PASTOR’S WEEKLY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2, 2022
PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY
SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS WRITTEN HERE ARE NOT IN THE VIDEO
SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS WRITTEN HERE ARE NOT IN THE VIDEO
Happy September Friendship Family,
We have made it to the ninth month of the year! That means that Sabbath Rest is officially over, and it is time to return to church and reengage in ministry!
We have made it to the ninth month of the year! That means that Sabbath Rest is officially over, and it is time to return to church and reengage in ministry!
JOIN US FOR FAMILY PRAYER TONIGHT
Today is the Friday before the first Sunday and first Friday of September, and TONIGHT we have our monthly Friendship Family Prayer Service via Google Meets at 7:30pm. This month’s prayer focus is Praying that Body of Friendship is inspired to do the Work of God. So please join us as we pray concerning this timely challenge to the people of God here at Friendship.
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 +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#.
SENIOR STATESMAN SUNDAY
This Sunday, September 4th, we will celebrate Senior Statesman Sunday. Senior Statesman Sunday is a day where we can appreciate and hear from retired pastors who have paved the way in the African-American Church. The wisdom we can glean from our Senior Statesmen is extremely valuable. It is a privilege and an honor for us to hear their voices. Our speaker for the 8:00am service will be Dr. Willie Simmons. Our 11:30am speaker will be Dr. William Thurmond. I am excited about what the Lord will say to us through these great preachers.
FIRST SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2022: COMMUNION
Remember, Sunday is the First Sunday. So this is communion Sunday. If you are online, please prepare your communion elements in advance. If you need more information on your items, please go HERE.
CHURCH OFFICES CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY
Monday, September 5th, is Labor Day, so our church offices will be closed!
Today is the Friday before the first Sunday and first Friday of September, and TONIGHT we have our monthly Friendship Family Prayer Service via Google Meets at 7:30pm. This month’s prayer focus is Praying that Body of Friendship is inspired to do the Work of God. So please join us as we pray concerning this timely challenge to the people of God here at Friendship.
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 +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#.
SENIOR STATESMAN SUNDAY
This Sunday, September 4th, we will celebrate Senior Statesman Sunday. Senior Statesman Sunday is a day where we can appreciate and hear from retired pastors who have paved the way in the African-American Church. The wisdom we can glean from our Senior Statesmen is extremely valuable. It is a privilege and an honor for us to hear their voices. Our speaker for the 8:00am service will be Dr. Willie Simmons. Our 11:30am speaker will be Dr. William Thurmond. I am excited about what the Lord will say to us through these great preachers.
FIRST SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2022: COMMUNION
Remember, Sunday is the First Sunday. So this is communion Sunday. If you are online, please prepare your communion elements in advance. If you need more information on your items, please go HERE.
CHURCH OFFICES CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY
Monday, September 5th, is Labor Day, so our church offices will be closed!
Several weeks ago, I challenged us to think through and pray through your planned ministry involvement for the fall. I asked you to consider how you will be discipled, how you will evangelize, and how you will serve. Also, our goal is to grow our church by 5% with individuals who are not saved and have no church experience by next September 2023. That is roughly 100 people and nine people per month over the next year. We can do this for the Kingdom of God! Yes, we can!
Opportunities for DISCIPLESHIP abound for you…
Opportunities for DISCIPLESHIP abound for you…
EX-HOUR
This Sunday, we start a new Ex-Hour Study where we Explore the books of Amos, Jonah, Hosea, and Micah! Join us at 10:00 am each Sunday as we Explore the Bible, Examine the Scriptures, and Experience Transformation.
This Sunday, we will shift to offer you more opportunities to learn in smaller groups. We are DOWNSIZING FOR DISCIPLESHIP. Ex-Hour now offers four adult classes. They are as follows:
We are hoping to add a third teaching team in January! All active in-person Ex-Hour Adult Attendees should have also received an email with this information. Again, please pray and see which class GOD would have you attend regularly.
