To the Greatest Father of all, Happy Father’s Day to our Heavenly Father! THE FRIENDLY CONNECTION NEWSLETTER FRIENDLY TEMPLE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST “W HERE EVERYBODY IS SOMEBODY AND JESUS CHRIST IS LORD !” 16570 “E” STREET VICTORVILLE, CA 92395 -- (760) 245-8788 DR. ROGER THOMAS, PASTOR - DR. MARIE THOMAS, FIRST LADY June 2016 TURN BACK TO GOD IN 2016 Volume 7, Issue 6 and wait patiently on Him, for He is the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2 Published Monthly ================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================ ================= “… let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doeth easily Newsletter Staff: beset us, and run with patience the race that is set before us.” EDITOR-IN-CHIEF FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK Deborah “A DOLLAR’S WORTH JUST WON’T DO” continued Thompson-Ealy EPHESIANS 5:18 ASSOCIATE EDITOR: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; Evangelist Henrietta but be filled with the Spirit…” Givens We are in church to become spiritually stronger so that we can STAFF MEMBERS: help somebody else get saved and become stronger in the Lord. If Elder Larry Ealy you have been saved for many years and no one else in your family Bettie Young is saved, it’s time to question your salvation, or the kind of life you Sherease Durden have been living before your family and before God. Mary Jackson Many people in the church have lost their JOY in the Lord because COLUMNISTS: all they wanted was “a dollar’s worth”. Remember, if you don’t Charmayne Moore put anything in to worship, you won’t get anything out of it. We WRITERS need to get excited about Jesus. When we think about how God Elder Loren Due, PhD, brought us out of sin, we ought to get happy knowing that we are DMin, MA, and now on the Lord’s side. God has been good to us. Evangelist Arjeana Due Some have lost their PEACE because all they wanted was “a Off-Site Correspondent: dollar’s worth”. Some have lost their DANCE in the Spirit. Evangelist Isarene There’s a song that says “I don’t know what you’ve come to do, Reynolds-Doyle but I’ve come to praise His name.” This should be our testimony. We should praise His name, clap our hands and praise Him in NOTICE TO OUR READERS: dance, because He has been so good to us. The views expressed by the authors/originators of materials Others have lost their POWER because all they wanted was “a in this publication are not dollar’s worth”. You can be anointed to do a work for God, but if necessarily those of The you don’t praise God, seek Him, and ask Him to take you higher Friendly Connection or and renew your faith and strength, you could lose what you’ve got. Friendly Temple Church of God in Christ. Some have lost their TESTIMONY. We’ve got to stay prayed up, Please address any errors because what brought us through yesterday won’t bring us noted in this newsletter to through today. We can’t just talk about what we used to do, we [email protected] have to do something now, because WE’RE NOT IN HEAVEN YET! We’ve got to keep working for the Lord until the day we die. (To be continued…) 2 MINISTER’S CORNER IN THIS ISSUE Featured Writers: Pastor Roger Thomas Evangelist Henrietta Givens `ç YtäÉÜ|àx Deborah Thompson-Ealy Charmayne Moore Mary Jackson fvÜ|ÑàâÜx Loren Due, PhD. Min. Bryant Norman Jeremiah 29:11- Happy Father’s Day 1 “For I know the Pastor’s Desk 2 thoughts that I think In this Issue 3 Ministers’CONTENTS Corner 3 toward you, saith the You’ve Been Spotted 4 LORD , thoughts of Family of the Month 4 Did You Miss It? 5 peace, and not of Did You Miss It? Cont’d 6 evil, to give you an Did You Miss It? Cont’d 7 Minister Bryant When thoughts become words 8 expected end.” Your Spiritual Health 9 Norman Answer/Mystery Member 10 What Did You Forget? 10 When God said He knows the Bible Mystery Person 11 thoughts that He thinks towards And a Time to Laugh 11 Medical Corner 12 me, thoughts of peace, and not of For Your Information 13 FYI continued 14 evil, this lets me know that even Answers Bible Mystery 14 when I was in my mess and Bettie’s Picks 15 Children’s Corner 16 serving evil, He still meant good Prayer Requests 17 for me. He knows where I’ve Announcements 17 Our Daily Bread 18 come from, and where I’m going, How Can I Be Saved? 