`First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

(605) 891-1704

Dear Friends,

It has been a fun and exciting summer here on the Cheyenne River Reservation. I have continued to enjoy the privilege of ministering to the Lakota people, teaching the Bible and proclaiming the Good News about Jesus. Meanwhile, all the most beautiful things of this state have come to full fruition around me: Fields of sunflowers; beautiful sunsets; the annual rodeo and pow wow. After sixteen years of living on this reservation, no one looks at me as an alien, as they used to. And I feel completely at home here. God has blessed me and my wife with a glorious purpose here on the prairie, and I actively look forward to whatever the future holds.

Windswept Academy Needs Teachers

For the past seventeen years, Windswept Academy has been operating on the Cheyenne River reservation. It has been a steady and consistent witness for Christ, nurturing the young minds of about seventy students ranging from Kindergarten through High School. I have watched many of its students grow in spiritual maturity, and some have entered a saving relationship with Jesus. A number of students have grown up and moved on to successful careers. And each time I go to the school, an atmosphere of great love permeates every part of it. Many, if not most, of its students actually seem happy to be there (which is remarkable, since I never looked forward to school at their age). Windswept Academy is a good place to be.

However, I regret to announce that Windswept Academy is in danger of closing. There is a national shortage of teachers, and this shortage has hit Windswept particularly hard. They need mission-minded Christian teachers, and if they cannot find some soon, the school will cease to be. This would be a tragedy for all its students, for our church, and for the community as a whole.

If any of you know a teacher who is mission-minded, someone who wishes to go into the field of Christian education, Windswept Academy would be deeply interested in speaking with that person. For anyone who is willing to answer the call, the school is willing to provide free housing, free breakfast and lunch on school days, and a salary proportionate to their experience and training.

If anyone is interested, please have them contact Beth McLeod, the school’s principal. She can be reached at 605-200-0757. Her email address is officemanager@windsweptacademy.org. I also invite you to visit the school’s Facebook page, or their website at www.windsweptacademy.org. God bless you for your consideration.

A Repaired Nativity

Last Christmas, a local vandal thought it would be hilarious if he stole our church’s nativity scene. It proved to be too heavy for him, so instead he dragged it all over the front lawn. Several pieces were badly cracked. Some large pieces were broken out. And all the electrical components stopped working. This was distressing, since our outdoor nativity scene was one of our church’s favorite decorations. Even the general community enjoyed seeing it.

Fortunately, we were able to rebuild. I replaced the broken wiring with new wires. I melted down a five-gallon bucket and used it to repair the nativity scene’s cracks and holes. I followed some advice from my good friend, Melvin Shaw, to attach the figures more firmly to their base. Now, we have a great nativity scene, all ready to go! Praise God that we were able to recover.

Vacation Bible School!

This Summer, we had the great honor of playing host to a mission team from Fellowship Church of Knoxville, Tennessee. Their church and ours have enjoyed a robust friendship over the past few years, and I was very eager to see these friends of mine once again.

When they arrived, they put together an outstanding Vacation Bible School, which drew in large numbers of children from all over town. There were crafts, games, songs, and a daily lesson from the Bible. The week’s festivities were capped off with a community cookout, where hamburgers and hotdogs were served to anyone who wanted them. The children had lots of fun, and my spirit was greatly encouraged. Praise God for giving me fellow believers who are willing to come alongside me in such a sacrificial way!

A Great Big Clothing Giveaway!

Our church has been blessed with friends from other parts of the country. Every once in a while, these friends send us donated clothes and ask us to get them into the hands of people who need them. Whenever we accumulate enough clothes, we host a giveaway at our church, and distribute the clothing among the people. About a month ago, I had the great good fortune to host one of these giveaways. Several dozen people came to look through the donated clothes, and nearly all of them left satisfied. So with the help of generous-hearted folks like you, a lot of people had their lives made just a little bit better. And I call that a pretty good day.

