First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte
P.O. Box 170, Eagle Butte, SD 57625
(605) 891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell)/ www.fbceaglebutte.com (Website)
January 26, 2016
Dear Friends,
Winter has come, and oh, how it loves to pour down on us in
spades! Last Sunday, the windchill
factor brought the temperature down to negative 21 degrees! We have snow on our roads that fell three weeks
ago, and some of it is still there! When
I spotted a particularly long and thick icicle hanging from the roof of our
church, I took it down and measured it. It
was almost six feet long-even taller than my wife!
But despite the chill, some
fantastic things have happened since our last newsletter. I consider it such a privilege to be the
bearer of good news!
Thanksgiving Giveaway
As
you may remember, Main Street went under construction during the summer, and
large parts of it were blocked off until late autumn. As a result, we were somewhat impaired in
having community events (like giveaways) at the church. Generous clothing donations from
servant-hearted people like you poured in from all over America, and began to
build up. So in early November, when we
finally had a clear street, we hosted the largest giveaway our church has had
in recent memory. We gave away clothes,
shoes, toys, books-anything you can imagine.
Anyone whose family was lacking in something could come and take as much
as they needed. And thanks to your
generosity, we were able to keep the giveaway going for four days
straight! A lot of people are warmer
now.
Also,
not to waste an opportunity, I used this event to give people fliers, advertising…
The Thanksgiving Feast
Each year, we collaborate with the
people of Hamilton Baptist Church (of Virginia) to bring a Thanksgiving dinner
to the entire community. This year, we
hosted over 200 people-as many as our church could hold, and more! Young people from the Off-the-Wall ministry
assisted in serving, and everyone had their fill. And of course, with each plate came
well-selected tract that explained the Gospel!
Four Baptisms-One Day!
For some time, I had been working
with three girls and one woman in the church, giving them classes designed to
prepare them for baptism. At First
Baptist Church, we do not believe that Baptism saves, nor do we believe that
large amounts of knowledge are required in order to be saved. But we do believe that, before becoming a
Christian, one should first learn what a Christian actually is. For this reason, I gave each of these four
ladies classes, to make sure they knew what they were getting into. And when they did, they happily expressed
their desire for baptism!
And so, shortly after Thanksgiving,
we hosted a quadruple baptism, wheeling our mobile baptistery into the
sanctuary for the occasion. Afterwards,
we celebrated with cake and congratulations all around. Welcome to the family of God, Melaine,
Callyn, Sarah, and Emma!
CHRISTMAS!!!
CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS!
CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS!
I love Christmas!
It celebrates one of the greatest miracles ever done, when God became a
man for the sake of saving this fallen world.
And it gives we humans a unique opportunity to celebrate God’s love by
opening our hearts to each other. First
Baptist Church traditionally celebrates Christmas with considerable vigor, and
this year was no exception!
On the night of our annual Christmas party, we decorated the sanctuary and the outside of the church, so they both looked good for Christmas. We put garlands on the windows, a nativity scene at the pulpit (carved by local artist from cottonwood root) and, of course, set up the tree. It was beautiful.
On the morning of our special
Christmas services, we took the children from Sunday School and brought them to
the Manor, a local retirement community.
There, they put on a special Christmas program for the residents,
complete with singing and a puppet show.
After this, they came back to the church and performed the same program
for our general worship service.
Finally, we all had lunch together, enjoying one another’s company.
The children were particularly
happy to see that Christmas presents had been donated for them! Some of these children receive very little at
Christmas, so the prospect of being able to open something was very special to
them. What a great Christmas this was!
Revival!
One of our members, Bernie
Laplante, is battling with cancer, and would appreciate your prayers. When he requested that a revival be held this
December, we were happy to arrange it, even though we do not ordinarily
schedule revivals until March. I have
never been happier to make a change like this.
Brother Ernest Best, an evangelist of Lakota heritage who has had a
relationship with this church almost since its founding, volunteered to preach
the revival. Our former pastor, Rev.
Phil Lawrence, handled most of the music.
The revival was well-attended, and the truth was proclaimed. I am still doing follow-up meetings with
those who wanted a closer relationship with Jesus as a result of this four-day
event.
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
Since the last newsletter, financial
contributions were made in memory of Miles Pinckney Farrar, Elizabeth Henkle
Farrar, and Joseph Webb Farrar.
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
