Pastor's Blog

YES to VBS!  Our first day of our VBS ’23 is now in the books.  As seemingly normal, things can be a bit chaotic the first day but I love how one of our workers put it “I’ve heard a lot of chaos from people this morning but it’s all been through smiles and laughs. What a sweet spirit!”  In my opinion, she hit the proverbial nail on the head.

Our VBS attendance yesterday was two hundred and sixty-eight.  That is pretty good for the first day.  Thank you to each person who attended and we expect even more to attend today.

The visitation for Richard Bentley’s sister, Sue, takes place today from 10:00AM until the 11:00AM service time.  Visitation and service will take place at Oddfellow’s in the bayou.  Pray for this family as they walk through this valley.

Keep praying for Pastor Brannon Lott of Wade, MS Baptist Church.  He is in M.D. Anderson in Houston.

Remember, no morning or evening services on our campus tomorrow.  VBS, VBS, VBS!

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

Sue Bentley Strachan, age 69, a resident of Irvington, Alabama, passed away on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 in Grand Bay. She was born in Mobile on January 14, 1954.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Bervin and Edna Mae Bentley; oldest son, Shannon Dale Montieth; grandson, Cullen Robert Strachan; sister, Becky Shackleford; and her brother, Aaron “Apple” Bentley.

Sue is survived by her son, Jason (Sigourney) Strachan; grandsons (her boys), Hunter and Connor Strachan; brothers, Bubba Bentley, David (Faye) Bentley, Pejoe Bentley, and Richard (Angie) Bentley; sister, Renee Schley; loving nieces, Amanda, Leslee, and Tracy; as well as other nieces, nephews, other relatives, and dear friends.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at Oddfellow Hall in Bayou la Batre at 11:00 AM. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM. Interment will immediately follow at Oddfellow Cemetery.

Yes to VBS!  Yes to VBS!  Yes to VBS!

After a really good pre-VBS rally last night, we are now ready for the first day of our 2023 Vacation Bible School.  It begins at 9:00AM this morning and lasts until noon.  That will be the schedule today through Friday.  Thank you to each person (center leaders, guides, bus workers, staff, et cetera) who is helping with our VBS this week.  Pray for VBS!

The family of Myrtle Bowden has designated the school, Colegio JET, as the recipient of this year’s VBS mission offering.  This will allow them to add technological teaching aids (video monitors) at the school.  At Myrtle’s celebration of life service a VBS offering was received for the “girls” and it totaled twenty-five hundred dollars.  Insurmountable lead?  Not so fast, my friend.  At last night’s rally, an offering was received and it was announced by Bro. Jerry that the “boys” offering total now stands at three thousand dollars!  Are you serious!  It is going to be an interesting week to see which team, boys or girls, can win.

Richard Bentley’s sister, Sue, passed from this life on July 4.  The visitation and service will take place tomorrow.  I am going to post the obit.

Hilda Gunter’s daughter is having some health issues.  Pray for her.

We were blessed with an awesome service yesterday morning!  Evangelist Michael Mason did an excellent job of sharing the Word.  The Lord blessed us with a couple of additions to the Friendship family by transfer of letter.  The love offering for Bro. Michael was very good.  The spirit was excellent!  Thank you Jesus for blessing us!

I mentioned Colegio JET earlier.  There is a need for under garments for the boys and girls – any size.  Want to help?  Want to get more information?  Contact me personally at pastor@friendshipfamily.net.

I pray that you will have a great Monday with Jesus.  YES to VBS!

Evangelist Michael Mason will be our guest messenger in our 10:00AM service tomorrow.  Pray, attend and bring others with you.  We will receive a love offering for Bro. Michael at the close of that service.  Please come prepared to give.

Our pre-VBS rally will take place beginning at 5:00PM in the CAB.  Bro. Abel will lead this high energy event.  Join us!

Our VBS begins this Monday, 7/10, and goes through Friday, 7/14.  The time will be from 9:00AM until noon daily.  Our buses will run their regular routes at their regular times.  Pray for our VBS.

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

Today marks Michael Clark’s fifty-fifth birthday.  Michael is Lisa’s only brother and Charles & Ann’s only son.  He passed from this life in 1986.  The death of a young person leaves one wondering “what would have been?”  That hurts deeply.   However, the hope is wondering “what will it be like once we are reunited in Heaven?”  I am thankful to have known Michael for just over seven years.

