Dear Covenant Family:
Today was a great day at Covenant Church, and we had 35 folks in attendance! Remember that next Sunday we will have lunch served right after church with ribs and chicken grilled by Lee Pinkoson, drinks provided by the church, and side dishes provided by members in attendance. We hope to see you there to celebrate Independence Day!
We have a number of prayer requests and praise reports to share with you. Praise reports included a note from Carolyn and Mack Vlacos sharing “We love and miss you all very much. We take things day by day anymore and are grateful for all of them. Take care and continue to pray for us.” Frank Dolwick raised a praise for the successful implant of 4 stents in his cardiac veins, and for Shaw Grigsby sharing with Frank’s fellowship students completing their residencies about his fishing career and alligator hunting experiences. Tina Pinkoson had a praise for her major conference she held this week with attendees from all over the country that was a huge success. Jo Ann Mason had a praise that her sister Pat (Michelle Miller’s aunt) has moved to Gainesville and is now searching for her home here.
Tina Pinkoson asked for prayers for the mother of Joe Morgan’s nephew who recently got married in the Florida panhandle. She is hospitalized with a stroke, but they have had a promising report this morning that she may be doing better. Please keep their family in your prayers. Missy Mauldin raised up the teachers in the Alachua County school system due to numerous issues facing them currently. Michelle Miller asked for continued prayers for son Luke and wife Carolyn who are expecting their 2nd child on July 2, as well as prayers for the mother of her friend Kirsten who is hospitalized currently. Helen Ann Noegel asked for continued prayers for the family of Mickey Milam after his funeral this past Friday. Finally, Becky Alexander mentioned that she will be going to Shands Hospital this week to speak with doctors who will determine if immunotherapy for 3 months may be sufficient to treat her kidney cancer or whether further treatment will be needed; she also asked for prayers so that the cost of these treatments will be covered by her insurance so she can have the treatments in Gainesville instead of at the Moffitt Cancer Center at USF in Tampa. Please keep all these families in your prayers this week!
Pastor Don’s sermon focused on the two main issues discussed in the Bible, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Don talked about how baptism is all about yielding our will to God’s will. He used the following scripture to justify the critical importance of baptism.
Matthew 28:19-20 – Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
He then spoke about the importance of teaching others about both topics through the use of scripture.
Matthew 26:26-29 – Now while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”
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.
We then concluded the service by sharing Communion!
I wish you all a most blessed week this coming week.
Ron