Additionally, we continue to offer Youth Ex-Hour in a hybrid format where students can attend online and in person. They will NOW meet in the Multi-purpose Building.
We invite you to visit https://www.wearefriendship.church/events for links to the online classes.
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDIES
Bible Classes are Back! Having enjoyed a time of Sabbath Rest, Bible classes will resume starting this week! Classes include the following:
Later this month, on Wednesday, September 21st at 7:30 p.m., our Women’s Bible Study will start a new study titled: “Learning Contentment in a Culture of More,” a study on the book of Numbers. Ladies, additional details on this study will be provided soon.
We plan to add additional offerings this fall to encourage Bible reading, leadership, and small group ministry. So stay tuned; there’s more to come!
SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY
The next Side by Side Couples Ministry class is scheduled for Friday, September 9th. This Bible study for couples utilizes the book You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by best-selling author Francis Chan and his wife, Lisa Chan. The topic for the upcoming session is Don’t Waste your Marriage. New couples are ALWAYS welcomed!
Unless otherwise noted, these monthly sessions take place via Zoom on the second Friday of each month. Sessions begin at 7:00p. Should you have any questions, please contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel at (949) 652-1489 or his wife, Sheila McDaniel, via email at [email protected]. To join the session, go HERE. They look forward to you joining the class.
TEACHER’S MEETING
To all Bible teachers, our 3rd Quarter Teacher’s Meeting takes place on Saturday, September 17th at 10am. We will meet in person. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us; this is our last scheduled meeting for 2022. Our Christian Education department will email you an invitation and reminder within the next few days. We look forward to seeing you and our time together.
NATIONAL BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY:
We will celebrate National Back to Church Sunday, September 18th. National Back to Church Sunday Started as a call to action and invitation – action for the church, invitation for the world. A single-day event focused on extending the invitation of love, peace, and hope to our friends and neighbors. A single day to reclaim the true purpose of the Church – exactly as Christ commanded.
Now, more than ever, people need Jesus and a caring community or church where they can belong, grow and flourish. So, this September, we would love for you to be a part of introducing your community to Jesus, so they can experience His hope and reconnect with others during National Back to Church Sunday! It’s time to love again, serve again, and HOPE again.
Our theme for this day is “Get in the Game!” As the start of the football season gets underway, we call each of us to action. The attire for the day is your favorite football team jersey. We especially need each member to play their position and run the plays as a member of the Friendship SQUAD! Make the pass - distribute fliers, share our special social media posts and bring others to church. We are preparing the fliers and will share more about this in the upcoming weeks, but get ready to “Get in the Game!”
We know many of you have Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. Help your church get the word out! We will make “Get in the Game” posts. Will you make the pass? Share, share, share! You may also access the virtual card on our church website at http://www.wearefriendship.church/game along with verbiage that you could include with your post.
MENTOR UP:
Friendship Family, our outreach Ministry, partners with a program called Mentor Up. Mentor Up is a Christian ministry that meets weekly at various locations in Southern California, mentoring boys ages 8 to 18 through the GROUP MENTORING PROCESS! Everything happens in a group setting.
A Mentor Up Group meets here at Friendship and will return on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 8:00 PM beginning September 20, 2022. Are you a single parent with an 8 to 18-year-old son in the home? If you are, then we invite you to check out Mentor UP.
We aim to assist single parents with weekly relief by providing a viable outlet for the boys and you for a couple of hours each week. Mentor Up provides meals, games, sports activities, Bible study, or life skill topics/lessons. In addition, we have opportunities for outings to the beach, bowling, movies, miniature golf, etc. Finally, Mentor Up seeks to help single parents who need assistance with transportation by providing a carpool.
To register your son, please get in touch with Chuck Divine at (949) 201-9495 or Houston Williams, a Friendship member, at (714) 318-0014.
STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE:
Tony Evans says, “There are three types of givers: the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb.”
He says to get anything out of the flint, and you have to hammer it. Then you mostly get chips and sparks. To get water out of the sponge, you have to squeeze it. The more you squeeze, the more you get. But the honeycomb is different. It simply overflows with sweetness.
When a person truly understands what God has done for them, you don’t have to pressure them to give, and you don’t need to take ten collections. They understand that He is a great God who is the source of all their security. So, when it comes time to give, they are ready to jump to their feet and applaud because they are thankful that they have the opportunity to give and are grateful that they have something to offer.
The question then is this, “What is your approach to giving? Do you need someone to hammer you with guilt or squeeze something out of you? Or are you thankful for the privilege of giving—of using some of your money to invest in God’s work and God’s kingdom? When our finances are challenging, we gain the most and experience the sweetness of partnering with what God is doing. He is always at work through your giving. We also experience the sweet satisfaction of knowing that we are making a difference in the lives of others.
I am grateful for this preaching series we have just completed, A Call to Biblical Stewardship. I invite you to remember and memorize the six axioms we learned:
So, as we give, I’d like to ask us to remember we do not divorce evangelism from our stewardship and remember that people need Jesus, and they need JESUS NOW! We are in this work together!
Don’t forget that there are multiple ways you can give to Friendship: cash (on Sundays) and check (anytime), and also you can give online, via your desktop, laptop, or smartphone at our website or the church mobile app. To give TODAY, please go HERE.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION (CCCU)
Friendship has maintained a great relationship with the Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU) as a trusted faith-based financial partner for many years. Recently, to positively impact our church, CCCU has pledged to donate $50.00 to Friendship Baptist Church anytime one of our members or attendees joins the credit union.
CCCU has a heart for missions and a commitment to supporting ministries such as our church. We encourage you to explore the positive impact Christian Community Credit Union is making by visiting their website www.mycccu.com or by calling our dedicated representative, Michael Antaramian, who is available anytime to answer questions or share more information. He CAN BE REACHED at 1.800.347.2228 extension 6224. Check out THIS link to CCCU as well; it is designed just for the Friendship Family.
COVID SAFETY UPDATE:
A safe in-person worship experience is the priority! Remember our refrain: We pray, we don’t panic, we take precautions, and we remain patient.
General Church things to remember:
Well, that’s all I have!
Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
This Sunday, we start a new Ex-Hour Study where we Explore the books of Amos, Jonah, Hosea, and Micah! Join us at 10:00 am each Sunday as we Explore the Bible, Examine the Scriptures, and Experience Transformation.
This Sunday, we will shift to offer you more opportunities to learn in smaller groups. We are DOWNSIZING FOR DISCIPLESHIP. Ex-Hour now offers four adult classes. They are as follows:
⚫ Adult Class One (Sanctuary): The team teaching in the sanctuary includes Lady Karima Curry, Pamela Jones, Deacon Demetrius Linebarger, Melanie Porter, Vivian Randolph, & Deacon James Shelby
⚫ Adult Class Two (Carrington Building Room 217): The team teaching in the Carrington Building Room 217 includes Le Shon Archer, Deacon Rick Archer, Karen Ammons, Gwen Matthews, and Rev. Phil Yoder.
⚫ Young Adults Class (Carrington Building Rooms 207-208): This class is designed for those aged 18-35.
⚫ Ex-Hour Online: Our online Exhour will continue as it has for the last two years, meeting via Zoom.
We are hoping to add a third teaching team in January! All active in-person Ex-Hour Adult Attendees should have also received an email with this information. Again, please pray and see which class GOD would have you attend regularly.
Additionally, we continue to offer Youth Ex-Hour in a hybrid format where students can attend online and in person. They will NOW meet in the Multi-purpose Building.
We invite you to visit https://www.wearefriendship.church/events for links to the online classes.