Chris & Chelsea Staup welcomed their second child into this world on Monday.  I do not have the details but will get them today.  Pray for Chelsea, Chris and the baby!  Chris & Chelsea are a fine young couple!

Angie Bentley sent me a message last night to let me know that Richard’s sister, Sue Strachan, passed from this life yesterday.  She recently had heart surgery and had gotten a good report from a follow-up visit with her doctor on Monday.  Pray for this family!

The total receipts from the cake auction rose by one hundred dollars yesterday so it now stands at $46,138 which means we only need $3,862 to reach the fifty thousand dollars mark.  I had several folks ask me about the fifty thousand dollars mark yesterday and one person told me this, “my family and I will are willing to give an additional ten thousand dollars if others will give the amount needed to reach the fifty thousand dollars mark by this Sunday, July 9!”  Folks, that would take the total to sixty thousand dollars and would most likely mean the funds would be sufficient to meet these emergency food needs at Colegio JET for the next twelve months.  So, will you consider giving toward the $3,862?  Will you pass the word to others?  Folks need to personally contact me to let me know.  What if we get more than the amount needed?  Praise the Lord!  Every cent given will go toward food for these needy people.  These gifts can be kept completely confidential and can come from anyone (individuals, families, businesses, et cetera)  including those outside of the Friendship family.  Again, pass the word quickly!

Regular schedule on our campus this morning and evening.  Come join us!

Evangelist Michael Mason will be our guest messenger this Sunday morning, July 9, in our 10:00AM service.  Pray, attend and invite others to join you.  We will receive a love offering for Bro. Michael.  Please come prepared to give.

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

Happy Independence Day!  I pray that you and your family will have a great day!

Last night, Eddie Albritton and Daphne Hutto ran the numbers on the three C’s (cake, cow, corn beef hash) auction.  Forty-six thousand and thirty-eight dollars ($46,038) is the amount the Lord blessed us with through the auction!  Can you join me in saying “praise the Lord!”

Please know that I am extremely grateful for the amount raised Sunday night.  If not another cent is given then we can say glory to God with sincere and grateful hearts.  What if?  What if the Lord would speak to someone (folks) who would like to see that total go to fifty thousand dollars?  That can happen with another thirty-nine hundred and sixty-two dollars.  I was going to write “any takers” but actually it is “any givers?”  You can contact me and your donation can be kept anonymous, if that is your desire.

I have heard a ton of positive comments regarding the auction.  Refreshing.  Those comments have centered around the fellowship, the food, the fireworks and the finances.

So, thank you to each person who baked a cake and to those who brought the sides and desserts for the meal.  Awesome!  Thank you to Katelyn Johnson for coordinating the fellowship portion and to all who helped set up, serve, clean up, et cetera.  Great job! The fellowship was absolutely amazing!

Thank you to Stacey & Gayla Dyess along with Blake & Blaine Jenkins for a job well done with the meat.  That Stacey can cook!  (Actually, Gayla is the brains behind all of the cooking but let Stacey keep on believing it is him!  Blake & Blaine?  Right!)

Thank you to Gary & Rachel Walton for bringing a bunch of ribs to the meal.  What a nice surprise!

Thank you to Gary & Rachel Walton for the fireworks display!  Folks, that show was well worth seeing!  It was non-stop action.  Gary knows his fireworks!  Please know that Gary & Rachel financed that whole show so we owe them a great amount of gratitude.  What a tremendous way to end an absolutely great Sunday!

Thank you to each person who donated or purchased a cake.  Thank you to the couple who donated the steer.  We could not have done it without the cakes, cow or corn beef hash.  Thank you to those who helped with the actual auction.  Bro. Abel & Justin serving as the auctioneers and the folks who did all of the other behind the scenes stuff which is most important.

Miss Vinnie Brewer’s cake went for twelve thousand dollars.  Yes, $12,000.  We had three other cakes go for one thousand dollars or more.  Amazing!  Just FYI.

Thank you to the folks in Guatemala who will faithfully distribute this “emergency” food over the next ten, eleven, twelve months. “I was hungry and you fed me!”  This is the reason for this cake auction.  To God be the glory!

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

Very quick update regarding last night’s auction.  I am told that we are going to end up on the plus side of $40,000.  To God the glory!  More details coming!  God is good!

Let’s begin this entry with good news.  Robert Baria heard from his latest test and the malignancy has not spread.  It is located on the back of his tongue only.  Robert and Roseanne, while not wanting any cancer, are thankful for this report.  They are very appreciative of the prayer support.

