PASTOR’S WEEKLY UPDATE JULY 15, 2022
Happy Friday, Friendship!
I pray this has been a wonderful week for each of you! I pray this, especially for those who have joined us this week for Discipleship Bootcamp! What a wonderful time of learning, sharing, and growing we experienced!
This week we addressed the concepts of leadership, purpose, and overcoming obstacles with God as our guide! Remember, God has a purpose for everyone, and YOU can be the kind of leader God wants you to be! We simply must lean into God’s plan for our lives.
I loved this week’s key verses in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “There Paul says, For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love, and self-control.”
Fan to flame the gift! The King James Version renders that phrase “stir up the gift.” Let me illustrate what it means to fan to flame the gift of God!
Let’s say you go camping. To make a fire, first, you lay down some dry twigs as kindling, followed by layers of small branches and logs. Then you light a match and set the kindling afire. The flames spread, and you soon have a nice fire. Warmed by the fire in the cold night air, you eventually fall asleep. Later, you awaken to find you no longer have a fire burning. But you do have some live embers. You realize you don’t need another match to relight your fire; you just need to get down close to blow on the embers and then fan them.
With the increased oxygen, they become even hotter. You add small branches and keep fanning until they’re set aflame. Then you add logs, and soon you have a roaring fire again. After being saved for a while, we may no longer be “burning” as hot! We need not “relight” our spirit by getting saved again. This is impossible; once we’re saved, we’re saved forever. Even when we aren’t burning hot, our gifts are still a “glowing ember” that was ignited with the fire of the Holy Spirit. We simply need to fan our spiritual gifts and give them more “oxygen” until it’s burning hot again.
My prayer is that this week’s discussion encourages us to FAN THE FLAME.
Beloved, I want to encourage you to practice your safety protocols.
Thanks to millions of vaccinations, California’s economy is open. But COVID-19 has not gone away. So to safely go about our daily lives, we must keep taking steps to prevent the spread.
Here are things we need to remember…
So beloved, just be careful! Remember our mantra:
Here are your announcements and ministry updates for this week…
DISCIPLESHIP BOOTCAMP ~ THANK YOU:
Thank you to everyone who attended Discipleship Bootcamp this week! Again, it was a wonderful week and a true blessing! Thank you to ALL the TEACHERS, SMALL GROUP LEADERS, and the many VOLUNTEERS who helped to make the week so phenomenal!
CHURCH PICNIC
Our Annual Church Picnic and 5K Health Walk will take place tomorrow, Saturday, July 16th, at Ted Craig Regional Park in Fullerton at 10am. The address is 3300 State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92835.
We are returning to the time before the pandemic, with the foods we enjoy, hamburgers, hot links, desserts, and the famous roasted buttery corn. We will have games, jumpers, and lots of fun for the entire family.
5K HEALTH WALK
The 5K Health Walk takes place on the same day as the July 16th picnic at Ted Craig Park and starts at 8am before the picnic. This is an excellent opportunity to exercise and fellowship!
NEW MEMBERS CLASS:
We are excited about all who have joined our church recently! Our Christian Education Ministry wants you to know that a new session of the New Members class will begin Sunday, July 17th. This 8-week class meets on Sundays at 10am in the Carrington Building, Room 209. This class covers the beliefs, culture, ministries, and organizational structure of Friendship Church. If you have recently joined Friendship or joined but never completed this course, you are invited to sign up using the link HERE or just show up on July 17th at 10:00 am. Let us guide you through getting to know your new church!
WOMEN’S MONTHLY FELLOWSHIP
Ladies, the next Women’s Virtual Monthly Fellowship is Friday, July 22nd, at 7:00p. The special guests are Sister Elona Brown and Sister Sonya Griffin. They will speak on I’m Not Okay, Is That Okay? These two women love the Lord! We invite you to come to learn, be encouraged, and be encouraging! Register today HERE.
YOUNG ADULT EX HOUR:
Ex Hour Live, the Young Adult Edition, is coming! We will launch a new Ex-Hour class for Young Adults ages 18-35 on August 7th. This class will be held in the Carrington Building Room 207 and offers young adults the opportunity to explore the Bible, examine the scriptures, and experience transformation relevant to this stage of their lives. Join HERE to sign up for this class and receive more information before class begins.