Sports Camp!

Near the end of the summer, we were visited by a mission team from Calvary Bible Church of Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. They collaborated with our church to put on a sports camp. Each day of the camp featured a different sport, including basketball and soccer. There were also many of the hallmarks of a Vacation Bible School, including crafts, snacks and Bible stories. Calvary Bible Church even gifted the students with backpacks before the week ended.

In addition to this, the team worked together to fix several things that needed repair. My toilet, for example, had stopped working, so they installed a new one. An elderly woman in the community had been living with three holes in her floor for some time, and they patched the holes securely. Windswept Academy needed some work on their security cameras, and they made everything work smoothly. We were truly a lot better off for having these wonderful people here!

Women’s Bible Study

My wife, Tiffany, has recently begun to host a women’s Bible study on the subject of the “Names of God”. She has cleverly arranged the study so that it takes place over Zoom. That way, the ladies can interact with one another, face-to-face, without having to leave their own homes. This format really comes in handy in South Dakota, where some of our church members live 45 minutes away and the roads are periodically covered in snow and ice.

So far, the Bible Study has been very well-attended, and the women have greatly benefited from one another’s insights. Praise the Lord for making all of this possible!

So perhaps you are wondering how you can become a partner with us in our ministry here in Eagle Butte? If so, we welcome your help, since we treasure any assistance from the body of Christ. Here is what we need the most:

Prayer. It may be true that our church is getting along 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 be real and lasting. 

E-mail addresses. For those of you who have e-mail addresses, please send them to me. That way, these newsletters can be forwarded to everyone in your church who wants one! Just send your name and email 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 still have very little that they can give. We have long been blessed with assistance from outside churches and individuals, and we work hard 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

If you wish to give a donation in memory of another person, or in that person’s honor, we will recognize the person you designate in our newsletter. 

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

Newsletter April 2026

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

(605) 891-1704

Dear Friends,

Since the last time I wrote you, there have been many happenings here in Eagle Butte, and at First Baptist Church. A massive display of the Aurora Borealis jumped right out of the sky. All the ministries of First Baptist Church have continued at full pace, and there’s even a new one that I can’t wait to tell you about. 

As I write this, winter is still holding on by a thread. A large snowstorm fell on Good Friday, but it was mostly melted by Easter. The trees are budding, and the prairie is just on the verge of turning green. I am eager to jump into the busiest and most beautiful time of the year!

Jewels of Our Church Family

Jerry and Britnee Longbrake have been attending our church for some time. They and their children have been a great blessing to our church family.  Last Fall, I had the great pleasure of officiating the renewal of their wedding vows. And not long after, our church cooperated to help them move into a new house! Moving day was a lot of fun. Several people from the church turned out to help, and we got everything done by sunset. One of their roosters got loose in the process, and we all had to chase it down. I had the honor of being the one to catch him!  We look forward to many happy years with this family.

A New Ministry Among the Elders

The Medicine Wheel Village is a nursing home on the outskirts of Eagle Butte. It is a beautiful place, and well-staffed. It houses the elder tribal members who most need regular care. Recently, I have come under conviction to start doing chapel services at the Medicine Wheel, so I asked their permission. They happily agreed! Now, every Friday, we have a full church service together. There are hymns, preaching, and prayers. It is a good ministry, since the residents cannot normally leave the facility to attend church. I’m so blessed to have this wonderful opportunity!

Weathering the Lean Times

During the most recent government shutdown, food stamp money ran out. This left many on the reservation without a reliable source of groceries. Fortunately, our tribal council was wise in its preparation for this crisis, and used some of its savings to purchase a large quantity of food for anyone who needed it. Meat, vegetables, honey and more was arrayed on pallets, next to the homeless shelter. I had played no part in gathering this food, but I still wanted to help. So I went to the distribution site and helped elders and families carry food to their cars. The shutdown ended some time later, and the tribe had succeeded in avoiding a serious crisis.

