Our Mission:

Friendship exists to bring people to Jesus and develop them into fully mature, reproducing followers.

Gather to Worship

We gather each Sunday to worship God together through reading and preaching Scripture, singing, praying and celebrating Lord’s Supper.

Baptisms 8

Avg. Sunday Attendance 201

Avg. People in Growth Group 93

Total Giving $634,511

Avg. Kids in FriendshipKIDS 25

Avg. Youth in FriendshipYOUTH 29

Friendship Family,

In our year of being Rooted and Rested, we saw God’s Spirit bear fruit through the gospel. One thing that stood out this past year was the ongoing growth in so many of you as Jesus drew you through the various stages of spiritual growth. Allow me to highlight just a few:

Seeking: In all our ministries and relationships, I’m seeing more people who don’t know Jesus than I’ve seen before here. It’s a joy to see all of you seeking the lost as Jesus did. Let’s keep it up!

Conversion: Jesus is saving people! So many began to evidence a true conversion through belief in Jesus, repentance, confessing Jesus as Lord, taking Lord’s Supper and embracing baptism.

Growing: Having new believers around is a joy. New believers began to drive the golf cart, brew the coffee, serve in the nursery, and join hospitality. Their questions and love for Jesus is contagious.

Self-Feeding: More than ever before, the number of you reading your Bibles daily, praying, participating in Growth Groups and the like indicates we have a healthy church. You are feeding yourselves.

Reproducing: The vast majority of our guests came because you invited them? So many of you have friends, neighbors, co-workers and family that you are actively praying for and sharing Jesus with.

Overseeing: We ordained deacons to oversee the ministry this year. It’s a joy to have such mature leadership. By bringing Rod and Todd into eldership we have more qualified men overseeing our flock than ever before.

Finishing: In 2022, several of our flock finished their time on earth. We also watched others of you struggle with your health while clinging to Jesus. We continue to operate the golf cart, prayer ministry and care teams to walk with you in this season.

Each of you are progressing in diverse stages of your spiritual journey—a testament to the work of the Holy Spirit as He brings the gospel of Jesus to fruition in each of you. May He continue to develop each of us into fully mature reproducing followers of Jesus!

Grace and peace,

“Come to, all who labor and areladen, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 ESV

We might expect that gathering to worship an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God would be a daunting endeavor. Our awareness of his perfection exposes our imperfection and might understandably cause our minds to race, our hearts to fear, and our bodies to tremble. But the message of the gospel revealed in Matthew 11:25-30 is that God has handed everything over to Jesus, who invites us to come to Him and find rest. What an encouragement to realize that when we gather to worship Jesus, it leads to rest for our souls!

In 2022, we continued to see God bless the worship ministry in many ways. We were able to add more talented musicians to the team including a youth praise band that leads worship each week at our youth gathering and supports the Sunday worship team when necessary. We’ve expanded the number of Scripture readers in our services and added volunteers to share announcements. On the technical side, our team has grown quantity, quality, and scope including the addition of a video production team. We’ve also been blessed with several equipment upgrades in audio, video, and media resources thanks to generous donations from individuals as well as the continued support of the congregation.

I am so thankful for God’s blessings to us at Friendship and I look forward to how He will continue to pour out His blessings as we Follow Jesus Together in 2023.

With gratitude,

NEW! 18-102 (1st and 3rd Sundays, 6:30p): Gary and Christin Burkholder began this group to give yet another option for our members to connect and grow together. They have a small but thriving community that meets to encourage each other and grow in the Lord.

NEW! Parents of Littles (Sundays, 5:00p): Robert and Paula began this group at church, and while we have inconsistent attendance (remember those days with little ones? Between stomach bugs, runny noses, tantrums and the like, you feel you never leave the house), we have moved now to meeting in homes and are welcoming new families with little ones.

Parents of Teens (Sundays, 6:30p): Dave and Tina Larnerd stepped up to lead this group and moved it into their home (where the food, fellowship and teaching have all significantly improved)! We have also seen other couples join and look forward to what God will do this this.

NEW! Sunday Supper (every other Sunday 5:00p): Steve and Jody Barrick lead this group of young married couples as they meet for dinner and discussion at the Barrick home. It’s a joy to see young couples strengthening their marriage through fellowship and mentoring together.

The Rest of Us (Mondays, 6:30p): Fred Noble combined his group with Walner’s Tuesday (when the Alvarez family moved to Louisiana). This change began growth that outgrew Fred’s house, and they now meet in the sanctuary. It’s rumored this group has the best food, but also has great fellowship and clearly enjoys their time together.

Tuesday morning (10:30a): Todd Taylor leads a lively discussion on the previous Sundays’ sermon. It must be working because people just keep showing up! They outgrew the library and are now meeting in the sanctuary. The prayer, discussion and fellowship are sweet and rich.

Young Adults (Tuesdays, 7:00p): Steve Barrick continues to connect with those ages 16-24 at his home on Tuesdays, shaping their faith and encouraging them as they follow Jesus and make their faith their own.

Pastor’s group (Tuesdays, 7:00p): Robert and Paula Kendall focus on welcoming newcomers to Friendship into their home and into this group (and hopefully launching it out every year or so). This year, the group has grown and stabilized so in 2023, they will most likely be launching it and starting a new one.

Owing’s group (Tuesdays, 7:00p): After working through the busy nature of the fall, Jason and Melissa Hardesty were excited to get their group back up and running strong going into Christmas. They enjoy working through the book of Romans together, simply discussing it verse by verse (and via text throughout the week).

Ladies’ Morning (Wednesday, 10:30a): Julie Windsor continues to lead this dedicated group of women through various video-based studies. They enjoy the fellowship and growth that comes from discussion God’s word together.

