“Darling, I love what you’ve done with this room”. Girlfriend, I love your new hair style. It makes you look ten years younger”. “Wow, I really love the new Blue Bell banana-nut ice cream”. It is absolutely amazing how today’s society has devalued the word “love”. In this world’s system, love has been attached to so many frivolous things that it’s full impact is not easily recognized.

Dear Ones, here at Friendship, we are getting the “love” message. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; FOR GOD IS LOVE” (Capitalization is for emphasis). The way of the Kingdom is the way of love. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the prop0itiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:7, 8; 10, 11).

The “love” message is simply this: We are loved! We are loved by our heavenly Father with an immeasurable, unconditional love. He loved us while we were estranged from Him and He loves us now that we are reconciled unto Him. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14 (a) ). I praise God for the “brotherly love” that is exemplified here at Friendship. Am I saying that we all are perfect and that we are doing it right all of the time? No, not at all. What I am saying is this: God dwells in us and His love is perfected in us. We are being fully developed and we are growing into the maturity of godliness.

Dear Ones, let brotherly love continue. You are loved!

Pastor J. Amos Jones

Praise God for the divine institution of motherhood and for loving, caring mothers everywhere.  If you are reading this (and for those who are not), you owe a debt of gratitude to your mother.

It is altogether fitting and

proper that there is a special day where we honor our mothers. The woman who has given birth to us, nourished and provided for us as we grew from dependent children to independent adults.

Mothers wear many hats; maid, cook, nurse, doctor, chauffer, counselor, just to name a few of the tasks lovingly performed by these extraordinary women.

Whether she is called mother, mom, mama, ma or dear; mothers we honor you and we thank God for you.  We love you and we recognize your contributions to the Kingdom through Godly children.

Of course, you know that our love for you transcends one day of recognition, however, today is tangibility.  What we feel and say today is representative of every day of the year.  Mothers, we honor you today and everyday.  Be blessed on this, your day.

HAPPY  MOT H ER’S  DAY!

Pastor J. Amos Jones

There are times when words seem so inadequate, so incapable of conveying the heart’s message. Even the most learned etymologist would experience difficulty in articulating appreciation and gratitude for the acts and deeds of the loving people of Friendship. On today, we share with the Greeters their Annual Day. What a great group of people, who contribute significantly to the expansion of the Kingdom of God. On this day we recognize the Greeters, and as such, we all share with them their core ministry. Today, we are all Greeters. In a much larger sense, the Greeters are part of the whole. “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ” (1st Cor. 12:12). How thankful we are to God for the Greeters, and we appreciate their faithfulness to the Kingdom. The same can be said concerning the Choir, the Missionary Society, the Brotherhood, the Deacons and Trustees, the Ushers and each and every member of the Friendship family. TO simply say “thank you” for all the awesome work and deeds that Friendship members do for the Kingdom, and for this Pastor and his family seems totally inadequate, however it does convey the heart’s message.
To Greeters and to all of Friendship: THANK YOU! and “The Lord bless you, and keep you: The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Pastor J. Amos Jones