Pastor's Blog

The Equality Act passed in the US House yesterday along party lines with three Republicans voting with the Democrats.  It now goes to the Senate for debate and vote.

Alabama’s senators are Richard Shelby and Tommy Tuberville.  I am asking each person reading this entry to call the US Capitol Switchboard (202) 224 3121 today and asked to be connected to Senator Shelby’s office and Senator Tuberville’s office.  (I assume this will mean placing two calls)  Ask our senators to vote against the Equality Act.  Folks, now is the time to take action.

Service at the Mission of Hope tonight beginning at 7:00PM.  Everyone invited to attend.

There are three celebration of life services over the next five days:  Amy Reynolds grandfather’s is today; Jennifer Jones father’s is tomorrow and Gloria Merritt’s is Tuesday.  Pray for these services and these families.

Bobby Broome’s and Ann Clark’s nephew, Jim, is some better in his battle against the virus.  He and his family are fully trusting God.  Keep praying.

Nina Stringfellow has been discharged from the hospital.  She is very thankful for the prayer support.  Keep praying for a full recovery.

Brad Hutto did well through his surgery and now has 20/20 vision.  Amen!  (He will now be able to see who is and who is not singing during the congregational musical worship times!)

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday morning and evening.

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

I received the following on Monday morning from a church member who is presently unable to attend our services due to physical restrictions:  “For those who think going to church is a choice, I would like to correct that. Going to church may be the greatest privilege we have as Christians and Americans. When that is taken away you realize that the worship of God is done best cooperately. We can worship alone and on line but it is best done with the congregation. The Holy Spirit can lift us up alone but I feel is manifested greatly in a Church environment. We can’t wait to get back in Sunday school and Church. For those who think it’s a choice, choose wisely. It could be taken away for a number of reasons. The Church needs us but of utmost importance, we need the Church.”

Amy Reynolds paternal grandfather, Mr. Max Howard, passed away unexpectedly this past Monday afternoon.  Mr. Howard lived in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife.  Pray for Mrs. Howard, Amy’s father, Johnny, Amy and the entire Howard family.  Arrangements pending.

Our son-in-law, Brad Hutto, will be having eye surgery this afternoon.  Outpatient.  Pray that all goes well.

Keep praying for Ray & Nina Stringfellow as they both are battling the virus.

Regular schedule on our campus this morning at 10:00AM and tonight at 6:30PM.  I am in hopes that more and more members of the Friendship family will make Wednesday attendance a priority.

Soccer sign up continues.  Not a ton of spots left.  Contact Bro. Abel for more information.

The annual yard sale cometh!  Contact Bro. Jerry for more information.

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

Larry Childress, father of Jennifer Jones, passed from this life last Thursday, 2/18.  There will be a visitation with the family from 10:00AM until the noon service this Saturday, 2/27.  Everything will take place from the Evangelical Methodist Church on Padgett Switch Road.  Pray for the Childress family.

Word came to me yesterday afternoon that Ray & Nina Stringfellow both tested positive for the virus.  They were both taken to the hospital and Nina was admitted.  Pray for Ray & Nina as they battle this illness.  Nina is as faithful as anyone I have ever known at showing up for surgeries, funerals, et cetera of folks in Grand Bay.  Ray & Nina are good folks!

Keep praying for Miss Cora Martin.

Miss Lanell McConnell had surgery yesterday.  Pray for Miss Lanell.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.  I encourage our 10:00AM folks to attend the service as it is very easy to social distance.  I encourage our 6:30PM folks to keep up the attendance increase.

The forecast calls for eight of the next ten days to have highs in the seventies with other two days seeing sixty nine for a high.  After tonight the lows will be in the fifties or sixties.  I say, “Spring has sprung!”

Bibbi is pretty upset with me because I did not mention their website in my blog yesterday.  It is gulfcoastheritagefoods.grazecart.com.  I can personally verify that the pork chops are excellent.  Check them out!

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

The Lord blessed us with a really good day in our services yesterday.  We give Him the praise.  We saw the highest early morning service attendance since this pandemic began.  Our second morning service attendance was much better than the previous Sunday but we still have much room for improvement.  I am very thankful to those who are making church attendance a priority.

Some really good news came to me last night when Dylan shared that beginning this Sunday, 2/28, we will add a third bus route.  We will now have a bus in the Bayou La Batre area on Sundays – praise the Lord!

Bro. Jerry announced yesterday that the yard sale/auction dates have been set for March 18, 19 & 20.  Contact him for more information on volunteering or donating items.

Bro. Abel says that the soccer leagues are almost at capacity.  Yes, there is still room in all leagues but they could reach capacity very soon.  Contact Bro. Abel for the details.

Miss Cora Martin is some better.  Keep praying!

Welcome Spring!  The forecast calls for highs in the seventies and lows in the fifties/sixties this week.  I “think” Winter is over.  Time to begin thinking garden planting.

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

Praise the Lord!  Miss Cora Martin has improved very much.  So much so that the medical folks sent her family home from the facility.  Miss Cora has a very strong will to live.  Keep praying!

