Pastor’s Weekly Update October 22, 2021
Happy Friday, Friendship Family!
I pray this video message finds you blessed and basking in the continual favor of our great God!
I pray as you step into the weekend that it is a blessed and relaxing weekend for you!
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. It has been quite a blessing to have the Friendship family members pray for my family and me consistently! The power of prayer has been evident in our church down through the years. Prayer has been the foundation of this ministry and continues to be. You all know I believe in the power of prayer. When we can’t do anything else, we can pray! We should pray! We all need to pray for each other because it reinforces our relationship with Jesus Christ and bolsters our compassion for one another. So look, don’t stop praying! Keep on praying! Prayer still works.
James 5:16 reminds us that “the effective, fervent prayer of the righteous avails much!” So let’s pray effectively, fervently, and consistently! Amen!
Well, have a FULL weekend before us! It is Women’s Weekend here at Friendship! Things kick off tomorrow, Saturday, October 23rd, with the 29th WORD Conference! Ladies, tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow is the 2nd Virtual Conference but the 29th WORD Conference! We are grateful to God that the pandemic did not take our praise!
Ladies, you are invited to join the WORD conference at 9am via Youtube. It will go from 9am to 1pm. This year’s conference’s theme is The Well-Watered Woman: Rooted In Truth, Growing In Grace, Flourishing In Faith, based upon the book by author and writer Gretchen Saffles. This book teaches that the Bible isn’t a formula, a quick fix, or a self-help strategy plan; it is a life-transforming love letter from the heart of God to believers. In an age where so many seek to better themselves through worldly methods, we as Christ-followers must cling to this truth: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). So, beloved, remember a soul anchored to the hope found in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ will continuously bloom where it’s planted.
Ladies join in virtually to celebrate and give God praise for the marvelous things He has done!
Our guests are Sister Pat Ashley, Rev. Dr. Debra Haggins, and Rev. Dr. MarQuerita Story. We will have music from Radiance and encouragement from several Friendship ladies as well! Join us for what we believe will be an AWESOME time in the Lord! This Virtual Conference is a free event, but you must register. To register, please go HERE. Ladies, consider inviting your family and friends to be blessed by this event.
Then on Sunday, October 24th you are invited to join us for Women’s Day 2021. Women’s Day is a live event that will also stream as we do every Sunday morning. Our speaker will be the Rev. Dr. MarQuerita Story, who will be with us LIVE for both services! Remember, we have a special Women’s Day mask for you for those ladies who attend in person! We look forward to your being with us for Women’s Day!
Here’s what I have for you this week:
BIBLE READING
As the year dwindles away, we still want to encourage you in your Bible Reading.
At Friendship, we encourage every member to read one of six Bible reading plans in the year. These plans include;
1. The entire Bible,
2. The entire Bible,
3. The Pentateuch (or the first five books of the Old Testament),
4. The entire Old Testament,
5. The Gospels (or the first four books of the New Testament),
6. The entire New Testament, and
7. Psalms and Proverbs (3 times)
If you have not completed a reading plan, there is still time. To help you, we will load a 90-day plan to complete the Gospels in the Church App. Simply open the “Bible” tab from the bottom menu of the church app and select “plan.” Each day will include a reading of ONE chapter per day... just one chapter a day to complete the Gospels in 90 days!
If you would like to complete a different plan, I have attached some other 90-day plans HERE for you to download and follow. So let’s finish strong and read our Bible before the end of 2021.
SATURDAY SCIENCE FUN DAY
Our Academic & Career Enrichment Department is planning an exciting opportunity for fun and learning for children in 3rd grade and up at the upcoming Saturday Science Fun Day on Saturday, November 6. This Event is called “Speedometry.” We will use HotWheels cars and tracks to conduct experiments. So bring the kids out and join us. They will discover that they don’t have to be experts on complicated scientific concepts to do the most basic and most important steps of being a scientist: ask questions, observe, explore, and gather evidence. Please CLICK for more INFO & to REGISTER as soon as possible.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
OK, So I am making ONE more appeal! We really NEED VOLUNTEERS! I really need volunteers in our Media Ministry and our Audio Ministry. I need MEMBERS who are willing to serve at least one Sunday a month with either ministry. Media and Sound are critical to both our in-person worship and our online worship! We need individuals, and we need you! Would you prayerfully consider joining the team? If you want to volunteer, complete the CHANGEMAKER form by clicking HERE, and we will get you connected to the right ministry opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!
