Posts with the category “covid-19”

Hey there, Friendship Family! I pray your week is going well and that you remember that you are blessed and highly favored by our great God! I greet you in the saving name of Jesus Christ! Friendship, as stated on Sunday, our 2022 Church theme is United & Unashamed: God’s People United in Mission, Ministry, & Mandate. This theme is designed to remind us that here at Friendship, we come together to...  Read More

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 joi...  Read More

Greeting Friendship Family! Well, this is the last weekly update of 2021!Yes, today, December 31, 2021. The very last day of 2021. Tonight at midnight, 2021 will be over and gone, and that is an exciting prospect for many of us! Many are looking forward to a New Year, a new season, a new opportunity, and a reset or redo.  As we look forward to 2022, may we reflect on the faithfulness of God in 202...  Read More

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Hello Friendship! Guess what? It’s almost Christmas! The Sunday before Christmas is considered Christmas Sunday here at Friendship. It is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, and we will celebrate Christ together! This Sunday, our Advent focus will be peace! Peace from God, biblical peace, allows us to trust in God’s promises through restful, calm faith, despite the dark, scary world around us. ...  Read More

Greetings & Salutations Friendship Family!I pray that this Advent Season is going well for each of you! You know the year is quickly coming to an end, and as it does, I pray that you will not panic or become frantic but enjoy the season.It is easy to become overwhelmed with Christmas shopping, Christmas stress, and credit card bills. But amid the busyness, be sure to reflect on the true meaning of...  Read More

Happy Friday, Friendship Family!Can you believe it is December already? That’s a rhetorical question. I already know the answer. You cannot, and neither can I. However, I can say that 2021 has gone by QUICKLY! We are in the last month of the year. Just 28 days left, and December will be over, and more than that, 2021 will be over! That is just incredible to imagine!I trust and pray that each of yo...  Read More

Greetings, My Beloved Friendship Family!Happy Thanksgiving! I know it’s a little early, but this is my last update before Thanksgiving, and following last year’s pattern, this will be the last update for two weeks. We will not send an update next Friday, which is the Friday immediately after Thanksgiving Day! Plus, many of you will be out shopping anyway and won’t have time to hear a message from ...  Read More

Hello Friendship Family!It has been a long week for me, but I am still here, and it’s by the grace of an Almighty God!As I prepared for this week’s message or update, I reflected on a song that I have quoted often, and many of you like to hear sung in church. It’s entitled, I Won’t Complain. Take a listen HERE.To complain is to express dissatisfaction about something. To grumble is to complain wit...  Read More

Happy Friday, Friendship Family!I pray this weekly update finds each of you well and prosperous!I pray that you take time this month to reflect on God’s faithfulness and articulate your gratitude to our Lord and Savior!I am reminded today of the account of Paul and Silas from Acts 16. I somewhat mentioned this in my sermon on Sunday as I set up the context.  Remember, they were arrested in the cit...  Read More

Greetings My Beloved Friendship Family!Well, believe it or not, we are at the end of another week, and we are at the end of another month! Yes, October is officially coming to an end. This year is quickly slipping away from us, and in just over 60 days, this year will be no more.I will not repeat myself regarding redeeming time or considering what you do with the last days of this year. Instead, I...  Read More

Happy Friday, Friendship Family!I pray this video message finds you blessed and basking in the continual favor of our great God!I pray as you step into the weekend that it is a blessed and relaxing weekend for you!Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. It has been quite a blessing to have the Friendship family members pray for my family and me consistently! The power of prayer has been evident ...  Read More

Greetings, Friendship Family! Today is Friday, October 15th, and we are basically halfway through the month! Yes, time is slipping away from us. That is why I keep pushing us back to this topic of REDEEMING THE TIME! Remember, Paul utilizes this phrase in Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5. Again, the word REDEEM in Greek means to “buy out of the marketplace.” As I told you last week, the picture i...  Read More

Hey there Friendship Family!I am grateful to God for you, and I am grateful to reach out to you weekly via this weekly update though I fear many of you have stopped reading these regularly. I am determined, however, to finish out the year with these updates and then figure out what the next season of communication to the body will look like!I appreciate those of you who read the weekly update to k...  Read More

