Monday, August 20, 2012

July Newsletter


First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

P.O. Box 170, Eagle Butte, SD 57625

(605) 964-3617 (Office) / (605) 891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell)

August 18th, 2012

Dear Friends,

The month of July opened up with a bang here in Eagle Butte, with a fireworks display like no other!  The Lakota love the fourth of July.  Some of them love it because they are patriotic citizens who are willing to give their lives to defend this country.  Others love it because South Dakota fireworks regulations are practically nonexistent!  Any private citizen can easily purchase near-professional grade fireworks, and shoot them off anytime during early July.  And boy, do they shoot them off!  They shoot them off at three o’clock in the morning.  They shoot them off in the daytime.  They shoot them at each other.  And on the fourth of July itself, there are so many fireworks exploding in every part of the city that it is difficult to tell which fireworks are set off by the government and which ones were set off by private citizens!
July also marks the time of our annual Hometown Days Festival.  For one glorious weekend, the citizens of Eagle Butte enjoy carnival games, music, and fattening festival food.  But aside from the usual bouncy houses and dunking booths, Eagle Butte’s festival holds a distinctly western flare-complete with a mechanical bull!   

MADDIE’S LAST MONTH HERE
Maddie Holman, our church’s summer intern, finished her time here on a very strong note.  She drove children to a Christian Summer camp, assisted with last month’s newsletter, continued to help lead worship, continued to help teach Sunday School, and gave a great deal of assistance to the church group visiting from Sevier Heights Baptist Church.  In fact, she has been such a blessing to our church that we have decided to look for opportunities to bring other interns to this area.
AN OUTREACH TO THE HOSPITAL COMMUNITY

One of Maddie’s last projects involved coordinating an outreach event to the hospital community.  Under my supervision, she put together all of the elements needed to provide a breakfast for the staff of our hospital.  This was done as a gesture of thanks for everything that the hospital staff does for this community.  On the day of the event, we laid out a buffet-style breakfast for the staff to enjoy.  While they ate, church members were on hand to socialize with them and show them our gratitude.  It was a huge hit!  Hospital staff was happy to be shown some kindness without strings attached, and many stayed to chat with our church members.  We are looking to do more of these events in the future, and possibly branch out to include other institutions, like the police or fire department!

VISITING FRIENDS FROM EAST TENNESSEE

              In the middle part of July, we received a much-anticipated visit from some of our friends to the south: Sevier Heights Baptist Church of Tennessee.  With their customary energy and spirit, this group of self-sacrificing Christian brothers and sisters went right to work, helping this reservation in any way they knew how.  Among their many ways of helping was to set up a Vacation Bible School for two of the outlying settlements on this reservation: Red Scaffold and Bear Creek.  They were well-received, and their show of caring was deeply appreciated.  They taught the Gospel to these outlying settlements, played games with the children, had music, and generally brought a bright patch into these children’s lives.  But they were not content to stop there.

Wishing to connect with the youth of Eagle Butte, the Sevier Heights group requested that they be allowed to host a special Off-the-Wall event on Tuesday.  They provided all the food and supplies that would be necessary, so how could I refuse?!  The evening went smoothly and happily.  Sevier Heights played games with the youth, ate supper, and enjoyed a little music.  When everything was over, Sevier Heights cleaned the church building so that it looked like they had never been there.  We are grateful to these friends of ours, and look forward to welcoming them back for as long as God pleases to send them.
A NEW MINISTRY FOR FIRST BAPTIST
One of the joys of being a minister is to watch the spiritual growth and development of the church members.  An easily observable milestone in this growth comes when one of the members takes it on themselves to begin actively serving in the church.  Such an occurrence happened recently when Leslie Morrison, one of our church members, asked to use the church space for a “women’s talking circle” on Monday and Thursday nights.  This activity is designed around women who are trying to break free of addictions to alcohol and drugs of various kinds.  In this respect, it is not unlike Alcoholics Anonymous.  But unlike AA, the group that meets in our church does not merely vaguely suggest that addicts put their faith in some “higher power”.  Instead, Leslie intentionally designed this program around leaning on Jesus Christ for the strength you need to overcome addictions.  This program has been proceeding entirely under her initiative, and I have been delighted to watch it grow.  It is even resulting in some new attendees on Sunday morning!
FRIENDS FROM AFAR SEND HELP TO THOSE WHO NEED IT


Southside Baptist Church in Suffolk Virginia heard about our ministry here and was pleased to send us a generous gift of clothing.  There were 14 boxes of clothing total-each one nearly 3 feet high!  We set to work on the clothes, preparing to distribute them to the community.  We allowed the children who are bused into our Sunday School and the children of Windswept Academy to have their first pick of the many good things that were available.  Then we opened it up to the community, and our fellowship hall was filled with guests!  Many children walked away with school clothes that day, and many adults were happy to find a few things, too.  When we were finished, we gathered all the clothes that were left over and took them down to the local thrift store, so that they could continue to be distributed to the people who need it.  Thank you, Southside Baptist Church, for making this possible!

VISITORS ENHANCE WINDSWEPT ACADEMY

Assisting us with the distribution of clothes was Charles Town Baptist Church from Charles Town, West Virginia.  But this was only one, and not the greatest, of the help they provided to the people of this community.  In the space of only a few days, they gave a fresh coat of paint to every surface of Windswept Academy that had not recently been painted.  When they were finished, the place glowed!  Not only this, but they also played games with the children who came to the clothing giveaway, and gave them some toys, as well.  This is Charles Town Baptist Church’s first trip out here, and they will always be welcome among us.
So perhaps you are wondering how you can become a partner with us in our ministry here in Eagle Butte?  If so, then we are happy to tell you, since we welcome assistance from the body of Christ. Here is what we need the most:
Prayer.  It may be true that our church is getting along very well at the moment, and that God is doing great things here.  But it is precisely when a church is being used by God that Satan does all in his power to destroy it.  So please pray, my brothers and sisters.  Pray that our leadership will keep their hearts pure and humble, and that we will live at peace with each other.  Pray that we will be protected from the power of the enemy, and that God’s Holy Spirit will shine through in our lives.  Pray that the Lakotas in the community will come to know the Lord, and that the commitment they make will not be a superficial group of words, but a real change in their spirits that will alter the course of their lives for eternity. 

You might especially pray for our new women’s talking circle, which Leslie is working to establish.  She has never done anything like this before, and it can always be frightening to strike out into the unknown.  Pray that God will help her find support, encouragement and guidance, and that we as church members will know how to support this ministry.  Pray, too, for the ladies of this group, that God will give them the help they need to recover from their addictions and find their strength in the Lord.
E-mail addresses.  For those of you who have e-mail addresses, please send them to me.  That way, these monthly newsletters can be forwarded to everyone in your church who wants one!  Just send your name and e-mail address to me at benfarrar777@hotmail.com, and I’ll make sure you receive this newsletter as often as it comes out.  If you prefer to receive it by regular mail, just ask!  I aim to please.
Financial Assistance.  Our church is fortunate to have members who are generous in their giving. But some of our most generous members are, nevertheless, very poor.  We have long been blessed with assistance from outside churches and individuals, and we try to use those gifts wisely and well. 

If any of you wishes to bless the church with a financial gift, you may send it to:

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte
P.O. Box 170
Eagle Butte, SD 57625

May God bless you all, and draw you closer to Himself each and every day.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Ben Farrar
Pastor
First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte