Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: July 9, 2021
Hello Friendship Family!
Happy Friday to each of you!
Can you believe we are in the second half of the year already? Six months have passed, and the year is going by so very quickly. As we continue through the year, I pray that we remember that God is our source and strength! I like how Richard Smallwood says it, “God is the source of our strength and the strength of our lives.”
Life can throw us curveballs when we least expect it. It can make our faith waver when faced with tough situations related to our health, financial stability, work, and even our life at home. These situations can have us believe that God has given us a situation that is just too tough to handle and that He has abandoned us in our journey.
The Good News is this; God is our source of strength. We can call out to Him in our moments of weakness and let His power carry us through life’s difficulties. Isaiah 12:2 states, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
A leading theme of this part of the book of Isaiah is God preserves a remnant out of the destruction of Israel and Judah. In other words, no matter what, God takes care of his people! We have come through and are coming through great difficulty in the last sixteen months, but God has preserved us, and we should be both thankful and grateful. We also must remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness always. In present difficulty, we must remember God’s past victories in our lives!
I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday morning, either in person or in the cyber sanctuary at 8am or 11:30am. Please note that we have decided that we will continue wearing masks in worship until the end of July. We are watching this Delta variant and want to be as safe as possible. You still do not need to pre-register to attend worship, and we will still have the on-campus Ex Hour available to you!
Here are some things for you to remember this week…
SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY:
KINGDOM WIVES CLASS:
DISCIPLESHIP BOOTCAMP:
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. Would you please register HERE to join us for Discipleship Bootcamp 2021?
CHURCH PICNIC:
BACK TO SCHOOL GIVE AWAY:
BAPTISM SERVICE:
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION UPDATE:
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
INTERNS NEEDED:
FREE DENTAL SERVICES:
General Church things to remember:
Well, that’s all I have this week!
Thank you for 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
Happy Friday to each of you!
Can you believe we are in the second half of the year already? Six months have passed, and the year is going by so very quickly. As we continue through the year, I pray that we remember that God is our source and strength! I like how Richard Smallwood says it, “God is the source of our strength and the strength of our lives.”
Life can throw us curveballs when we least expect it. It can make our faith waver when faced with tough situations related to our health, financial stability, work, and even our life at home. These situations can have us believe that God has given us a situation that is just too tough to handle and that He has abandoned us in our journey.
The Good News is this; God is our source of strength. We can call out to Him in our moments of weakness and let His power carry us through life’s difficulties. Isaiah 12:2 states, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
A leading theme of this part of the book of Isaiah is God preserves a remnant out of the destruction of Israel and Judah. In other words, no matter what, God takes care of his people! We have come through and are coming through great difficulty in the last sixteen months, but God has preserved us, and we should be both thankful and grateful. We also must remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness always. In present difficulty, we must remember God’s past victories in our lives!
I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday morning, either in person or in the cyber sanctuary at 8am or 11:30am. Please note that we have decided that we will continue wearing masks in worship until the end of July. We are watching this Delta variant and want to be as safe as possible. You still do not need to pre-register to attend worship, and we will still have the on-campus Ex Hour available to you!
Here are some things for you to remember this week…
SIDE BY SIDE COUPLES MINISTRY:
- For married and engaged couples, the Side by Side Couples Ministry class, “The 5 Love Languages,” takes place virtually tonight, July 9th, at 7pm. The topic for tonight’s class will be “Physical touch.” You can join the meeting via Zoom HERE. Should you have any questions, you can contact Deacon Hilton McDaniel by email at [email protected] or call (949) 652-1489.
KINGDOM WIVES CLASS:
- Ladies, tomorrow, July 10th, at 9am, Lady Karima kicks of another session of the wife’s class. This session will explore the book, Sacred Marriage, Sacred Hearts. 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
DISCIPLESHIP BOOTCAMP:
- 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. Would you please register HERE to join us for Discipleship Bootcamp 2021?
- We are also excited to announce that we will have a children & youth version of Discipleship Bootcamp that will follow the same curriculum, Concrete & Cranes! The children’s portion will take place outdoors on our campus, and the youth will have an indoor-outdoor experience. Again, Registration is open NOW, and we invite you to register ASAP.
- Please note that all weekly Bible Studies that conflict with Discipleship Bootcamp will be paused that week to support our Discipleship Bootcamp efforts!
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 5K Walk hosted by Lady Karima and me at 8am, and the actual picnic begins at 10am. The 5K walk will be a relaxing time of fellowship, health, wellness, and exercise. Not competition, just community!
- 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.
BACK TO SCHOOL GIVE AWAY:
- During the week of July 11th, the same week of Discipleship Bootcamp, we will have our Back to School Give-A-Way through the outreach ministry. This giveaway will occur at our Care & Concern Center from 2:30-4:30 pm on Tuesday, July 13th, through Thursday, July 15th. We will give away school supplies and clothing. If you or someone you know is in need, we encourage you to stop by.
BAPTISM SERVICE:
- On Sunday, July 25th, we will host a special baptism service. The service is for all who desired to be baptized but, due to the pandemic, were not able to do so. It will take place at Friendship at 10am in the sanctuary. If you plan to be baptized, please register HERE.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION UPDATE:
- Remember, we need your help. We want to serve you better, and to do so, we need your most up-to-date contact information. So, would you please follow the link HERE and update your personal information and the information for all household members? Thank you in advance for your participation in this.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
- We need volunteers and would love to have you join our volunteer core. 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 CHANGEMAKER form by clicking HERE, and we will get you connected to the right ministry opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!
INTERNS NEEDED:
- We also need interns in our media ministry. So if you are a student who needs an internship opportunity, we welcome you to be a part of the Media Ministry here at Friendship! To apply for a non-paid intern position, please email me at [email protected].
FREE DENTAL SERVICES:
- I was recently made aware of a free dental service opportunity taking place in Yorba Linda. Mission Dental is offering free dental services for uninsured individuals in need. Dental services include cleanings, fillings, and extractions free of charge to the first 30 registered patients. To register for FREE dental services and more information, call 714-996-1212.
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.
Well, that’s all I have this week!
Thank you for 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