Pastor’s Weekly Update January 21, 2022

Well, Happy Friday, My Beloved Friendship Family!

I greet you today in the precious name of Jesus Christ, the faithful and the true Son of God! I also thank our Heavenly Father for giving us the gifts of life, living, and loving especially given the uncertainties of the days in which we live. In uncertainty, it is good to have the certainty of our faithful God!

Look, I know we have had a wearisome week, but we should thank our loving God for making it possible for us to be here still today, and it is by His mercies that He has guided us, protected us, and provided for us in the midst of it all.

We are at day 12 of our 21 days of prayer and fasting. It is my prayer that this time is proving beneficial for you! I pray that you are being renewed, refreshed, and revived! Remember, we pray daily at noon for about 15-20 minutes. These prayer calls have been going well, and I am excited about it. Our numbers have been extraordinary, and I am grateful for your participation. To God be the Glory.

I want to thank all of our prayer leaders. They have been providing outstanding leadership, utilizing their unique gifts and talents. It has been encouraging to me. To connect with our prayer services, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#. We have prayer leaders for each day as follows:


Omicron Surge Continues:
Now, Friendship, with the continued surge of the Omicron Variant, I want to encourage you to do everything you can to keep yourself safe. Please wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear your mask. The CDC now suggests that we utilize N-95 Masks or double masks. A cloth mask alone is not enough against the Omicron Variant. Remember, we pray, don’t panic, take PRECAUTIONS, and remain patient. 

We remain open for Worship on Sundays. Please remember masks are mandatory. We are still under a statewide mask mandate through February 15th, and our policy here is masks for worship until further notice. That means that if the State of California lifts the mask mandate on February 15th, we will still require masks in worship until we are comfortable that it is safe to change our policy. If you are not feeling well, please do not come to worship on Sundays. This is a request and a precaution. We want to do our best to keep everyone safe!

FREE RAPID COVID TEST KITS
As of Wednesday, you can order free rapid Covid test kits through the government. You can place your order HERE. Please note you can order a total of four test kits per household or property address.

Additionally, beginning next week, the Biden administration is expected to make 400 million N95 masks available for free to U.S. residents. As I gain more information about this, I will make you aware.

Here are a few announcements for you this week:

MLK ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday, January 23rd, we will celebrate our children and youth as we announce the winners of the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest conducted by the Silver Eagles Ministry. I want to say “thank you” to those that serve so faithfully to remind the next generation about Dr. King’s legacy and that they too can be a changemaker.  

BIBLE CLASSES 
Don’t forget we have several Bible Studies available for your spiritual growth, including Ex-Hour on Sundays, both in-person and virtual, and classes throughout the week. Please stop by our church website to get more information on classes we offer and classes scheduled to start soon.

NEW MEMBERS CLASS
On Sunday, January 16th, we began a new eight-week New Members Class session, and it’s not too late to join.  If you joined Friendship but have not completed the New Members Class, we strongly encourage you to complete this eight-week course that will introduce you to Friendship’s foundational beliefs, biblical doctrine, and operations.  This course takes place in person on Sunday mornings at 10:00 am.  To register, CLICK HERE.

NEW CLASSES: 
Friendship family, we have new Bible classes starting in January and February:

• Now, tomorrow, Saturday, January 22nd, a new Hermeneutics Class session will start at 10:30 am. As I said Sunday stated, hermeneutics is the methodology for interpreting the meaning of text or Scriptures. Unfortunately, many Christians have abused the Bible over the centuries by using the Bible like a telephone book of text they cite only to prove their viewpoint. Doing so has led to many distortions and errors. 

• Then on Tuesday, January 25th, our Precept study on the book of Mark begins. The most critical question you will ever answer is: Who do you believe Jesus Christ is? With all the opinions floating around - He’s a good man, a teacher, a prophet, the Son of God - how can you know who is right? The book of Mark’s account of Jesus’ life gives you the answer. Rather than rehearsing what people said about Jesus, Mark shows you what Jesus did. Facilitated by Dr. Laseanda Wesson, this 10-week Precept course meets at 7:30pm and will be held virtually. If you’re seeking a solid understanding of the book of Mark, we invite you to join this study! Unfortunately, space is limited, and participants need to purchase their own workbook in advance via the Precept site. We look forward to studying the book of Mark together and discovering that Jesus left no doubt about who He claimed to be. To enroll, please go HERE. To order your workbook, please go HERE. Please note for a comprehensive study (approx. 60 minutes of homework), select Precept Upon Precept. If you are pressed for time but still want a solid understanding of the book of Mark, select the In and Out Study (approx. 30 minutes per day).

