My dear friends,

We serve a great God, and throughout 2021 we continued to see His hand of faithfulness at Friendship. I was most humbled last year as so many churches struggled and yet God continued to bless Friendship. We were able to bring Steve on staff, and add singing to our outdoor service. I never thought I would have church outside in freezing temps, but I have special memories of preaching to you in your cars and in the parking lot. It was a joy to see God’s people continue to gather together! We were able to celebrate Easter with the sunrise service at the Rod-n-Reel, followed by the wonderful outdoor service here at Friendship. Dave Walton graciously allowed us to keep the stage, and this allowed our outdoor services to be wonderful through the spring. We brought all the services indoor through the summer and continued to see guests come each week. Did you know that about half of you attending Friendship came to us during the pandemic? God works amazing things!

As we returned to “normal” services, Fred has worked tirelessly to restaff all our ministries (and you have stepped up to serve!). Giving lagged behind expenses all through last year, but at the end, your generosity went beyond our budgeted expenses. Isn’t God’s provision amazing? Last year you packed OCC Gospel Opportunity boxes, hung drywall in DC, and gave generously and packed faithfully bags of food for kids in our community. Our Growth Groups are back to running strong and we are really starting to see groups expand and multiply as more of you get involved. I’m encouraged that we are Gathering, Growing and Going effectively as a church.

In this next year, I’m excited to work with a good group of elder candidates and I look forward to the elders recommending several of them to you. We will also be bringing deacons before you for ordination in the next few months. Several more growth groups are starting up, and we are seeing people interested in baptisms. The sanctuary and parking lot are starting to feel full, so plan to sit a little closer or park on the street or on the grass. It’s exciting to be a part of God’s work in Southern Arundel and Northern Calvert, and I’m thankful the good news of Jesus is spreading in our community. May He continue to use each of us in spreading His Word this year.

Grace and peace,

 Pastor Robert

This year, Friendship was able to not only serve inside our church on Sundays and throughout the week, but we served in our community and outside of our community. Due to COVID, we had to rebuild all of our service teams inside the church. We had several people step up to lead and rebuild the teams. we moved from only a few serving on teams in 2020 to over 50 people serving on a rotating basis inside of Friendship weekly.

While 2021 was a rough year for everyone with regard to COVID, it was a very successful year for our Operation Christmas Child ministry. Last year, we produced over 4,000 Gospel Opportunities that were sent around the world. Each box contained toys, toiletries, and clothing and then were packed with a copy of The Greatest Journey in their own language. The children were then given an opportunity to take a 12-week discipleship class that led to thousands of children and their families coming to know Christ as Savior.

Each month, Friendship turns the sanctuary into a blood donation site for the American Red Cross. Over 70 people come each month to our church who may never have stepped foot in a church before. While here, they are given a slideshow of Bible verses and opportunities to connect with Friendship as well as Gospel music. By the end of the day, we reach dozens for Christ while providing over 50 pints of blood each month to various local hospitals.

In 2021, Friendship was able to feed 50 children who are food insecure on the weekends. Each child goes home from school with a breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and Sunday. This has led to several opportunities inside the school. We were able to provide hats, coats and gloves to children who didn’t have a means to stay warm while outside. Also, we provided Christmas presents for 30 children, getting them toys, art supplies, and clothing while giving the parents/guardians gift cards for gas and an invitation to the Gospel.

LifeWorks provides rent-controlled shelter for men who are working to get back on their feet. We own a trailer in Lyon’s Creek that has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Each man is provided a safe place to stay and life skills training as well as spiritual coaching.

Also in 2021, we were contacted by the Southern Baptist Emergency Relief organization to help rebuild some houses near DC that were destroyed by flooding. We gathered with another church to take over 40 people do go work on 3 houses. We did drywalling, electrical, and framing work for these homes.

WE had an opportunity to travel to West Virginia to deliver necessities to a mission in Appalachia as well as provide support for them as they work to reach the community. Jason Luby and our Director of Ministry & Outreach, Fred Noble, traveled over a 4-day period to provide assistance.