It is with a profound sense of loss that this Pastor mourns the loss of a faithful, and dedicated church worker, Sister Verdell Cooper.  Sister Cooper was Church Secretary when this Pastor was called to Friendship in the year of 1973.  She remained the faithful secretary of record for the entire period I have served as your Pastor.  What an accomplishment!  Sister Cooper served with excellence.  She was the personification of 2 Corinthians 4:8:  “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the  power may be of God, and not of us.”  Sister Cooper worked diligently to advance the Kingdom of our Lord.  Some of you might not know that she was president of the choir and was a featured lead singer (she was very good, I might add).  She was so proficient at getting floral arrangements where they should be, even with little advance notice.

With all the Kingdom duties that Sister Cooper performed, she was a meticulous record keeper.  We praise God for her life and her legacy.  “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).  We have experienced a precious event and we offer our condolences to the Cooper/Brisco families

Pastor J. Amos Jones

What are you thankful for and about?  For many, the answer is quite predictable.  We are thankful for life, health and for the many blessings our heavenly Father has bestowed upon us.  We are thankful to Him for our salvation, for our relationship with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.  We thank Him for our spouse, our children, grandchildren, etc.  Those answers are obvious.  The question is, are we thankful when things are not so pleasant?  The Psalmist tells us:  “I will bless the Lord at all times:  His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1).  In good times and in times that are not so good, we know that God is working a work in our lives.  In times of adversity our character is developed and our faith strengthened.  In the down times of life, God demonstrates His awesomeness.  Hear the Apostle James:  “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.  For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything” (James 1:2-4 NLT).   Dear ones, for this, I give Him thanks.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

For the past several weeks in the Bible Study, we have examined several aspects of “Know the …….” The initial study was “Know the Pastor.”  The scripture reference was I Thessalonians 5:12-13.  The word “Know” in the Greek is “Ginosko.”  The word in it’s application conveys the meaning:  “To have an intimate knowledge of.”  It implies more than a superficial acquaintance-ship.  Continuing with the theme, “Know the…., we then looked at “Know the Deacon.”  Did you know that in the Greek, the word deacon conveys the meaning, “One who serves”?  The most recent study has been “Know the Member”.  We looked at the “member” as ambassadors for Christ, as the “Body of Christ”, we see them as Christ sees them, Christians are “saints”, and we looked at members in the context of “It’s a Family Affair”.  This leads me to the members who do not normally attend weekly meetings.  This pastor exhorts you to “Know the Weekly Meetings”.  There is something in the Brotherhood, The Support Group, The Missions, Prayer and Teachers’ meeting and Bible Study for YOU!

Let me personally invite you to one or all of these meetings.  You will be blessed.

Pastor J. Amos Jones