Pastor's Blog

What is this?  A blog entry?  Wow!  I apologize for my “absence” since June 11 but my life was fairly busy.  Bro. Abel did a superb job of keeping me informed which allowed me to pray for those in need.  I offer no excuses.

Clinton Stringfellow spent Monday through Friday of last week in the hospital related to his treatments.  He was discharged but was admitted back to the hospital early yesterday morning.  Pray for Clinton.  I will visit him today.

Betty Hamil was discharged from the hospital and admitted to a rehab facility.  Yesterday afternoon she was discharged from that facility and is now at home.  Pray for Betty and Andy as they definitely need our prayer support.

Gary Walton continues to struggle with pain in his knees.  So much so that he had to miss our services yesterday which is unusual for him.  Pray for Gary & Rachel.

I have lifelong friends in Hartselle, AL who are in a battle with a malignancy.  Radiation treatments begin today at UAB.  Join me in praying, please.

The Lord blessed us with a really good day in our services yesterday.  I have received positive communication regarding both services.  All I can say is “thank You Jesus!”

Our time in Guatemala was blessed.  Very good team from the Friendship family, Grand Bay Ministries, Providence Baptist (Hatton, AL), New Life Fellowship (Anderson, SC) and from the Kalamazoo, MI area.  Our folks did a nice job of sharing in our service last night.

Our annual cake auction takes place this Sunday, 6/29, beginning at 4:00PM.  As far as I know, this auction will consist of cakes, pies and corn beef hash.  This is a critical part of our emergency food program related to GRACE Ministries and Colegio JET (school).  We need cakes and bidders.  We need prayer warriors too.  More details coming in my letter to the Friendship family later today.

Pray for our country.  Pray for Israel.  Pray for our military personnel.  Pray for our President and the other leaders.  Pray!

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

Good (late) morning from GRACE Mountain.  The Lord blessed as Daphne & Titus, Scott Fontenot and I arrived here safe and sound yesterday afternoon.  We pretty much hit the ground running as we went with fifteen of our seventeen seniors for an out to eat supper late yesterday afternoon.  That was a good time!

This morning I had the privilege of sharing the Word with the team from South Carolina & Louisiana that is presently here.  Sandra Wilson leads this team.

Shawn Siker and Al & Cindy Stokes are traveling this way today.  Pray for traveling mercies.  It will be good to see Shawn & Cindy!

Daphne and I will spend some time with Deidra today doing a late celebration of her birthday which was last Friday.  We get to go to Antigua – joy, joy, joy!  (I would rather have my wisdom teeth pulled!)

Spoke to Andy Hamil very briefly this morning.  They are hopeful that Betty will soon be back on track to go to rehab.  Keep praying!

A life long friend contacted me yesterday to ask for prayer for his daughter-in-law.  She is the mother of a three year old, a one year old and a three week old.  She has just been diagnosed with a malignancy.  Possible multiple locations in her body with breast being one of those.  This young lady is forty years old.  Please join me in praying!

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

This entry is being written from the Delta gate at the Mobile Regional Airport.  I, along with three others, leave today heading to Guatemala, three more do likewise tomorrow, and thirty-two others will travel Thursday.  Pray for traveling mercies.

It appeared that Betty Hamil was headed to a rehab facility yesterday but “not so fast my friend!”  She developed a complication that will keep her in the hospital for a few days.  No visitors, please.  Pray for Betty & Andy.

Bro. Abel is fully capable of ministering in my absence.  Bro. Chris will be around tomorrow before heading to Guatemala on Thursday.  Our nine deacons are readily available to minister as well.

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

What a good day in our services yesterday.  Really strong attendance last night – praise the Lord!  What a joy to welcome Matt & Jackie into the Friendship family by transfer of letter.

Keep praying for Betty Hamil.  Her next step will be to go into a rehab facility for physical therapy.

It was a blessing to see Tina Sprinkle in both of our services yesterday.  What an inspiration.  Keep praying for Tina.

Clinton Stringfellow continues to need our prayer support as he goes through his treatments.  Clinton is a good guy!

Seventeen members of the Friendship family will be taking part in a GRACE Ministries mission trip beginning this Thursday, June 12.  They will be traveling Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Pray for this mission team.  Thank you to each person who has financially supported the ministry portion of this trip.  You have done well!