Second piece of good news – Andy Hamil was discharged from the hospital late yesterday afternoon.  Amen!  I know Andy and probably instead of being “discharged” he was “fired” by the hospital.  LOL!  Regardless, he is a happy camper to be home.  Keep praying for Andy & Betty.

Third piece of good news – Dylan Westbrook spent yesterday mowing a lot of the back forty.  I am very thankful to Dylan.  We could still use a bush hog on the very back part today but so far we have had no takers.  Rumor has it that Dylan told his wife, Elizabeth, to mow it and she told him just how the cookie crumbles!  Is that true?  Hmmmm!

Keep praying for Chuck & Beth Rockwell.

One of Joey Switzer’s maternal aunts, Kathy Baker, passed from this life on Tuesday, 6/27.  Visitation this morning from 9:30AM until the 10:30AM service time.  Visitation and service in the chapel of Holder-Wells Funeral Home in Moss Point.  Pray for the Baker family.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning – Sunday School begins at 9:00AM followed by our worship service beginning at 10:00AM.  I am praying for a great attendance.  Will you join us?

I am excited about the cake auction and fireworks show scheduled for tomorrow night beginning at 5:00PM and ending at dark thirty. Folks, you can bring your cake in the morning and leave it in the coffee room in the adult Bible study building.  (That is only if it does not need to be refrigerated)  Otherwise, we need all cakes in the CAB no later than 3:00PM tomorrow.  Silent auction begins at 4:30PM, a couple or so cakes will be auctioned at 5:00PM and then the auction will begin around 6:00PM.  Miss Vinnie’s cake will be made available around 7:00PM.  Come join us for a great evening of food and fellowship while donating to a great cause.  Remember, bring a side dish (no baked beans) and a dessert.

Evangelist Michael Mason will be with us next Sunday, July 9, for our 10:00AM service.  Pray, attend and bring others with you.

Our VBS rally will take place next Sunday, 7/9, beginning at 5:00PM in the CAB.  Bro. Abel will lead this exciting event.

I found three more watermelons in our garage yesterday.  John Milton Ladnier is providing these for us and they are excellent!  Thank you John Milton.  He is so very gracious to my family.  We are thankful!

I mentioned “news” earlier.  I shared in this past Wednesday morning’s service that I am no longer affiliated with Fox News.  It appears they have gone “woke” behind the scenes while appearing to be conservative.  Just FYI.

Lisa helped me get our mowing done yesterday.  I still need to do some eating of the weeds but she was a huge help yesterday.  I am grateful.

I pray that you will have a great Saturday with Jesus.  Join us tomorrow morning and evening!  Going to be great!

Happy sixteenth wedding anniversary to Brad & Daphne.  I hope they will have a great day (with Jason H).

Andy Hamil was admitted to the hospital.  They will run more tests today.  I appreciate Clara Broadus being so kind to Andy & Betty and helping them out in so many ways.

As I mentioned yesterday afternoon, Phil & Edna are doing good.  Edna begins PT today.  Keep praying!

Continue to pray for Robert Baria.  Roseanne too!

Not sure where Bibbi Bosarge is in her battle against gall stones but please pray for her.

To those who are working outside during this unusually hot spell, please be careful and stay hydrated!  (I am talking to you, Gary Walton!).

Regular schedule this Sunday morning.  If possible, let’s wear the colors of our flag!

Cake auction with fireworks display this Sunday beginning at 5:00PM and ending at dark thirty.  Bring a lawn chair.  Bring trimmings for barbecue.  All cakes need to be in the CAB by 3:00PM!  Anyone up for bringing homemade ice cream?

Can you believe that 2023 will be halfway over at midnight tonight?  Wow!

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

Edna Pearl’s surgery went well.  She had her knee replaced and was home by early afternoon.  In the meanwhile, Phil was at another hospital and got a great report from his test.  Praise the Lord!  Keep praying for Phil & Edna Pearl.

Clara Broadus just called to let me know that Andy Hamil has basically spent the day in an urgent care facility and is now being transported to a hospital.  He thought he had heartburn but it appears the medical folks are not buying that.  Pray for Andy & Betty.

Stacey Dyess came by the house and got some of the supplies needed for the barbecue fellowship (cake auction) this Sunday.  He casually mentioned that it would be great if folks would bring homemade ice cream for dessert.  Any takers?  If so, that will be great!

Urgent need for some folks to help mow/bush hog the back forty for this Sunday’s gathering.  I am not sure if we had any takers today.  Guys, can/will you help?  Thank you!