First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

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

January 4, 2013

Dear Friends, 

It has been a wonderful Christmas for us here in Eagle Butte, as the celebrations we had planned went along perfectly.  Some of us who moved here from out of town got the chance to visit with their out-of-state families, and those of us who stayed in town celebrated in the unique way that happens here on the Cheyenne River reservation.  One man blended Christmas with his native heritage by setting up a tipi in his front yard and decorating it with Christmas lights.  Unbelievable!  I’ve seen a lot of unusual Christmas trees in my time, but a Christmas tipi is an absolute first!

Tasi Livermont, the editor of the local newspaper, asked me to write an article on the true meaning of Christmas for the West River Eagle.  It was a harder thing than I imagined, since Christmas is so very full of meaning, and I only had a small space to fill.  But I finished the article, and you can read it by following this link:   http://eaglebuttefbc.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-true-meaning-of-christmas.html
                                                              

WEATHER I HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE

When I first moved up here, everyone said I would have to get used to a huge change in the weather.  Well, I thought they were just talking about a lot of snow.  I WAS WRONG!!  Two weeks ago, we encountered a type of weather that I have never seen in my life: freezing fog.  I woke up one morning to find a cold fog totally swamping the city.  A really, really thick, cold fog.  The picture above shows Main Street at 3:00 in the afternoon.  People could barely see their hands in front of their faces.

                   What was left on the trees the following morning was something to behold.  Every individual twig was thickly covered with ice crystals of marvelous beauty and complexity.  As you can see in the picture on the right, each bare branch seemed to have sprouted hundreds of tiny flowers, made of ice.  In the picture on the left, you see the effect of the freezing fog in an entire tree.  I’m still awestruck by it all.

MARCHING FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

As you know, one of our own local youths, Tanner Gray, committed suicide recently.  There was a strong reaction across the community, and many churches and religious organizations made a commitment to do all in their power to prevent terrible events like this one in the future.  Our church was one of these.  As a demonstration of this commitment, representatives from the Baptist, Catholic, Church of God and Episcopal churches joined forces to stage a prayer walk in Eagle Butte.  The walk started from four separate locations, situated in the North, South, East, and West.  We converged on the Episcopal church, where we held a prayer service for the young people of our community.  May the Lord use us all to prevent the evils of suicide from plaguing this community again!

OUR CHRISTMAS PROGRAM!

I love Christmas! And every year, First Baptist Church arranges all kinds of ways to celebrate the birth of our Lord.  This year was no exception, and we kicked off our festivities with a special service, in which our Sunday School children heavily participated.

One bright Sunday morning, after the children had been given breakfast, we loaded them all up in the church van and took them down to the local nursing home, where they sang for some of the residents.  They sang a broad range of Christmas songs, with me reading excerpts from the Bible in between.  Finally, I closed with a brief sermonette, and a prayer.  Then the children presented the residents with presents that they themselves had made as craft projects.  This service was the result of weeks of practice on the part of the children, and I was proud to be a part of it.  I am also proud of our Sunday School teachers- Amanda Benson, Amy Holley and Tiffany Farrar (my wife!)-for teaching the children how to put on this wonderful presentation.

Following our trip to the nursing home, the children all returned to the church, giving a repeat performance during our Sunday morning worship service.  They were delightful, and the congregation really got a chance to worship that day, for the Holy Spirit was there.

Although we usually take the children home after Sunday School, on the week of this particular service we thought we’d treat them to something nice in honor of the season.  So we served them a special lunch of hot dogs and other child favorites.  At the center of it all was a nice cake, decorated with a Christmas wreath.

After the meal, we pass out some bags to the children-containing candy, fruit, and assorted nuts.  There were more than two hundred such bags, all of which had been stuffed by the older women of the church.  After we had given a bag to each child, we had a number of bags left over, so we distributed these to the community on the following day.

In addition to the bags, we were able to give each child a present, thanks to a generous donation from friends of ours to the South.  The children’s enthusiasm was through the roof as they tore into these gifts, rendered all the more precious by the fact that these would be the only gifts some of them would receive this Christmas.  One little girl, when she opened her gift, became so excited that she lost the ability to speak!  She grinned and moved her lips, but the sound just refused to come out!  I made a point of reminding everyone that morning that the reason we give gifts to the ones we care about at Christmas is because God gave us the greatest of Gifts as a sign of His love for us.  It was such a joyful scene. 

