yes, it is time 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 tomorrow, Saturday, February 26th, at 10:00am via Youtube. So join the Women of Friendship for praise, prayer, and proclamation! 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 attend the event, please go HERE. Ladies, you do not want to miss this spiritually uplifting event!

CSU SUPER SUNDAY
This Sunday, February 27th, we will host 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.

FAMILY PRAYER SERVICE
Our next Monthly Family Prayer Service is next Friday, March 4th, at 7:30pm and only lasts one hour. This prayer meeting takes place on our church prayer line. Please join the Prayer Posse and me as we pray for our March Prayer Focus and our 2022 Church theme. Remember, this prayer meeting is an open prayer time, so if you feel led to pray, simply unmute your line and PRAY! See you there! To connect with our prayer service, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#.

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…

JOBS AT FRIENDSHIP
We invite you to visit the church website and see the jobs we post. We will post about eight positions over the next several weeks and months. Currently, we are posting two Executive Pastor positions. We invite qualified candidates to apply. Go HERE to see the job postings.

VOLUNTEERISM
We want to encourage our members to volunteer in the ministry. The church does not run without the help of its members. We need individuals to serve on our media team, audio team, greeters and hospitality, and in our food pantry. Please complete the Change Maker Form HERE if you are willing to serve. When all else fails, send an email to [email protected].

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
Don’t forget to support our Friendship Girl Scout Troop in their cookie drive. Thank you to those who have already shown support!!!

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  309 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 MEDIAMake 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. I look forward to seeing you Sunday!

Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected!

God loves you, and so do I! 


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