Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: August 6, 2021
Blessings Friendship Family!
I pray that your first week in August has been a tremendous blessing to you. I pray you are being refreshed, renewed, and revived! I am not quite there yet, but I am trusting God that I will enjoy a time or season of refreshing as well.
I want to thank you for your words of encouragement and affirmation this week related to this past Sunday’s message. I appreciate you! I, like many of you, struggle with WORRY. So the sermon was earnest for me but also challenging and convicting. I have to LEARN more and more to TRUST God with ALL of my life and believe by faith that He is working all things out!
Do you know He really is working? We may not feel we see Him working, but He is working!
Romans 8:28 reminds us of this. It states:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Because of this, I have spent this week focusing my prayers on the current Coronavirus surge and the Delta variant. I know that many of you have been doing so as well. Let’s continue to be vigilant in our prayers. I believe that prayer STILL works, and I believe prayer changes things! Remember our guiding principles through the pandemic! We pray, we take necessary precautions, we don’t panic, and we are patient.
Again, as I said last week, we are coming out, but it is a slow process! The encouraging news this week is that the vaccination rates are rising! Nevertheless, we must continue to wear our masks, watch our distance, and wash our hands.
Remember, the new CDC Guidelines suggest masks for everyone while indoors in a public setting, even if you are FULLY vaccinated. The Delta variant is more transmissible, but these proactive efforts have proven to keep people safe while allowing freedom and flexibility.
Here are a few things to remember this week,
SUNDAY WORSHIP:
As you are on campus, please note that we have 30 minutes between the end of our Sunday worship and Ex-Hour, and we have 30 minutes between the end of Ex-Hour and the start of our 11:30 worship service. This time is designed to create an opportunity for members to fellowship outside. We know that many of you miss each other and haven’t seen each other because of the virus situation. We hope you will take advantage of this time to fellowship outside in a deemed safe manner!
SABBATH REST:
As we observe Sabbath Rest, please check with your individual Bible Study teachers to know if and when you meet. Also, please remember that our food pantry ministry will remain open. Our in-person worship services continue with Ex-Hour for our in-person worshipers and our online participants.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
We STILL need volunteers and would love to have you join our volunteer core. We expressly and immediately need volunteers for our Sunday Worship Hospitality Team. We need individuals to help us welcome members and guests on Sundays and various other hospitality-related tasks. If you are willing, please email [email protected]. Also, there is a table in the QUAD you can stop by on Sundays. I appreciate your consideration in this.
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 Candace Clark at [email protected].
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY VIDEO:
I want to remind our families that Rev. Jaron Singley, our Minister of Children, Youth, and Young Adults, works really hard to produce a Children’s Worship Video weekly. It is available through our website HERE or via the Friendship Youtube Channel HERE. The children are currently studying our purpose as believers. Last week they learned about BELONGING to the body of Christ. This week they will learn about GROWING in Christ! Check it out!
RIGHTNOW MEDIA:
If you are looking for a personal Bible Study during Sabbath Rest or in general, we invite you to utilize your FREE RightNow Media Account. RightNow Media is like the Netflix of Christian Bible studies. With access to 10,000+ Bible Study videos from 150 leading Christian publishers and ministries, you’ll find valuable tools for your personal development in areas of life training like marriage and parenting. As a member of Friendship, you receive a FREE RightNow Media account. To access your FREE account, go HERE.
OPEN POSITIONS
We are recruiting for three full-time positions at Friendship. First, we are looking for a Chief of Staff known internally as COS. The role of the COS is to drive the collective effectiveness of the Church leadership and its numerous ministries. Second, we are looking for a Senior Administrative Logistics Assistant, formerly known as the Church Secretary. This position assists with the numerous ministries of Friendship through organizing information, managing church logistics, communicating information relating to the church calendar, building usage, and ministry functionality. The third position is the Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor and the Chief of Staff. This Executive Assistant provides comprehensive professional skills and high-level administrative support to both the Senior Pastor and Chief of Staff with extreme care and confidentiality. More information is available on our website at HERE. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected].