Greetings, Friendship Family!Happy Friday to you! Can you believe that today is the First Day of October? Can you believe today is the first day of the last quarter of the year? I can’t, but it is!  The year 2021 is indeed slipping away. In roughly 90 days, this year will be over!BIBLE READINGHow are you coming along with your bible reading challenge? At Friendship, we encourage every member to re...  Read More

Hey there Friendship Family!As March draws to a close and we commemorate one year of fighting against Covid-19, my prayer for you this week is that you will continue to stand fast, stand firm, and hold on! STAND FAST!STAND FIRM!HOLD ON! That’s what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:1, “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, STAND FAST in the Lord, beloved.” Throughou...  Read More

Hey there Friendship Family!I trust and pray you are all doing well right where you are! I pray you are receiving every spiritual blessing God has for you and that you are encouraged and not discouraged.Do you know that we serve a GOOD God? Do you know we serve a GREAT God? Well, we do. We served a GREAT God who is worthy of GREAT praise! You do not need a full band and praise team to praise God. ...  Read More

Greetings and Salutations Friendship Family!As I write and greet you this week, I am still high off our time of in-person worship this past Sunday in our outdoor drive-in service. It was really great to see so many of you for worship, seeing your faces, hearing your horns and verbal amens, greeting you as you exited the parking lot. All of the interaction was like food to my soul on Sunday. It is ...  Read More

Hello Friendship Family!I greet you this week with great excitement in my head, heart, and spirit!I am excited that I will see many of you this Sunday at our Drive-In Service! Amen! Praise the Lord!  We are currently full for the 9am Service, but we still encourage you to register if you desire to attend. I understand that we have several lawn chair seatings available, but our parking spots are cu...  Read More

Hey there Friendship Family!I greet each of you today in the great name of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest! He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! I trust this email finds each of you doing well, encouraged by God’s Word, and strengthened in the faith! As I told you last week, I am filled with hope, and I remain that way this week. I am filled with hope in our great Savior. I am filled...  Read More

Hello there Friendship Family!Blessings and greetings to each of you as you read this week’s update and view the video. I want you to know that I am growing more encouraged each day. Just as the song the Voice of Joy Choir often sings, “I’m encouraged to walk with Jesus all the way. Though trials come, they come to make me very strong. I am encouraged to walk with Him all the way!”I hope and pray ...  Read More

Hello My Friendship Family!My prayer is that today is a good day for you and that this week has been a great week. I will admit that this week has been a bit overwhelming for me, but I can report that God is my SUSTAINER. Do you know that He is your SUSTAINER as well? Well, He is! Psalm 54:4 states, “Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul.” Amen! That’s a good word! He is t...  Read More

Greetings and Salutations Friendship!Happy Friday to you and yours. I pray you have had a positive and productive week and are basking in the overwhelming presence of God daily. We serve great and mighty God! Sorry, I just had to get that out!Can you believe we are at the end of the first week of February? Time is ticking away. I want to remind you to be sure to redeem the time! Redeeming the time...  Read More

Hey there Friendship!Well, we have come to the end of another week. God has faithfully ushered us here. Not only is this the end of a week, but we are at the end of the first month of 2021. Can you believe that? Time certainly does fly. We are also at the of our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting. We only have three more days to go. Thank you for your perseverance. As I told you last week, this has been ...  Read More

Good Day, Friendship!I trust you have had a prosperous and productive week!  We are in the second week of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting! Praise the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I feel refreshed and renewed by this time of consecration, more than I have any other year! As I said last week, I pray that you are being renewed, refreshed, and revived!Remember, we pray daily at noon for about 15-20 m...  Read More

Happy Friday, Friendship!I trust you have had a prosperous and productive week!  I pray if you are joining us for this 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting that God is meeting you at your point of need. I also pray that you are being renewed, refreshed, and revived! I am grateful to God for the first week of prayer and fasting. I am feeling encouraged and blessed. I have been blessed by the attendance and ...  Read More

Happy New Year, Friendship!How happy I am to greet you in this New Year. God has been graciously kind to each of us, and we should be grateful. As the old song says, "If it had not been for the Lord on my side, where would I be?" This song aligns with Psalm 124, a psalm of ascent. This psalm was read or sang on the way up the hill to Jerusalem. This psalm leads its readers to give thanks to God fo...  Read More