A Visit from Old Friends

Last Fall, Trinity Bible College sent a group of young people to Windswept Academy, our local Christian School. They used First Baptist Church for a place to stay, and went to Windswept during school hours. They assisted the teachers as volunteers and put on a delightful presentation for the children about the Full Armor of God. At every point during their stay, they showed themselves to be gracious and considerate guests. The children loved having them come for a visit, and I look forward to seeing them again!

Giving to Those in Need

Periodically, generous-hearted people from around the country send me items of clothing to distribute among people who need them. Sometimes they send me other things: pots, pans, plates, toys, shoes, books, or a hundred other things. Whenever I get enough of these, I host a giveaway at the church and give these items to anyone who has need of them. Most recently, we hosted a giveaway that was attended by dozens of people, and made their lives just a little bit better. Thank you to all the wonderful ministry partners who donated clothes and other items, making this giveaway possible!

A Grand Thanksgiving Feast

In a longtime Thanksgiving tradition, the good people of Hamilton Baptist Church partnered with us to bring a Thanksgiving dinner to the entire community. Our church served as a venue, and we provided them access to our kitchens. They provided all the food and supplies, and labored for days to get everything just right. On the day of the event, we fed nearly three hundred people; that’s ten percent of our entire population! Everyone had lots of fun, and enjoyed the delicious feast. Praise God for this wonderful partnership, and for the happy memories made this Thanksgiving.

The Way of Wisdom

Recently, the ladies of our church finished a women’s Bible study. It was called “The Way of Wisdom”, and it was led by my wife, Tiffany.  Over a period of weeks, the ladies of First Baptist Church met to fellowship and share what they had learned from the scripture. And, as a modern development, they met entirely over Zoom! The internet has been a great boon to our church, since cold temperatures and harsh weather are common here. In addition, the ladies of our church live a great distance apart, and gathering together more than once a week can be difficult. But with the help of Zoom calls, those difficulties melt away. Whether we are snowed in, or hours apart, we can always join with one another through the internet. This has been extremely helpful to our Wednesday night attendance, as well!

Bidding Farewell to a Longtime Friend

November marked the passing of a longtime friend of First Baptist Church, Randy Slides Off. He was the leader of Red Warrior Ministries, together with his brother, Jerome. Together, they spread the Gospel throughout this community. They did so fervently, faithfully, and clearly.

Randy was a model of what it means to be a faithful Christian for as long as I knew him. And when his body finally gave up his spirit, and he went on to be with the Lord, His funeral was a living testimony to the great work that God had done in his life. Those who gathered there were sad to lose him, but encouraged to follow in his footsteps. Praise be to God.

Happy Easter!

This past Sunday, we celebrated the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus with a huge celebration. Our Sunday music was dedicated to triumphant praise. My sermon first looked upon the overwhelming power of death, then turned to show its power being shattered by Jesus Christ. We celebrate OUR resurrection, as we celebrate His.

Following the service, we had a delicious potluck lunch. Then we had a “candy scramble”, which is like an Easter egg hunt with fewer steps. We put candy all over the sanctuary, gave the children grocery bags, and let them scramble for it. They all wound up with full sacks and smiles on their faces. What a joyous Easter Sunday!

So perhaps you are wondering how you can become a partner with us in our ministry here in Eagle Butte? If so, we welcome your help, since we treasure any assistance from the body of Christ. Here is what we need the most:

Prayer. It may be true that our church is getting along 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 be real and lasting. 

E-mail addresses. For those of you who have e-mail addresses, please send them to me. That way, these newsletters can be forwarded to everyone in your church who wants one! Just send your name and email 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 still have very little that they can give. We have long been blessed with assistance from outside churches and individuals, and we work hard 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

If you wish to give a donation in memory of another person, or in that person’s honor, we will recognize the person you designate in our newsletter. 

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