Pastor's Blog

We are on a regular schedule on our campus this morning and evening.  I pray many members of the Friendship family will be in attendance.

Keep praying for Myrtle Bowden as she battles a malignancy.  Myrtle is as good as they come when it comes to being faithful to the things of God.  She is very deserving of our prayer support.

Steve Morris’ doctor has taken him off of the medication that was causing his swallowing difficulties along with his weakened voice.  They are going to increase his treatments.  Pray that this new plan will be effective.

Jeanette Bates got some positive news from the orthopedic doctor this week.  She is now wearing a brace on each wrist but they do not prevent her from playing the piano.  Praise the Lord!

Miss Judy Tucker is having surgery this morning to remove a cancerous spot on her face.  Pray that all goes well.

Pastor Eddie Burdette and his team in Guatemala will finish their week of ministry today.  Pray they will finish well as they have had a strong week of ministry.

I met with Stacey Dyess yesterday morning and then Lisa and I spent several hours buying supplies for this Sunday’s church wide fellowship.  All systems are a go!  The sign up has been excellent and we are going to have a great fellowship which will include the cake auction featuring a cake baked by Miss Vinnie Brewer.  The auction will be silent as well as live!  Bro. Jerry is even bringing in a special auctioneer to help with this special auction.  Remember, we need the folks attending to bring potato salad/chips, baked beans and a dessert.  Please bring enough for those attending with you plus two more.  If possible, we need the food to be in the CAB no later that 4:45PM so it can be ready to be served by 5:00PM.

By the way, my brother, Eddie, is going to try to attend the auction.  That would be bad news for Gary Walton in his bid to purchase a cake.  Just saying!

One worship service this Sunday and it will begin at 8:00AM.  No buses running their routes, no Sunday School, no second morning service, et cetera.  (Our Spanish service will meet as normal but that is the exception)  Please pass the word!

Eddie Albritton and I were in the Waffle House following the service this past Sunday evening.  Richard & Angie Bentley and family were also there and Angie picked up our tab.  How nice is that!  Totally unexpected but totally appreciated.  Thank you Richard & Angie!  When are you guys going to WH again?  (That question came from Eddie!)

Also, Lisa and I have had a banner year gardening wise with folks bringing us produce.  John Milton Ladnier has been very gracious to us as have Stacey & Gayla Dyess.  (John has given liberally but what he does not know is that we have been taking from his garden pretty much daily while he has been at work)  Clinton Stringfellow has given us some beautiful peas which we enjoyed for lunch this past Sunday.  Thank you to these find folks for their many kindnesses to our family.

I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.  Stay cool!  Pray for the auction!

The Lord blessed us with a good day in our services yesterday.  Our attendance was up especially in our first service.  The spirit was excellent in all three services.  Praise the Lord!

The evening service gave me the opportunity to share the state of GRACE Ministries.  GRACE Ministries has never been in a better place than it is right now is spite of all that has taken place over the past two years plus.  The facilities, the grounds, the staff, the school and the church are all doing well.  Twelve teams has used the L.G. Camp, Jr mission house thus far in 2022 and ten more teams are scheduled to do likewise July through December.  A good number of teams have already booked their 2023 dates to use the mission house.  God is good!

This Sunday is a big day for the Friendship family.  We will have one worship service which will begin at 8:00AM.  No other activities on our campus then until 5:00PM.

Our church wide fellowship will begin at 5:00PM and will feature barbecue cooked by Stacey Dyess and the sides (potato salad/chips, baked beans, and dessert brought by those attending) and our cake auction.  Rumor has it that Miss Vinnie Brewer will be baking a cake for the auction.  One person told me last night that she plans on buying Miss Vinnie’s cake – not so fast my friend!  Just saying!  More details to come.

Steve Morris has had some better days as the doctor has taken him off his medication.  His voice is stronger and he is swallowing much better.  Pray for the doctor as they try to determine a plan of action moving forward.

