Dear Covenant Family:
Today was a great day at Covenant, with 34 folks in attendance. Please note Tina’s Theology As Explained By Children, they are all great!
Pastor Don began our prayer requests with three requests – (1) one for Paul McArthur, who fell and broke his hip this week, had surgery, and is now in rehab; (2) Bobby and Patsy Sutton who both have a flu bug; and (3) Missy Mauldin who fell and broke a few bones in her foot. Ron Marks next raised 3 praise reports – (1) one for last week’s service in which we celebrated Joe Morgan’s many contributions to Covenant Church since its founding over 38 years ago, and then a fantastic lunch after the service to celebrate Independence Day; (2) to celebrate Joe Morgan’s successful surgery on Friday to replace a heart valve, returning home on Saturday morning; and (3) continuing a praise for a Christian Iranian family who emigrated to the US in January, ended up in Gainesville and at the Helping Hands Clinic at First United Methodist Church, and are now hopeful they can remain in the US after having an attorney assigned to them and can have Gainesville folks that know them vouch for their Christianity, and that they can return to Gainesville and live here.
Additional prayer requests were made by other church attendees. Nancy Parke had an unspoken request. Carol Parker asked for continuing prayers for their son Rick who has had continuing eye problems and is now seeking additional surgery. Helen Ann Noegel asked for continuing prayers for Carolyn and Mack Vlacos, who are now living with their daughter and her family in Augusta, Georgia, Mack is now pretty much confined to his bed. Michelle Miller asked for continued prayers for their new baby Mason and his mother who are having a few post-partum events, but nothing they are unable to manage.
Pastor Don gave a sermon today based on the world today being filled with chaos and disappointment, but that God is unchangeable and our continuing Hope for the future. He built his sermon around the following scripture:
Hebrews 6:18-19 – so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to hold firmly to the hope set before us. 19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil.
Pastor Don stressed that only God is unchangeable , and thus our hope must be in Jesus. Hope cannot be based on any one person, but must be based on God’s Word.
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 each of you a most blessed week!
Ron