First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte
P.O. Box 170, Eagle Butte, SD
57625
(605) 964-3617 (Office) / (605)
891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell)
February
26, 2015
Dear
Friends,
Winter has arrived in force here in Eagle Butte, together with all the sights that attend that frozen season. Children are seen sledding across from the telephone authority, snowdrifts are building up against the sides of our school buildings, and large turkeys meander their way through the Dairy Queen parking lot. And before you ask: no. I have no idea where those turkeys came from, what they are doing at Dairy Queen, or why they keep showing up. But hey-what would life be without a little crazy?
I understand that some of you who live down south are already in the thick of some heavy winter weather-some of it even more severe than ours! My sympathies: when the roads get slick, life grinds to a halt. But the same God who made Winter also made Springtime, and made each to come in its own turn. We will all weather these storms!
Generous Friends from Afar
On February 13th, I was blessed to receive a group of friends of ours from Kentucky. They had brought with them roughly 30 large boxes of clothing, which they intended for the homeless of Eagle Butte. Since the distribution was to be a very large-scale process, I enlisted the help of our local homeless shelter, the “Mustard Seed”. There, the clothes were carefully stored until they could be distributed to the local homeless. Since that time, I have been pleased to see some of our homeless people walking around town wearing new, warm clothes. My thanks to everyone who donated these things, and to those who transported them. Eagle Butte is a little bit warmer because of you.
Tragedy
Earlier this month, a crisis arose. One Wednesday, a young woman from our high school died. There were rumors that it had been a suicide, but nothing had been confirmed. But within 24 hours, we had all the confirmation we needed. Five more girls were admitted to the emergency room, all of whom had attempted suicide. Upon further questioning, it was revealed that each of them had entered into a suicide pact with the dead girl, and were acting in response to that pact.
In small towns like ours, where everybody knows everybody, one suicide can have a devastating impact on the community. Often, there are several people who are considering suicide at any given time, but they never build up the nerve to attempt it-until something like this happens. When one person commits kills themselves, those who had been considering it begin to see this action as a more real possibility. One suicide can become many suicides in a matter of days. Thankfully, the first five attempts had been unsuccessful, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be ten more attempts in the coming weeks. In this way, the devil turns one death into a massacre.
In desperation, I sent out an emergency email request, urgently asking for prayer from as many of you as I could quickly contact. Within hours, your emails came flooding in, promising not only your prayer support, but the support of your churches. Hundreds of you, from all across the country, joined your voices together in prayer for the young people of this community. Jesus promised us: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” And now, after weeks of joining our voices together in prayer, I feel I can safely say that our Lord has proven faithful to His promises. Once again.
Following my request for prayer, there has been one addition suicide attempt-an unsuccessful one. And other than that…nothing has happened.
Absolutely nothing. There was a funeral, and the people were sad. But there have been no more deaths.
When it comes to things like this, it is impossible to explain what the impact of your prayers were. "Nothing happened" doesn't sound like much in the way of news, but the truth is that it's impossible to know how many lives were saved by God's intervention. Intervention in response to your prayers. How many souls were saved because now they will live long enough to accept Jesus? How many children will be born one day because their parents never killed themselves? How many of our young people who were considering suicide, but decided against it, will learn the lesson of perseverance and one day pass this lesson on to another young person who needs it? It is impossible to say. Thank you, brothers and sisters in Christ. When this community needed you, you were there.
A New Ministry
SLAP. As you read this, I am slapping myself in the face. SLAP. I just did it again. That is what I get for not telling you guys about this piece of news earlier. A new ministry has grown up at our church, and I have told you guys nothing about it!
Many months ago, Clint and Amy Holley (members of our church) took it upon themselves to create a special Bible study for children and teenagers that would take place every Wednesday night. This ministry was meant to coexist with the adult Bible study that happens in a different part of the church. Each week’s lesson is on a different part of the Bible, but the lesson is taught with the unique problems of children and teenagers specifically in mind.
In time, this ministry has grown and developed, and now the Holleys are teaching even more people on Wednesday nights than I am! And on those occasions when I am able to listen to their lessons, I am amazed by how beautifully the simple truths of scripture are being applied to the lives of our young people. SLAP. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about this wonderful thing.
Off-the-Wall Continues to be a Regular Community Staple
Through the consistent efforts of our volunteers, our Off-the-Wall ministry continues to be a thriving and vital part of our church’s service to the community. Each Friday night, young people from all over Eagle Butte gather together at our church for an evening of safe, friendly fun in a Christian context. I consistently refer to this ministry as “Off-the-Wall”, because it was designed to give the youth something to do besides sitting on the wall that is opposite our church. But the youth have a different name for it. They call it “Friday night”, because it is the primary thing that is happening on Friday evenings. We are grateful to have this avenue through which we can be witnesses to this community.
Revival!
This March, First Baptist Church will be hosting a revival in conjunction with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A guest speaker will be sent to us from that great seminary, and he will be our guest as he preaches a series of revival meetings.
As you are aware, there are two types of revivals: the kind that churches schedule, and the kind that God schedules. The kind that churches schedule are a series of pleasant worship services. But the kind that God schedules are life-changing, culture-changing, history-changing EVENTS. A revival that God schedules brings about painful and tearful repentance on the part of believers and unbelievers alike. A revival that God schedules fills the local body of Christ with renewed energy and vigor. A revival that God schedules brings waves of new believers into the Kingdom of Heaven. Such a Revival could alter the course of history for this reservation FOREVER.
We need your prayers, brothers and sisters, for no great revival has ever taken place without God’s people first turning to Him in prayer. Pray that God will use the tiny plans we have formed as the launching-place for a great work here among the Lakota people. Pray for Thomas Fortner, who will be the speaker here at the Revival meetings, that God will anoint Him with the Holy Spirit and prepare him to deliver His word. And pray for the people of this city, believers and unbelievers alike, that the events of this revival will leave them forever changed.
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. Pray especially for the upcoming revival, that hearts and lives will be transformed, and that the Holy Spirit will turn this revival we have scheduled into the kind of REVIVAL that only He can schedule.
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
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