Lisa’s cousin, Jim, had a setback yesterday as both of his lungs collapsed.  Please pray for Jim and his family.

Regular schedule on our campus tomorrow morning and evening.  Praying for a move of the Spirit in our midst.

No blog entry until Monday unless something dictates otherwise.

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

I would ask you to join me in praying for Miss Cora Martin as she is not doing so well physically right now.  She is in the convalescent facility and her family was able to visit with her yesterday.  Pray for Miss Cora, her family and the healthcare providers.

Regular schedule on our campus this Sunday morning and evening.  I am praying that we will have a sweet spirit and strong numbers.  Join us!

Soccer sign ups continue.  Contact Bro. Abel for the information.  Games will be on Saturdays and begin March 27 and will end on May 15.

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

The church office will be open today.  I have given Bro. Jerry & Bro. Abel the day off so I will be the only show in town.  As far as I know, the internet is down which means our phones are not working.

The Lord blessed and we had a good service last night.  In spite of the less than ideal weather conditions, we had a really good attendance.  I am very grateful to those who attended.

Lisa’s cousin, Jim, is now listed as stable.  He has a ways to go physically but at least is considered doing better.  Keep praying.

The forecasters are calling for us to have a good weekend weather wise.  We are expected to go below freezing tomorrow night but then the temperatures go up.  Our “Winter” may be over although the older folks will tell me about that last cold snap right before Easter.

We are on a regular schedule this Sunday morning and evening.  I am in hopes that our attendance will show a marked increase especially in the 10:30AM service as we were down in that service last Sunday.

Joey & Bibbi Bosarge have a farm – Redemption Family Farm.  You can buy their products from their website which is gulfcoastheritagefoods.grazecart.com.

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

There will be no morning service today, 2/17.  Is it “too” cold for us to have a service?  No.  However, I have taken into consideration that our most of our morning crowd consists of senior adults and I do not want them to have to get out as the temperature will be around forty degrees with the wind chill probably closer to thirty two degrees.  This group is our most faithful group when it comes to attendance and I appreciate them.  Pass the word, please.

Regular schedule tonight!

On Saturday, February 17, 1979, an eighteen year old young man held a bus meeting with four workers in hopes of basically resurrecting a bus ministry that was on life support.  That was forty two years ago today.  That eighteen year old young man never imagined in his wildest dreams that forty two years later he would still be on staff at Friendship and would have spent over thirty of those years as the pastor.  Not to mention finding his wife from within the Friendship family and then being blessed with five daughters and eight grandchildren.  To say the Friendship family has been good to me would be like the understatement of all time.  God has used the Friendship family in so many ways to be great to me and my family.  I have basically been on a honeymoon for forty two years!  To God be the glory! I stand amazed!

Little known side note – I was unaware of it until years later but I was hired on a six months trial basis!  True story!  I am very grateful to Bro. Johnny Tucker for recommending me to Bro. Robbie and then thankful to Bro. Robbie for his willingness to take a chance on me.  Bro. Robbie did an awesome job of mentoring me.  Miss Peggy did an awesome job of keeping me laughing!  I owe a great debt to Bro. Johnny & Miss Judy and Bro. Robbie and Miss Peggy.

So today I am counting my blessings!  Wow!

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

There are two announcements relating to the Friendship family.  First, the church office hours for today have been adjusted.  The office will open at 11:00AM and close at 4:00PM.  Please note the delayed opening.

Second, and more important, we will not have our morning service in the morning, 1/17.  The temperatures will be above freezing but the forecast calls for some strong winds which will make it feel much colder.  Since almost all of our Wednesday morning attendees are senior adults, I want to them to stay at home and to stay warm.  Please pass the word!

We will have our regular evening schedule tomorrow night.

I do not have any updates on those persons for whom we have been praying.  I would simply ask you to keep praying!

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

Bobby’s & Ann’s nephew was placed on a ventilator early yesterday morning.  His oxygen level had dropped to sixty percent.  Pray for Jim, his family and the medical folks involved in his care.

I am very thankful to Gary & Rachel Walton for the nice surprise of the heart shaped cakes in yesterday morning’s services.  How nice was that!  They were thinking of others which is exactly what I taught last Wednesday.  Good stuff!

Katelyn Johnson & Elizabeth Westbrook did a nice job on the Valentine’s backdrop in the foyer of the auditorium.  That is where I took all of my selfies!

Congratulations to Bro. Abel & Miss Candy on their engagement!  I am happy for them.

Dylan did a very nice job of sharing the message in our evening service.  He & Elizabeth are doing a good job with our bus & children’s ministries.  Pray for them and these ministries.

Yesterday was a proverbial roller coaster for me emotionally.  Our worship service attendance was up considerably in our early service but then someone seemingly dropped a bomb in the second service – oh my!  Folks, that works on me in ways that I cannot explain.

I am now seeing a forecast low for Grand Bay tonight of nineteen to twenty two degrees.  I may need to put a jacket on.  Problem is that I do not own a jacket.

I am using a vacation day today.  Personal reasons but all is well.  Bro. Jerry & Bro. Abel are in the office from 8:00AM until noon and then from 1:00PM until 4:00PM.

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