Pastor's Blog

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

I was called to the hospital shortly after our service ended last night.  (Yes, for the first time in eight weeks I was called to the hospital and granted entrance)  Eddie Albritton, Sr has taken a turn for the worse and the doctor called for his wife and children to be with him.  It “appears” there is nothing the medical folks can do and that his time on this earth is very limited now.  Pray for Eddie’s family.  If allowed, I will be visiting again this morning but not sure if that will be allowable i.e. different personnel working this morning so we shall see.

Stella Brinkman should begin her more specialized therapy today.  I assume this will involve several weeks so keep praying.

Heard from Decker Terry last night.  He is at home and doing well all things considered.  He will travel back to Birmingham in two weeks for a follow up visit.  Decker thanks everyone for their prayer support and knows God is working a miracle in his life.  Keep praying!

Did not get an update on Shari Compagner but am believing “no news is good news!”  Keep praying for Shari.

I am so in hopes that our GRACE Ministries trip scheduled for June 18 – 25, 2020 will be a go.  However, the President there made things even more strict last night for the next week.  Honestly, I am of the opinion that folks are going to begin to die of starvation there if their borders are not open soon so aid can come in the form of supplies and people.  Pray for the situation in Guatemala, please.

We were blessed with a good day in our services yesterday.  The Lord certainly gave us an awesome weather day.  Our attendance seemed to be down just a bit in our morning drive in service but the evening service seemed to be ok.  I am very concerned that a good number of our young families have simply gotten out of the habit of attending services on campus.  This has been a source of worry for me for the past few weeks.  It has simply become too easy to not physically attend a service.

Prayerfully, every thing changes beginning this Wednesday, May 13, 2020, as we will have our 10:00AM and our 6:30PM services in the auditorium.  Our students, 6th graders through twelfth graders, will meet in the CAB at 6:30PM.  We will take the necessary measures to hold these services.

This Sunday, May 17, 2020 we will have five in person services on our campus.  The first one will begin at 8:00AM and will be for our Senior Adults only as far as the auditorium is concerned.  Folks under the age of 65 who would like to attend that service can do so by sitting in our Preschool Building or CAB and watching the video feed.

Our second service will begin at 9:15AM and will be open to any age group including senior adults.  Once we reach capacity in the auditorium then we will put the overflow in the Preschool Building and/or CAB.

Our third service will begin at 10:30AM and will also be open to any age group including senior adults.  Ditto as far as reaching capacity is concerned.

Our Spanish church will also meet for worship at 10:30AM.  They will meet in our student ministry building.

Our evening service will begin at 6:00PM and that service will be in our CAB.  This will be for all ages too.

This Sunday, 5/17, the 8:00AM & 9:15AM services will be live streamed.  All services will be available on the radio for those vehicles located on our campus.

We will not be requiring folks to wear masks during these services but will have masks available if someone needs one (thank you Josh Nelson).  All of the hymnals have been removed from the auditorium.  We will not be passing the offering plates but will instead use the offering boxes built by Grant Tillman.  We will wipe down the auditorium following each service.

What about extended care, children’s church, Sunday School, et cetera?  We are taking this thing one step at a time as it is a process of trial and error.  I am open to suggestions.  The schedule listed above is designed for the rest of May.  We may make some tweaks, changes, et cetera but we do hope to add even more beginning in June.

So, Friendship family, let’s celebrate our regathering this Wednesday and Sunday by being in attendance.  Have young children at home?  Why not have one parent attend a service while the other is home with the children and then reverse roles for another service?

My dad’s situation continues to seemingly decline.  Lord willing, Daphne & I will travel to Hartselle today and will be back tomorrow night.  This will most likely be the new “norm” for me until dad improves or the Lord calls him home.

The church office is open today through Thursday from 8:00AM until 4:00PM.

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

The doctors did a MRI on Eddie Albritton, Sr yesterday and determined that he suffered a stroke.  They actually took him in for a second MRI with contrast late yesterday afternoon.  Eddie & his mother will meet with the doctors this morning for an update.  Pray without ceasing.