STEWARDSHIP MEETING
Our next Church Stewardship Meeting is on Saturday, July 23rd, at 10am. This meeting is open to all members and will be informative, encouraging, and inspiring! Plan to join me as I chart vision, introduce staff, discuss finances, and discuss other matters related to the effective advancement of God’s church! At this meeting, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight regarding various aspects of the church and our ministries. We value your partnership. So plan to join us!
TITHE & OFFERING FINANCIAL UPDATE:
Remember, Friendship is not immune to the current difficulties of the economic times, inflation, deflation, and increased fuel cost. The summer months can be challenging for the church and our budget as we seek to avoid what is known as the summer slump in the church administration world.
I prayerfully ask for your partnership and support as we seek to honor God in our giving. I believe we can make up for our current shortfall. Thank you in advance for your consideration and partnership!
Don’t forget that there are multiple ways you can give to Friendship: cash (on Sundays) and check (anytime), and also you can give online, via your desktop, laptop, or smartphone at our website or the church mobile app. To give TODAY, please go HERE.
COMPELLING PREACHING INITIATIVE SURVEY:
Would you please Complete the Compelling Preaching Survey? The Compelling Preaching Initiative seeks to explore the current and future state of preaching in the Black Church context! Therefore, we are asking that you complete a five-minute survey. If you are a regular church attendee, please complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VLR2FTG. If you know someone you are a non-church attendee, please complete this survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7TSNDC7. You need only complete one of the surveys. Namely, the one that best describes your church attendance.
Your contribution to this initiative will serve as a critical component in crafting resources to help re-tool, re-teach, and re-equip the post-modern preacher, enabling them to speak differently to a population who now listens differently. For more information, please go HERE.
COVID SAFETY UPDATE:
Beloved, since there has been a slight spike in Covid cases, we have decided to return to Praise & Worship Teams only for July & August, meaning we will not have choirs during this time. This is a precaution to keep everyone as safe as possible. We look forward to seeing you in worship each week.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ~ CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & DISCIPLESHIP
Christian Education and Discipleship is preparing to bring back children and youth Ex-Hour in September this year! We are also preparing for the children and youth Discipleship Bootcamp and need volunteers for both areas. If you are ready to see our children back in their age-appropriate bible study groups and are willing to help with teaching, classroom assistance, and administration, please email us here at [email protected]. It takes a village to bring our children back, and we need your help!
Here are a few church office updates…
General Church things to remember:
Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
I pray this has been a wonderful week for each of you! I pray this, especially for those who have joined us this week for Discipleship Bootcamp! What a wonderful time of learning, sharing, and growing we experienced!
This week we addressed the concepts of leadership, purpose, and overcoming obstacles with God as our guide! Remember, God has a purpose for everyone, and YOU can be the kind of leader God wants you to be! We simply must lean into God’s plan for our lives.
I loved this week’s key verses in 2 Timothy 1:6-7, “There Paul says, For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love, and self-control.”
Fan to flame the gift! The King James Version renders that phrase “stir up the gift.” Let me illustrate what it means to fan to flame the gift of God!
Let’s say you go camping. To make a fire, first, you lay down some dry twigs as kindling, followed by layers of small branches and logs. Then you light a match and set the kindling afire. The flames spread, and you soon have a nice fire. Warmed by the fire in the cold night air, you eventually fall asleep. Later, you awaken to find you no longer have a fire burning. But you do have some live embers. You realize you don’t need another match to relight your fire; you just need to get down close to blow on the embers and then fan them.
With the increased oxygen, they become even hotter. You add small branches and keep fanning until they’re set aflame. Then you add logs, and soon you have a roaring fire again. After being saved for a while, we may no longer be “burning” as hot! We need not “relight” our spirit by getting saved again. This is impossible; once we’re saved, we’re saved forever. Even when we aren’t burning hot, our gifts are still a “glowing ember” that was ignited with the fire of the Holy Spirit. We simply need to fan our spiritual gifts and give them more “oxygen” until it’s burning hot again.
