PASTOR'S UPDATE JULY 5, 2024

Greetings Friendship Family,
Prayerfully, you had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday!  Pastor Jaron Singley and Sis. LeShon Archer here to give a few quick announcements.  Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Now let's look at the announcements. 

MONTHLY FAMILY PRAYER SERVICE
Today is the Friday before the first Sunday and we would usually gather in-person or virtually this evening for our Monthly Family Prayer Service.  Due to the holiday weekend, Pastor Curry had planned that this would be a "prayer-in-place" event.  Please, take some time today to pause and pray.  You can view our prayer list and see the theme for the month of July HERE.

COMMUNION SUNDAY, MAY 5TH
This Sunday, July 7th, is First Sunday. I pray you will join us in person for worship and communion!  Pastor Curry will be preaching and is encouraging all to read Acts chapters 15 and 16.  If you will worship form home, check out the communion instructions so you can observe communion virtually HERE.

MEN'S MONTHLY GATHERING
Men of Friendship! We continue our monthly gathering this Monday at 7:00pm.

DISCIPLESHIP BOOTCAMP, JULY 16-18th
Friendship family, everyone is invited to attend Discipleship Bootcamp (aka, Vacation Bible School) being held Tuesday, July 16th - Thursday, July 18th from 6-9 p.m. here at the church. Our theme this year is 'Christmas in July.' Dinner will be served nightly starting at 6 p.m., followed by classes starting at 7 p.m. Children, youth, and adults are invited to attend classes where we'll focus on the Christmas story and learn why Jesus is the Gift that Changed Everything. Please register so we can prepare meals and learning materials, accordingly. All adults who register before Sunday, July 14th will receive a complimentary gift! Be one of the first 50 adults to register on or before Sunday, July 7th and your name will be entered into a drawing to save 50% on a ticket to our Christmas Gala in December! (Note: You must attend Discipleship Bootcamp at least one night to be entered into the drawing).  We'll see you at Discipleship Bootcamp! To register: CLICK HERE

HARVEST CRUSADE - ANGEL STADIUM
Whether you're seeking, doubting, or suffering, the Harvest Crusade is a place to find people who love you and to discover how Jesus can change everything for you. This FREE event features performances from top musical guests and a message from Pastor Greg Laurie that could change your life.  Get more information, HERE.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL BACKPACK & SCHOOL SUPPLY GIVEAWAY
Our Back to School Backpack and School Supply Giveaway will take place on Sunday, July 24th from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. YES CHURCH IS STILL TAKING PLACE!  We are partnering with the NAACP of Orange County to kick off the 2024-2025 school year.

Parents, bring your children out for a fun day of play and praise! Get the school supplies you need! Plus, there will be an ART Village where students can personalize their backpacks with creative pins and patches. They will also have the opportunity to take selfies with a nice Back-To-School backdrop.  We will have food vendors, cotton candy and more!!!  Our scholarship ministries will be taking sign-ups for the new school year!  The whole family can get their praise on with our combined Children & Youth Choir at the 8:00 am and 11:30 am Services!  Friendship, this is a great opportunity to invite families you know to worship with you and get ready for the school year.

60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION COMMEMORATIVE BOOK
Our 60th Anniversary Commemorative book is here. You can pick up your book this weekend or purchase one for only $75.00. Friendship, family, friends, and guests, we need you to support this great milestone. 

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY
Attention all ladies! We invite you to join our new study, Not What I Signed Up For: Finding the Strength, Purpose, and Faith to Get through a Season You Didn’t Expect, by Nicole Unice. In this 8-week series, we’ll explore the biblical story of Joseph, gaining insights on how God uses life’s challenges to nurture our souls. If you’ve ever felt lost in an unexpected season, this study will provide the spiritual support you need.  Facilitators: Rev. Belinda Wright & Rev. Fredia Travis.

This new study is on Wednesdays, at 7:30 p.m. and will be held online via Zoom. Books can be ordered on Amazon. To register for the class: CLICK HERE 

CHILDREN'S & YOUTH WORSHIP SERVICES - 1-3 & 5th SUNDAYS
Children's Worship happens every 1st - 3rd & 5th Sundays during the 11:30 am service only.  All Children from age 3 through the 5th Grade are welcome to join in.  We currently have three groupings; Pre-K - Kindergarten, First - Third Grade, and Fourth & Fifth Grade.

All youth 6th-12th Grade are welcome to join in our Youth Worship Service.  Come out as we kick off this series called Fake I.D.  This series is all about finding identity in Christ. But it’s also about how difficult that can be when we constantly let our shame, our achievements, our selfishness and what other people say get in the way of really understanding what that identity is.  The Youth Praise Team leads praise & worship and there will also be games and fun.  They meet in the Carrington Building Basement.  Young people, JOIN IN!        

SAFETY TEAM
The Friendship Safety Team is currently recruiting new members. We need more women and coverage for the 2nd service.

The prerequisites are:

1. Member in good standing. New Members must complete new member's class to be officially added to the team. However, they are able to serve while attending the class.
2. Ability to serve the entire service. We ask that they show up 30 mins prior to the start of service and stay until the end of service, preferably until all the parishioners leave.
3. Be available for special services/events, as needed.

We also would like to appeal to those in Law Enforcement Officers or Retired LEOs. We would love to you on the team, but we know that many of you want to just worship and leave the job at the job. The Safety team, however, just needs to know who you are and where you (in the service) are in case of an emergency.

If interested please contact Pastor Rodney Friend HERE.

FAITHFUL GIVING
We want to say thank you for your giving and partnership.  YOUR GIVING MATTERS! Your faithful giving allows us to increasingly do the work of ministry for our members AND to everyone the Lord sends to us and sends us to.   Let’s keep giving to make Friendship a productive church!  You may give HERE.

General Church things to remember:

• 2024 CHURCH THEME:

     Advancing and Expanding... for God's Glory Alone
     Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV

• JULY PRAYER FOCUS:

     Walking in the liberty of Christ
     2 Cor 3:17; John 8:36; Gal 5:13-14; Psalm 119:45; Acts 13:38-39; Romans 6:22

• BIBLE READING

✔ 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)

• WEEKLY HEALTH WALK 

• IN-PERSON EX-HOUR: 

• 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 Carl Randolph.
• Young Adults Class (Carrington Building Rooms 207-208): This class is designed for those aged 18-35.
• VIRTUAL EX HOUR: Virtual Ex-Hour meets weekly on Sundays via ZOOM. Join us for class at 10:00 am 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 EX-Hour is back and meets on Sundays at 10am in the Multipurpose Building. Parents, please note you must check in and check out your children 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 6:30 am, 12:00 pm, and 6:30 pm. To connect with our prayer services, please follow this link HERE or dial in at +1 (413) 418-4274 and use the PIN 287683504#.

• Friendship FOOD BANK OPEN: The Friendship 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, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm.  

Look, Friendship, that's all we have today.  We appreciate your continued support, Friendship Family!  For more information, contact the church office.

God bless you, Friendship!

Stay Safe!

Pastor Jaron Singley
Sister LeShon Archer