Question. 

 How do you describe an absolutely superb event?  You might say it was the manifestation of love with levity, laughter, giving and goodness, or you might say the Pastor and Wife’s forty-second anniversary appreciation services.  I lean to the latter rather than the former, for one is the description and the other is the reality.

 Dear Members of Friendship, thank you so very much for all that the anniversary was and what it represented.  Thank you for forty-two years of follow-ship.  (Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ – 1^st Cor. 11:1).

 For you see, this Pastor realizes that we collectively are ambassadors for Christ.  We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain (2 Cor. 6:1).

Thank you for awesome programs, both the Friends of the Pastor’s  Night and the Anniversary Day.  How grateful we are to each and every person that contributed to those magnificent programs.  We want to thank the Anniversary Committee, each program participant, those who prepared and served the delicious food, the sound room technicians, and most certainly to the givers of gifts, a heartfelt Thank You with deep appreciation. 

 Thank you auxiliaries and auxiliary heads and a special shout-out to Sister Rebecca Metters and The Fantastic, The Fabulous, Friendship Flame Dancers.

 From Sister Jones and the entire Jones family, along with this Pastor, THANK YOU and a big “GOD BLESS YOU”.

Pastor J. Amos Jones

Forty-two years of God’s amazing grace. Throughout my forty-two years of pastoring the Friendship Baptist Church, God has ceaselessly worked through grace to impart to this Pastor/Preacher and perfect in him corresponding graces.

 Grace is the methodology of divine dealing in salvation and in the believer’s life and service. It has been the singular desire of this Pastor to serve his Lord and His Kingdom. For you see grace stands connected with service. To serve the Lord’s Kingdom is to serve humanity. The Holy Writ tells us in Matthew 25:40 (b): “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me”. A constant in our society is there will always be hurting people. Whether they are “the down and out” or “the up and at-em”, there will always be a need. A hall-mark of this ministry has always been: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more”. God has entrusted to this Pastor/Preacher, as He has to all preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Word of reconciliation, the wondrous gospel of Christ.

 For forty-two years this Pastor has had a passion for the unsaved. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

 In a summary fashion, the desire of this Pastor/Preacher has been that collectively, Pastor and Church, will grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

 To Him be glory both now (and has always been) and forever.

 Pastor J. Amos Jones