My prayer is that this week’s discussion encourages us to FAN THE FLAME.
⚫ FAN the FLAME by reading the Word of God!
⚫ FAN the FLAME in prayer.
⚫ FAN the FLAME in service.
⚫ FAN the FLAME through difficulty.
⚫ FAN the FLAME and follow your purpose in God!
Amen!
It’s been a long week, and we have a long weekend ahead of us! So let me get to the updates and announcements and get out of your way.
It’s been a long week, and we have a long weekend ahead of us! So let me get to the updates and announcements and get out of your way.
Beloved, I want to encourage you to practice your safety protocols.
Thanks to millions of vaccinations, California’s economy is open. But COVID-19 has not gone away. So to safely go about our daily lives, we must keep taking steps to prevent the spread.
Here are things we need to remember…
⚫ Get vaccinated, and get your kids five and older vaccinated. It’s our best tool to end the pandemic. Vaccination is safe and effective.
⚫ Wear a mask to keep from spreading the virus to those with no defense, like the immune-compromised and children under 5.
⚫ Get tested for COVID-19 if you have been exposed. It’s available and confidential for everyone in California.
⚫ Find out how long to stay home and avoid others if you test positive or are exposed to COVID-19.
⚫ Also, remember to be careful when you travel, gather with friends, and attend mega-events. Mega-events are indoor events with 1,000 or more people and outdoor events with 10,000 or more people.
So beloved, just be careful! Remember our mantra:
We pray, we don’t panic, we take precautions, and we remain patient.
Here are your announcements and ministry updates for this week…
DISCIPLESHIP BOOTCAMP ~ THANK YOU:
Thank you to everyone who attended Discipleship Bootcamp this week! Again, it was a wonderful week and a true blessing! Thank you to ALL the TEACHERS, SMALL GROUP LEADERS, and the many VOLUNTEERS who helped to make the week so phenomenal!
CHURCH PICNIC
Our Annual Church Picnic and 5K Health Walk will take place tomorrow, Saturday, July 16th, at Ted Craig Regional Park in Fullerton at 10am. The address is 3300 State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92835.
We are returning to the time before the pandemic, with the foods we enjoy, hamburgers, hot links, desserts, and the famous roasted buttery corn. We will have games, jumpers, and lots of fun for the entire family.
5K HEALTH WALK
The 5K Health Walk takes place on the same day as the July 16th picnic at Ted Craig Park and starts at 8am before the picnic. This is an excellent opportunity to exercise and fellowship!
NEW MEMBERS CLASS:
We are excited about all who have joined our church recently! Our Christian Education Ministry wants you to know that a new session of the New Members class will begin Sunday, July 17th. This 8-week class meets on Sundays at 10am in the Carrington Building, Room 209. This class covers the beliefs, culture, ministries, and organizational structure of Friendship Church. If you have recently joined Friendship or joined but never completed this course, you are invited to sign up using the link HERE or just show up on July 17th at 10:00 am. Let us guide you through getting to know your new church!
WOMEN’S MONTHLY FELLOWSHIP
Ladies, the next Women’s Virtual Monthly Fellowship is Friday, July 22nd, at 7:00p. The special guests are Sister Elona Brown and Sister Sonya Griffin. They will speak on I’m Not Okay, Is That Okay? These two women love the Lord! We invite you to come to learn, be encouraged, and be encouraging! Register today HERE.
YOUNG ADULT EX HOUR:
Ex Hour Live, the Young Adult Edition, is coming! We will launch a new Ex-Hour class for Young Adults ages 18-35 on August 7th. This class will be held in the Carrington Building Room 207 and offers young adults the opportunity to explore the Bible, examine the scriptures, and experience transformation relevant to this stage of their lives. Join HERE to sign up for this class and receive more information before class begins.
