Covenant Update

Dear Covenant Church Family:

Today was a great day at Covenant, as we had 26 folks in attendance.  Please note the attached church bulletin for today for the announcement about our annual church business meeting immediately following our church service on Sunday, November 9.  This meeting should only last about 15-20 minutes as usual.  Also, note Tina’s excellent message in the bulletin titled Pass It On.

Please note that today we only had praise requests offered, so I want to pass those on to you.  Patsy Sutton had a praise for her 2-year-old nephew with leukemia who just got to ring the bell that he was cured of this deadly disease.  Helen Ann Noegel had a praise for Carolyn Vlacos who is now enjoying life living with her daughter and their family in Augusta, GA.  Bobby Sutton raised a praise for the Ohio State football team for holding a revival on their campus last fall and getting a large number of commitments to Jesus from that activity; he also announced that such a renewal was also repeated recently at the University of Tennessee.  Ron Marks then announced that our local Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) was also instrumental in getting many high school and college students to become involved with their activities, and that Turning Point USA was also growing their activities nationally with high school and college age students since the Charlie Kirk assassination.  Missy Mauldin then gave a lengthy praise report for her mission trip to Guatemala last week and all the successes they achieved in her week of working with children with learning disabilities, and that another contingent of students was there for the current week to do more evangelizing from the Rock School in Gainesville, where Missy works.  Tina Pinkoson then completed the praises with her statement praising the peace just achieved in Israel and Gaza that could provide a larger lasting peace for the entire Middle East.

Last week Pastor Don gave a sermon on the Parable of Talents, as reported in Matthew 25:14-30.  This week, he chose to report a home grown parable of his own, remember that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.  The scripture he used was from

John 14:12-14 – Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

Pastor Don told the story of a little girl named Ellie who went to a baseball game with her family and two friends.  She took her friends to the food and drink area and treated them to snacks.  When she returned to her seat, her father asked her where she got the money to pay for the snacks, she replied that she had no money, she just asked the salesperson to put it on her father’s account.  Everyone in town knew her father, that he was a reputable businessman in the town, and he could be trusted to pay his bills.  Just as Ellie knew her father would pay her bills, so can we know that God will similarly take care of us, if only we ask it of Him.  We don’t get all we can get when we don’t know God.  The Father will provide for us if we only ask.  Ellie knew her bill would be paid because she knew she could count on her father’s love.   If you would like to listen to this sermon, all recorded sermons can be accessed at https://gainesvillecovenantchurch.org/ and then choose Sermons on the home page, and then choose today’s message.

I wish all of you a most blessed week this coming week!

Ron