First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte
P.O. Box 170, Eagle Butte, SD 57625
(605) 964-3617 (Office) / (605) 891-1704 (Pastor’s Cell)
Dear Friends,
Summer is drawing to a close in Eagle Butte, and with it has come the usual festivities and excitement! On Labor Day weekend, we enjoyed a pow wow, rodeo and carnival. The Lakotas danced and sang in their traditional regalia, the local ranchers showed off their horse riding and cattle roping, and everyone had their fill of festival food. It was a blast!
On Labor Day itself, there was a huge parade through the center of town, and for the first time ever, Windswept Academy was a part of it! Our float incorporated a cross, a tipi, LOTS of candy-throwers, and some traditional hoop dancing. They even let me come along for the ride! The tribe held a contest for the best float in the parade, and we were proud to come in fourth place. Some days are just so good, you wish they wouldn’t end.
Sports Camp!
Johnny Maholic is our church’s tech expert and in the process of being confirmed as an elder in the church. This summer, his family came all the way from Pennsylvania, bringing with them a group of volunteer-minded members of Calvary Baptist Church. They set to work creating a sports camp, for the enjoyment of all the children of the community. And how they did succeed! Each day was themed around a different sport, and each day incorporated songs of worship. There was even a daily meal. On the last day, the gospel was presented. It was a beautiful and exciting time for all.
Not satisfied with this great work, the group took up a thousand projects around the church and parsonage that needed doing. They cleaned our air conditioning units. They gave the front of our church a fresh coat of paint. They repaired our fence in the back. And at my house, one brilliant man managed to install a storm door-even though the door was shaped like a rectangle, and the frame was shaped like a parallelogram!
We are very grateful to the kind people of Calvary Baptist Church for coming to Eagle Butte and aiding our mission here.
A Glorious Wedding!
This summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Ohio, where I was permitted to perform a wedding ceremony. Jonny Maholic and Amy Brown, both teachers at Windswept Academy, were joined together as one. I also had the honor of doing premarital counseling for these two, and I firmly believe that I have witnessed the beginning of something amazing this summer.
Vacation Bible School!
At the same time that the wedding was going on, our church had the privilege of playing host to Calvary Bible Church of Sparta, Illinois. These industrious, mission-minded volunteers spent their evenings at Windswept Academy, and completed many sorely-needed construction projects for them. And while they worked on these projects, they managed a Vacation Bible School at our church. It had an Australian theme, and the children enjoyed it tremendously. We are grateful to Calvary Church for their generous investment of time, money and energy!
VBS Goes to Red Scaffold!
One of the most long-standing relationships this church has had with outside churches is with Sevier Heights Baptist Church in Sevierville, Tennessee. For over a decade, this church has led a group of young people to Red Scaffold, and some of the outlying settlements, to bring Vacation Bible School to them. There are sports, and music, and personal testimonies, and hiking, and much more.
This year, the team went to RedScaffold, and rejoiced in reuniting with their old friends. The children of Red Scaffold have had the opportunity to form long-term relationships with the people of Sevier Heights as time has passed, and every year that relationship grows. Some of the children who attended the first VBS have grown up by now, and have children of their own. My heart is warmed by the effect that this long-term investment has had on the community. I’m just so glad I was able to be a part of it!
Much-Needed Insulation!
Next Step Ministries, a Christian organization that coordinates the efforts of numerous churches, chose the Cheyenne River Reservation to be a focus this year. They had about sixty people on hand throughout the summer, doing needful projects all over town. Some of these projects were centered on our church. They painted our hallway and Sunday School rooms, and refurbished our exterior benches. But the greatest thing they did, by far, was to add insulation to our ceiling.
Our church is feeling financial strain, together with the rest of America. So when we saw that we could reduce our utility bills by better insulating our attic, we jumped at the chance. And Next Step Ministries was there to help make our dreams a reality. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for all their hard work!
The Beginning of a New Women’s Bible Study
My wife, Tiffany, has long had a habit of leading the women of the church in a Bible Study. Sometimes, she uses our house; sometimes; she does it online. But always, she takes it as a personal responsibility to provide an outlet for the women of our church to study and fellowship together.
Most recently, Tiffany has chosen a study through the Book of Amos. Donna Shaw, the principal of Windswept and our next-door neighbor, has volunteered her front porch as a venue. So far, several women are participating, and all are enjoying themselves!
Teaching Lakota Classes at Windswept!
This marks my fourth year of teaching Lakota Language at Windswept Academy. I was shocked to discover that my students came back from summer vacation having forgotten almost none of what I taught them! The junior high class is just about to start translating basic sentences, and the high schoolers have started advanced verb conjugation. Pictured here is the sixth grade class, all of whom successfully counted to twenty in Lakota before this picture waasa taken. I’m so proud of them!
Special thanks to Matthew Uses the Knife, who taught me everything I know!
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
If you wish to give a donation in memory of another person, or in that person’s honor, we will recognize the person you designate in our newsletter.
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