Myrtle Bowden continues to battle her sickness but is growing weary.  Please keep praying for Myrtle.

We are on a regular schedule this Wednesday morning and evening.  I hope to be joined by many members of the Friendship family and guests.

Dale Ellerman and his family have expressed their profound thanks to the Friendship family for ministering to them during their time of loss.  I join them in saying “thank you” folks for a job well done.

Coach Mark Hubbard’s youngest son, Bray, has committed to play football at the University of Alabama.  Congratulations!

Also, congratulations to the Ole Miss baseball team – World Series champions!  How about that!  SEC, SEC, SEC!

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

Deidra did a nice job of sharing about the just complete GRACE Ministries mission trip on her blog at shininglightabroad.com so I am simply copying and pasting.  (Any, and all, errors are hers!)

The team all arrived to respective homes last night.  We thank God for a safe day of travels.

Here is a summary of the past 7 days:

Quinceañera–The Quinceañera was a huge success! The girls were thrilled to be pampered and celebrated for their 15th birthday party.

Soccer Clinic–Bro. Abel had a group of young men to host a soccer clinic on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The boys loved this clinic. The young men with the group did an awesome job at making relationships with all of the students. They made the boys feel like they were professional athletes. On Sunday the boys had a soccer celebration with soccer games, medals, and lunch. The boys loved being able to celebrate with their families.

Spa & Basketball Night–The middle school students were brought to the mission house for a special time to spend with the group. The girls stayed at the house for pedicures, manicures, and facials. The boys played basketball against the North Americans. They all enjoyed pizza at the end of the night!

Building Houses–The team built 18 houses! There are 18 families who have a new roof to provide shelter. They have a concrete floor to keep their feet dry during the rainy season. It has rained so much during the past week, so the houses have been a true blessing. Thank you to Pastor Walter and Pastor Adan for helping for the families in need.

Food Distributions–The team had a food distribution at a local church in El Tejar and one in Acatenango. The food distribution in El Tejar was difficult because we were under a small tent in the rain. There were 75 people who walked in the rain to take a bag of food valued at $7!

Chimaltenango Dump–The team fed the workers at the Chimaltenango dump a delicious meal of spaghetti, French bread, brownies, and banana. We had extras so the team walked around and gave a second helping. After a long day of working in the dump, the men, women, and children left with a full stomach.

Colegio JET Students–We love being able to share with the teams about all of the amazing things God is doing with our students! The team was able to listen to the students sing, hear the testimonies of some of the children, sing with the students, and receive a millions hugs.

Men’s Breakfast–The men from the team cooked, served, and ate with the Guatemalan men on Sunday morning. Mr. Dane Hawk shared a testimony with Alex Clark as his translator. It provides an opportunity for Pastor Adan to build relationships with the men in our community.

Iglesia JET Church–The people of Iglesia JET were blessed to have Bro. Abel Garcia preach on Sunday morning and Bro. BJ Parson preach on Wednesday night. We had church on the basketball court on Sunday morning in order to have the extra space. The basketball court was filled with 165 people! We had no lights on Wednesday night, but the church was still packed! Bro. BJ preached and Casandra Sanchez translated with limited light. A few years ago someone gave us the funds to purchase a silent generator. If they only knew how often we use it! It was nice to be able to have music, microphones, and stage lights through the use of the generator. Sabrina, BJ, Alex, Hudson, Anna Kate, Bethany, Candy, Rebekah, and Elizabeth did an excellent job leading us in worship during church services and devotions.

Relationships–My absolute favorite part is seeing the relationships between the sponsors and the sponsored children. We have no way to describe the excitement from the children when the sponsors come to visit. They feel so special. The sponsors were able to spend time with the families by having lunch with them at the mission house. The older children were able to go out and build with the sponsors. These are such special times.

Salvations–We had 4 people accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior during the house dedications! We had 2 people pray to accept Christ at a church service! This is why we do what we do! All of the activities simply provide us an opportunity to share the love and salvation of Christ!

