Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: June 25, 2021
Hey there Friendship!
I pray your week has been well. I am still grateful for each of you!
I have been thinking about our mission statement all week. Those of you who have been members of Friendship for a while are most likely familiar with it. Before the pandemic, we recited it weekly at the beginning of our services.
Our mission statement states,
I pray your week has been well. I am still grateful for each of you!
I have been thinking about our mission statement all week. Those of you who have been members of Friendship for a while are most likely familiar with it. Before the pandemic, we recited it weekly at the beginning of our services.
Our mission statement states,
Friendship Baptist Church is a church where CHRIST is magnified. Through individually and collectively presenting ourselves to Christ as a living and holy offering. We are Bible Based, Christ Centered, Accountable, and Saved to Serve.
I have been reflecting on those four pillars:
Bible Based, Christ Centered, Accountable, and Saved to Serve!
Bible Based refers to our belief in the supremacy and accuracy of the unadulterated word of God. Furthermore, it refers to our belief that the Bible undergirds and is foundational to our preaching, teaching, and ministries here at Friendship!
Christ Centered refers to the view that Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith and belief that our life centers on him and our HOPE is found in He and He alone!
Accountable means we are answerable to Christ and our fellow believers for our Conduct, Character, and Conversation. Accountability means our relationship with Christ is essential, and our relationships with other believers should be congenial.
Finally, we are Saved to Serve! This pillar reminds us that Christ did not save us merely to go to heaven, but he saved us to live with purpose here on earth! Ephesians 2:10 ESV states,
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God created for us for good works, and we should walk in those good works! Through Him, we can serve others, believers and non-believers alike! We can reach out to those in our communities by sharing the incredible gift of eternal life that God gave us. Remember, the Savior of the world has called us to serve our fellow man!
Friendship as we begin the process of regathering, may we remember these pillars and hold to them:
Christ Centered refers to the view that Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith and belief that our life centers on him and our HOPE is found in He and He alone!
Accountable means we are answerable to Christ and our fellow believers for our Conduct, Character, and Conversation. Accountability means our relationship with Christ is essential, and our relationships with other believers should be congenial.
Finally, we are Saved to Serve! This pillar reminds us that Christ did not save us merely to go to heaven, but he saved us to live with purpose here on earth! Ephesians 2:10 ESV states,
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God created for us for good works, and we should walk in those good works! Through Him, we can serve others, believers and non-believers alike! We can reach out to those in our communities by sharing the incredible gift of eternal life that God gave us. Remember, the Savior of the world has called us to serve our fellow man!
Friendship as we begin the process of regathering, may we remember these pillars and hold to them:
Bible Based, Christ Centered, Accountable, and Saved to Serve!
Speaking of being saved to serve, we are still looking for volunteers and would love to have you join the team. Whether you have a heart for serving others, are skilled with technology, or love to make people feel welcome, we have space for you to use your God-given passions and talents for the sake of the Kingdom and the community! There is work to be done, and we need you. If you want to volunteer, complete the CHANGE MAKER form by clicking HERE, and we will get you connected to the right ministry opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!
Here are some updates for you!
SUNDAY WORSHIP ~ JUNE 27th (THINGS TO REMEMBER):
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CEREMONY
SINGLE ADULTS LIVING TRIUMPHANTLY (SALT), CHAT-N-CHEW FELLOWSHIP:
Here are some updates for you!
SUNDAY WORSHIP ~ JUNE 27th (THINGS TO REMEMBER):
- I look forward to our Sunday Worship Service and pray that you join us in person or online! During our 8am service, we will host our annual Baccalaureate Service celebrating our high school graduates and their families! Again, I pray you can join us as we celebrate these students!
- We will also celebrate Children & Youth Day on Sunday and invite our Children and Youth to attend worship. We have some special things planned just for the young people. First, Rev. Jaron Singley will share a message for our children and youth that will be challenging for all of us. Then, after the 8:00am service (about 10am), children and youth can enjoy some outdoor fun and games in the quad. We will also give out ice cream treats to everyone, not just the children and youth. So come for the 8:00am service and hang out with us after service. Or, come hang out with us at 10am and then join us for the 11:30am service. OR... Kick it with us all day! At both of our services, we have a special treat for you from the Voices of Friendship!