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION UPDATE:
Remember, we need your help. We want to serve you better and to do so, and we need your most up-to-date contact information. So, would you please follow the link HERE and update your personal information and all household members? To date, we only have approximately 150 families who have participated. THANK YOU! We will close this membership update drive on August 15th, and we will assume that the balance of the membership’s information is correct. Thank you in advance for your participation in this.
INLAND EMPIRE RESOURCE CENTER
We recently have been introduced to an agency that may help several of you. This agency is the Inland Empire Resource Center (IERC). The Inland Empire Resource Center provides services to consumers, lenders, faith-based organizations, government organizations, and the community. With the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy, they explicitly work with individuals and families on a wide range of financial services. They provide credit counseling, homebuying counseling, and services for loss mitigation. If you are a homeowner and behind your mortgage and are at risk of foreclosure, they can help! Access their website HERE. Access the flyer they prepared just for Friendship HERE. Rev. Felton Patrick Christian has agreed to serve as our onsite contact through our outreach ministry, and he has an intake form for you HERE. Rev. Christian can also be reached at the church at 714-579-7085 and [email protected].
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
As we approach August, I want to thank you all for your generous financial support of Friendship. You have been amazing, and we are very grateful to you. August is usually a slow month for us, and honestly, it is historically our slowest month in giving. As you travel and celebrate the summer, I pray you will remember your church and continue your financial support. Your generous contributions have assisted us in our local ministry and mission fields, both near and far. Because of you, we can help spread the word of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your consideration.
SERMON BASED SMALL GROUPS ~ PASTOR CURRY’S DISSERTATION PROJECT
General Church things to remember:
Well, that’s all I have this week! Thank you for reading! Thank you for your prayers and support!
I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday morning, either in person or in the cyber sanctuary at 8am or 11:30am.
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
I pray that your first week in August has been a tremendous blessing to you. I pray you are being refreshed, renewed, and revived! I am not quite there yet, but I am trusting God that I will enjoy a time or season of refreshing as well.
I want to thank you for your words of encouragement and affirmation this week related to this past Sunday’s message. I appreciate you! I, like many of you, struggle with WORRY. So the sermon was earnest for me but also challenging and convicting. I have to LEARN more and more to TRUST God with ALL of my life and believe by faith that He is working all things out!
Do you know He really is working? We may not feel we see Him working, but He is working!
Romans 8:28 reminds us of this. It states:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Because of this, I have spent this week focusing my prayers on the current Coronavirus surge and the Delta variant. I know that many of you have been doing so as well. Let’s continue to be vigilant in our prayers. I believe that prayer STILL works, and I believe prayer changes things! Remember our guiding principles through the pandemic! We pray, we take necessary precautions, we don’t panic, and we are patient.
Again, as I said last week, we are coming out, but it is a slow process! The encouraging news this week is that the vaccination rates are rising! Nevertheless, we must continue to wear our masks, watch our distance, and wash our hands.
Remember, the new CDC Guidelines suggest masks for everyone while indoors in a public setting, even if you are FULLY vaccinated. The Delta variant is more transmissible, but these proactive efforts have proven to keep people safe while allowing freedom and flexibility.
Here are a few things to remember this week,
SUNDAY WORSHIP:
As you are on campus, please note that we have 30 minutes between the end of our Sunday worship and Ex-Hour, and we have 30 minutes between the end of Ex-Hour and the start of our 11:30 worship service. This time is designed to create an opportunity for members to fellowship outside. We know that many of you miss each other and haven’t seen each other because of the virus situation. We hope you will take advantage of this time to fellowship outside in a deemed safe manner!
SABBATH REST:
As we observe Sabbath Rest, please check with your individual Bible Study teachers to know if and when you meet. Also, please remember that our food pantry ministry will remain open. Our in-person worship services continue with Ex-Hour for our in-person worshipers and our online participants.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
We STILL need volunteers and would love to have you join our volunteer core. We expressly and immediately need volunteers for our Sunday Worship Hospitality Team. We need individuals to help us welcome members and guests on Sundays and various other hospitality-related tasks. If you are willing, please email [email protected]. Also, there is a table in the QUAD you can stop by on Sundays. I appreciate your consideration in this.
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 Candace Clark at [email protected].