WINDSWEPT ACADEMY’S CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

Windswept Academy took on the ambitious project of a full-fledged Christmas pageant this year.  Considering that the school is host to over 40 students, ranging from 7^th grade to Kindergarten, all of whom were somehow involved in this play, it was a very difficult thing to pull off.  But the faculty and staff at Windswept Academy was quick and talented, using the resources they had available to put on a very Christ-honoring production.  I can honestly say that the true meaning of Christmas shone through in this, and I was honored to play the role of the prophet Isaiah.

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

A donation was received in honor of Ellen Mustoe.

A memorial gift has been received in memory of Peggy Banks of Burnsville, NC, who died on Tuesday, December 4^th 2012.

A memorial gift has been received in honor of the late Andre Cowins, who passed away on November 9^th, 2012.

A memorial gift has been received in memory of the late Tanner Gray, who was lost to us on November 19^th, 2012.

A memorial gift has been made in memory of the late Robert Frye, who passed away on Wednesday, June 6^th, 2012.

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

The True Meaning of Christmas

The following article was published just before Christmas in the West River Eagle-Eagle Butte's local newspaper.

 

 

THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

 

by Ben Farrar, Pastor, First Baptist Church

 

It was my honor to be given the task of writing an article about the true meaning of Christmas.  I hope you will find the answer as beautiful as it is surprising.

The true meaning of Christmas can be summed up in one word: gifts.  That’s right-gifts.  And none of that silliness about giving gifts, either.  Christmas is about receiving presents, and one present in particular.

For you see, Christmas is the time of year that we celebrate the best gift ever given-the gift of Jesus Christ.  Christmas is the time when God Himself became a man, and gave Himself to us as a gift.  You have heard that Jesus died for us, and this is true.  But Jesus also lived for us.  For thirty-three years, He lived among us as a man, suffering all the things we suffer, and spending all of his time working to save the human race.  And in His last moments on this earth, as He died in terrible pain, He shed His own blood so that the punishment for our sins would fall on Him. 

By giving us the gift of Himself, Jesus changed the entire world for the better, so that there is now hope for the human race.  Thanks to the gift He gave us at Christmas, we now have a God who sees our suffering and says, “I know just how you feel.  I’ve been there.”  We have a God who has given up everything so that we could be forgiven for the evil things we have done.  We have a God who offers us Heaven, as a gift.  The little gifts that we give each other at Christmas are only pale reflections of that one, awe-inspiring gift that was given to us two thousand years ago.  We give gifts to the people we love BECAUSE we have received a great gift from God, who loves us.

But like any gift, it isn’t yours unless you accept it.  And accepting this greatest of all gifts is as easy as falling in love.  Just talk to God and confess that you have done wrong in His sight.  Trust that Jesus really did live His life for you, and died to take your punishment.  Ask Him to forgive you.  Then ask Him to help you follow him all the days of your life.  Then the gift of Heaven will be yours.  Merry Christmas, Eagle Butte!  May you all enjoy the blessing that God offers you!

December 2012

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

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

December 7, 2012

Dear Friends,

 

Since I last wrote to you, Autumn has changed to Winter, and many things have changed here in Eagle Butte.  Yesterday, We were greeted by the first major snowstorm of the season (the first of many to come).  But as long as we have our homes to take refuge in, the ice and snow will be no trouble.

Early this November, Tiffany had the opportunity to live out one of  her lifelong dreams-to ride in a combine during a harvest.  One of the local farmers, Perry DePoy,  kindly offered to let her ride with him while he was harvesting sunflowers.  She loved it!  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her so excited.  I was also surprised to learn how advanced modern farm machinery is.  While the combine is harvesting sunflowers, it is simultaneously linking up with satellites that provide a map of the field they are in, and storing data about how much moisture and nutrients are contained in the soil at every point in the field.  Farmers use this to figure out the best way to fertilize their crops during the next season.  And to top it all off, when it comes to the end of a row, the combine tells you to turn around by making a really cool laser sound effect!  Okay, I’ll admit it-I enjoyed the combines as much as Tiffany did.

 

RENEWING OUR SPIRITS AT A MARRIAGE CONFERENCE

An organization called Family Life held a marriage conference this November in Sioux Falls, SD.  They called it, “Weekend to Remember”, and offered free admission to any pastors and their wives who wanted to attend.  So of course we jumped at the chance.  The weekend featured many guest speakers, some heartbreaking testimonials from real couples, and an in-depth look at managing the challenges that relationships face in the 21^st century.  Tiffany and I went into the conference with no real problems that we wanted to address, but we still left feeling refreshed and happy, glad to have gone.  If other couples in our church wish to attend this conference, we will recommend it to them next year. 