Stella Brinkman was moved to long term care facility yesterday afternoon.  This will allow her to receive more specialized care.  Keep praying for Stella.

I messaged Edna Pearl Morgan yesterday afternoon once Cecil told me she was home.  She messaged back and said the she was home and resting.  Pray for Pearl!

Edna Pearl also told me that Barney Rogers has improved a good bit in his battle against the virus.  Hopefully he will be up and about soon.  Pray for Barney.

Mary Jackson remains in the hospital.  Just keep praying!

Miss Vinnie called last night to say the her son, Buddy, is finished with his treatments.  Praise the Lord!  Buddy has done well through all of this.  Keep praying.

I did not get an update on Decker Terry yesterday.  I will do so today.

Tried to call Tom Compagner for an update on Shari but he obviously has caller id.

Carl Ray Moulds and Charlotte Davis will be getting married next Saturday, May 16, at 2:00PM.  The Friendship family is invited to attend.  As it stands right now, it will be drive in wedding but that could change with the new orders in place.  I will post a clarification next week.

Everything changes next Sunday, May 17, but for tomorrow we will do live stream at 8:00AM, drive in Sunday School at 9:15AM & 9:45AM and then drive in services at 10:30AM and 6:00PM.

Deacons, plan on meeting with me in the auditorium at 4:30PM tomorrow, please.

I want to say “thank you” to Gary Walton for getting rid of the poles that have been front of the trailer.  Tell Gary what you want done and then get out of the way.  The man is a machine!

I cannot remember if I ever mentioned the awesome job Grant Tillman did on building four offering boxes for our buildings.  Jeff Holifield built the original one that we use in our drive in services.  I appreciate Jeff & Grant doing this as we are looking at doing things differently in the days ahead.  Permanent?  Who knows.

Yes, we will meet in the auditorium for our services on Wednesday, May 13.  What about folks who are not comfortable entering a building with other folks present just yet?  We have a plan for that too.  Again, I am not as dumb as I look!  (It would be really hard to be that dumb!)

I spoke to Ross Genzink yesterday afternoon and he was just North of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  It was thirty eight degrees and snowing!  Are you serious!  The forecast low on Sunday morning for Hartselle, Alabama is thirty six degrees!  Wow!

My garden really enjoyed the rain last night.  Thank you, Lord!

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

Eddie Albritton, Sr suffered another seizure yesterday.  Pray that the doctors can find the cause and a cure.

Yes, that noise was me shouting around 11:15AM today when churches were given the state government’s blessing to meet again regardless of the number.  I was surprised by that announcement.  Yes, I understand the stipulations so no need to send me a message.  I am not nearly as dumb as I look!  I can tell you that we will be meeting in person in the auditorium next Wednesday, May 13, 2020.  This will be true for our 10:00AM and 6:30PM services.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

Edna Pearl Morgan had to have an emergency appendectomy and will be in the hospital for a few days.  Pray for her to recover quickly and completely.

Staying in the Brinkman family, Stella has had some procedures done and they are just taking it day by day.  Stella is seemingly doing better but has a long way to go.  Keep praying.

Keep praying for Barney Rogers as he recovers from the virus.

Mary Jackson should have another week in the hospital.  She desires our prayer support.

Decker Terry did well through his surgery and the doctor seemed pleased with the initial results.  If all goes well, Decker should be discharged from the hospital today.  Keep praying for Decker!

Shari Compagner’s surgery was deemed a success too.  Hopefully, this will give her some much needed relief regarding her sinuses.  If I ever needed sinus surgery, I would be very confident having Dr. Rich Strabbing as the surgeon.  Pray for Shari as she recovers at home.

Once again, thank you to those who have communicated with me about dad.  For the time being, he is bed ridden.  I am in hopes that this is mainly related to the UTI and he will bounce back.  Thank you for the prayers on his behalf.