19 and He wants nothing but good for me. When I walk according to His WELCOME … word, He has nothing but good in …..to all of our new members who store for me. joined Friendly Temple during the month of May. We also extend a welcoming embrace to all who accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord of their life, or rededicated themselves during the month of May. 3 FAMILY OF THE M ONTH YOU’VE BEEN SPOTTED `|ÇA UÜçtÇà9 f|áA g|tÇt aÉÜÅtÇ tÇw ytÅ|Äç “We are parents to Trystan and Bry’ln [pictured here], Tyahn, Briondra, and Bryant, Jr. We have been together for 5 year and have been attending Friendly Temple since November of 2015. ctáàÉÜ 9 Y|Üáà _twç We love Friendly Temple. It is the best place that WÉvàÉÜá eÉzxÜ 9 `tÜ|x g{ÉÅtá we have been to as far as churches in California. We have grown so much as a family since being th here. Our kids even like to come to church here. Congratulations on your 26 We love the Children’s Ministry, the teaching Church Anniversary! From The that’s going forth, and we are being fed well Friendly Connection Newsletter spiritually. staff and your Friendly Temple The word is truly going forth here and has been a blessing to me and my family. Being at this church Church Family. has allowed me to go forth and operate in the gift of prophecy that I didn’t know I had until I came here. I’ve grown in points that I never even thought I’d touch. We’ve come together collectively as a famly also. All praises to God.” 4 DID YOU MISS IT?? PRAYER AND BIBLE BAND BREAKFAST AND FASHION SHOW 5 MINISTERS’ REVIVAL PASTOR’S AIDE PEW RALLY 6 YRC YOUTH FORUM 7 When thoughts become words…… Char A personal commentary by Charmayne “ ” Moore The title of our “Did You Know" column has been changed to "When Thoughts Become Words." In Charmayne’s own words: “I feel like ‘did you know’ should state facts about a topic, but I noticed my blogs are not written in that format at all, lol!” Enjoy.… "What is more, I consider thoughts got deeper and I asked myself, everything a loss because of the “W hy should God help me out?” I barely know who He is and what He's capable surpassing worth of knowing of. Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I I understand the teachings in church consider them garbage, that I may about the Lord, but I've never made an gain Christ." -Philippians 3:8 effort to put Him first in my life. I place Him on the back burner and feed into Frequently, there have been moments in negativity without seeking His wisdom. If my life when I question if God cares our roles were switched, I would not about me. I wonder why I don't have as want to help someone who always made close of a relationship with Him as I me feel like I don't matter; making would like to have or as I see spiritual excuses for why they can't take the time leaders have. The attacks of life have me to get to know who I am. This is not how even wondering if He hates me; dramatic you treat someone who genuinely loves I know, but I'm sure someone can relate you. to my feelings. My perspective changed from being I've found myself asking God, "Why frustrated with God and thinking He left won't you relieve this pain?" "Have I me out in the cold, to realizing that I'm done something to upset you, which the one who has left Him. I'm living my results in the struggle I'm life dependent on man and worldly vices experiencing?" to ease my pain. In reality, I need to re- write my list with seeking God as the top I came across an article online the other priority. I'm going to practice this way of day that quoted, "You are as close to thinking and put forth the effort to get to God as you choose to be." know God as a goal this month; and I want to give you all an update next I started to think about my relationship month. Please keep me in your prayers with God and I discovered that honestly as well! I cannot say that I've put forth enough effort to get to know God. A lot of times God has not been the number one Be Blessed! priority on my list. I am ashamed to say it, but I'm not alone in saying that. A lot of us put everything else before God. My V{ tÜ 8 YOUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH….