July 2013 Newsletter

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

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

July 12, 2013

Dear Friends,

After many months of waiting, Spring has arrived and transformed gloriously into Summer!  Though the winters here can be harsh, the winds can be forceful and the weather conditions extreme, there are few things that can match the beauty of a lush, green prairie in the heart of summertime.  Our sunsets now resemble giant rainbows that have laid down on the horizon for a rest, sunflowers grow wild in every ditch, and all the countryside seems to throb with the heartbeat of God’s glorious creation! 

One night, without warning, my house was struck by an intense hailstorm.  I was showering at the time, and the sound made me think the cats were running down the hall.  Then the sound intensified, and I thought that someone had broken into the house.  Then it got heavier still, and I thought we were under attack by Hottentots!  When I finally grasped what was happening, I went outside and picked up a handful of the freshly-fallen hailstones.  Considering their size, I was lucky to have only one broken window!

Working Shoulder-to-Shoulder with Friends from Far Away

This month, our church played host to a group of fellow-believers from Hamilton Baptist Church in Virginia, as well as some of their partner churches.  Through the concerted efforts of the nearly 30 group members, they partnered with our church to do some pretty fantastic work in the greater community.

The work they did began on a Sunday afternoon, when they hosted a block party in the church’s side yard.  There was face painting, snow cones, and even a couple of bouncy houses.  They registered many children to come to VBS, and learned where they needed to be picked up.

  

On Monday morning, Vacation Bible School started off at full pace, with Bible classes for five different age groups, crafts, music, games, and more.  Unlike previous years, VBS ran for five days in a row, instead of the usual four.  The children loved it!  And in addition to the regular Bible study lessons of each day, I had the opportunity to go to each class and share the Gospel with them all.  Two young girls, named Daisy and Sunny, even placed their faith in Jesus!  Boy, do I love my job!

But the ministry opportunities did not end there.  Children’s VBS ended at midday, but after lunch there was a whole other Vacation Bible School, designed for teenagers.  This was headed up by our own Clint and Amy Holley, and included a lesson from the scriptures for each day, with a showing of the Jesus film on the final day. 

When the older kids were not learning about the scriptures, they were participating in games and sports that were too advanced for the younger children.  These included such classics as “build an inverted pyramid out of paper cups”, “run while holding a water balloon between you and your partner’s forehead”, and “let’s pick up litter all around the city”. 

Of course, the adults were not left out, either.  Each evening, Pastor Glen McGlaughlin would host an adult Bible study in the sanctuary, where he did in-depth study of the scriptures with the community’s more mature residents.  It was an exciting and fun week for people of all ages.

But the Hamilton group was not satisfied to merely help us with these things.  They brought with them a team of basketball players who hosted not one, but two basketball camps-one in Cherry Creek and the other in Eagle Butte-complete with drills, full-court games, and of course, devotionals. 

They also brought with them a team of men who were great with their hands, and they fixed many things at the church-things that I did not even realize were broken!  They replaced two windows, replaced a fence post, repaired two gates, installed three thermostats, renovated our janitor’s closet, reinforced our screen door, and did several other things that I am probably forgetting.  One of the more notable things they did was to cut our back fence down to half its previous height, thus increasing our church’s security tenfold.  You see, prior to this summer, our back fence was so high that anyone could go behind our church without being seen.  This might be one reason why we were targeted for a break-in earlier this year.  With the back fence now at its new, lower height, the police chief says he can see everything in our back yard, and the church is in a more secure place.

Our church’s warmest thanks go out to Hamilton Baptist Church and to all those who assisted in making this June an unforgettable experience.  May God bless you all!

Emily

Some of you may remember a few months ago, when I said that we had an intern on her way up here, who was anxious to learn the ins and outs of ministering to Native Americans.  Well, that intern has arrived, and her name is Emily.  She has demonstrated great willingness to learn and develop her skills, and we look forward to working with her in the coming months.  She has already learned a good deal about the community and its people, assisted the Hamilton group, run numerous errands for me around town, and constructed a church library.  Pray for her, though, as she has developed a violent allergy to Sage-a plant that is as common in this part of the country as dirt.  This causes terrible sneezing and coughing, as well as a feeling of weakness that resembles the flu.  Pray that her body will adjust to it, and that the medication she is currently taking will keep the allergy under control.