Mother’s Day 2020 will be the most different one ever.  We will not be able to formally recognize the mothers attending our services this Sunday but please know that we are grateful.

Our Sunday, May 10, schedule is live stream at 8:00AM, drive in Sunday School at 9:15AM (Bro. Abel) and 9:45AM (Bro. Jerry) and then drive in services at 10:30AM and 6:00PM.  I am praying for a strong attendance Sunday morning and evening.

The weather forecasters say that we “may” get some showers tonight early on.  I hope they are correct as my garden needs some moisture.  (I have a guy who is supposed to be helping me with a possible irrigation system but that has been like three weeks now!  You just cannot get good help these days!)

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

Happy ninth birthday to our granddaughter, Emmy!  I hope she has a great day.  Emmy loves life and especially loves to swim.  She also enjoys riding her bike.  We love Emmy!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

I heard our morning attendance was good yesterday.  Did not hear anything about the evening service but I hope it was good too.

The church office is open today from 8:00AM until 4:00PM.  As normal, it will be closed tomorrow and then open again on Monday, 5/11, at 8:00AM.

Two very special friends from outside the Friendship family are scheduled for surgery today.  First, Decker Terry from Montgomery, AL will have some major surgery first thing this morning.  His surgery will take place in Birmingham and he will have to spend at least one night in the hospital.  Pray for Decker!

Shari Compagner from Hamilton, Michigan will also have surgery today.  Her surgery is sinus surgery and she will be in the very capable hands of Dr. Rich Strabbing.  Rich is a good friend and I have much confidence in him.  Pray for Shari.

Stella Brinkman had some things done yesterday.  She still has a long road in front of her.  Keep praying for Stella and her family.

Eddie Albritton, Sr. remains in the hospital.  He may have a MRI today and then possibly be moved to a rehab facility in a few days.  Eddie has been through a lot over the past two plus months.  Keep praying.

Mary Jackson remains in the hospital too.  She and her family appreciate your prayer support.

Our Sunday schedule for this Sunday, May 10, will be a duplicate of last Sunday.  Live stream at 8:00AM, drive in Sunday School (Bro. Abel) at 9:15AM, drive in Sunday School (Bro. Jerry) at 9:45AM, drive in worship at 10:30AM and then drive in worship at 6:00PM.  I am praying for great attendance in all of our services as we honor God by honoring our mothers on Mother’s Day 2020.  Will you join us?  I pray so.

Lisa and I were able to basically spend all day yesterday with my parents.  Dad had a good day mentally but is still so very weak physically.  He stayed in the bed the entire day.  I have been asked, “what do you think?”  Honesty, I do not know.  These UTI’s are really taking a toll on him and he does not seem to be bouncing back nearly as quickly as he has in the past.  I have almost always had a good feel for how much time a person has left but this is different and I guess a big part of that is because this is my dad so my vision is somewhat blurred.

I have received a good number of e-mails, iMessages and text messages since yesterday’s blog entry.  My parents do not have internet so I was not able to respond to any of those most kind messages.  Just know that I am very grateful to each person who sent me a message.  It means a lot.  I appreciate the prayers.

Lisa and I will leave early this morning in order to meet Decker in Birmingham to have a word of prayer with him before his surgery.  We will then head toward Grand Bay.

I am pretty amazed at the difference in the temperatures between Hartselle and Grand Bay.  Hartselle is presently at forty one degrees while Grand Bay is at fifty nine degrees.  The folks here are going to stay cool for several days but we will basically remain the eighties.  The humidity in Grand Bay today is supposed to only be thirty eight percent – nice!  Perhaps we will get some rain tomorrow afternoon and that will be great on my garden.

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

Stella Brinkman remains in the hospital.  Keep praying for Stella.

As far as I know, no change for Eddie Albritton, Sr.  Keep praying.

Mary Jackson will be in the hospital until next week.  Remember to pray for her.

Drive in services today at 10:00AM and 6:30PM.  Bro. Jerry Hovel will be teaching in my absence.