A MUCH-NEEDED REPAIR

While we were gone, Some very good friends of ours from Brandon Valley Baptist Church in Sioux Falls, SD came to do us a huge favor.  Our carpet had been growing very old and ragged, and needed to be replaced.  So a group led by Mike, who is father to our own Amanda Benson, brought brand new carpet to replace the old.  Working together with some of our own volunteers, they installed the carpet in such a way that you would never know they weren’t trained professionals!  Thanks a lot, guys! 

CELEBRATING A THANKSGIVING FEAST

 

On the week before Thanksgiving, we were blessed with a visit from our friends at Hamilton Baptist Church in Virginia.  Each year, Hamilton Baptist Church pays us a visit around this time to help us prepare a Thanksgiving meal for the community.  Everyone is invited to attend, and it always amounts to a big celebration.  While this year was no exception, there was an interesting twist: Whereas volunteers from our two churches usually serve tables, we recruited young men and women from the Off-the-Wall ministry to serve the meal instead!  This turned out to be a very wise decision-so wise that I wish it had been my idea.  While a few of the youth only came to cause trouble, most of them were very helpful. 

In the left-hand picture above, you see the volunteers from Hamilton before the meal, praying over each individual chair that people would be sitting in, and asking God to use the meal to impact their souls.  In the center, you can see Brenton Veit, the hardest-working young man from Off-the-Wall who attended that day.  If Brenton does not leave the reservation when he grows up, he will be running the place.  And on the right, you see the meal in progress.  A record number of people attended this year-nearly 150!  Praise the Lord for all that He has done!

EAGLE BUTTE WALKS THROUGH THE VALLEY OF

THE SHADOW OF DEATH

 

What follows is a series of tragic events.  None of them could be photographed directly, out of respect for the dead.

Our town was met with a shocking surprise when one of the most cheerful and kind-hearted men in the city, Mr. Andre Cowins, passed away in his sleep from a heart attack.  He was only 32, so no one was expecting it.  Since I was privileged to know Andre as a friend, the family asked me to preach his funeral, and requested that it take place at our church.  This marked only the second time in our church’s history when a funeral has been performed on church grounds.  Our church is an unpopular location for local funerals, since we do not allow Lakota drums in our services, and Lakota spiritualism places a high importance on their use.  So you can imagine how honored I felt to be performing his wake and funeral. 

              Andre had many friends, so on the day of the funeral the place was almost bursting.  We will long regret the passing of this dear friend.

 

Sadly, one tragedy often follows on the heels of another, and the next one hit very close to home.  Tanner Gray, who had been a student in my wife’s class last year, committed suicide by hanging himself a few weeks ago.  He had been a good and helpful student, who did all the work of an adult ranchhand before he came to school each morning.  In May of this year, on the last day of school, Tanner stayed behind to help my wife put things away when all the other children had long since left.  In my own experience, I found that talking to him was more like talking to a short adult than to a child.  He was only in seventh grade, and the entire town mourned his passing.

But as soon as I heard what he had done, I began to be concerned for the other youth in our community.  In small towns like this, suicide traditionally comes in large numbers.  First one person kills themselves, and then everyone in town who was thinking about doing so finds the nerve to follow suit.  I sent out an e-mail to the church, and we quickly joined our prayers together. We asked that God would not allow the devil to turn this one death into a massacre.

Within a week of the funeral, it was evident that our fears were justified.  Four additional students, all of them in their teens, attempted suicide, one right after the other.  But praise the Lord, all of them were unsuccessful!!!  They are all currently in various stages of recovery, and no more suicide attempts have been made in the past week.  Please pray that this is a trend that continues!

Even so, our church wished to take a more active role in preventing future suicides, so we again decided to make use of our Off-the-Wall program.  Here we had a large group of young people (numbering as many as 60 on a good week), all of whom were within a few years of Tanner Gray’s age.  It seemed we had the perfect opportunity to speak to them on this subject.

 

To this end, we hosted a special Off-the-Wall which, in addition to the usual food and games, contained a pointed message about suicide.  I gave a brief talk to the group about the reasons people commit suicide, and why these reasons are not enough to justify killing oneself.  I talked about the pain and guilt with which this world is filled, and how many people seek suicide as a means of ending this pain.  Then I shared the Gospel, and showed it to be the ultimate solution to all guilt and all pain.  Afterwards, flyers were distributed to all the youth, giving numbers that they could call toll-free, to talk about anything, day or night.  One of our church members, Leslie Morrison-Veit, even arranged to have counselors come in from Four Bands Healing Center, to make themselves available to any of the young people who wanted to speak with them.  While the youth were a little too shy to talk to the counselors directly, nearly all of them took  the emergency phone numbers home with them.  One of them even asked a lot of questions about the Gospel and salvation.  We are hoping that this seed of curiosity will germinate into repentance and faith.

Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for He is with us.

 

CHRISTMAS!CHRISTMAS!CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS!CHRISTMAS!

I love Christmas!  And I love celebrating it with my church family!  Last Wednesday, First Baptist Church engaged in our annual Christmas party-by which I mean that we all shared a meal, then pitched in and put up the Christmas decorations.  The sanctuary was decked with boughs of holly, a Christmas tree was put together and decorated, many lights were strung, and a little manger scene carved out of Cottonwood root by a Native artist was placed down front.  But the newest addition to our Christmas decorations was a beautiful nativity scene that we arranged in front of the church.  Its figures light up at night and are very visible to everyone passing on Main Street.  Most churches here do not put decorations on the outside of their buildings, for fear of vandals, but we feel that this is a risk worth taking.  Everyone passing in the street now sees a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and that makes the holiday just a little bit sweeter.  This nativity scene, together with our Christmas tree and other related expenses were made possible by a gift from Mineral Springs Baptist Church in Louisiana.  God bless you all for your generosity!

My wife helped set the festive mood for the Christmas season by organizing our church’s second annual Cookie Swap!  All the women of the church baked a dozen cookies each, then swapped them around and went home with a dozen different kinds of cookies.  It was a lot of fun!  And so tasty, too! 

GIFTS SENT BY WISE MEN AND WOMEN FROM AFAR

 

            Eagle Butte is a very poor community, and many of its people (particularly its children) often go without.  But our church is richly blessed by many generous donors who help us to make the winter a little bit merrier for the people of Eagle Butte.  This year is no exception, as we have received gifts from people all across the country, from such far-flung places as Virginia and Iowa.  There are warm socks, assorted assorted winter clothing, Beanie Babies, and all kinds of useful Bible study materials!  We will all get to work immediately, preparing to put these things to work for the people of this town.  A special thank-you to James Griffith of Charlestown, West Virginia; Christine M. Carver of Brightmoon, Virginia; Brenda Halls of Douds, Iowa; Burkemont Baptist Church of Morganton, North Carolina; Bethlehem Baptist Church of Clarkesville, Georgia; Ellen Mustoe of Washington, Virginia; Ms. Kim Gilkey-Breeden of Amissville, Virginia; the District N Retired Teachers’ Association of Flint Hill, Virginia; Larry and Vivian Sutton of Washington, Virginia; The Rappahhannock County Retired Teacher’s Association of Washington, Virginia; and Frieda Herman of Washington, Virginia, and all the people who helped them gather all these wonderful gifts to send to us.  May God bless you all.

 

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

Newsletter October 2012

First Baptist Church of Eagle Butte

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

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

 

October 19, 2012

Dear Friends,

             Autumn has come to Eagle Butte, and with it the many marks of the season. The fields are full of giant bales of hay, preparing the livestock for the long, cold winter. Two weeks ago, we had our first snowfall-and although it didn’t stick, it was still a good indicator of things to come. As I write this, a windstorm is raging outside which is so violent that it has ripped a large chunk off of a neighboring building. Good thing nobody lives there!

 

                While the weather is going through its usual changes, the human population of this area has been happily involved in many annual celebrations. The Lakota celebrated their annual Pow-wow, where they enjoyed sing, dancing, and festival food. A parade accompanied the Pow-wow, at which lots of floats from all over the community (including our own Windswept Academy) were represented. A traveling carnival came to town, complete with ferris wheels, tilt-a-whirls, and cotton candy. There was a rodeo near the Pow-wow grounds, giving local cowboys and ranchers a chance to showcase their skills. And all of this took place in the course of a single weekend! There was even a baking contest at the local community center and (I’m proud to say) my wife took third place! We are enjoying our lives here more than words can say.

 

 

WINDSWEPT ACADEMY BEGINS A NEW YEAR

Of course, the coming of Fall also brings a new school year, and Windswept Academy is starting this year off on a better footing than ever before.  Since the time of the last newsletter I sent, the school has added six, count ‘em, SIX, new students to its roster, for a total of 41!  They are now running at their absolute maximum capacity- they can’t fit any additional students into the building!  Clint Holley, the Headmaster of Windswept Academy, has even asked me to do my weekly chapel service twice, so that they can divide the students into separate groups and not have the room be so crowded.  It is such a privilege to be given the opportunity to preach the Gospel to so many young people.

 

These two wonderful people are Julia Osthus and Adam Cowan.  They were hired as teachers for the school to handle all the extra workload, and they have been doing a marvelous job teaching the older students.  On the left, you can see them in one of the classrooms, preparing for the school’s open house.  On the right, Julia leads the music during a typical Tuesday afternoon chapel service.