• In roughly two weeks, on Thursday, February 3rd, at 7pm, our War Room Bible Study class begins and will be held virtually on Thursdays at 7pm. We likely remember and have seen the movie War Room, released in 2015. It was a powerful movie on the power of prayer. It focused on a couple wrapped up in their lives and had become complacent in their relationship with the God who created them for their glory. Sometimes, we, too, become wrapped up in our hectic lives and forget our first Love and the subtle enemy who wants to keep us from Him. Participants will be called to evaluate their spiritual life and growth through this Bible study, uncover their true character, trust in the God of grace, declare victory over the true enemy, and find their identity in their Savior. If you desire to strengthen your prayer life this year, we invite you to attend this study and discover that prayer really is a powerful weapon. This class will be facilitated by Deaconess Celeste Wall and Sister LeShon Archer and will be held weekly starting Thursday, February 3rd. Participants are asked to purchase their own books and may do so via Amazon or Christianbook.com. To enroll in the class, please go HERE.

LEADERSHIP MEETING
Leaders, we will have our first Leadership meeting of the year on Saturday, January 29th, at 10am via Zoom. Details will come out next week. This meeting is for all current/newly elected presidents, vice president, chairs, and vice-chairs of ministries and their ministry secretaries, Deacons, Trustees, Ministers, Deaconess, Mothers, Governance Committee Members, and Friendship Bible Teachers. If you wonder if you should be at this meeting, please confirm with Leigha Carrington in the church office at [email protected].

FRIENDSHIP GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
I am seeking four individuals to serve on our Governance Committee. Governance Committee members actively develop standardized policies, procedures, and processes for the church. They are committed to Friendship’s vision, missions, and values, realizing that the church’s mission, vision, and values help drive organizational effectiveness and accountability. Governance Committee members strive through their God-centered and Faith guided work to pursue God’s Kingdom with purpose, passion, and patience. If you have a passion for Governance and are willing to serve, would you send me an email? You can email me HERE. Thank you in advance for your consideration!

TRANSFORMATION MINISTRIES CONFERENCE 2022
Don’t forget to register for the Transformation Ministries Conference being held on February 10th  and 11th at South Shores Church in Dana Point. This is the conference we hosted for Transformation Ministries in 2015 here at Friendship. The 2022 Transformation Ministries Conference is built around the theme: Only GOD. We will revisit the book of Acts and look at how the supernatural work of God turned the world upside down. I will speak from the thought, ONLY GOD IS WORTHY! HERE is the link to Transformation Ministries advertisement for the conference this week, featuring your PASTOR. I speak on Thursday, February 10th.

All of you are invited to attend the conference! It is FREE for you to do so as long as you register under Friendship! To register, go HERE. Select “I need to add my name to my church’s registration.”  Then enter Friendship Baptist Church for the church name and enter our church address which is 17145 Bastanchury Road, Yorba Linda, CA 92886. Then enter your contact information under Attendee Information. Let me know if you have a problem by emailing me HERE.

CHURCH OFFICE UPDATES
I have some things to let you know from the church office.

First, we are still having difficulty with our phone system; however, we are working on this and should have a new phone system in place by February 1st. We have a backup system in place that is working so you can call the church number, and someone will answer or call you back. If you do not reach someone, please leave a message or contact church staff via email, and they will call you back.

Our Administrative Team is onsite daily to provide support to the membership as needed and to the best of our ability. If you need to come up to the church, please call before you come so we are prepared for your arrival. Remember, many things can be handled electronically, including a request for contribution statements. You can request your 2021 contribution statement HERE.

Secondly, I want to make you aware of two additions to our Staff Ministry Team here at Friendship. 

• We welcomed Rikki Taylor to our team on Monday, January 10th, as our Sr. Logistics Administrative Assistant. She works in the front office in our reception area and has several years of administrative experience. Rikki has been a Friendship member for many years, sings with the Inspirational Voices Choir (IVC), and volunteers with the Hospitality Ministry on Sundays or when needed. Please join us as we welcome Rikki to the Friendship Staff Ministry Team.

• Additionally, I am pleased to announce that Rev. Felton Patrick Christian, who has been serving as our Outreach Ministry Coordinator, is now serving as our Interim Director of Counseling Outreach & Evangelism. Rev. Christian has been a faithful member for many years, serving as a deacon, teacher, and minister. I am grateful for his support and assistance in this season.

General Church things to remember:













Well, that’s all I have this week. 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