Pastor's Blog

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Matt Everett’s father is in ICU in a local hospital.  I was unaware of this until yesterday.  Pray for him as there has been some improvement but he still has a ways to go.

Phyllis M is also in the hospital.  Seemingly battling an infection.  Pray for her?  (Why the M?  Cannot spell her last name – LOL!)

Claude Landry’s surgery was a success.  How much of his sight will he regain in that eye?  Time will tell.

Jennifer Brinkman’s father was discharged from the hospital yesterday morning.  He will be able to attend his father’s funeral service tomorrow.

Chris Collins was also discharged from the hospital yesterday shortly after noon.  He is waiting on some test results.  He told me that his pain was gone but I looked and she was still standing there!  Just saying!  LOL!

Church wide bowling fellowship this Sunday evening following our service.  Y’all come.

Summer time is here based on our temperatures.  This is for all of the folks who complain when it gets so cold i.e. forty degrees in our Winter months.

I pray that you will have a great Thursday with Jesus.

Craig Kirschenman, age 65, a native of Weynesville, Missouri and resident of Grand Bay, Alabama, went home to be with his Lord on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Lois Kirschenman. He is survived by his brother, Scott (Jennifer) Kirschenman, nephew, Jason Kirschenman, nieces, Jenni (Bubba) Baggett and Ashley (John) Brooks, numerous, great nieces and nephews, other relatives and many friends. Visitation will be held at 4pm at Friendship Baptist Church (12581 Saeger Rd. Grand Bay, AL 36541) on Saturday, May 25, 2019 and service to follow at 5pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to G.R.A.C.E. Ministries through Friendship Baptist Church.

Walter Lester Kirk, Jr, born October 3,1922, joined the love of his life, Runelle Jones Kirk, in heaven on May 15, 2019, at the age of 96. He served in WW II as a Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mate Third Class in the Philippines campaign and worked his entire career, 46 years, at Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Lester Kirk, Sr. and Sally Ethyl Mayer; his brother, George Kirk; two sisters, Marjorie Thames and Evelyn Davis, and his son, James David Kirk.

His survivors include one son, Walter Lester (Mary) Kirk, III; two daughters, Lee Chenevert and Karen (Bob) McFarlane; eight grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Funeral services are scheduled for Friday, May 24, 2019 at 12:00 Noon from the chapel of Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday from 10:00 AM until service time. Interment will follow in Mobile Memorial Gardens.

I knew I was forgetting something when I posted the first entry today.  Pam Baker’s father, Claude Landry, has a detached retina and they are doing surgery today to reattach it.  The prayer is that he will regain a good portion of his sight in that eye.  Pray for Claude.  He is a really great guy!

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Jennifer Brinkman’s father had a much better day yesterday.  As a matter of fact, Jennifer told me last night that one of his surgeons has said he can be discharged if the other doctors agree.  Pray that this can become a reality as his father’s service takes place on Friday.

Scott, Jennifer and family are looking toward a time of visitation this Saturday beginning at 4:00PM followed by a 5:00PM memorial service.  All of this will take place in our auditorium.  Our auditorium Sunday School class will be feeding the family following the service.  These arrangements are not set in stone but are pretty well set barring some unforeseen happening.  Keep praying for Craig’s family.

Bro. Jerry is a happy camper now that he is at home.  He is well on the way to a complete recovery and healing.  Praise the Lord!

Regular schedule this morning and tonight on our campus.  I pray that the members of the Friendship family will be faithful to attend.

Remember, no preschool or children’s choirs now until after school begins in August.

College Bible study tonight at 8:00PM.  Led by Dale Bosarge.

Church wide bowling fellowship this Sunday evening following our worship service.  Open to all ages.  Gutter guards will be open for our novice bowlers like Jack Lastorka.  Just saying!

I was able to give away some squash yesterday.  (Yes, some of the squash that John Milton Ladnier gave me Monday afternoon)  Did I tell the recipients that I grew the squash in my garden?  Well, if they said something like, “you planted squash?” then I just said “yes” and let it go.  (Never mind that my squash seeds did not come up until a few days ago and that the plants are now like one inch high)  The main thing is that they are getting free squash!  LOL!

I have now had three people tell me that they are no longer getting an e-mail notice whenever I post an entry.  Others tell me they are receiving the notices just fine.  Being the tech savvy person that I am, I will check into it.

I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Just received word that Craig Kirschenman has passed from this life.  The electronic message came to me around 12:30AM.  I visited with Craig yesterday afternoon and it was obvious his time on life was very limited.  He is now with Jesus.  Pray for the family as they walk through this valley.

Bro. Jerry Hovel was discharged from the hospital late yesterday afternoon – praise the Lord!  He is doing very well and it seems they have corrected his problem.

Jennifer Brinkman’s father remains hospitalized and it appears he will remain there for at least a few more days.  It also appears that he will miss his father’s funeral service this Friday.  Pray for him and for the Kirk family.

Church wide bowling fellowship this Sunday evening, 5/26, immediately following our worship service.  Church attendance and five dollars required.  Y’all come!

Worked early yesterday morning making my garden a Santa Claus garden – hoe, hoe, hoe and more to go.  Yesterday afternoon saw me use the tiller to plow the entire garden.  Therapy for me.