- IN-PERSON EX-HOUR:
In-person Ex-Hour meets each Sunday from 10am to 11am each Sunday on campus. 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 WILL NOT meet this weekend to allow for the fun activities in the quad! Please join us!
- Phone Line for Worship: For our members who may have a tough time connecting to our worship service online for whatever reason, we are now offering a way for those members to dial in and listen to service over the phone. To access the service via telephone, members and guests need to dial 1 216-930-8774 and enter the PIN: 464 267 559#. It is live for both the 8:00am and 11:30am worship services.
SCHOLARSHIP AWARD CEREMONY
- Please note that the Scholarship Ministry Award Ceremony will stream on the Friendship YouTube Channel tomorrow, Saturday, June 26th, at 6pm. We invite you to tune in and celebrate our scholars. Click HERE to watch @6pm.
SINGLE ADULTS LIVING TRIUMPHANTLY (SALT), CHAT-N-CHEW FELLOWSHIP:
- Also, on this Saturday, June 26, 2021, at 2pm, our Singles Ministry, SALT (Single Adults Living Triumphantly), will host their quarterly Chat-n-Chew Fellowship. We invite all singles to join this VIRTUAL online experience. Join in on this equipping, encouraging, and empowering discussion based on the book Living Single in a Married World by Roxanne Banks. Rev. Banks herself will lead the discussion and give new insights into what singles can do and consider as they journey through their unmarried status. Brothers and sisters, it is time to learn new ways to survive and thrive while being single! We especially invite BROTHERS because our registration from men is LOW. So don’t delay, register HERE today!!!
JULY HAPPENINGS @ The Ship!
SUNDAY WORSHIP ~ JULY 4th:
Then on July 13th through July 15th, we will host our 2021 Discipleship Bootcamp, also known as Vacation Bible School (VBS). Join us in person for three consecutive nights from 7-9pm. This year’s theme is “Concrete & Cranes: Building the foundation of our faith on the love of Jesus.”
In this year’s Discipleship Bootcamp, we’ll discover that Jesus’ love provides a foundation that will last. When the storms of life come, we need the One who will be with us to the end of the age. When anxiety sets in, we need the assurance that true worth comes from being a child of God, not from what other people think about us. We’ll learn to be wise builders who continue in what we’ve learned and firmly believe. And we’ll discover that He who began a good work will be faithful to carry it on to completion. All of us are a work in progress. Life is a hard hat zone. But, ultimately, Jesus’ love is our firm foundation.
While we are slowly returning to gathering in person, please note that we will NOT serve dinner during this year’s Bootcamp to keep everyone safe as a precaution in consideration of previous pandemic guidance. However, even though we will not have dinner, we still ask that you register to anticipate and plan for your arrival and have enough learning materials for you. It’s been almost two years since we’ve gathered together in person for our annual Discipleship Bootcamp, and we hope you will plan to join us. Please register HERE to join us for Discipleship Bootcamp 2021.
CHURCH PICNIC:
On Saturday, July 17th, we will host our Church Picnic. I am looking forward to this. The church picnic will occur at Craig Park with the Health Care Ministry 5K Walk at 8am and the actual picnic beginning at 10am.
Chick-Fil-A will supply our picnic meal. The picnic and food are FREE, but again, we would be grateful if you could register to have enough food. Registrants will receive a colored wristband to receive their meal on that day. We will also have drinks and snacks provided by the church. All you will need to do is bring your tents, pop-ups, lawn chairs, blankets, etc. and enjoy the food and fellowship. Register HERE for the 2021 Picnic.