Ladies’ Evening (Wednesdays 6:00p): While they began the year meeting at church, they have moved into homes (our preferred group location). This past year they have focused on learning Biblical study methods and have developed close bonds with each other as they encourage one another in the gospel of Jesus. Paula Kendall leads and is developing other key women leaders.

Youth (Wednesdays, 6:00p): Ken Swanson continues to lead our youth each Wednesday. The youth praise team is developing, and this year we are blessed to have many seniors providing stability and leadership. We also welcomed Jackson Taylor on board and are thankful for Tina, Melissa and Robert who continue to lead the breakout groups.

Men’s Coffee (Thursdays 6:00a): A small group of men meet in the McDonald’s parking lot in Dunkirk on Thursday mornings for encouragement and prayer. (look for Robert’s Traverse on the drive through side). This has become a connection point for those not tightly tied to Friendship.

Men’s Breakfast (Thursdays, 8:00a): Steve Baker coordinates this breakfast each Thursday mornings at Traders where fellowship and generosity are showcased. The men carry each other’s burdens and share stories of their spiritual growth.

NEW! Deale (Fridays, 6:30p): Hugh and Joan Wood began a small group that quickly didn’t stay small! They have had the joy of seeing people come to faith in their group as they reach out to friends and family and enjoy sweet fellowship (the after-parties are rumored to run to 11:00pm!)

Last year, we produced 3,789 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.

Samaritan’s Purse gave out 10.5 million shoeboxes in over 140 different countries. In response to that, 2.3 million children received salvation!

In 2022 we served both Tracey’s Elementary and Sunderland Elementary, providing food for children who are food insecure. This has resulted in food being provided to 85 different families in both Anne Arundel and Calvert counties.

This program has led to us providing support for some of the families other needs such as rent relief.

We Welcomed

Bonnet, Campbell, Brandenburg. Matteson, Day, Duncan. Hoon-Star, Dewey, J. Dexter, N. Hardesty, Pope, Davis, Hoffman, Horning, Dement, Arhar, L. Taylor, S. Long, J. Taylor, Burns, Baldwin, Nicholson, Carillo, Rosage, Steiner, I. Thomas, P. Thomas, Evans, Lindsay, Frye, O’Daniel, D. Jeffries, C. Jeffries, Domeier, Petersen, Hazzard, Cullen, Dove, Weaver, Wise, M. Thomas, Chaney, Waltman, McKnight, Arant, Rasmussen

New Members

Tara Arocho, Tim & Malinda Billings, Kevin & Alexsa Billups, Ruth Blair, :ance & Cyndi Bonnett, Jason & Kristen Camp, Sara Davis, Donna Day, Jordan Dexter, Al & Cathie Dewey, Larry Frye, Gregg & Annalisa George, Marty & Vanessa Hunter, Dorothy Jackson, Betty MacKnight, Mike Papanicolas, Crystal Parsons, Jimmy & Gina Pope, Wayne & Barbara Seidel, Tony & JoAnn Serafini, Gwen Stanley, Keith Summerfelt, Hugh & Joan Wood

Deaths

Mark Nicholson, Phyllis Smith, Albert Dewey, John Simms

Weddings

Jon & Jen Matteson, David & Carly Mendez

Births

Brandon Sanborn

Baby Dedications

Hannah Camp

Baptisms

Mike Papanicolas, Liam Stanley, Nate Stanley, Caleb Hardesty, Keith Summerfelt, Gabriella Cenepo-Torres, Tyler Kelly, Joe Vaissi

Deacons

In 2022 we added a layer of leadership at Friendship called Deacons. The Deacons are those who serve the church faithfully so the Elders can focus on the spiritual aspects of the church

• Melissa Hardesty

• Ken Swanson

• Elena Mendez-Hutchinston,

• Leslie Wilson

• Georgette Koelker

• Chris Wilson

• Kip Sanborn

• Ishmael Rahim

Elders

At the end of 2022, Elder Mike Wiseman stepped down to take a break from the position of elder. In his place, we ordained 2 new elders

• Rod Koelker

• Todd Taylor

Pastor Ordination

In December 2022 we ordained Fred Noble to Pastor of Ministries.

Construction Update

We continue to work on getting both the parking lot and the building addition to final permit stage.

We have received several bids for both lot and building addition

We are still awaiting the final permit for the Site Development Plan

We have the permit for the building addition pending Site Development Plan approval.

Total Funds Report

General Fund Received

$634,511

General Fund Spent

$596,314

Difference

$38,197

Special Offerings

$10,397

Money Market

$625,246

Checking Account

$53,784

Restricted Funds

$7,542

Total Bank Accounts

$687,854

$22,920 Pablo & Sarah C.T.

$5,220 Peru Orphanage

$6,000 Asia (protected names)

$7,200 Zaigradar

$4,174 Baltimore Rescue

This year brings us on a mission that may sound familiar to many of you, we are following Jesus. But we aren’t just following Him by ourselves, we are following Jesus together, aligning us with our mission statement. May the following questions guide our decisions this year

Following Jesus Together

How is Jesus calling us to corporately follow Him?

What individual step is Jesus calling each of us to take?

Gather to Worship

As we gather on Sunday, we want to encourage each other to follow Jesus.

What can we do to assimilate new members of our congregation into the family?

What would Jesus have us do with the parking lot/building projects in order to reach people?

Grow in Groups

Our greatest spiritual development has always been in our Growth Groups.

How will our groups grow spiritually and bring the hope of Jesus to the world?

How can we better train and support our group leaders?

Go & Serve

How can we build our deacon ministry to reach more people with the gospel?

What outreaches will meet needs and introduce people to Jesus?

What doors will God open for us in our community as we look to plant and strengthen churches?

How can we mobilize teams to Peru and MFuge to take the gospel to the world?