2022 CHURCH CALENDAR
Attention ALL! Dates/events for the 2022 Church Calendar are due by Monday, November 15th. Please send your calendar additions to Leigha Carrington in Membership Services by then. Also, if you need a calendar guide, please get in touch with Leigha for that as well. You may reach her HERE.
MINISTRY ELECTIONS
Also, ministry leaders remember ministry elections need to take place by November 30th. If you will not meet the deadline, please advise your Governance Committee Liason.
REMEMBERING OUR LOST LOVED ONES:
On Tuesday, October 19th, we had our Remembering Our Lost Loved Ones Service. It was nicely done and well-executed. Thank you to Rev. Dr. Linda Long, Rev. Felton Patrick Christian the entire Outreach Ministry Team. If you missed it, we invite you to view it on our Youtube page HERE. I will provide a link to make it easier for you. Unfortunately, we had a few UNINTENTIONAL exclusions in our Remembrance Slide Show, and we are sorry for this! We have updated the presentation, and you can view it HERE. Also, you can view the program HERE. Again, we apologize for this mishap.
FOURTH-QUARTER PUSH
Remember, we are in our FOURTH QUARTER PUSH! Friendship, thank you for your generous financial support of your church. You are amazingly faithful and generous. The last quarter is our time to make about 35% of our yearly budget. So, as the year comes to an end, we employ our FOURTH QUARTER PUSH CAMPAIGN to ensure we FINISH 2021 STRONG financially!
Please remain faithful to your church and continue your financial support. Your generous contributions have assisted us in maintaining a HIGH level of MINISTRY here at FRIENDSHIP. Praise God! Finishing strong will help us this year AND position us greatly for next year as we anticipate greater in-person ministry opportunities! Please know we are constantly investing in the MINISTRY here at Friendship! Ultimately, because of you, we can help spread the word of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your support.
General Church things to remember:
Well, that’s all I have this week!
Thank you for reading! I am grateful for you! Thank you for your prayers and support!
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 this video message finds you blessed and basking in the continual favor of our great God!
I pray as you step into the weekend that it is a blessed and relaxing weekend for you!
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. It has been quite a blessing to have the Friendship family members pray for my family and me consistently! The power of prayer has been evident in our church down through the years. Prayer has been the foundation of this ministry and continues to be. You all know I believe in the power of prayer. When we can’t do anything else, we can pray! We should pray! We all need to pray for each other because it reinforces our relationship with Jesus Christ and bolsters our compassion for one another. So look, don’t stop praying! Keep on praying! Prayer still works.
James 5:16 reminds us that “the effective, fervent prayer of the righteous avails much!” So let’s pray effectively, fervently, and consistently! Amen!
Well, have a FULL weekend before us! It is Women’s Weekend here at Friendship! Things kick off tomorrow, Saturday, October 23rd, with the 29th WORD Conference! Ladies, tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow is the 2nd Virtual Conference but the 29th WORD Conference! We are grateful to God that the pandemic did not take our praise!
Ladies, you are invited to join the WORD conference at 9am via Youtube. It will go from 9am to 1pm. This year’s conference’s theme is The Well-Watered Woman: Rooted In Truth, Growing In Grace, Flourishing In Faith, based upon the book by author and writer Gretchen Saffles. This book teaches that the Bible isn’t a formula, a quick fix, or a self-help strategy plan; it is a life-transforming love letter from the heart of God to believers. In an age where so many seek to better themselves through worldly methods, we as Christ-followers must cling to this truth: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). So, beloved, remember a soul anchored to the hope found in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ will continuously bloom where it’s planted.
Ladies join in virtually to celebrate and give God praise for the marvelous things He has done!
Our guests are Sister Pat Ashley, Rev. Dr. Debra Haggins, and Rev. Dr. MarQuerita Story. We will have music from Radiance and encouragement from several Friendship ladies as well! Join us for what we believe will be an AWESOME time in the Lord! This Virtual Conference is a free event, but you must register. To register, please go HERE. Ladies, consider inviting your family and friends to be blessed by this event.
Then on Sunday, October 24th you are invited to join us for Women’s Day 2021. Women’s Day is a live event that will also stream as we do every Sunday morning. Our speaker will be the Rev. Dr. MarQuerita Story, who will be with us LIVE for both services! Remember, we have a special Women’s Day mask for you for those ladies who attend in person! We look forward to your being with us for Women’s Day!