Lisa and I arrived in Rocky Ford safe and sound around 8:00PM last night.  I went to help Eddie put dad to be and was probably not prepared for what I saw.  Dad was mentally alert, knew me, talked sensibly, et cetera.  However, I have never seen him so frail.  Much more frail this time than the last time I was here.  As Eddie & I were helping him take the seven or eight steps needed to get from the chair to the bed, he literally collapsed to the floor and we had to physically pick him up and put him in the bed.  My dad has always been a man’s man but now he is just a shell of that person physically.  Prayers appreciated.

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

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

Oh my!  I “thought” I had written and posted an entry early this morning but just now realized that I only thought I had!  Folks, you cannot fix. . .

They took Stella Brinkman off the ventilator yesterday and she is presently still breathing on her own.  Pray for a healing of Stella’s body.

Mary Jackson remains in the hospital and will be there until at least May 15 per the doctors.  Keep praying for Miss Mary.  Dana sends her appreciation for the prayers.

No significant change in Eddie Albritton, Sr. so please keep praying.

Decker Terry will have major surgery in Birmingham on Thursday.  Decker is wonderful follower of Jesus and a great friend.  Pray for all to go well.

Our dear friend in Michigan, Shari Compagner, will have sinus surgery on Thursday.  It should be fairly simple but I do know the surgeon so we had better pray!  LOL!  Trust me, she is in good hands!

I will have the honor of sharing at Kent Blaylock’s celebration of life service early this afternoon.  Pray for the family.  Again, Kent was a fine gentleman.

Lord willing, as soon as the service concludes Lisa and I will head toward Hartselle.  I will not get to see my parents until tomorrow but have plans to spend the entire day with them and return home on Thursday.  My plan is to meet Decker in Birmingham to pray with him before his surgery.

Bro. Jerry will be teaching in my absence during both services tomorrow.  Both services will be drive in on the East side of the auditorium and Bro. Abel will be in charge of the sound.  I will not be present to mess it up!

I pray that you will have a great Tuesday with Jesus.  Sorry for the lateness of this entry!

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

There is a possibility that Stella Brinkman will be taken off the ventilator today to see how she tolerates it.  Keep praying for Stella.

It seems there is no change in Eddie Albritton, Sr’s situation.  It is possible they will do a MRI at some point this week.  Keep praying.

I posted the obituary for Kent Blaylock in a separate entry.  Pray for Kent’s family as they walk through this valley.

I do not have an update on Mary Jackson but do ask that you pray for her.

Carol Lucky and Myrtle Bowden remain at home.  Pray for them!

They have now moved my dad’s hospital bed into the living room as he is basically sleeping most of the time.  He has very little strength and is not taking much in the way of food and drink.  He is presently battling another UTI.  I appreciate the care being given to him by mama, Eddie, Sue, Melissa and the hospice nurses.  Thank you for your prayers.  (My niece, Jamie, goes over if she finds out someone has brought food but otherwise not so much.  Just saying!)

We were blessed with an absolutely beautiful day weather wise yesterday and we give God the thanks!  It obviously is a huge blessing to our two drive in services.  Thank you Jesus.

Our live stream at 8:00AM went well.  We then had a really nice attendance for our 10:30AM service.  Huge thanks to Cecil Guidry for coordinating the meal.  Thanks to my wife, Lisa, for cooking the cakes.  Thanks to Randall Broome for going to get the meals and bringing them to the church.  Tena Hovel, Rita, Paige & Brodie Broome helped hand out the meals as the folks drove through.  A number of others delivered the meals.  So, a big thank you to each of them too.  James Mareno posted some video on FB so others could see the ministry in action.  Of course, Vernon & Lisa of Kitchen of the Sea cooked the meals so we are most thankful to them.  It was a really good day!

I was grateful for our evening attendance too.  There are not many churches having an evening service these days.  Thank you Friendship family for being faithful.