Native American Christian Art

Some time ago, I mentioned that while the Lakotas tend to be very gifted artists, and that there is no shortage of art in this area, there is precious little Native American Christian art.  For this reason, our church commissioned one of our own members, Bryson Dupris, to paint a series of paintings illustrating the unfolding of salvation history.  He worked at this job for some months, and has just finished.  Now, in our church hallway, we have a series of paintings that show the Creation, the Fall, The Ten Commandments, The Depravity of Man, The Nativity, The Sermon on The Mount, The Crucifixion, The Resurrection, The Second Coming, and The Last Judgment.  Now anyone, whether they can read or not, can see the history of God’s relationship with His people unfolding visually every time they walk down the hallway!

A New Church Library

This Spring, I set up a church event called “The Day of Stuff”, in which we sorted through all the cabinets and drawers in the church and organized whatever stuff we found there.  Everyone needs a day like that every now and then.  But when the Day of Stuff arrived, we were amazed at the number of books that we had stashed away!  A book is useless unless it can be put to some use, so I gave Emily the task of constructing some bookshelves in the back room of the church and using these to make a church library.  In the photo above, you can see the result.  I am very happy that we can find all our books now, and that we can put these to good use for the Kingdom of our Lord.

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.  We have a particular need, due to a city sidewalk project that is coming past the church, for which they intend to charge us about $4700. 

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

May 2013 Newsletter

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 18, 2013 

Dear Friends,

 

In South Dakota, it is sometimes said that we have four seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Summer.  Well, I am happy to report that Summer is here at last, and everyone is enjoying the warm weather to the fullest!  In the picture above, you can see the students of Windswept Academy participating in their annual field day.  The tug-of-war event was a Battle For The Ages, but it was eventually won by the proud warriors on the left side of the picture. 

Meanwhile, at First Baptist Church, we recently celebrated Mother’s Day in a special service last Sunday Morning.  I preached on the Fourth Commandment: to honor your Father and your Mother, and emphasized that we must do this for our mothers even when we think they are wrong.  After all, if our mothers always acted rightly, why would it be necessary for God to command us to honor them?  I also preached to mothers, telling them that they had both the God-given right and the God-given duty to expect honor from their children.  Finally, I told them that this commandment extended to aunts, grandmothers, cousins, or even older sisters who took on the role of mother when they saw that there was a need.  The Mothers in the service seemed pleased, and I hope that God was, too.

 

Each Sunday morning, while the adults are in their own Bible Study, the children are bused in from all over town for Children’s Sunday School.  Rachel Cowan, one of the newer members of our church, has taken up the practice of telling the children stories (out of her own imagination) that illustrate biblical truth.  Some of these stories are, in my opinion, suitable to become children’s books in their own right, and they have the desirable effect of taking the biblical passages that the children learn in Sunday School and applying them to the children’s everyday lives.  I am very happy about this new development that God is bringing about here.

 

 

Hospital Outreach Project

Last year, First Baptist Church did an outreach project in which we provided a meal to the staff of our local hospital, as a means of thanking them for the good they do in our community.  The project was so well-received that we decided to try it again.  Many people of the church brought food to make the outreach event special.  Amanda Benson brought her special loose-leaf teas and coffee cake.  Amy Holley made some sausage balls.  Darla Shupick made a breakfast casserole.  My wife, Tiffany, brewed the coffee and made an apple spice dessert.  I brought bagels.  The hospital staff stayed longer this time, and talked with us for a long while.  They left feeling valued and appreciated, and we had all had the privilege of sharing God’s love with our greater community.  I love it when we all work together as a team to do things like this!

 

 

 

Sunday School Bowling!

All this year, we have allowed our Sunday School children to accumulate points by coming to Sunday School, bringing their Bibles, and learning Bible verses.  For those who accumulated enough points, we rewarded them this month by taking them bowling in Pierre (the closest city that has a bowling alley, roughly an hour and a half away).  About twenty children earned the trip, and we were able to get a group discount for them at the bowling alley.  It turned out great!  Everyone had a wonderful time, and there was some good bonding between the children and the Sunday School teachers.  I helped chaperone the trip, and I’m happy to say that even though I’m a terrible bowler, I was still better than the fourth graders who were on my lane.  “Wow, Pastor Ben!” they said.  “You bowled an 87!  You’re really good!”  Yeah, boys, you keep right on thinking that.

 

 

 

Graduation!