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY VIDEO:
I want to remind our families that Rev. Jaron Singley, our Minister of Children, Youth, and Young Adults, works really hard to produce a Children’s Worship Video weekly. It is available through our website HERE or via the Friendship Youtube Channel HERE. The children are currently studying our purpose as believers. Last week they learned about BELONGING to the body of Christ. This week they will learn about GROWING in Christ! Check it out!
RIGHTNOW MEDIA:
If you are looking for a personal Bible Study during Sabbath Rest or in general, we invite you to utilize your FREE RightNow Media Account. RightNow Media is like the Netflix of Christian Bible studies. With access to 10,000+ Bible Study videos from 150 leading Christian publishers and ministries, you’ll find valuable tools for your personal development in areas of life training like marriage and parenting. As a member of Friendship, you receive a FREE RightNow Media account. To access your FREE account, go HERE.
OPEN POSITIONS
We are recruiting for three full-time positions at Friendship. First, we are looking for a Chief of Staff known internally as COS. The role of the COS is to drive the collective effectiveness of the Church leadership and its numerous ministries. Second, we are looking for a Senior Administrative Logistics Assistant, formerly known as the Church Secretary. This position assists with the numerous ministries of Friendship through organizing information, managing church logistics, communicating information relating to the church calendar, building usage, and ministry functionality. The third position is the Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor and the Chief of Staff. This Executive Assistant provides comprehensive professional skills and high-level administrative support to both the Senior Pastor and Chief of Staff with extreme care and confidentiality. More information is available on our website at HERE. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to [email protected].
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION UPDATE:
Remember, we need your help. We want to serve you better and to do so, and we need your most up-to-date contact information. So, would you please follow the link HERE and update your personal information and all household members? To date, we only have approximately 150 families who have participated. THANK YOU! We will close this membership update drive on August 15th, and we will assume that the balance of the membership’s information is correct. Thank you in advance for your participation in this.
INLAND EMPIRE RESOURCE CENTER
We recently have been introduced to an agency that may help several of you. This agency is the Inland Empire Resource Center (IERC). The Inland Empire Resource Center provides services to consumers, lenders, faith-based organizations, government organizations, and the community. With the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy, they explicitly work with individuals and families on a wide range of financial services. They provide credit counseling, homebuying counseling, and services for loss mitigation. If you are a homeowner and behind your mortgage and are at risk of foreclosure, they can help! Access their website HERE. Access the flyer they prepared just for Friendship HERE. Rev. Felton Patrick Christian has agreed to serve as our onsite contact through our outreach ministry, and he has an intake form for you HERE. Rev. Christian can also be reached at the church at 714-579-7085 and [email protected].
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
As we approach August, I want to thank you all for your generous financial support of Friendship. You have been amazing, and we are very grateful to you. August is usually a slow month for us, and honestly, it is historically our slowest month in giving. As you travel and celebrate the summer, I pray you will remember your church and continue your financial support. Your generous contributions have assisted us in our local ministry and mission fields, both near and far. Because of you, we can help spread the word of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your consideration.
SERMON BASED SMALL GROUPS ~ PASTOR CURRY’S DISSERTATION PROJECT
- I want to thank those who have answered my appeal for individuals to participate in my research project on sermon-based small groups.
- Last week I told you that I had made an application to modify my research project to include a virtual option. Well, I am pleased to announce that my professor has granted my request. So I can offer three versions of the small groups; in-person on campus, in-home, and via Zoom.
- Now I REALLY need individuals to commit to meeting for 8-10 weeks to discuss the Sunday Sermon and its application to their lives. I currently have 12 individuals! THANK YOU!
- I would love to have one in-home group, two groups on campus, and one or two groups via zoom. If any of these group options appeal to you and you are willing to participate, would you please follow the links and sign up?
- Also, if you have signed up and would like to modify your sign-up option, you may follow the links and do that as well.
- If you are interested and willing, please sign up HERE. The small groups will commence after Labor Day. Thank you in advance for your help with this.
General Church things to remember:
- 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. We are studying Job & Ecclesiastes.
- EX HOUR: Virtual Ex-Hour meets weekly on Sundays via ZOOM. Join us for class at 10a 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.
- 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!
I look forward to seeing you in worship on Sunday morning, either in person or in the cyber sanctuary at 8am or 11:30am.
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