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KINGDOM WIVES CLASS:
Lady Karima kicks off another session of her wives class. This session will explore the book, Sacred Marriage. This discipleship study will focus on how wives can perceive the challenges, joys, disappointments, and celebrations of marriage as opportunities to draw closer to God and deeper in faith. The Kingdom Wives group will continue to meet virtually on 2nd and 4th Saturdays starting July 10th at 9:00am. This study is open to friends and family, so share this opportunity to grow in community with other Kingdom Wives. If you are not already a member of the Kingdom Wives class, please click HERE to register. Or you may visit our church website at www.wearefriendship.church/wives.
General Church things to remember:
Thank you for your reading!
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Again, I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!
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
- On Sunday, July 4th, or the FOURTH OF JULY, service will be ONLINE ONLY at 9am. The service will then be available to view at a time of your choosing. We know many have plans for the holiday weekend, and we want to utilize our newfound ability to be nimble and flexible! Please note, our church service is NOT canceled! We are simply gathering online ONLY!
- We will regather together again in the sanctuary beginning Sunday, July 11th, for our 8 and 11:30am services!
- Mask Requirement: When we gather on July 11th, we will align our worship service requirements with the state guidance. Meaning we will make masks optional for vaccinated individuals. The current guidance is that vaccinated individuals can go without masks, while unvaccinated persons must wear masks when indoors. The physical distancing requirements no longer apply, but we will continue to space people out to the best of our ability.
Then on July 13th through July 15th, we will host our 2021 Discipleship Bootcamp, also known as Vacation Bible School (VBS). Join us in person for three consecutive nights from 7-9pm. This year’s theme is “Concrete & Cranes: Building the foundation of our faith on the love of Jesus.”
In this year’s Discipleship Bootcamp, we’ll discover that Jesus’ love provides a foundation that will last. When the storms of life come, we need the One who will be with us to the end of the age. When anxiety sets in, we need the assurance that true worth comes from being a child of God, not from what other people think about us. We’ll learn to be wise builders who continue in what we’ve learned and firmly believe. And we’ll discover that He who began a good work will be faithful to carry it on to completion. All of us are a work in progress. Life is a hard hat zone. But, ultimately, Jesus’ love is our firm foundation.
While we are slowly returning to gathering in person, please note that we will NOT serve dinner during this year’s Bootcamp to keep everyone safe as a precaution in consideration of previous pandemic guidance. However, even though we will not have dinner, we still ask that you register to anticipate and plan for your arrival and have enough learning materials for you. It’s been almost two years since we’ve gathered together in person for our annual Discipleship Bootcamp, and we hope you will plan to join us. Please register HERE to join us for Discipleship Bootcamp 2021.
CHURCH PICNIC:
On Saturday, July 17th, we will host our Church Picnic. I am looking forward to this. The church picnic will occur at Craig Park with the Health Care Ministry 5K Walk at 8am and the actual picnic beginning at 10am.
Chick-Fil-A will supply our picnic meal. The picnic and food are FREE, but again, we would be grateful if you could register to have enough food. Registrants will receive a colored wristband to receive their meal on that day. We will also have drinks and snacks provided by the church. All you will need to do is bring your tents, pop-ups, lawn chairs, blankets, etc. and enjoy the food and fellowship. Register HERE for the 2021 Picnic.
.
KINGDOM WIVES CLASS:
Lady Karima kicks off another session of her wives class. This session will explore the book, Sacred Marriage. This discipleship study will focus on how wives can perceive the challenges, joys, disappointments, and celebrations of marriage as opportunities to draw closer to God and deeper in faith. The Kingdom Wives group will continue to meet virtually on 2nd and 4th Saturdays starting July 10th at 9:00am. This study is open to friends and family, so share this opportunity to grow in community with other Kingdom Wives. If you are not already a member of the Kingdom Wives class, please click HERE to register. Or you may visit our church website at www.wearefriendship.church/wives.
General Church things to remember:
- WEDNESDAY Prayer Day: Join us each Wednesday for Prayer. We pray at 6:30a, 12p, and 6:30p. 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 2:30p-4:30p.
- 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 applications for the COVID Membership Assistance Grant. 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.
Thank you for your reading!
Thank you for your prayers and support!
Again, I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday!
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