Tuesday, January 26, 2016



First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

(605) 891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell)/ www.fbceaglebutte.com (Website)

January 26, 2016

Dear Friends,







Winter has come, and  oh, how it loves to pour down on us in spades!  Last Sunday, the windchill factor brought the temperature down to negative 21 degrees!  We have snow on our roads that fell three weeks ago, and some of it is still there!  When I spotted a particularly long and thick icicle hanging from the roof of our church, I took it down and measured it.  It was almost six feet long-even taller than my wife!
But despite the chill, some fantastic things have happened since our last newsletter.  I consider it such a privilege to be the bearer of good news!


Thanksgiving Giveaway




As you may remember, Main Street went under construction during the summer, and large parts of it were blocked off until late autumn.  As a result, we were somewhat impaired in having community events (like giveaways) at the church.  Generous clothing donations from servant-hearted people like you poured in from all over America, and began to build up.  So in early November, when we finally had a clear street, we hosted the largest giveaway our church has had in recent memory.  We gave away clothes, shoes, toys, books-anything you can imagine.  Anyone whose family was lacking in something could come and take as much as they needed.  And thanks to your generosity, we were able to keep the giveaway going for four days straight!  A lot of people are warmer now.
Also, not to waste an opportunity, I used this event to  give people fliers, advertising…

The Thanksgiving Feast







Each year, we collaborate with the people of Hamilton Baptist Church (of Virginia) to bring a Thanksgiving dinner to the entire community.  This year, we hosted over 200 people-as many as our church could hold, and more!  Young people from the Off-the-Wall ministry assisted in serving, and everyone had their fill.  And of course, with each plate came well-selected tract that explained the Gospel!

Four Baptisms-One Day!

  

For some time, I had been working with three girls and one woman in the church, giving them classes designed to prepare them for baptism.  At First Baptist Church, we do not believe that Baptism saves, nor do we believe that large amounts of knowledge are required in order to be saved.  But we do believe that, before becoming a Christian, one should first learn what a Christian actually is.  For this reason, I gave each of these four ladies classes, to make sure they knew what they were getting into.  And when they did, they happily expressed their desire for baptism! 
And so, shortly after Thanksgiving, we hosted a quadruple baptism, wheeling our mobile baptistery into the sanctuary for the occasion.  Afterwards, we celebrated with cake and congratulations all around.  Welcome to the family of God, Melaine, Callyn, Sarah, and Emma!

CHRISTMAS!!!
CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS!

I love Christmas!  It celebrates one of the greatest miracles ever done, when God became a man for the sake of saving this fallen world.  And it gives we humans a unique opportunity to celebrate God’s love by opening our hearts to each other.  First Baptist Church traditionally celebrates Christmas with considerable vigor, and this year was no exception!


 Because First Baptist Church is often on the receiving end of generous help from people outside the reservation, we think it right to spend some time around the Christmas holidays helping those less fortunate than ourselves.  For this reason, we cooperate with Operation Christmas child, a charity that sends Christmas gifts to children in third-world countries. For weeks, we collected all kinds of items for the children.  Then, one Wednesday night, we packed them all into boxes.  Shockingly, we had enough for 41 boxes!  That’s more than we’ve ever collected before!  I don’t know the children who will benefit from this, but I wish them a Merry Christmas!


 
 



On the night of our annual Christmas party, we decorated the sanctuary and the outside of the church, so they both looked good for Christmas.  We put garlands on the windows, a nativity scene at the pulpit (carved by  local artist from cottonwood root) and, of course, set up the tree.  It was beautiful.

   


On the morning of our special Christmas services, we took the children from Sunday School and brought them to the Manor, a local retirement community.  There, they put on a special Christmas program for the residents, complete with singing and a puppet show.  After this, they came back to the church and performed the same program for our general worship service.  Finally, we all had lunch together, enjoying one another’s company. 
The children were particularly happy to see that Christmas presents had been donated for them!  Some of these children receive very little at Christmas, so the prospect of being able to open something was very special to them.  What a great Christmas this was!

Revival!

  

One of our members, Bernie Laplante, is battling with cancer, and would appreciate your prayers.  When he requested that a revival be held this December, we were happy to arrange it, even though we do not ordinarily schedule revivals until March.  I have never been happier to make a change like this.  Brother Ernest Best, an evangelist of Lakota heritage who has had a relationship with this church almost since its founding, volunteered to preach the revival.  Our former pastor, Rev. Phil Lawrence, handled most of the music.  The revival was well-attended, and the truth was proclaimed.  I am still doing follow-up meetings with those who wanted a closer relationship with Jesus as a result of this four-day event.

 

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. 
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.
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 one 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 

Since the last newsletter, financial contributions were made in memory of Miles Pinckney Farrar, Elizabeth Henkle Farrar, and Joseph Webb Farrar.

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