 

 

 

The month of May, of course, marks the graduation ceremonies of both Windswept Academy and Noah’s Ark Preschool, two local Christian institutions at which I have the privilege of serving as chaplain.  Windswept Academy boasted its largest class ever to finish an academic year-41 students!  You can see these students in the first picture above  Six of them were graduating kindergarteners, who made great strides this year in both reading and mathematics.  You can see them in the second picture.  But perhaps the most distinguishing feature of Windswept Academy’s graduation was a school play, put on by the third and fourth graders.  It was a parody of the cinematic classic, “Back to the Future”, and it emphasized the importance of learning.  At the school’s request, I played the character of “Doc Ben” in the play, while wearing a goofy wig.  You can see a scene from that play in the third picture above.  All the kids’ relatives were entertained, and very proud of their children’s academic accomplishments.  

 

 

 

At the graduation for Noah’s Ark Preschool and Day Care, parents and assorted relatives from all over the community gathered together and celebrated the maturing of their young children.  During their time at preschool they learned their numbers, and their colors, and their shapes, and their three bears, and how to get along with other people.  But also, they learned their Ten Commandments and received instruction in some basic Bible teaching.  It is my sincere hope that this will plant a seed in these children’s hearts which will one day cause them to grow into mighty servants of our Lord.

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 people of this community as we move into the summer months.  It is when the weather is warmest that violence is at its highest around here.  In the winter, the crime rate plummets, because it is too cold to do anything too violent.  But now, fighting is on the increase, and I many fear for the people’s safety.  Pray that God will send His Holy Spirit to bring peace to this city.  Pray also that God will give the policemen sound minds and bodies to keep order here.  

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.  We have a particular need, due to a city sidewalk project that is coming past the church, for which they intend to charge us about $4700. 

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

 

Newsletter April 2013

 

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

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

April 16, 2013 

Dear Friends,

 

 

Many times, I have dreamed of a white Christmas, but never a white Easter!  Yet here it was, Easter Sunday, and the snow was blowing in like a presidential debate!  But the winter weather didn’t stop there.  By the next week, a full-fledged blizzard had hit the county, closing schools and making long-distance travel impossible.  As they say in South Dakota, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes and you’ll get something completely different!”

Every march, local children participate in a school play that is put on at the local auditorium.  This year’s play, called “Blackbeard the Pirate”, featured several of the kids from Off-the-Wall, as well as some of my wife’s students.  She and I went to see it, and enjoyed it very much.  As expected, Roger Ebert gave it two thumbs up.

Revival! 

 

 

 

This month was a much-anticipated event-the First Baptist Church revival!  Michael Martin, an associate pastor from Oklahoma, arrived at our church on March 9^th and preached five times over the course of four days.  During the daylight hours, he and I canvassed the community, knocking on over two hundred doors to invite people to the revival in the evenings.  When evening came, things really picked up!  We began every service with a large meal in the fellowship hall, and then gathered in the sanctuary for worship. 

 

 

 

 

 

The worship services at the revival were marked by inspired preaching of the Gospel message, nightly testimonials by members of the church who had been saved, and a full musical ensemble that included a pianist, a flute player, a guitarist, a violinist, and two singers.  The services were beautiful, and the Holy Spirit was there.  Three people made professions of faith during the revival, one of whom has since given up her addiction to methamphetamines.  It was an incredible week, and even though it was exhausting, it was worth every bit of effort.  Not only did the community respond well to the revival, but the church united in a cooperative effort greater than anything I have ever seen them accomplish before!  I felt that God was using this church that week, and it felt good to be in the center of His will.

War! 

Sometimes, members of this congregation come to me with the feeling that they are under spiritual attack.  It might come in any one of a great number of forms, but it often leaves them feeling discouraged and confused.  When that happens, I always try to encourage them by saying that the devil would not be harassing them if he did not see them as a threat.  “The devil has limited power and limited resources”, I tell them.  “If you are doing just what he wants, why should he spend his energy harassing you?  But if he is attacking you, it may mean that God is using you and that the devil has a lot to gain by making you discouraged”.  Then we pray that God will remove the spiritual attack, or give them the strength to endure it.  Finally, I encourage them to pay special attention to their lives, follow God closely, and work hard for His Kingdom.

I say all this because I feel that, ever since the revival, our church has been under a spiritual attack on a large scale.  Repeatedly, ever since the end of that week, a large number of unusual things have been going wrong.  Here is a sample:

*On the Sunday after the revival, we arrived at church to discover that the heater was broken, making the sanctuary frigid and unusable.

