Fresh News from Friendly Street 4/21/2024

Week of April 21st, 2024
Please join us this Sunday
As Pastor Jenny Continues her Sermon Series, “In the Fire: The Book of Daniel“
Text: Daniel 3
      If you have any Prayer Requests, Praises, or Updates you'd like added to the newsletter, please email us at officemanager@friendlystreetchurch.org
so we can add them. Or you can call the church phone 541.345.6553 to contact staff.  
  Thank you!

Small Group: Weekly on Wednesdays at 10 am: in the Church Library. They are continuing their study of the Psalms.
One Hope Community Worship and Prayer: Sunday, May 5th at 6 pm, at First Baptist Church
Week of Prayer: Sponsored by One Hope, May 6th - 10th-- More information below
Mother's Day Slide Show: Please send your favorite photo of your mother/ grandmother/ mother figure to Hannah. She'll be preparing a special slide show to commemorate our mothers.
Welcome Summer Meal: Sunday, June 2nd. Laurie K. is coordinating plans.
Men's Breakfast: Saturday, May 4th
Corporate Communion: Sunday, May 5th
One Church One Day: Sunday, May 12th is Our day to pray for 24 hours.
Game Night: Tuesday, May 21st. Theme TBD
Save the Dates:
FAN Picnic (Root Beer Float Giveaway): July, Date TBD
Preacher Swap Sundays: returning this August.
One Hope (Backpack Giveaway): August 24 & 25th.
Women's Retreat: Sept 20th - 22nd at Camp WhiteBranch. Pastor Jenny is speaking. More details to come.

My puggle, Jasmine had her teeth cleaned on Monday. Teeth cleaning for a dog is a little more complicated than a human dental appointment. They have to sedate the dog, which means no food or drink beforehand. There can also be an increased risk for the dog.
I dropped Jasmine off at the vet at 7:45 am and waited to hear back from the vet. I go the call at 4:30 that she was waking up and I was able to pick her up at 5 pm. The vet handling surgery that day— because of the anesthesia, doggy dental cleanings count as surgeries— looks at the list of surgeries for the day, once all the animals have arrived, and then arranges their schedule accordingly. They like to get the simple and routine surgeries done first and save the more complicated ones for later in the day. They don’t know how difficult a dental cleaning will be until after the dog is sedated, when they can look at X-rays and such.
All of that means that I spent most of Monday feeling mildly worried about Jasmine. I knew she was in good hands, and I knew I wouldn’t hear back until the afternoon. But the later it got, the more worried I got. If I hadn’t had trust in the veterinarian, or if I hadn’t known that Jasmine’s procedure would be later in the day, I would have been very stressed out. In the end, I got my dog home safely, and cuddled with her all evening, for my comfort as much as hers.
My faith life is very similar, now that I think about it. I trust Jesus, who died for my sins, and I have faith that God has a plan for my life. From reading the Bible and listening to gifted pastors, I know that God is in control, and His perfect timing will bring His plans to fruition at just the right time. I might be a little worried about how things will work out, but I still know that He will take care of me, no matter what.
If I didn’t have that foundation of faith, I’d be like a pet owner, worrying about her dog with no idea when she might hear back from the vet. Just imagining that stresses me out.
Psalm 41:3 says, “He nurses them when they are sick and soothes their pains and worries.”
I have spent the past two days taking care of Jasmine— making her soft food, giving her cuddles, and taking her back to the vet for nausea medication when she wasn’t able to eat or drink.
That’s what God wants to do for me. All I have to do is let him.
~susan~