WEEKLY BIBLE STUDIES
Bible Classes are Back! Having enjoyed a time of Sabbath Rest, Bible classes will resume starting this week! Classes include the following:
⚫ Our Precept Upon Precept class resumes this Tuesday, September 6th, at 10 a.m., to continue their study in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Zephaniah
⚫ On Wednesday evening, September 7th, at 7:30 pm, our Men’s Bible Study will continue their study in 2 Corinthians
⚫ Both of these classes invite you to join them and welcomes your participation.
Later this month, on Wednesday, September 21st at 7:30 p.m., our Women’s Bible Study will start a new study titled: “Learning Contentment in a Culture of More,” a study on the book of Numbers. Ladies, additional details on this study will be provided soon.
We plan to add additional offerings this fall to encourage Bible reading, leadership, and small group ministry. So stay tuned; there’s more to come!
SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY
The next Side by Side Couples Ministry class is scheduled for Friday, September 9th. This Bible study for couples utilizes the book You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by best-selling author Francis Chan and his wife, Lisa Chan. The topic for the upcoming session is Don’t Waste your Marriage. New couples are ALWAYS welcomed!
Unless otherwise noted, these monthly sessions take place via Zoom on the second Friday of each month. Sessions begin at 7:00p. Should you have any questions, please contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel at (949) 652-1489 or his wife, Sheila McDaniel, via email at [email protected]. To join the session, go HERE. They look forward to you joining the class.
TEACHER’S MEETING
To all Bible teachers, our 3rd Quarter Teacher’s Meeting takes place on Saturday, September 17th at 10am. We will meet in person. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us; this is our last scheduled meeting for 2022. Our Christian Education department will email you an invitation and reminder within the next few days. We look forward to seeing you and our time together.
NATIONAL BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY:
We will celebrate National Back to Church Sunday, September 18th. National Back to Church Sunday Started as a call to action and invitation – action for the church, invitation for the world. A single-day event focused on extending the invitation of love, peace, and hope to our friends and neighbors. A single day to reclaim the true purpose of the Church – exactly as Christ commanded.
Now, more than ever, people need Jesus and a caring community or church where they can belong, grow and flourish. So, this September, we would love for you to be a part of introducing your community to Jesus, so they can experience His hope and reconnect with others during National Back to Church Sunday! It’s time to love again, serve again, and HOPE again.
Our theme for this day is “Get in the Game!” As the start of the football season gets underway, we call each of us to action. The attire for the day is your favorite football team jersey. We especially need each member to play their position and run the plays as a member of the Friendship SQUAD! Make the pass - distribute fliers, share our special social media posts and bring others to church. We are preparing the fliers and will share more about this in the upcoming weeks, but get ready to “Get in the Game!”
We know many of you have Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts. Help your church get the word out! We will make “Get in the Game” posts. Will you make the pass? Share, share, share! You may also access the virtual card on our church website at http://www.wearefriendship.church/game along with verbiage that you could include with your post.
MENTOR UP:
Friendship Family, our outreach Ministry, partners with a program called Mentor Up. Mentor Up is a Christian ministry that meets weekly at various locations in Southern California, mentoring boys ages 8 to 18 through the GROUP MENTORING PROCESS! Everything happens in a group setting.
A Mentor Up Group meets here at Friendship and will return on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 – 8:00 PM beginning September 20, 2022. Are you a single parent with an 8 to 18-year-old son in the home? If you are, then we invite you to check out Mentor UP.
We aim to assist single parents with weekly relief by providing a viable outlet for the boys and you for a couple of hours each week. Mentor Up provides meals, games, sports activities, Bible study, or life skill topics/lessons. In addition, we have opportunities for outings to the beach, bowling, movies, miniature golf, etc. Finally, Mentor Up seeks to help single parents who need assistance with transportation by providing a carpool.
To register your son, please get in touch with Chuck Divine at (949) 201-9495 or Houston Williams, a Friendship member, at (714) 318-0014.
STEWARDSHIP MESSAGE:
Tony Evans says, “There are three types of givers: the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb.”
