Newsletter May 2014

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

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

May 17, 2014

Dear Friends,

If any of you are interested in becoming a TV weatherman, come live here in South Dakota.  You will always predict the weather accurately, and all you need to do is give the same forecast every day:  “Expect to be surprised!”

Case in point:  Last week, I was thinking of cutting the grass, since it was beginning to get long.  Then I looked out the window, and it was snowing!  In the picture on the above, you can see the fresh flakes beginning to fall on the new spring grass. 

The next day, I found that God had left me with a hard choice:  Should I cut my grass, or shovel my driveway?  I finally decided to stay inside until the weather could make up its mind.  This week, I cut my grass for real.

Off-the-Wall Embraces the Spring

During the Winter, our Off-the Wall ministry takes on a distinctly indoor character, and the young men and women tend to spend a lot of their time inside.  But thanks to the recent uptick in temperatures, there is only a slight chill in the air.  And that means that our youth program has moved almost totally outdoors.  There have been games of kickball and softball, and also some unusual sports that I’ve never seen before.  In one of these, two players attach plungers to their heads, then attempt to move in unison so as to wrap a tennis ball on a string around the plunger handle, and…well…it’s a lot more fun than I’m making it sound.

One evening, while Off-the-Wall was going on, I noticed that our yard was covered with trash.  It is a constant problem when you live in Eagle Butte, since the wind is always blowing more garbage on to your property.  Picking it up would take hours.  But then I hatched a plan.  I went down to the local Family Dollar and bought a large chocolate bunny.  Then I took the bunny back to the church, divided the youth into teams of two and told them that the team who picked up the most trash in half an hour could have the bunny.

I had to call off the contest after ten minutes, since there wasn’t any litter left in our yard!  In the picture above, you can see the winning team, holding their prize.  They earned it-in 10 minutes time, they collected 2 ½ trash bags full of litter!  And best of all, they got to earn it by doing something productive and helpful.

Sunday Morning Children’s Ministry

              This part of the newsletter is nothing new, but now and then I like to add a reminder of a ministry that we have been doing for some time.  Every Sunday morning, we send van drivers into the surrounding community, picking up children and giving them rides to church.  Then we feed them breakfast (a meal which, for some of them, might be the first time they have eaten since school lunch on Friday).  After that, we teach them our weekly Sunday School lesson, dividing them into three classes by age group.  Pictured above is one of the groups, being taught by Rachel Cowan (a gifted storyteller).  Finally, we take them all home.  We hope to form a bond with these children, and work hard to get the Gospel across to them, in the hopes that the Holy Spirit will use us to lead them to the Lord.

Windswept Academy is Growing

               One of the most fun parts of my job is acting as the chaplain of Windswept Academy, our local Christian school.  Through the diligent efforts of its teachers and staff, God has moved mightily to grow and develop this school in recent years.  When I arrived, I was just in time to see the coming of Clint and Amy Holley, who have been operating the school ever since.  Back then, the largest number of students the school had ever housed was 15.  But the Lord was at work, and things quickly began to change.  This year, 56 students enrolled!  In fact, there were so many that the school had to expand, and you see the results of that expansion above.  In one of the pictures above, you see Windswept Academy’s new building, partially finished with its construction.  By the end of the summer, it is believed that the new building will be completed, and the school will be better suited to serve the community than ever before.  Also pictured is the inside of the school, where the children are practicing for their upcoming school play.  I am so proud to be a part of the Holy Spirit’s work among these people!

First Baptist Church Sends Its First Missionary

               In the early 1960s, an energetic missionary named Ballard White came to Eagle Butte and founded this church.  He was its Pastor for thirty years, before his retirement in 1999.  He built upon the generosity, practical help and wisdom of other churches to the southeast, even as First Baptist Church continues to do till this very day.  But in accordance with the Great Commission of our Lord, it was always expected that one day we would send missionaries of our own.  Now, in the year 2014, I am proud to say that this may soon become a reality.  Amanda Benson, our Music Leader who also teaches at the local Junior High School, has long prepared to become a missionary to the Philippines.  And now, it looks as though she will be ready to set out within the year.  Earlier this month, Amanda presented her dream of missions work to the church, and we have agreed to be a sending church for her.  Praise be to God that I can be a small part of such an exciting work!

Noah’s Ark Preschool Hosts Its Graduation

   

Every Wednesday morning for the past nine months, I have been going to the Noah’s Ark Preschool and Day Care Center to tell a Bible story to the children.  The center is run by Darla Shupick, and she and her husband Mark have created a beautiful place for the children to thrive and grow.   I have seen them develop in a hundred little ways, and last week I was actually able to see some of them graduate!  I watched with delight as they demonstrated their knowledge of numbers, and colors, and letters, and even showed that they could read small words!  These may seem like tiny accomplishments, but any kindergarten teacher will tell you that a child who can do these things when he gets into kindergarten will be months ahead of those who can’t.  I am happy that I am allowed to come to this center every week, and show them the importance of the Bible and its teachings while they are young.

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 

This month, a financial gift was made to the church in memory of Jeff Mullis, Paul Sullivan and Mack Walker.

A financial gift was also made to the church in honor of Reed and John Farrar, for their outstanding behavior and academic achievements this year.

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