Good Day Friendship,Let me wish you an early Merry Christmas. I plan to send out an official Christmas greeting next week from Lady Karima and me, but I did not want to miss the opportunity to say to you now, MERRY CHRISTMAS. It’s a different Christmas, but it is Christmas nonetheless, and we must remember that Jesus STILL is the reason for the season.  I have said it in the past, but I have not s...  Read More

Greetings My Friendship Family,I pray this week’s communication finds each of you well. It had been an interesting week since we last connected. The pandemic has never more critical in the United States of America than it is currently. Additionally, the situation is extremely critical with the State of California.Upon assessing the recent, unprecedented rise in the rate of increase in COVID-19 cas...  Read More

Hey there Friendship People,It has been two weeks since I have provided an update. This is our longest stretch without communication to date. I trust and pray you had a great Thanksgiving Holiday despite the limitations and restrictions. I also pray you had the opportunity to view our Thanksgiving Day Service and were blessed by it. I am grateful for my team, which works tirelessly to help me deli...  Read More

Happy Friday Friendship,We thank and praise the Lord for bringing us to the end of another week. God has graciously watched over us and continues to provide for us amid these extremely turbulent times. I have said it before, but I believe it bears repeating, I want off the roller coaster. Beloved, I love theme parks, and I love roller coasters, but this current situation is taking its toll even on...  Read More

This week has been a tough week for me as we celebrated the life of one of our young adults, recent high school graduate, Brandon Porter. I pray that you will continue to pray for the Porter family, specifically Brandon’s parents Melanie and David Porter. On their behalf, I want to thank you for your loving support during this difficult time.  Read More

I thank God for you! I thank God for being in community with you. I thank God for your faithfulness to Him and His church. I thank God for the opportunity to serve you as your pastor. I am a thankful man. I am thankful even in this season of uncertainty and complexity!   Read More

Hey there Friendship Family,I pray this communication finds each of you well! This has been an interesting week. Not only are the news stations reporting a spike in COVID numbers, but two fires affected Orange County and surrounding communities. We had some members who had to evacuate, and we are grateful that God has spared their lives and their property. We must PRAY, not PANIC, take PRECAUTIONS...  Read More

Happy Friday Friendship,Can someone get me off of the roller coaster? That’s how I feel this week? Is that who you feel? Things continue to go up and down. This week we learned that Riverside County moved back up to the most restrictive tier (PURPLE), and Orange County maintains its status in the RED tier. Nationally cases are on the rise, but thankfully California is doing well for the most part....  Read More

Greetings Friendship Community, I have had a busy week this week, but I am resting in the power of our great God. I am grateful that though this week has been busy, it has been productive. I am reminded that God is with me. He is with us, and we are not in this problematic pandemic alone. The passing of our beloved deacon, Deacon Allen Smith, saddened me. However, I am grateful that we were able...  Read More

Hey there Friendship,I pray you have had a productive and pleasant week! While we are still in the middle of some unprecedented times, we must grip tightly to God’s unchanging hand, trusting in His care and concern for us! I will be honest with you; this week, I feel weary. I am weary IN the PANDEMIC. I am weary FROM the PANDEMIC. I am weary WITH the PANDEMIC and ALL THAT IT BRINGS! I know many of...  Read More

Greetings My Beloved Friendship Family,I want to begin by expressing my shear GRATITUDE to every one of you! You all are AMAZING! Absolutely AMAZING! Lady Karima and I appreciate you more than you will ever know! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! The Pastoral Anniversary Celebration on Sunday blew my mind! I had a WONDERFUL time and so enjoyed seeing those that came out to participate. I know we ha...  Read More

I must admit I am EXCITED and THANKFUL this week. I am excited about our planned activities for Sunday. I am not so much EXCITED to have the anniversary celebration as I am EXCITED to see many of you who will attend and participate in the parade. Please note, this is OUR anniversary TOGETHER; pastor and people.  Read More

Good Day Friendship,This week my KEYWORD is BLESSED! I feel BLESSED, and I am BLESSED. Kurt Carr has a song entitled “Blessing After Blessing” that says: Lord, You just keep sendingBlessing after blessing…Blessing after blessingBlessing after blessing after blessing I have abbreviated it, but you can hear it HERE. I hope you enjoy it! I am grateful to God for blessing after blessing, and I can’t c...  Read More