Weekly Word from Pastor Curry: June 18th, 2020
Good Evening Friendship,
I pray this communication finds each of you doing well as we close the week! I am sending this as Lady Karima and I wrap up a brief vacation in celebration of our wedding anniversary. Thank you again for all of the well wishes on our anniversary. Trust that we are getting some much needed rest while we are away.
While I felt it necessary to keep with our consistent communication, I have opted not to record a video this week. This allows me to limit the amount of work I am doing while away so I pray you read this message in its entirety to receive all of the pertinent information it includes.
You also may have noticed that this email was sent a day earlier than scheduled. That is because tomorrow, June 19th, is a noteworthy holiday in the African American community. Juneteenth, as the day is known, is celebrated on June 19th, hence the name. Specifically, this holiday marks the anniversary of when Texas learned that President Abraham Lincoln had declared slavery illegal. Texas was the final state to hear the news, so June 19, 1865, was when the last slaves were freed, almost two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Americans, specifically African-Americans, celebrate this freedom on Juneteenth.
In light of recent events, many organizations and businesses across America are closing their doors in observance of Juneteenth and are spending the holiday promoting and supporting social justice initiatives. We at Friendship will do the same. Therefore, our church office will be closed on tomorrow, June 19th, in observance of the day America OFFICIALLY became the land of the free.
Now let me pause and say congratulations to all of our students as the academic year has come to close. Next Sunday on June 28th, we will celebrate all of our graduates and our scholarship ministry participants. Thank you to the scholarship ministry and all the mentors who work with our students - we succeed together! So stay tuned during the services next week for the virtual Baccalaureate and Scholarship Ministry presentation.
Also be on the lookout! Our Children, Youth and Young Adult ministries are planning a fun-filled month-long event in July called Summer Blast! There will be weekly virtual meet-ups for children and youth with games and crafts as well as a Family Night Drive in Event at the end of the month. CLICK HERE to find out more and to register.
Now, businesses and activities continue to open up through the State of California. As a reminder, we have NOT set a regathering date here at Friendship. We are researching, reviewing, listening, and learning about best practices for regathering. I am sitting in on various webinars and conversations on this subject almost daily. My team is working on learning what works and what does not. We know many of you need a community that is not virtual. We hear you. Our priority, again, is your safety. As stated previously, we are working to have the church picnic because all of the current public health information encourages outdoor events, so we are planning the picnic. It will look very different from past picnics, prioritizing physical distancing, sanitary procedures, and personal safety/responsibility, but it will be VERY fun. Please stay tuned for more information but save the date, July 18th, at Craig Park!
Here are my updates for you this week:
Ongoing Reminders:
I look forward to seeing you Sunday for Worship. I will be preaching from Galatians chapter 2 and the FOCUS Young Adult praise team will join us and provide music. How exciting! Also, we will be celebrating our Father's for Father's Day so be sure to tune in to see the final product of our tribute video.
That’s it beloved, continue to pray. Continue to take care of one another. Continue to be the church!
Serving you and grateful,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Senior Pastor
I pray this communication finds each of you doing well as we close the week! I am sending this as Lady Karima and I wrap up a brief vacation in celebration of our wedding anniversary. Thank you again for all of the well wishes on our anniversary. Trust that we are getting some much needed rest while we are away.
While I felt it necessary to keep with our consistent communication, I have opted not to record a video this week. This allows me to limit the amount of work I am doing while away so I pray you read this message in its entirety to receive all of the pertinent information it includes.
You also may have noticed that this email was sent a day earlier than scheduled. That is because tomorrow, June 19th, is a noteworthy holiday in the African American community. Juneteenth, as the day is known, is celebrated on June 19th, hence the name. Specifically, this holiday marks the anniversary of when Texas learned that President Abraham Lincoln had declared slavery illegal. Texas was the final state to hear the news, so June 19, 1865, was when the last slaves were freed, almost two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Americans, specifically African-Americans, celebrate this freedom on Juneteenth.