The one area where we could have done better yesterday was our Sunday School hour.  Bro. Abel did a nice job of teaching at 9:15AM and then Bro. Jerry did likewise at 9:45AM.  This is going to be our new “normal” for the immediate future so I ask the members of the Friendship family to support this by attending.  It is drive up on the back forty.

I do need to ask one question where feedback would be appreciated.  For those who received the meals yesterday – was everything ok i.e. you had fish, beans, coleslaw, bread and cake in your meal?  If so, great and no need to reply.  If not, please let me know.

One of the members of the Friendship family found a nice flashlight on our campus this weekend.  We are looking for the owner.  If you can describe it then we will consider giving it back to you.  Just saying!

I mentioned that I left the windows down on my car last Tuesday night and the rains came early Wednesday morning.  On Friday, Kayla Hatcher came and got my car so that Ryan could use his carpet cleaning machine to clean it and get any smell out.  How nice was that?  I appreciate “Bird” doing this for me.  You cannot fix stupid but Ryan & Kayla at least helped soften the blow.  I am grateful!

John Milton came on Saturday with more squash and a bag of freshly caught white trout – nice!  He is already picking green beans too!  That is amazing!

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

Kent Olan Blaylock, age 72, a long time resident of Grand Bay, Alabama passed peacefully from this life on April 30, 2020. He was born September 21, 1947 in Vardaman, Mississippi. Kent served in the United States Army and worked as a welder at Ingalls Shipbuilding for 42 years prior to retirement. He was preceded in death by his wife of 42 years, Carolyn Kenington Blaylock, his parents Elmer and Flora Blaylock and his brother Joe Blaylock. He is survived by his daughter Sheila Hart (Glen), stepdaughter Patricia Blackwell (Larry), grandchildren Erika Davis, Ashton Davis, Adam Blackwell, Erik Blackwell, Alexus Steiner, 3 great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and other family and friends. A private visitation and graveside service will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  (Psalm 46:1)

Senior adults of the Friendship family – please make plans to join us, if possible, for our 10:30AM drive in service tomorrow, May 3.  We will finish by 11:30AM and will give you instructions on getting your meal from Kitchen of the Sea.  Lisa is busy this morning baking pound cakes.  By the way, Nadine Holifield graciously offered to help with the cakes but Lisa already had the ingredients purchased, et cetera but was very grateful for Nadine’s kind offer.  By the way, before you go giving Lisa all of this “credit” let me simply say that I personally went to the store and purchased the bread for your meal.  10:30AM on the back forty!

We will have our live stream music and message at 8:00AM.  That will be available on our website all day.

We will then have our evening drive in service beginning at 6:00PM on the back forty.

The offering receptacle will be under the carport tomorrow as has been the case for the past three Sundays.  Thank you to those who have been so faithful in giving in person, via the mail, via bringing your offering to the church office or placing it in the drop box at Lisa’s office.

After a seven weeks pause, the church office will resume pre COVID-19 hours on Monday with one exception.  The office will be open Monday through Thursday weekly from 8:00AM until 4:00PM.  The closing time is the exception.  One change is that the ministerial staff is now rotating lunch schedules so there will be someone in the office from opening to closing daily.

Trish Blackwell contacted me yesterday.  Obviously, the celebration of life service for Kent Blaylock will have to be very small in number.  Arrangements pending.  Pray for Kent’s family.

Spoke to Terry Lucky this morning and Carol is much improved.  She did not have pneumonia which is a good thing.  Carol is a lady of strong faith.  Keep praying with her.

Stella Brinkman will be on a ventilator until at least Monday.  Keep praying for Stella.

Eddie Albritton, Sr remains in the hospital.  He has had a really long road and still needs our prayers.  They hope to do a MRI at some point late next week.

I do not have an update on Mary Jackson but do ask that you keep praying for her.

Keep praying for Myrtle Bowden, Andy Hamil and Barney Rogers.

Was able to spend about six hours in the garden yesterday spraying and then making it a Santa Claus garden – hoe, hoe, hoe!  Hope to put the tiller to it today and then hit the mower.

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