Here’s what I have for you this week:
BIBLE READING
As the year dwindles away, we still want to encourage you in your Bible Reading.
At Friendship, we encourage every member to read one of six Bible reading plans in the year. These plans include;
1. The entire Bible,
2. The entire Bible,
3. The Pentateuch (or the first five books of the Old Testament),
4. The entire Old Testament,
5. The Gospels (or the first four books of the New Testament),
6. The entire New Testament, and
7. Psalms and Proverbs (3 times)
If you have not completed a reading plan, there is still time. To help you, we will load a 90-day plan to complete the Gospels in the Church App. Simply open the “Bible” tab from the bottom menu of the church app and select “plan.” Each day will include a reading of ONE chapter per day... just one chapter a day to complete the Gospels in 90 days!
If you would like to complete a different plan, I have attached some other 90-day plans HERE for you to download and follow. So let’s finish strong and read our Bible before the end of 2021.
SATURDAY SCIENCE FUN DAY
Our Academic & Career Enrichment Department is planning an exciting opportunity for fun and learning for children in 3rd grade and up at the upcoming Saturday Science Fun Day on Saturday, November 6. This Event is called “Speedometry.” We will use HotWheels cars and tracks to conduct experiments. So bring the kids out and join us. They will discover that they don’t have to be experts on complicated scientific concepts to do the most basic and most important steps of being a scientist: ask questions, observe, explore, and gather evidence. Please CLICK for more INFO & to REGISTER as soon as possible.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
OK, So I am making ONE more appeal! We really NEED VOLUNTEERS! I really need volunteers in our Media Ministry and our Audio Ministry. I need MEMBERS who are willing to serve at least one Sunday a month with either ministry. Media and Sound are critical to both our in-person worship and our online worship! We need individuals, and we need you! Would you prayerfully consider joining the team? If you want to volunteer, complete the CHANGEMAKER form by clicking HERE, and we will get you connected to the right ministry opportunity. We look forward to hearing from you!
2022 CHURCH CALENDAR
Attention ALL! Dates/events for the 2022 Church Calendar are due by Monday, November 15th. Please send your calendar additions to Leigha Carrington in Membership Services by then. Also, if you need a calendar guide, please get in touch with Leigha for that as well. You may reach her HERE.
MINISTRY ELECTIONS
Also, ministry leaders remember ministry elections need to take place by November 30th. If you will not meet the deadline, please advise your Governance Committee Liason.
REMEMBERING OUR LOST LOVED ONES:
On Tuesday, October 19th, we had our Remembering Our Lost Loved Ones Service. It was nicely done and well-executed. Thank you to Rev. Dr. Linda Long, Rev. Felton Patrick Christian the entire Outreach Ministry Team. If you missed it, we invite you to view it on our Youtube page HERE. I will provide a link to make it easier for you. Unfortunately, we had a few UNINTENTIONAL exclusions in our Remembrance Slide Show, and we are sorry for this! We have updated the presentation, and you can view it HERE. Also, you can view the program HERE. Again, we apologize for this mishap.
FOURTH-QUARTER PUSH
Remember, we are in our FOURTH QUARTER PUSH! Friendship, thank you for your generous financial support of your church. You are amazingly faithful and generous. The last quarter is our time to make about 35% of our yearly budget. So, as the year comes to an end, we employ our FOURTH QUARTER PUSH CAMPAIGN to ensure we FINISH 2021 STRONG financially!
Please remain faithful to your church and continue your financial support. Your generous contributions have assisted us in maintaining a HIGH level of MINISTRY here at FRIENDSHIP. Praise God! Finishing strong will help us this year AND position us greatly for next year as we anticipate greater in-person ministry opportunities! Please know we are constantly investing in the MINISTRY here at Friendship! Ultimately, because of you, we can help spread the word of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you again for your support.
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.
- 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.
- CHILDREN’S MINISTRY VIDEO: Remember there’s a weekly Children’s Ministry Worship Video designed to keep our children connected, encouraged, and worshipping! Rev. Jaron Singley works hard weekly to produce a Children’s worship video. It is available through our website HERE or via the Friendship Youtube Channel 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! I am grateful for you! Thank you for your prayers and support!
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