In light of recent events, many organizations and businesses across America are closing their doors in observance of Juneteenth and are spending the holiday promoting and supporting social justice initiatives. We at Friendship will do the same. Therefore, our church office will be closed on tomorrow, June 19th, in observance of the day America OFFICIALLY became the land of the free.
Now let me pause and say congratulations to all of our students as the academic year has come to close. Next Sunday on June 28th, we will celebrate all of our graduates and our scholarship ministry participants. Thank you to the scholarship ministry and all the mentors who work with our students - we succeed together! So stay tuned during the services next week for the virtual Baccalaureate and Scholarship Ministry presentation.
Also be on the lookout! Our Children, Youth and Young Adult ministries are planning a fun-filled month-long event in July called Summer Blast! There will be weekly virtual meet-ups for children and youth with games and crafts as well as a Family Night Drive in Event at the end of the month. CLICK HERE to find out more and to register.
Now, businesses and activities continue to open up through the State of California. As a reminder, we have NOT set a regathering date here at Friendship. We are researching, reviewing, listening, and learning about best practices for regathering. I am sitting in on various webinars and conversations on this subject almost daily. My team is working on learning what works and what does not. We know many of you need a community that is not virtual. We hear you. Our priority, again, is your safety. As stated previously, we are working to have the church picnic because all of the current public health information encourages outdoor events, so we are planning the picnic. It will look very different from past picnics, prioritizing physical distancing, sanitary procedures, and personal safety/responsibility, but it will be VERY fun. Please stay tuned for more information but save the date, July 18th, at Craig Park!
Here are my updates for you this week:
- COMEDY NIGHT AT THE SHIP X: This Saturday, June 20th, we will continue a tradition here at Friendship of hosting a comedy show featuring some of the most hilarious comics the industry has to offer. This year, the event will be held ONLINE on all of our streaming platforms, which include Facebook, YouTube and our website. Tune in at 5:00pm and prepare for an evening of laughter. The event is free, but there will be opportunity to donate directly to the comedians via the Cash App if you feel led.
- FBC FOOD BANK RE-OPENING: The FBC Food Bank is NOW OPEN with a new drive-thru system where our clients will receive a pre-packaged food box and bag of groceries. The Food Bank hours of operation are Tuesday - Thursday 2:30pm-4:30pm. Members of Friendship are encouraged to participate. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered to assist with set-up, preparation of grocery bags, placement of food items in car trunks, and to assist with traffic control. Now we need to spread the word to our local community, so tell a friend and help us serve the community!
Ongoing Reminders:
- EX HOUR: Ex Hour starts a new study on Proverbs this Sunday, June 7th. We have Ex Hour books if you would like to follow along better and study on your own. You can pick up a book Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. Remember EX Hour takes place every Sunday through the video conference app, Google Meet. Join us for class on Sundays at 10:15a by opening our church app, clicking “ATTEND” and choosing EX Hour. A Google account is not required, but if you access on a mobile device, you may need to download the Google Hangouts: Meet app. You can also join on your computer by visiting wearefriendship.church/exhour and following the instructions listed.
- 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#.
- RTNT Bible Study with Pastor Curry: After prayer on Wednesday evenings, please join me for RTNT Bible Study at 7pm. To connect with me for Bible Study, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 302-455-8997 and use the PIN: 906 944 250#. I hope you are keeping up with your reading and your SOAP journaling. The reading plan is available HERE.
- COVID Membership Assistance Fund: We are pleased to announce that we are now 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. We only have thirty of these grants available, and they are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The guidelines are available HERE, and the application is available HERE.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday for Worship. I will be preaching from Galatians chapter 2 and the FOCUS Young Adult praise team will join us and provide music. How exciting! Also, we will be celebrating our Father's for Father's Day so be sure to tune in to see the final product of our tribute video.
That’s it beloved, continue to pray. Continue to take care of one another. Continue to be the church!
Serving you and grateful,
Rev. Kenneth C. Curry, Jr.
Senior Pastor
Posted in COVID-19