John Milton Ladnier brought us like one ton of squash yesterday afternoon.  John Milton is perhaps the most generous person I know when it comes to giving away produce.  He plants like acre after acre and then gives ninety percent of it away!  He was telling me yesterday what else he has recently planted and I just said, “you never know when to stop!”  Amazing!  What a wonderful example of generosity!

Can anyone stop the Warriors?  Levi Seymour would be the guy to answer that question as he is our NBA expert in residence.  Wow, what a team!

Bobby and the boys were beaten by the Mets last night.  I hope they can soon go on a winning streak.

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday with Jesus.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Visited with Bro. Jerry yesterday afternoon and he was doing well.  He went to a regular diet yesterday and all was well.  It appears that he will be discharged either today or tomorrow.  He is in hopes it is today.  Thank you for praying.

The thought process was that Jennifer Brinkman’s father would be discharged from the hospital today.  She told me after the service last night that was not going to happen.  Keep praying.

The visitation and service for Jennifer’s paternal grandfather will take place this Friday, 5/24.  Visitation from 10:00AM until the noon service time.

Our preschool and children’s choirs did nice jobs last night in our service.  I appreciate the job our workers did and now they will get about a two month break which will allow them to join us in our prayer services.  That will be nice for them and us.  I encourage you to get your children involved in the music program.

Parker Vice did a very nice job on the piano and with his solo last night.  TJ has worked really hard with him and it showed!

Dale Bosarge did a nice job of preaching in our two services yesterday morning.  Congratulations to the eight high school seniors who attended the second service and were recognized.  I think this week will wrap up the graduation ceremonies.  Those graduates and all others are invited to attend the college Bible study at our house on Wednesday nights beginning at 8:00PM.  Dale leads those studies.

Zach Huhn will come on board the first of June.  He is presently in the New England area.  Pray for Zach and for our student ministry.

Our morning services were attended fairly well yesterday morning.  However, there were a good number of our “regular” attenders who were missing and some of them have gotten “regular” in this practice.  I get confused how one can be a leader today and missing in action tomorrow?  Is it a case of teaching/saying one thing and then living another?  Can you say “red truck?”  I hope to see many of our “regulars” in attendance this coming Sunday.

We are going to have a church wide bowling fellowship this Sunday evening, 5/26, beginning at 8:00PM.  Obviously, attending the evening service is a must in order to attend the fellowship.  The cost is five dollars per person with a twenty dollars cap per immediate family.  This is for the entire family.  Come join us!

I watched the Nationals game last night in order to catch glimpses of Coach Bobby.  The Nats lost but it was a good game.

I pray that you will have a great Monday with Jesus.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Happy birthday to our son-in-law, Brad Hutto.  I hope he has a great day!

The visitation and service for Jennifer Brinkman’s grandfather will take place next Friday, 5/24.  Pray for the family in the meanwhile.

Jennifer’s father had fluid drawn from his body yesterday.  He needs our prayer support.

Keep praying for Bro. Jerry and do likewise for Yancey Hall.

The wedding shower for Johnny & Lacey takes place today from 2:00 – 4:00PM in our fellowship hall.  Registered at Belk, Target, and Bed Bath & Beyond.  All ladies of the church are invited to attend.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.

Lisa and Deidra cooked a feast for the twenty five men involved in the construction of the school.  The men were happy campers.  The building is progressing nicely.

Lord willing, Lisa and I will board a plane headed for home early today and will be in Grand Bay before nightfall if all goes as planned.

I pray that you will have a great Saturday with Jesus.

Ladies, please take note of the bridal shower for Lacey, bride elect of Johnny Ladnier, that takes place tomorrow afternoon in the fellowship hall.  If someone reading this will send me the times, registry locations, et cetera then I will post it tomorrow morning.

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)

Yancey Hall was discharged from the hospital yesterday.  They are truly moving toward knee replacement surgery being done as outpatient surgery.  Pray for Yancey in his therapy and recovery.  Thanks to Deacon Carl Ray Moulds for checking on Yancey and keeping me updated.

Deacons John Milton Ladnier and Larry Whitehurst have visited with Bro. Jerry Hovel in the hospital.  I appreciate them making that visit (other deacons have probably done the same).  Bro. Jerry continues to need our prayer support as he recovers from his most recent surgery.

Jennifer Brinkman’s father may have a test done today as he is having some issues.  Pray for him.

It appears that the funeral service for Jennifer’s grandfather will take place one week from today.  Those arrangements may be finalized today.  Keep praying for the family.

We are on a regular schedule this Sunday morning and evening.  We will recognize our high school graduates in our 10:30AM service and then our children’s choir will present their Spring musical in our 6:00PM service.

Wow, what a Thursday on GRACE Mountain.  Thank God for Ross Genzink!  There has a plumbing problem (drainage) in the most recently build apartment ever since it has been built.  Ross brought a camera with him and literally looked all morning trying to locate the problem.  Just before lunch the problem was located and it then took until 5:00PM to repair it.  That involved taking up paving stones on the outside and then removing a section of the tile inside the feeding center.  Folks, it was not pretty!  However, all is well that ends well and the problem has been solved – praise the Lord and thank God for Ross and his camera!

I pray that you will have a great Friday with Jesus.