PASTOR’S WEEKLY UPDATE FEBRUARY 17, 2023

Hey there Friendship Family!

I greet you in the precious name of Jesus! It’s a glorious name!

The book of Philippians contains a great passage about the name of Jesus when it says:

Yes, there is something powerful and glorious about the name of Jesus!

I sincerely pray that your week has been going well, and if it has been a challenging week, I pray that God has reminded you that He is with you in the challenges! AMEN!

Here are just a few updates and info on things that are on the horizon...

NEW CLASS BEGINNING
We invite all those who are interested in learning to share their FAITH to join us for this upcoming exciting class called "Live Ready: Sharing Jesus As You Go."
Sharing the gospel with others can seem difficult and daunting, stressful and adversarial.  This class will help with that! The class is set to start soon and is an opportunity to build resilience as we faithfully move forward in our call to share the Gospel.  To register, click HERE.

MARRIAGE CONFERENCE
Tomorrow morning, Saturday, February 18th,  Join Pastor Kenneth and Lady Karima Curry at the Building Strong Marriages Conference at Atherton Baptist Church in Hawthorne.  For tickets, please go HERE.

FRIENDSHIP CHOIR @ DISNEYLAND
Also tomorrow, our Friendship Choir will sing at this year’s Disney Celebrate Gospel on Saturday, February 18th. Our performance time will be at 2:30 pm to open the show.  You can access Disneyland's Celebrate Gospel page for more information HERE.

WOMEN’S MINISTRY PRAYER CONFERENCE
Ladies, it is with exuberance, excitement, and jubilant joy that we invite you to our very first "In-Person" event in 2023 - FBC Women’s Ministry Prayer Conference! Join us on February 25th at 9:00 a.m., and as a church community and as Women of Faith, let’s get together to Praise and Pray! Our guest speaker is the Rev. Dr. Sonya Dawson of the New Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church.  Mark your calendars, save the date, and most importantly, don't forget to register by going HERE.

FBC FOOD PANTRY
Our food pantry has a couple of requests.  First, Are there any homeless and or hungry families you are aware of; in your neighborhood, or your circles of influence?  Have you considered providing food to those who are less fortunate?  The FBC Food pantry has an opportunity for you to fulfill the gospel in a practical way.  All that is required is a willing heart and a little time to deliver bags of groceries to those who are in need.   Further information will be provided for those who answer the call.

Secondly, Attention Men of Friendship. We need you! We need men to help us pick-up donated food from area stores and other sources so that we can serve those with food insecurity. This requires some mild lifting.

We really need your help on Mondays and Fridays during the morning hours! If you are free during those times able to assist please contact Gloria Banks or Rev. Felton Christian here at the church. You can reach Rev. Felton Christian HERE.

CSU SUPER SUNDAY
Next Sunday, February 26th, is CSU Super Sunday.  CSU Super Sunday is a partnership with the California State University system to highlight and emphasize the accessibility to higher education to children and adults alike.  We will have a guest speaker at our services, current students, staff, and alumni will be available in the quad between services, and there will be a brief presentation for our youth at 10:45 am (right after Ex-Hour.)

BEREAVEMENT COMMITTEE
We also need individuals to serve on our bereavement committee providing assistance to bereaved families at funerals during the repast. If you are interested in serving please contact the church office.  

We are still taking requests for CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS now, you may do so HERE.

HEALTH SURVEY
Please, Don’t forget about the Health Survey. It is live and we need several hundred more participants!

We need to hit our goal of 3500 participants by the end of February 2023. Beloved, we want to equip the black community in OC with information, services, and tools to remove adverse effects on our health which sets us up for poor outcomes when significant illnesses/pandemics (like COVID-19) occur.

Here is a link to the HEAAL website.

HEART HEALTH EDUCATIONAL SERIES
Also, Second Baptist Church, in partnership with the Association of Black Cardiologists, Friendship Baptist, Johnson Chapel A.M.E., and Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. is hosting a series of 9 more  community-based heart health educational sessions designed to provide the African American community with tools and resources to reduce cardiovascular disease and improve health outcomes by reducing disparities in cardiovascular disease. These sessions are offered via zoom on the 4th Tuesday of each month.  To attend the session, go HERE.

General Church things to remember:

• 2023 CHURCH THEME:

      Resilient Faith
      Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV

• FEBRUARY PRAYER FOCUS:

  Showing the love of Christ One to Another
1 Cor 13:4-8; John 13:34; Gal 5:14; Matt 22:37-39

• BIBLE READING

 We invite everyone to consider reading God’s Word this year! As of today, you have  317 days        to complete a Bible reading plan, including today. At Friendship, we encourage every member      to read one of six Bible reading plans in the year. These plans include:

• IN-PERSON EX-HOUR: We invite you to stay after the first service or come earlier for the second service to attend Ex-Hour in person. Remember, we have two adult classes meeting in person on campus and a Young Adult Class. They meet as follows:
  • Adult Class One (Sanctuary): The team teaching in the Sanctuary includes Lady Karima Curry, Pamela Jones, Deacon Demetrius Linebarger, Melanie Porter, Vivian Randolph, & Deacon James Shelby
  • Adult Class Two (Carrington Building Room 217): The team teaching in the Carrington Building Room 217 includes Le Shon Archer, Deacon Rick Archer, Karen Ammons, Gwen Matthews, and Rev. Phil Yoder
  • Young Adults Class (Carrington Building Rooms 207-208): This class is designed for those aged 18-35.
• 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 in-person youth Ex Hour takes place during our designated EX Hour time in the Multipurpose Building. Parents, please encourage your students to join youth teachers for this biblically fun opportunity to learn God’s Word, connect with others, and grow.
• CHILDREN’S EX-HOUR: As stated in previous weeks, our Children’s ExHour is back and meets on Sundays at 10am in the Multipurpose Building. Parents, please note you must sign your children in weekly for Ex-hour.  
• MOMMIES WITH BABIES: We have our Mommies with Babies class simultaneously during EX-Hour in the Multipurpose Building. Mommies with two years old and younger children are invited to this EX-HOUR class and are encouraged to bring their children with them! Come for encouragement, community, and growth! Amen!
• 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 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, 2:30pm-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 COVID-19, 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 we have this week. Continue to Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Connected!

God loves you, and so do we!

Hope to See you on Sunday…

 In His Service,

Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Your Pastor