July 2013 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)

July 12, 2013

Dear Friends,

After many months of waiting, Spring has arrived and transformed gloriously into Summer!  Though the winters here can be harsh, the winds can be forceful and the weather conditions extreme, there are few things that can match the beauty of a lush, green prairie in the heart of summertime.  Our sunsets now resemble giant rainbows that have laid down on the horizon for a rest, sunflowers grow wild in every ditch, and all the countryside seems to throb with the heartbeat of God’s glorious creation! 

One night, without warning, my house was struck by an intense hailstorm.  I was showering at the time, and the sound made me think the cats were running down the hall.  Then the sound intensified, and I thought that someone had broken into the house.  Then it got heavier still, and I thought we were under attack by Hottentots!  When I finally grasped what was happening, I went outside and picked up a handful of the freshly-fallen hailstones.  Considering their size, I was lucky to have only one broken window!

Working Shoulder-to-Shoulder with Friends from Far Away

This month, our church played host to a group of fellow-believers from Hamilton Baptist Church in Virginia, as well as some of their partner churches.  Through the concerted efforts of the nearly 30 group members, they partnered with our church to do some pretty fantastic work in the greater community.

The work they did began on a Sunday afternoon, when they hosted a block party in the church’s side yard.  There was face painting, snow cones, and even a couple of bouncy houses.  They registered many children to come to VBS, and learned where they needed to be picked up.

  

On Monday morning, Vacation Bible School started off at full pace, with Bible classes for five different age groups, crafts, music, games, and more.  Unlike previous years, VBS ran for five days in a row, instead of the usual four.  The children loved it!  And in addition to the regular Bible study lessons of each day, I had the opportunity to go to each class and share the Gospel with them all.  Two young girls, named Daisy and Sunny, even placed their faith in Jesus!  Boy, do I love my job!

But the ministry opportunities did not end there.  Children’s VBS ended at midday, but after lunch there was a whole other Vacation Bible School, designed for teenagers.  This was headed up by our own Clint and Amy Holley, and included a lesson from the scriptures for each day, with a showing of the Jesus film on the final day. 

When the older kids were not learning about the scriptures, they were participating in games and sports that were too advanced for the younger children.  These included such classics as “build an inverted pyramid out of paper cups”, “run while holding a water balloon between you and your partner’s forehead”, and “let’s pick up litter all around the city”. 

Of course, the adults were not left out, either.  Each evening, Pastor Glen McGlaughlin would host an adult Bible study in the sanctuary, where he did in-depth study of the scriptures with the community’s more mature residents.  It was an exciting and fun week for people of all ages.

But the Hamilton group was not satisfied to merely help us with these things.  They brought with them a team of basketball players who hosted not one, but two basketball camps-one in Cherry Creek and the other in Eagle Butte-complete with drills, full-court games, and of course, devotionals. 

They also brought with them a team of men who were great with their hands, and they fixed many things at the church-things that I did not even realize were broken!  They replaced two windows, replaced a fence post, repaired two gates, installed three thermostats, renovated our janitor’s closet, reinforced our screen door, and did several other things that I am probably forgetting.  One of the more notable things they did was to cut our back fence down to half its previous height, thus increasing our church’s security tenfold.  You see, prior to this summer, our back fence was so high that anyone could go behind our church without being seen.  This might be one reason why we were targeted for a break-in earlier this year.  With the back fence now at its new, lower height, the police chief says he can see everything in our back yard, and the church is in a more secure place.

Our church’s warmest thanks go out to Hamilton Baptist Church and to all those who assisted in making this June an unforgettable experience.  May God bless you all!

Emily

Some of you may remember a few months ago, when I said that we had an intern on her way up here, who was anxious to learn the ins and outs of ministering to Native Americans.  Well, that intern has arrived, and her name is Emily.  She has demonstrated great willingness to learn and develop her skills, and we look forward to working with her in the coming months.  She has already learned a good deal about the community and its people, assisted the Hamilton group, run numerous errands for me around town, and constructed a church library.  Pray for her, though, as she has developed a violent allergy to Sage-a plant that is as common in this part of the country as dirt.  This causes terrible sneezing and coughing, as well as a feeling of weakness that resembles the flu.  Pray that her body will adjust to it, and that the medication she is currently taking will keep the allergy under control.

Native American Christian Art

Some time ago, I mentioned that while the Lakotas tend to be very gifted artists, and that there is no shortage of art in this area, there is precious little Native American Christian art.  For this reason, our church commissioned one of our own members, Bryson Dupris, to paint a series of paintings illustrating the unfolding of salvation history.  He worked at this job for some months, and has just finished.  Now, in our church hallway, we have a series of paintings that show the Creation, the Fall, The Ten Commandments, The Depravity of Man, The Nativity, The Sermon on The Mount, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection, The Second Coming, and The Last Judgment.  Now anyone, whether they can read or not, can see the history of God’s relationship with His people unfolding visually every time they walk down the hallway!

A New Church Library

This Spring, I set up a church event called “The Day of Stuff”, in which we sorted through all the cabinets and drawers in the church and organized whatever stuff we found there.  Everyone needs a day like that every now and then.  But when the Day of Stuff arrived, we were amazed at the number of books that we had stashed away!  A book is useless unless it can be put to some use, so I gave Emily the task of constructing some bookshelves in the back room of the church and using these to make a church library.  In the photo above, you can see the result.  I am very happy that we can find all our books now, and that we can put these to good use for the Kingdom of our Lord.

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.  We have a particular need, due to a city sidewalk project that is coming past the church, for which they intend to charge us about $4700. 

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 

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