He says to get anything out of the flint, and you have to hammer it. Then you mostly get chips and sparks. To get water out of the sponge, you have to squeeze it. The more you squeeze, the more you get. But the honeycomb is different. It simply overflows with sweetness.
When a person truly understands what God has done for them, you don’t have to pressure them to give, and you don’t need to take ten collections. They understand that He is a great God who is the source of all their security. So, when it comes time to give, they are ready to jump to their feet and applaud because they are thankful that they have the opportunity to give and are grateful that they have something to offer.
The question then is this, “What is your approach to giving? Do you need someone to hammer you with guilt or squeeze something out of you? Or are you thankful for the privilege of giving—of using some of your money to invest in God’s work and God’s kingdom? When our finances are challenging, we gain the most and experience the sweetness of partnering with what God is doing. He is always at work through your giving. We also experience the sweet satisfaction of knowing that we are making a difference in the lives of others.
I am grateful for this preaching series we have just completed, A Call to Biblical Stewardship. I invite you to remember and memorize the six axioms we learned:
⚫ God is the Owner of Everything
⚫ We Own Absolutely Nothing
⚫ Honor God with at Least the First Ten Percent
⚫ Bring the Full Ten Percent to the Church
⚫ Practice Over and Above Giving
⚫ Focus On the Great Commission Always.
So, as we give, I’d like to ask us to remember we do not divorce evangelism from our stewardship and remember that people need Jesus, and they need JESUS NOW! We are in this work together!
Don’t forget that there are multiple ways you can give to Friendship: cash (on Sundays) and check (anytime), and also you can give online, via your desktop, laptop, or smartphone at our website or the church mobile app. To give TODAY, please go HERE.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION (CCCU)
Friendship has maintained a great relationship with the Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU) as a trusted faith-based financial partner for many years. Recently, to positively impact our church, CCCU has pledged to donate $50.00 to Friendship Baptist Church anytime one of our members or attendees joins the credit union.
CCCU has a heart for missions and a commitment to supporting ministries such as our church. We encourage you to explore the positive impact Christian Community Credit Union is making by visiting their website www.mycccu.com or by calling our dedicated representative, Michael Antaramian, who is available anytime to answer questions or share more information. He CAN BE REACHED at 1.800.347.2228 extension 6224. Check out THIS link to CCCU as well; it is designed just for the Friendship Family.
COVID SAFETY UPDATE:
A safe in-person worship experience is the priority! Remember our refrain: We pray, we don’t panic, we take precautions, and we remain patient.
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
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV; Romans 1:16-17 ESV
⚫ SEPTEMBER PRAYER FOCUS:
Praying that Body of Friendship is inspired to do the Work of God
Matt. 11;28; 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Cor. 9:8; Col. 3:23-24.
Praying that Body of Friendship is inspired to do the Work of God
Matt. 11;28; 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Cor. 9:8; Col. 3:23-24.
⚫ BIBLE READING
You have 120 days to complete a Bible reading plan, including today. Friendship encourages every member to read one of six Bible reading plans in the year. These plans include;
You have 120 days to complete a Bible reading plan, including today. Friendship encourages 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.
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. We now have two adult classes meeting in person on campus, along with a Young Adult Class. They meet as follows:
Adult Class One (Sanctuary): The team teaching in the sanctuary includes Lady Karima Curry, Pamela Jones, Deacon Demetrius Linebarger, Melanie Porter, Vivian Randolph, & Deacon James Shelby
Adult Class Two (Carrington Building Room 217): The team teaching in the Carrington Building Room 217 includes Le Shon Archer, Deacon Rick Archer, Karen Ammons, Gwen Matthews, and Rev. Phil Yoder.
Young Adults Class (Carrington Building Rooms 207-208): This class is designed for those aged 18-35.
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: A weekly Children’s Ministry Worship Video is provided to keep our children connected, encouraged, and worshipping! 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 +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.
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!
Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
Posted in COVID-19