Our “Bags of GRACE” ministry is taking place now through the end of July.  Contact Daphne Hutto (daphnehutto@gmail.com) for more information.

Annual cake auction for GRACE Ministries on Sunday, June 29.  Bakers, other than Pam, needed!

Johnny & Charlene Sessions gave us fresh tomatoes and some funny cucumbers last night.  How nice is that!  Rhett & Heidi Butler gave us a bag of fresh blackberries yesterday morning.  John Milton Ladnier gave us “normal” cucumbers Friday night.  Thank you to each of these folks.  We are blessed!

Word is that there is a “save our VBS bus drivers” group being formed.  Folks, appreciated but totally not necessary.  It is the thought that counts!

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

Happy birthday to our oldest daughter, Deidra.  Sadly, we will not get to see her today as she is, obviously, in Guatemala.  I have already sent her a birthday message.  Join me in praying that she will have a great day!  (Translated – that she can disappear from GRACE Mountain and enjoy a day of seclusion.  Yes, she is just like her dad in many ways and this is one of them in that she does not like celebrating her own birthday). Happy birthday, Deidra!

D-day.  Wow, what a day eighty-one years ago today.  Lisa and I were blessed to be on Omaha Beach several years ago and I am still amazed that the US and allies were able to do what they did on that day.  Yes, it was the beginning of victory for the Allies in the second world war.  I am remembering those men today.

Virginia Morris has been faithfully keeping me updated on his son-in-law’s mother’s situation.  Juanita Reyes Skinner, 74, passed from this life on Wednesday, June 4.  She was seventy-three years of age.  Virginia speaks very highly of Juanita and asks that we pray for Michael, Gloria, Tristen and the entire family.  There will be a time of visitation with the Skinner family tomorrow, 6/7, from 11:00AM until noon at the Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home Cemetery followed by a graveside service.  Yes, pray for the Skinner family during this most difficult time.

Today is the fifth, and final, day of our 2025 VBS.  Numerically, we have not been where I would like for it to be until you come to the number of salvation decisions made by our students.  Yesterday, there were fourteen professions of faith – glory!  There is rejoicing in Heaven!  There is rejoicing on Earth!  Pray that today will be an awesome day at our VBS.  Yes to VBS!  Thank you to each person who has helped in any way!  Special thanks to Bro. Abel for coordinating/leading our 2025 VBS.

How about the situation in Wednesday’s VBS.  Yes, one of our VBS bus drivers made a dumb move!  I know that perhaps the natural assumption could be that it was a woman driver but that is incorrect!  Dumb man!  Special thanks to Lee Sessions, Bro. Chris Scofield, Scott Fontenot, Jason Fosmore and Adam Sessions for spending over two hours and much effort to rescue the aforementioned stupid driver.  All is well that ends well, correct?

Daphne and I drove to Hartselle and back yesterday in order to visit Mama, Eddie & Sue.  The Lord blessed us with traveling mercies and a sweet time of fellowship with family.  Thank you, Jesus!

Lisa has now canned twenty-one quarts of green beans.  Great job!  Thank you Lord for Your blessings!

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

Friendship family, there will be no regular services/activities on our campus this morning (10:00AM) or evening (6:30PM).  All of our focus is on our VBS.

Our third day of VBS begins at 9:00AM today and concludes at noon.  Pray for this ministry opportunity.

Keep praying for those who are on our prayer list.  Betty Hamil remains in the hospital.

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

Our first day of VBS 2025 went well as far as I know.  I drove a bus, made a hospital visit, and then drove a bus again so I was not on our campus much.  Pray for day two of our VBS.

Remember, no regular Wednesday services on our campus tomorrow – morning or evening.

Keep praying for Betty Hamil.

Thank you to those who ministered to the Edward Glover family yesterday.  Jeff Holifield did a nice job sharing the Gospel.

Our GRACE Ministries team met last night in preparation for their June 12 – 19 trip.  Pray for this team.

“Bags of GRACE” are being received now.  June & July.

Our annual cake auction is coming June 29.  Pray for this day of ministry.

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

Happy birthday to my father in the ministry, Evangelist Johnny Tucker.  I pray that he will have a great day.

