Pastor's Blog

There are several new prayer requests that I have but I do not know if I have permission to share them.  I just ask you to pray as God knows.

Regular schedule on our campus today – morning and evening.  Hope to see many of you in attendance.

I am pleased to announce that Jacob Hall is the young man who has accepted the call to be our Minister to Students.  His first day on the job will be Monday, October 27.  Welcome Bro. Jacob, his wife and their daughter.

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

Tory Baisden’s dad is in a hospital in South Carolina battling an infection.  He has been in ICU but is not at the present time.  The medical folks are in hopes of doing surgery really soon as they need to try and rid his body of the infection.  Tory & Klover are in South Carolina while Aaron & the boys remain at home.  Pray for this family!

I am going with the “no news is good news” regarding Rebekah and Natalie.  Still praising God for answering the prayers regarding Rebekah’s possible complications following the birth of Natalie. No surgery was needed – praise the Lord!

Our 2026 “Larry Crawley Hallelujah Festival” will take place on Sunday afternoon, October 26, on our back forty.  We need help in two areas.  First, we need a bunch of individuals, families, classes, et cetera to open their trunk, set up a booth, et cetera.  Second, we need members of the Friendship family to bring bags of wrapped candy that can be used that day.  Beginning tomorrow night, 10/15, there will be bins in the auditorium foyer and in the Preschool Building where those donations can be placed.  All hands on deck, please.  Or to quote the beloved Miss Kittie Camp, “many hands make light work!”

I am excited about our newest staff member joining us.  I will share his name tomorrow.  You may have seen that Pastor Spencer Bell resigned his church this past Sunday morning.  I can assure you that it is not Spencer Bell.  Yes, Spencer is twenty-three years old going on eighty-three.  I would hire Pastor Jack Bailey as youth pastor before hiring Spencer.  Just saying!

I do want to say that, while I am grateful for our new staff member, I continue to be very thankful for Bro. Abel Garcia and his role as a staff member.  The brother is good!  Perfect?  Nope.  But he has a heart for the ministry and is willing to do whatever it takes to help build the church to the glory of God.  I am thrilled to have Bro. Abel on our staff as he is a huge blessing to me.

Important day this Sunday in the life of the Friendship family.  Refresh Committee will share beginning at 3:45PM regarding the seating in the auditorium moving ahead.  The choices will be pews or chairs.  Nothing else will be shared during this meeting.  Could last fifteen minutes or the entire seventy-five minutes.  Henry Wyse will lead the meeting representing the committee and Bro. Abel will be the point man for the staff.

It is more important this Sunday that we get to teach and preach the Word of God!  Also, we get to join in corporate worship.  May souls be saved, lives changed and disciples developed.

Deidra and the girls left for Guatemala this morning.  It was good to have them here for a few days.  The girls are growing up so quickly.  Deidra is getting old!  Just saying!

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

You cannot fix stupid – I am living proof!  I failed to list the names of the three men who were elected deacons for the next three years beginning January 1, 2026.

Those men are Eddie Albritton, John Milton Ladnier and Larry Whitehurst.

I am thankful for all eight men whose names appeared on the ballot.  Thank you church taking part in the election process.

What?  A blog entry?  Are you serious?  Sorry for the missed days.  No excuses!

Let’s begin with some really great news.  Rebekah Bates had a c-section early this morning.  Infant Natalie check into this world weighing four pounds and twelve ounces.  Everything went better than expected and Rebekah did not have to have surgery following the birth of Natalie.  Praise the Lord!

This past Saturday, 10/11, Angie Oakwood’s father passed from this life after battling a malignancy.  The plans call for no service.  Pray for Angie, her mother, her siblings and the rest of the family.  Jay expressed their profound gratitude for all of the calls, text messages, et cetera from the members of the Friendship family.  He said the number has been somewhat overwhelming.  Thank you, church!

Last night the Friendship family extended a call to a young man to become our full time Minister to Students with some other responsibilities.  He accepted the call.  I will share his name after he has officially resigned his current position.  Thank you to our deacons for leading us to this decision.  Pray for our student ministry.

This Sunday afternoon, 10/19, beginning at 4:00PM and lasting no longer than one hour will see us hear from our ad hoc Refresh Committee.  The sole purpose of this meeting will be to hear information regarding the seating in the auditorium – pews or chairs?  The plan is for the church to vote, with no discussion, during the 5:00PM hour.  Join me in praying about this matter.

The trip to Michigan went very well.  What a great group of folks!  Many thanks to Scott & Nanette Fontenot for being the key players in hosting the shrimp boil.  Also, special thanks to Kevin Sprinkle for literally helping catch the shrimp and heading them too.  What a huge blessing!  The Yankees were very much impressed with Lisa’s gumbo!  (Miss Peggy Howard has nothing on Lisa when it comes to making gumbo!)

I pray that you will have a great rest of your Monday!

Happy birthday to our twin daughters, Dana & Gina.  Twenty-nine years old today – wow!  I hope they will each have a great day.  We are thankful that God placed them in our lives and we are aware that it was all God!  Happy birthday, girls!

