Newsletter May 2015

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

(605) 964-3617 (Office) / (605) 891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell) / www.fbceaglebutte.com

May 26, 2015

Dear Friends,

Spring has come to Eagle Butte at last, but I have never seen winter put up such a violent struggle for survival!  Two weeks ago, I was forced to cancel church-because of a blizzard!  A blizzard!  In the middle of May!  I had been needing to cut my grass, but I couldn’t because of all the snow!  But even this was not the end of Eagle Butte’s weather problems.

                            

Recently, the Tribal Council held a meeting in the gymnasium of Cherry Creek, here on the reservation.  What happened next is a little unclear.  Some say it was a tornado, while others think it was simply a very high wind.  It struck the gymnasium with terrific force, causing the entire roof to collapse.  Only two of the walls remained.  But God was kind.  Of the 40 people who were inside, not one of them was killed.  Only four of them were injured.  All of them recovered.  Praise the Lord, who protects!

               

                                                              Revival!

  

In early March, First Baptist Church hosted its annual revival, in cooperation with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  That great institution honored us by sending one of its students to preach a series of revival services at our church.  The week began with a clothing giveaway for the general community, with clothes supplied by the generous donations of friends of this church from all across the United States.  Every person who stopped by received a flyer, advertising the revival.  Each day, Thomas Fortner (the revival speaker) and myself would work diligently to promote the revival throughout the community.  And each night, for four nights in a row, we held revival meetings at the church.  There was great worship and praise in those meetings, and they were punctuated by members of our church giving their testimonies.

 

By the end, two young women had come forward, seeking to know more about Jesus.  I am currently conducting pre-baptismal classes for one of these young women, who has embraced God’s offer of salvation with joy.  But most important of all, God was glorified in those days.  May He be glorified forever! Amen.

First Baptist Church Joins the World Wide Web

 

For years now, having a website has been a long-term goal of this church.  But our lack of knowledge prevented us from making that goal a reality.  But this March, we had an unprecedented opportunity.  Our revival speaker, Thomas Fortner, had some spare time on his hands, and used that time to teach me how to set up a website.  Now, First Baptist Church is live on the internet!  Here is the address:

www.fbceaglebutte.com

Now that the website is in place, a whole world of possibilities has opened up.  For a long time, the prospect of ministering to this reservation has been daunting, purely from a geographical perspective.  The reservation consists of 13 small settlements, spread over 9,000 square miles.  Many of those settlements have no place where its people can go to renew their spirits in church.  But now, with the aid of this website, I can upload all of my sermons to the worldwide web.  People can hear them when they are out of town, or snowed into their homes, or sick, or living in one of the outlying settlements.  There is even a weekly feature I call “Ask Pastor Ben” in which anyone can ask me a question and (if I know the answer), I will answer it in an audio recording on the website!  This is a great step forward for us.

The website does more than this, though.  In addition to providing all sorts of useful information about the church and its people, the site has an “online giving” option, in which donors can conveniently donate to First Baptist Church. 

I invite you to visit www.fbceaglebutte.com and see for yourself the various things that it has to offer!

Our First Missionary is Commissioned

   

Many years ago, a fiery missionary named Ballard White arrived in Eagle Butte.  He was full of purpose and energy, and dedicated himself to the founding of this church.  He was assisted in this endeavor by other churches throughout the United States, who helped him according to the proper practice of the Body of Christ.  Ballard White has since gone on to be with the Lord, but our church has grown strong.  We continue to operate with a great deal of help from churches across the country, and we stand on the shoulders of giants.  But we also recognize that it was always intended by our Lord that other missionaries would one day stand on our shoulders.

It is for this reason that First Baptist Church could not be more proud to commission its first missionary, Amanda Benson.  She will soon be leaving for the Philippine Islands, and she takes with her our blessing and support.  There she will work in the capacity of a schoolteacher, and work to spread the Gospel to those who need it most.  Farewell, Amanda.  First Baptist Church will miss you.

Good Friends Help Make Our Church Secure 

        

I have been the Pastor of First Baptist Church for the past four years.  During that time, we have had no fewer than three break-ins.  When the third break-in occurred last summer, I knew that the problem could be ignored no longer.  Anyone wishing to enter our church could smash a window and crawl right through.  So I called on our good friends at Burkemont Baptist Church in Morganton, North Carolina. 

Sending up a team of skilled craftsmen, they installed a series of bars on each of our windows, with a decorative cross on each.  Now, if someone wants to get in, they’re going to need a blowtorch!

                                                       

Not being content to only secure our windows, the crew from Burkemont turned their attention to our back fence.  This fence had been very badly treated by passers-by over the years.  Three of its posts had broken off at the ground, and large sections of it were being held together with coathanger wire!  Setting to work with the matter-of-fact efficiency of skilled professionals, they made the entire fence strong and sturdy in less than 24 hours.  Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to all those who helped make these projects a reality.

Friends Come From Afar, Bearing Gifts

  

This April, First Baptist Church had the great honor of hosting two good-hearted philanthropists:  Sarah and Lowell Connell, of Arkadelphia, Arkansas.  They arrived in Eagle Butte with a trailer full of useful things to put to use in our church.  There were cabinets and whiteboards for the Sunday School rooms, sspice racks for the kitchen, and even some doors for our Sunday School rooms. 

Not content to merely drop off some gifts and leave, they got the help of a local carpenter and installed everything, tight and secure.  Our church is much better off due to their help.  All our thanks.

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 

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