Today also marks Bro. Robbie & Miss Peggy Howard’s wedding anniversary.  Not sure how many years this would have been but I do remember them.

Our 2025 VBS begins this morning at 9:00AM.  Pray!  I pray for Bro. Abel and all of our workers.  Special thanks to my great nephew, Grayson Glenn, for driving like two hundred miles this past Saturday to get the t-shirts.

The visitation with the Edward Glover family takes place this afternoon beginning at 2:00PM and will last until the service begins at 3:00PM.  Jeff Holifield will be ministering during the service.  Bro. Abel is handling the sound.  Pray for the service and for the Glover family.

Betty Hamil is making ever so small steps toward getting better.  It is a slow process.  Keep praying!

Continue to pray for Tina Sprinkle as she recovers at home.

Dr. Keith was in our service yesterday morning.  He looked good – for his age!

Friendship family, no regular services, morning or evening, this Wednesday, 6/4.

The Lord blessed us with good services yesterday.  Thank you to the guys who helped reposition the piano.

Bro. Chris did a nice job of sharing with us in last night’s service.  He is now “officially” on the job!  Welcome!

Our monthly meeting with the deacons went well yesterday.  I walked away with only one blood spot on my shirt and one cut on my left hand so that is good!  I do love and appreciate our deacons.  Loved yesterday’s devotional in that meeting.

Congratulations to the Auburn baseball team for advancing to the Super Regionals!

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

Happy birthday to my wife, Lisa.  What a joy she is to me!  She remains in Guatemala so I will not get to see her today but I do pray she will have an awesome day.  Not present on your birthday – no present!  Lisa is the best thing to ever happen to me outside of Jesus.  I thank God for my wife and I pray that she will have a great birthday!

The visitation with the Robert Baria family takes place tomorrow, 5/31, from 10:00AM until the 11:00AM service – all in our church auditorium.  Keep praying for Roseanne and the family.

The arrangements for Allen Glover’s brother, Edward, are as follows:  visitation this Monday, June 2, from 2:00PM until the 3:00PM service.  Visitation and service will take place in our church auditorium.  Burial, with military honors, will be in the Grand Bay cemetery.  Pray for Allen and family during this time.

Betty Hamil continues improve slightly day by day.  Keep praying.

Dr. Keith came home Wednesday and continues to recover from his surgery.  Pray for Dr. Keith.

Tina Sprinkle also continues to recover at home.  She is a trooper.  Pray for Tina and Kevin.

What happened to yesterday’s blog entry?  That is a great question and one I cannot answer.  Cyber thieves?  I am calling for a full scale investigation.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday, 6/1.  Friendship family, let’s put a priority on being faithful during the months of June and July!

Our Vacation Bible School begins Monday morning at 9:00AM.  Pray for this ministry.  (I appreciate my brother, Eddie, and his company going the extra mile to get the shirts printed!)

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

Regular schedule on our campus today – morning and evening.  Bro. Abel will be teaching in the auditorium – both services.  I will have the privilege of taking Lisa’s parents to Richton, MS for the celebration of life service for Ann’s sister-in-law, Gertrude Broome.  Lord willing, I will be present for the evening service but Bro. Abel will still be the one teaching.

Allen Glover’s brother passed from this life late last night in a Montgomery, AL hospital.  Pray for the Glover family.

Betty Hamil remains in the hospital. She is “better” but still has a fairly long road in front of her.  Pray for Betty and Andy.

I am not sure if Dr. Keith was discharged yesterday.  He is still having pain if he tries to move.  Pray for Keith & Cindy.

Tina Sprinkle remains Tina Sprinkle.  She is at home recovering and is tough as nails!  Pray for Tina & Kevin.

Clinton Stringfellow and Wendy Keyes are both still taking their respective chemo treatments.  Pray for them.

Here are the arrangements for Robert Baria:  visitation this Saturday, 5/31, from 10:00AM until the 11:00AM celebration of life service.  This will be a memorial service.  Everything will take place in our church auditorium.  Pray for Roseanne, Bobby, Kevin, Darlene and the entire family.

Joey & Bibbi and two of their children just returned from spending a week doing ministry on GRACE Mountain.  I appreciate them doing so.  They had a good week of ministry and I am thankful that are now back home.

Please continue to pray for Dr. Mike & Miss Dottie Clark.

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