Papusas in the El Tejar Park, sliding down the pole at the fire station, playing soccer on a muddy field, building in the rain, food distribution in the pouring rain, church services in the dark…. This is what makes a trip memorable. This team had an absolute wonderful attitude every single day!

To God be the glory!

There will be no services, classes, activities on our campus this morning or tonight.  Regular schedule resumes this Sunday morning.  Please pass the word.

Lisa arrived home yesterday morning after the one night delay in Atlanta.

The team had a good day yesterday.  Almost finished everything until torrential rains moved in around 2:00PM.  Hardest rain I can remember here while I have been here with a team since June of 2003.  Great attitudes through it all!

I pray that you will have a great Wednesday with Jesus.  Stay cool and hydrated!

The visitation (9:00 – 11:00AM) and the celebration of life service (11:00AM) for Martez Richerson take place today at Serenity Funeral Home in Theodore, Alabama.  Burial will be in Serenity Memorial Gardens.  Pray for Norman, his children and the entire Richerson family.

As far as I know, everything else is ok in South Mobile County.  I have heard of no more cases of the virus among our church family members.  I do not, and will not, list the names of those who test positive for the virus as that is a private matter.  If someone decides to post their own diagnosis on social media then that is their decision.  I still choose to not post names.

The team in Guatemala had a good Monday as they worked until noon and then headed to Antigua around 2:00PM.  They enjoyed a nice meal and great fellowship at Las Antorchas in Antigua.  Basically, five more houses were built leaving five more to be built today.  That means ten houses need to received concrete today.  Lord willing, those two things will happen.

I am proud of our folks on this trip and their attitudes.  Pastor Doug Chappelle should be equally proud of the folks from Thelma Baptist Church as they have been super!  We actually have three folks from Florida, one person from Minnesota and one person from Texas with us.  They have also have had great attitudes!  God is good!

My wife, Lisa, left Guatemala for home yesterday.  However, she only made it to Atlanta as her flight from ATL to Mobile was cancelled.  So, she spent the night in a hotel and is supposed to land in Gulfport, MS this morning.  Pray that happens!

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

The visitation with the Martez Richerson family will take place today from 5:00 – 8:00PM in our church auditorium.  That will be followed by another visitation tomorrow morning from 9:00AM until the 11:00AM service.  The Tuesday visitation and the service will take place at Serenity Funeral Home in Theodore.  Keep praying for the Richerson family.

Well, yesterday was not a good day for our attendance at Friendship.  Probably as low as it has ever been during my pastorate.  I will not go into all of the possible reasons but I do say “thank you” to those who attended.

Remember, no service, classes or activities on our campus this Wednesday, June 22.

We will resume a normal schedule this Sunday, June 26.

The team in Guatemala had a full Sunday with a men’s breakfast, church service, soccer clinic showcase, special supper, et cetera. Need to finish strong in order to complete the ministries opportunities in front of us.  Thank you for praying.

By the way, the new covered basketball court has proven to be a huge asset as it has been used for the birthday party, the church service and for cover from the rain during the soccer showcase.  Good stuff!

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

We presently have six to eight (best of my knowledge) folks within the Friendship family who are battling the covid virus.  So, after much prayer and thought, I have decided to go with this schedule on our campus tomorrow, 6/19 – worship services at 8:00AM & 10:30AM.  Sunday School at 9:15AM.

Here is the change – no VBS or evening worship service tomorrow afternoon/evening.  No activities on our campus after the second morning worship service.

Also, trying to be proactive, there will be no Bible studies, classes, et cetera on our campus this Wednesday, June 22, morning or evening.  Our next time together in corporate worship will be next Sunday, June 26.  Plans call for that to be a normal schedule.

Please know that anyone who is not comfortable attending tomorrow’s services are certainly encouraged to follow their own intuition.  (I would not miss church only to go to a restaurant, shopping, et cetera)  Ultimately, it is your personal decision.

