Covenant Update

Dear Covenant Family:

Today was another great day at Covenant Church.  We had 34 folks in attendance, and attached is the bulletin from today’s service.  There are two notes of interest that you should know about are in the bulletin.  First, our annual church business meeting will take place immediately after the church service on Sunday, November 17 to approve our 2025 church budget and acclaim approval for the Trustees to continue their work in the leadership of Covenant Church, and the meeting is usually concluded very quickly.  Second, we will hold our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at 5 PM on November 24.  The church will provide the turkey, ham, dressing, and drinks.  Attendees are asked to bring their favorite vegetables, salads, or desserts to share with other attendees.  Also remember to fall back next Saturday – turn your clock back one hour next Saturday night before going to bed to gain an extra hour of sleep before church next Sunday!

We had a number of praise and prayer requests made in church today.  It was great to have Carolyn and Mack Vlacos back in church today, and Carolyn asked for continued prayers for both of them.  Larry Noegel’s cousin, Darow Nixon, died recently and Larry asked for prayers for his family.  Missy Mauldin asked for continued prayers for her friend Ruth who has been a missionary in Spain for a few years now.  Craig Alexander also asked for prayers for his mother Robertha who will have a breast biopsy next Friday.

Missy also had a praise report for her school students and teachers who just returned from a mission trip to Guatemala.  They were all excited for the Down’s Syndrone students they were able to work with, and how happy all the Guatemala students were in spite of the poverty that they all experienced in their lives.  Tina Pinkoson also had a praise for her son Kyle who just got a new job, which he begins tomorrow.

The focus of Pastor Don’s sermon today was to do the best you can with what you have.  Tina Pinkoson then added that her recent Bible study focused on that it is not the size of your church that matters, but its significance in your community.

Pastor Don based his message on three separate scriptures that described some typical responses.

Luke 21:1-4 – The Widow’s Gift – Now He looked up and saw the wealthy putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² And He saw a poor widow putting in two lepta coins. ³ And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them; ⁴ for they all contributed to the offering from their surplus; but she, from her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.”

Luke 12:16-21 – And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. ¹⁷ And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. ¹⁹ And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ ²¹ Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.”

Acts 3:4-6 – But Peter, along with John, looked at him intently and said, “Look at us!” ⁵ And he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶ But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”

These stories all provide different responses to Pastor Don’s and Tina’s comments.   If you would like to listen to Pastor Don’s sermon, all recorded sermons can be accessed at https://gainesvillecovenantchurch.org/ and then choose Sermons on the home page, and then choose the sermon you want to hear. 

May you all have a most blessed week!

Ron