Covenant Update

Dear Covenant Family:

Yesterday was a great day at Covenant, with 33 folks in attendance.  Attached is today’s bulletin, please read all the news items shared with you there.  Note that Covenant raised $2,000 for hurricane relief in October, and we plan to share it with local communities who have had devastating outcomes from multiple hurricanes this summer and early fall.  We will share more information with you as our plans develop this week.  If anyone would still like to contribute, you can either send a check to Covenant or place it in the Sunday offering plate. 

There were a number of praise requests made yesterday.  Sam Parker asked for prayers for a high school friend of his who had a stroke recently, and will face a long recovery.  He also asked for prayers for the people in North Carolina who are still dealing with major difficulties in their state from Hurricane Helene due to so many roads being completely destroyed there.  Frank Dolwick asked for prayers for a Pastor friend who is now in Hospice.  Joann Mills asked for prayers for Darlene Sanchez’s daughter who was just diagnosed with lung cancer.  Craig Alexander asked for continued prayers for his mother Robertha, who had a biopsy on Friday, and then had to be hospitalized afterwards.  Rose Morgan said that Christian groups have asked for a national prayer at 6 PM Monday night for our country, given the divisiveness of the current election cycle.  Carol Parker asked for continued prayers for Patty Sanders nephew who has been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor.  Pastor Don asked for continued prayers for Mack Vlacos who is still dealing with breathing difficulties.  Missy Mauldin asked for continuing prayers for her friend Ruth and her family who are missionaries serving in Spain.  Becky Alexander also reminded us that November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and we should remember to wear purple to our Thanksgiving dinner on November 24.

Pastor Don’s sermon focused on being a friend and companion to others rather than a loner.  He used two sets of scripture for his sermon.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 – Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; ¹⁰ for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? ¹² And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

Pastor Don repeated the story of a friend of his who served in WW2 in Germany, and survived only because he had a friend in his foxhole in the frigid winter who together kept each other warm.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion.

Pastor Don used this scripture to show that as long as there is life, there is hope.   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