A BETH MOORE SIMULCAST

  

At First Baptist Church, we welcome any opportunities we can get to enrich our members in the Christian life.  So when we learned that Beth Moore was going to be hosting a women’s conference in Nashville, and that it was going to be simulcast all over the world, and that we could have it broadcast to us for a very reasonable price, we jumped at the chance.  On the appointed day, we had several women from the church in attendance, as well as one woman from the nearby town of La Plante.   It turned out beautifully.  We used the back wall of the church as a projection screen, and easily created the effect having Beth Moore standing right there in the room.  Our women left the church that day with their spirits renewed, and their hearts gladdened.  What a great God we serve, to give us such wonderful opportunities! 

SERVING THE COMMUNITY’S YOUTH AND CHILDREN

 

            Due to the harsh weather that Winter brings here, travel conditions are often rendered very difficult.  For this reason, whenever anyone wants to do any significant traveling, they do it in the summertime.  So for the last few months, many of the children (who might otherwise have attended Sunday School or come to our Friday night youth events) have been visiting relatives in other cities.  But with the advent of the new school year, the kids are back with a vengeance, and First Baptist Church is ready for them!  On the left, you see some the children of the community enjoying breakfast before Sunday School on a typical Sunday morning.  This is very helpful to them, as it is the best meal that some of them will receive all weekend.  On the right, you see some of the young people from our Friday night youth activity enjoying a game of basketball.  The Off-the-Wall ministry is now so successful that we routinely have in excess of 40 young men and women visiting the church every Friday night.  It is a great honor to be a part of God’s work in this community.

AN UNEXPECTED CHALLENGE

 

 

Unfortunately, when any person or group of people devote themselves to doing God’s work, it may be guaranteed that the Devil will try to fight them.  Our church is no exception to this rule, to be certain.  This month, the Devil’s attacks came in a more obvious form than usual: our church and a sign next to the parsonage were vandalized.

The first two acts, which you see on the left and in the middle, came from an unexpected source.  Some of the young people from the Friday night Off-the-Wall activity were responsible.  At the left, you can see where they twisted our gate off of its hinges by carelessly using it as a swing.  In the center, you can see where one young man, who was angry about having to follow some of our rules, kicked out some of the slats in our fence.  The vandalism which you see on the right comes from a more sinister source than the other two, as it was done by one of the local gangs-the Crips.  You can tell that the Crips did this because the initials “BK” are a reference to the Crips’ arch enemies, the Bloods.  “BK” stands for “Blood Killer”.  The “B”, which is crossed out, is a further sign of disrespect to the Bloods.  Did I mention that this mark was placed right outside my house?

I confess that I was very angry when I saw that these acts had been committed.  I was both furious and sad to see that some of the people from Off-the-Wall, for whom we had worked so hard, were willing to treat this church so carelessly.  And I was sad to see this mark of hatred and violence placed outside my house.  But then God convicted me of the way I was feeling.  After all, not all the young men and women who come to Off-the-Wall act in this way-only a very few.  And there is not a single young man or woman who comes to my church, for any reason, that God did not send.  He sends them to us so we can minister to them, and if they do act badly while they are here, then we will repay good for evil.  Always.  As for the Crips, they are just as lost as I once was before God saved me.  And they need my prayers-not my anger.

Therefore, this is the policy of First Baptist Church toward vandalism:  We will show all vandals that our ability to endure and recover is greater than their ability to destroy.  If they break something a hundred times, we will repair it a hundred and one times. And we will never, under any circumstances, seek vengeance or allow bitterness to grow in our hearts.  We will meet destruction with repair, anger with love, and ugliness with beauty.  We will turn the other cheek.  And now, as you can see below, we are as good as new once again!  Praise God for guiding me through this.

 

 

HELP FROM FRIENDS FAR AWAY

 

On behalf of First Baptist, I want to extend great thanks to Burkemont Baptist Church of Morganton, North Carolina, who graciously sent us a year’s worth of Sunday School Curriculum for the children of this church.  We promise to put it to the best possible use for His Kingdom.

 

Our thanks also go to First Baptist Church of Waldorf, Maryland, who sent us additional educational materials, whose use can be applied in Sunday School and other areas.  We will make good use of these materials, as well.

            Thank you to all the Brothers and Sisters in both of these churches, as well as all our supporters throughout the country.  God is using you to make our ministry here possible.

 

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

 

A donation to the church has been made this month in honor of Annie Laura Henkle Russell, who passed away on September 29, 2012.

 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