Praying for those who are battling the virus.  Praying for the Martez Richerson family.

Blessings!

Martez McKinley Richerson passed from this life on June 16, 2022, surrounded by family. Born in Uriah, AL on February 3, 1934, she was a homemaker and a member of Friendship Baptist Church of Grand Bay, AL
She was preceded in death by her parents, Matt and Maggie McKinley; granddaughter, Caryn Hyatt Suthoff; and her lifelong friend, Velta Smith.

She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Norman Richerson of Grand Bay, AL; daughters, Deborah Hyatt of Grand Bay, Sandra Rey of Grand Bay, Emily (Jerry) Lundy of Mobile, AL, and Jackie (Jason) Poiroux of Grand Bay; son, David (David) Richerson of Covington, LA; grandchildren, Jamie (Amanda) Hyatt of Grand Bay, Travis (Rosalie) Hyatt of Grand Bay, Marshall (Denise) Hyatt of Grand Bay, Cody (Alia) Hyatt of Grand Bay, Kayla (Ryan) Hatcher of Grand Bay, Matthew Rey of Grand Bay, Lucas Fickling of Cripple Creek, CO, Lance (Stella) Fickling of Mobile, Lacey (Colton) Byrd of Suffold, VA, Rachel (Marcus) Hatcher of Grand Bay, Katherine (Joshua) Landry of Mobile, Aaron (Haley) Poiroux of Mobile, Rachel Lundy of Mobile, and Aaron Lundy of Mobile; 30 great-grandchildren; brother, Ralph (Mary) McKinley of Bay Minette, AL; sister, Inez Metts of Uriah, AL; numerous nieces and nephews, other relatives, and friends.

Pallbearers will be Jamie Hyatt, Travis Hyatt, Marshall Hyatt, Cody Hyatt, Lance Fickling, and Aaron Poiroux. Honorary pallbearers will be David Eddlestone, Jerry Lundy, Jason Poiroux, Jeff Smith, and Brent Bateman.

Special thanks to family friend Ms. Vinnie Brewer and the staff of Kindred Hospice with an extra special thanks to Hannah and Cassandra.

One visitation will be held on Monday, June 20, 2022 from 5-8 PM at Friendship Baptist Church and another on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 from 9-11 AM at Serenity Funeral Home, followed by service at 11 AM. Interment will be held in Serenity Memorial Gardens.

The visitation and memorial service for Michelle Fore’s father takes place this afternoon in D’Iberville, MS.  Visitation begins at 3:00PM and the service begins at 4:00PM.  Keep praying for the Seymour family.

The arrangements for Miss Martez are as follows:  visitation Monday at the church from 5:00 – 8:00PM.  Visitation at Serenity Funeral Home on Tuesday from 9:00 – 11:00AM.  Celebration of life service at 11:00AM on Tuesday from Serenity.  Pray for Norman and the family.

There “may” be some changes to our schedule tomorrow.  I will post an entry this afternoon with a definitive word.

The team in Guatemala built six houses (minus the concrete), had a soccer clinic and worked on the girl’s fifteenth birthday party which takes place this afternoon.  All is well.

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

A graveside service for J.R. Ellerman will take place this morning at 10:00AM at Jubilee Memorial Gardens in Daphne, AL.  Pray for the Ellerman family during this time.

A visitation will take place with the Jerry Seymour family (Michelle Fore’s father) tomorrow, 6/18, beginning at 3:00PM and lasting until the 4:00PM service.  Everything takes place at the Heritage United Methodist Church, 4322 Popp’s Ferry Road, D’Iberville, MS.  Pray for the Seymour family.

The Martez Richerson family will meet with the funeral directors this afternoon.  I will post those arrangements once they are finalized.  Keep praying for Norman and family.

The team, minus one, arrived safe and sound on GRACE Mountain yesterday afternoon.  All is well and the missing person should arrive today.  Pray for the team as they go build houses today.

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