Mario & Amuy Monroy’s son, Josias, will be undergoing some major surgery on his injured hand today (very soon as it is already after noon in Spain).  Too many details to write but please pray for the surgery to go well.

Our “minis” will continue their soccer games tonight from 5:30 – 6:30PM.  You can help our students who will be traveling to Guatemala on a GRACE Ministries mission trip next June by supporting the concession stand tonight and tomorrow (8:00 – 11:15AM).  Best prices in town!  Great food.  Great cause!

Keep praying for Laura Morie’s mother and for Angie Oakwood’s father in their respective situations.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday, 10/5.

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

Today marks the second anniversary of Soy’s entering Heaven.  Death stings!  Pray for Deidra, Lizzi, Sydney & Audrey today, please.  Thank you.

Angie Oakwood’s dad is at home under hospice care.  Please pray for him, his wife, Angie & Jay and the rest of the family.

Laura Morie’s mother is in the hospital.  Prayers appreciated.

Sorry for my absence in writing entries.  Time has seemingly gotten away from me.

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

Lisa arrived home literally just before midnight last night.  All is well and we are thankful for traveling mercies.  I miss her whenever she is not here but I am glad she got to be with Audrey on her birthday.

Bro. Abel should be in Houston as I type this entry.  He has a pretty tight connection but I am praying all will go well through customs, the security check, et cetera.

Our morning attendance was up a bit yesterday morning.  I am thankful to the Lord and to those who are faithful.

Our evening service was different as we had a boatload of folks in the CAB assembling “Bags of GRACE” which will be shipped early next month.  This is a new ministry endeavor for us and I think it will simply grow in the years ahead.  Thank you to each young person and adult who helped  last night, who brought bags of GRACE in weeks gone by and who gave financially to help us purchase the items for the remaining bags.  Kayla Hatcher & Daphne Hutto did a ton of shopping over the past week or so getting the needed items and I thank them for doing so.

The final ladies Bible study for this series takes place today beginning at 10:00AM.  Pray for this to be a good day for those ladies.

Our church will host a service at the Mission of Hope tomorrow night, 9/26, beginning at 7:00PM.  Everyone invited. Grant Tillman will be speaking and his daughter, Addison, will be sharing the message in song.  (Thank God Grant will not be singing!)

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

Regular schedule on our campus this morning and evening.  Please note that the CAB will not be open to any recreational activities, hanging out, et cetera due to a missions opportunity.

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

Happy birthday to our granddaughter, Audrey Clark Taylor, as she celebrates her eleventh birthday today.  Lisa is in Guatemala to celebrate with Audrey as are her paternal grandparents, Curtis & Myrna Taylor.  I pray that she will have a great day!  As long as Audrey lives, Soy will never die!  Carbon copy in so many ways.  For the almost next six weeks Deidra’s girls will be ages, 13, 12 & 11.  Wow!  We love Audrey.  Happy birthday, Audrey!

A huge shout out to our deacons, their wives and the others who came alongside them and helped host the fellowship at Presley’s yesterday.  From the grilling to the setting up, serving, taking down, et cetera they did awesome.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  We do not have an exact attendance figure but it was in the two hundred figure based on our resident CPA – the esteemed TJ!  (If you ever have a medical emergency then TJ is the man to call!  Speaking from personal experience!)

Here is the best news from yesterday’s fellowship – we baptized ten folks.  Hallelujah!  Obviously, that is the proverbial icing on the cake!  Thank you, Jesus!

Our morning service saw Gene Davis come home after being in Texas and Georgia for many years.  So good to have Gene back as an official part of the Friendship family although I have never thought of him as anything but a member regardless of his physical location.

Grant Tillman’s surgery went well on Friday.  He is definitely milking it for the next ten weeks!

Bro. Abel arrived safe and sound on GRACE Mountain yesterday afternoon.  Pray for three good days of ministry for him.

TPUSA estimates two hundred thousand folks were present for the service of remembrance yesterday.  What a huge crowd.  I did not agree with everything spoken but that matters not to the overall picture.  God used Charlie Kirk in a huge way during his thirty-one years on earth.  May God continue to receive the glory!

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

Grant Tillman will undergo surgery on his hand this morning.  Pray that all goes well.  His recovery time is expected to take ten weeks.  Grant is a really good guy.  His mother-in-law. . .

As far as I know, Mary Anne and the baby will be discharged from the hospital today.

Bro. Johnny Tucker and a team of others are presently ministering in the Philippines.  I think they left here on 9/10.  Pray for them to finish strong!

Soccer for the minis begins tonight – 5:30PM until 6:30PM.  Flag football begins tomorrow – 8:00AM until 11:15AM.  Concessions available.  Drive thru open for those who placed advance orders.  Thank you for your support.

Bro. Abel leaves early Sunday morning heading to Guatemala in order to host soccer camps and flag football camps.  Pray for this to be a good week of ministry.

Tickets for our church wide fellowship at Presley’s Outing will be available this Sunday morning.  Three dollars each with those ages five and under getting in free.  Friendship family – bring one side and one dessert to go along with burgers and hot dogs.  We will begin at 4:00PM, baptism at 4:30PM and the meal immediately following.  Come join us!  (Bring a chair!)

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