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May 7, 2023
May is the fifth month of the year. Thank you for attending the Zoom informational meeting on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at noon. I trust that the presentations made you aware of what the leadership of the congregation has been doing since the pandemic and the unexpected structural damage in preparation for our return to our sacred space.
We will keep you posted about the continued progress that is being made to return to our sacred space. We had a meeting with representatives from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. They are working with us to prepare a comprehensive strategy to maintain our relevance and viability. They are preparing a video along with the strategies. When that is done, we will schedule a meeting to inform you of the progress.
Thank you for your patience and perseverance as we navigate our way through the protracted anomaly occasioned by the pandemic and its effects, the unexpected structural damage and its repair, and the return to our sacred space once we get the clearance from Building and Safety.
Our Social Media Committee has been doing a phenomenal job. They keep us connected and informed through Zoom meetings, weekly newsletters with pertinent information on the church's website (secondbaptistchurchla.org) and with inspirational messages to engage you as you continue to foster your faith during these challenging times. Our diaconate and trustee ministries, auxiliaries, Christian Education and Sunday School leaders have been faithful in fulfilling their responsibilities to keep us functioning as a fellowship of faith, continuing our 8:00 am broadcast on KJLH 102.3 FM Radio Free, through the internet with Zoom, Pastor’s chat, grief recovery and special Zoom programs for special occasions.
There are a few special occasions I would like to call to your attention which are being made available to you through the aforementioned means of communication.
Sunday May 7th is Communion Sunday.
Sunday May 14th is Mother's Day. This day is a reminder that life is a precious, priceless gift through a process that requires discipline and sacrifice which produces wonder. The birth process, with all of its phases and stages, evoke the most enduring emotions. Remembering mom, the one through whom people enter this ephemeral reality, is a natural response to the realization of what you have been given which has made possible the potential for your living.
Sunday, May 21st is the 138th Church Anniversary of this congregation of believers in Christ. We have maintained an uninterrupted presence in the Los Angeles community since 1885 and 97 years at our current location. Our legacy continues with the commitment, faith and love with which we began. We say with the psalmist, "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it," Psalm 118:23-24. We rejoice and praise the Lord for 138 years of continuous witnessing to the reality of the Presence of the Lord in our lives as a fellowship of faith.
Sunday, May 28th is observed as Memorial Sunday. We acknowledge the observance of Memorial Sunday and the sacrifices that have been made by those serving in the armed forces of the United States, past and present, as well as our members whose contributions to the church are remembered.
Let me thank you for your continuing commitment to this congregation of believers in Christ with your generosity and graciousness. I am appreciative that you give through the internet app on your phone or the website, mail your contributions to Second Baptist Church at 2419 Griffith Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90011, or bring them to the church office which is operating from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Be sure to give a dollar for every year of the existence of our congregation of believers in Christ, 138 years or whatever you would like to give would be appreciated.
We are on our way to inherit the promises of God. Come with us and you will share in all the good things the Lord will do for us. The best is yet to come.
-Pastor
Dr. William S. Epps, Senior Pastor
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