Dear Covenant Family:
Today was a great day at Covenant, with 42 people in attendance. We begin today’s prayer requests with the announcement that Mack Vlacos passed away yesterday at his daughter’s home in Georgia at age 89. Please keep the entire Vlacos family in your prayers. There will be a service in Gainesville likely this coming week, and we will let everyone know details as soon as they are finalized.
Additional prayer requests are listed below. Maurita McKee said that her good friend who had bypass surgery last week got thought the surgery well, but now faces rehabilitation in the coming weeks. Tina Pinkoson raised a prayer request for the family of a well known Oak Hall long-term principal who recently died. Diane Mauldin asked for prayers for their daughter Missy who is sick right now. Larry Noegel asked about Paul McArthur who is currently at The Village undergoing rehabilitation; Pastor Don suggested he call Vicki if he would like to go visit Paul. Don Mason asked for prayers for the family of James Dobson, a Christian right leader, who just died at the age of 89. Ida (a relative of Tina Pinkoson) had an unspoken request.
A praise was raised by Ron Marks for the Iranian Christian family living in Gainesville since January after moving here from Iran; they have been approved to remain in our country with their support from First United Methodist Church in downtown Gainesville, and are now settled in Gainesville. Nancy Parke also raised a praise for blessings shown to her recently.
The title of Pastor Don’s sermon today was Do Your Part. His scripture supporting his message was:
Isaiah 40:1-8 – “Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. 2 “Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her guilt has been removed, that she has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” 3 The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the uneven ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “call out.” Then he answered, “What shall I call out?” All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; the people are indeed grass! 8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God stands forever.
Pastor Don began by saying that the use of the word “comfort” also means to “encourage”. He further noted that discouraged people do not accomplish much.
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 you all a most blessed week!
Ron