STEWARDSHIP MEETING
Our next Church Stewardship Meeting is on Saturday, July 23rd, at 10am. This meeting is open to all members and will be informative, encouraging, and inspiring! Plan to join me as I chart vision, introduce staff, discuss finances, and discuss other matters related to the effective advancement of God’s church! At this meeting, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight regarding various aspects of the church and our ministries. We value your partnership. So plan to join us!
TITHE & OFFERING FINANCIAL UPDATE:
Remember, Friendship is not immune to the current difficulties of the economic times, inflation, deflation, and increased fuel cost. The summer months can be challenging for the church and our budget as we seek to avoid what is known as the summer slump in the church administration world.
I prayerfully ask for your partnership and support as we seek to honor God in our giving. I believe we can make up for our current shortfall. Thank you in advance for your consideration and partnership!
Don’t forget that there are multiple ways you can give to Friendship: cash (on Sundays) and check (anytime), and also you can give online, via your desktop, laptop, or smartphone at our website or the church mobile app. To give TODAY, please go HERE.
COMPELLING PREACHING INITIATIVE SURVEY:
Would you please Complete the Compelling Preaching Survey? The Compelling Preaching Initiative seeks to explore the current and future state of preaching in the Black Church context! Therefore, we are asking that you complete a five-minute survey. If you are a regular church attendee, please complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VLR2FTG. If you know someone you are a non-church attendee, please complete this survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7TSNDC7. You need only complete one of the surveys. Namely, the one that best describes your church attendance.
Your contribution to this initiative will serve as a critical component in crafting resources to help re-tool, re-teach, and re-equip the post-modern preacher, enabling them to speak differently to a population who now listens differently. For more information, please go HERE.
COVID SAFETY UPDATE:
Beloved, since there has been a slight spike in Covid cases, we have decided to return to Praise & Worship Teams only for July & August, meaning we will not have choirs during this time. This is a precaution to keep everyone as safe as possible. We look forward to seeing you in worship each week.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED ~ CHRISTIAN EDUCATION & DISCIPLESHIP
Christian Education and Discipleship is preparing to bring back children and youth Ex-Hour in September this year! We are also preparing for the children and youth Discipleship Bootcamp and need volunteers for both areas. If you are ready to see our children back in their age-appropriate bible study groups and are willing to help with teaching, classroom assistance, and administration, please email us here at [email protected]. It takes a village to bring our children back, and we need your help!
Here are a few church office updates…
General Church things to remember:
⚫ 2022 CHURCH THEME:
United & Unashamed: God’s People United in Mission, Ministry, & Mandate
1 Corinthians 12:12-27 ESV; Romans 1:16-17 ESV
⚫ JUNE PRAYER FOCUS:
Praying that Friendship Embraces the Grace of God
Eph.2:8-9, Acts 20:32a, Rom. 5:2
⚫ BIBLE READING
You have 170 days to complete a Bible reading plan, including today. Friendship encourages every member to read one of six Bible reading plans in the year. These plans include;
✔️ The entire Bible,
✔️ The Pentateuch (or the first five books of the Old Testament),
✔️ The entire Old Testament,
✔️ The Gospels (or the first four books of the New Testament),
✔️ The entire New Testament, and
✔️ Psalms and Proverbs (3 times)
⚫ SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow us on our social media pages for upcoming content. For Facebook, that’s @FriendshipBaptistChurch. For Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, it’s @wearefriendshipchurch.
⚫ IN-PERSON EX-HOUR:
In-person Ex-Hour meets each Sunday from 10am to 11am 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.
⚫ 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 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.
⚫ CHILDREN’S MINISTRY VIDEO: A weekly Children’s Ministry Worship Video is provided to keep our children connected, encouraged, and worshipped! Rev. Jaron Singley works hard weekly to produce a Children’s worship video. It is available through our website HERE or the Friendship YouTube Channel HERE.
⚫ WEDNESDAY Prayer Day: Join us each Wednesday for Prayer. We pray at 6:30am, 12pm, and 6:30pm. To connect with our prayer services, please follow this link HERE or dial +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, 2:30pm-4:30pm.
⚫ 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 COVID Membership Assistance Grant applications. 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!
Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Connected!
God loves you, and so do I!
In His Service,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor
Posted in COVID-19