*On the same day, Windswept Academy, the local Christian school, also noticed that their heater had broken, leaving the school extremely cold.

 

 

 

*Two days later, I arrived at church to find that it had been broken into.  Someone had smashed the window in our hallway, climbed inside, and left through the back door.

 *Later that same week, for the first time since I moved here, my car slipped on the ice and wound up nose-down in a deep ditch.

*The following week, Clint and Amy Holley, who operate Windswept Academy and serve actively in our church, had their car completely totaled by a deer.

*Other things have gone wrong as well, whose details I am not at liberty to discuss.  Everything from frightening dreams to unexpected bouts of depression.  This month has had a little bit of everything.

But do you know what all of these mishaps had in common?  All of them stopped just short of being a disaster!  When our heater was broken, we simply moved church into the fellowship hall.  Both the heater at the church and the heater at windswept were fixed, quickly and inexpensively.  The criminal who broke into the church left without stealing or destroying anything!  When my car wound up in the ditch, a good Samaritan pulled it out within fifteen minutes.  Clint and Amy Holley were unhurt by their encounter with the deer, and their usual positive outlooks were totally unaffected.  And every other incident and piece of bad luck we have had this month has either quickly resolved itself or been used to accomplish an even greater good. 

In short, my friends, I feel as though this church is standing in front of a firing squad, and all the bullets are harmlessly bouncing off. God is protecting us, and it is an amazing thing to see.

But please pray for us, Brothers and Sisters.  The evil powers that live in this world are fighting against us, and we need prayer warriors to stand at our side.  We are getting along well, but I am more aware than ever that God, who answers your prayers, is totally responsible for our present peace. 

Easter!

Our Easter celebration this year was a wonderful thing.  On the Friday before Palm Sunday, we showed “The Passion of the Christ” to all the young people who attend our Off-the-Wall activity.  Afterwards we held a short discussion session about what they had seen.  While not all of the youth showed interest in the movie or its content, some of them did, and gave us an opportunity to talk about it.

Easter Sunday morning began with a “Son-Rise” service at about 8:30 in the morning.  Afterwards, the entire church ate together in a potluck breakfast in the fellowship hall.  Our van picked up all the usual children, and they had breakfast alongside us. 

Then, after Sunday School, we went into the sanctuary for regular worship.  The morning was marked by a number of special music numbers.  Among them was a trumpet solo, played by a local music teacher, and two duets between our own Amanda Benson and each of her visiting parents!

Finally, I preached on the subject of death, and how the Resurrection of our Lord makes our own resurrection possible.  I always feel so unworthy of the subject matter when I preach on days like this.  Praise God, who uses even people like me!   

Giving Clothes to the Needy

 

 

 

 

Using the boxes of clothes, toys and other things that some of you have sent us, we hosted a giveaway this month that was very popular with the public.  People from all over the community came and gathered hats, coats, scarves, gloves and shoes to keep themselves and their families warm.  Special thanks to everyone who sent things to us, making this all possible.

Baptisms and Dedications

 

 

As the perfect way to follow up Easter, we had three baptisms and a baby dedication last week!  There is a great advantage to doing a baby dedication at the same time as a baptism:  It gives you the opportunity to dramatically demonstrate the difference between the two.  I began the service by explaining the significance of a baby dedication, and that it was simply a public commitment on the part of the parents to raise the child to become a Christian-NOT a sign that the child has actually become one!  Then the proud parents, Adam and Rachel Cowan, came to the front and each made promises before God and the witnesses of the church to be good faithful parents to their daughter, Jewel Leigh.  They made a public commitment to raising her in a Christian home, and to prayerfully bring her up to be a woman of God.  Then the congregation promised to help them do the same.

 

Cameron Holley, Reese Lawrence and Henry Lawrence, three students at Windswept Academy, have all accepted Christ in the past year.  I had the great privilege of baptizing them in our portable baptistery.  I explained what baptism means, and how it is a public sign of a person’s having placed their trust in Jesus.  One by one, in answer to my questions, they professed their belief in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice in front of the congregation before they were submerged.  I will be following up with discipleship classes for them after school.

 

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.  We have a particular need, due to a city sidewalk project that is coming past the church, for which they intend to charge us about $4700. 

This month, a financial gift was made to the church in memory of Archie Russell.

This month, a financial gift was made to the church in memory of Phifer Pearson.

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