Faith Covenant Christian Church

11:00 a.m. Service

CALL TO WORSHIP

*INVOCATION

*CONGREGATIONAL HYMN

*RESPONSIVE READING

*PRAYER

SONG OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP

WELCOME / ANNOUNCEMENTS / FELLOWSHIP

OFFERTORY PRAYER AND OFFERING

*INTERCESSORY PRAYER

*PRAYER OF FAITH AND COMMITMENT

SPECIAL MUSIC

WORD OF GOD – Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

*INVITATION TO SALVATION AND DISCIPLESHIP

PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I want to turn from my sins, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe He died for my sins and that You raised Him to life. I want Him to come into my heart and to take control of my life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow Him as my Lord from this day forward.

In Jesus’ Name, amen.

[You may join Faith Covenant Christian Church by: Baptism, Christian Experience,

Re-Dedication, Transfer Letter, or Watch Care]

HOLY COMMUNION (1st Sunday Of Every Month)

BENEDICTION

This Week's Message

Date: November 09, 2025

Preacher: Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Sermon: Living With The Character Of Jesus

Scripture: Ruth 1: 15-18

15 “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” 16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” 18 When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.

We’ve fallen . . . Lord, Help Us Get Up !

Sometimes life feels like a city under siege. You plan, you pray, you press on—and then the bottom drops out. The letter arrives. The job shifts. The news blindsides. You look around and the familiar skyline of your world seems changed, scarred, and smoky. You stand there, heart in your throat, asking, “Lord, are You still here? Do You still care? Will Your promises hold when everything else falls?”

That’s where Judah found itself—in the shadow of broken walls and burned beams, with a king who wouldn’t listen and a nation that wouldn’t learn. Power looks strong until it is tested. Then it crumbles if it stands on sand. This is a sober word to all who lead. Choices cascade. Private sin is never just private. Patterns shape homes, churches, offices, and cities. God will not ignore injustice or pride. His discipline is real. It is meant to wake us up. It is meant to bring us back to Him. We feel the sting of loss. We see the real pain of judgment. And we also see the steady hand of God. He is just. He is faithful. He is near to the lowly. He does not break His word. In ruins, He is still the Lord. We must learn to seek wisdom before the crisis. We must speak truth while there is time to change. We must set our hearts to obey. We must pray for our leaders. We must hold them to the Word with patience and courage.

The words of 2ndKings 24 and 25 hold more than rubble and regret; they hold a reminder that God’s purposes run deeper than our worst days and His mercy moves even when we cannot see the path forward. The smoke of the city rose, but so did the prayers of a people who had nowhere else to turn. He would keep a remnant. He would plant hope in hard soil. He would teach them to sing without walls and to pray without courts. He would shape a people who trust Him more than any place or program.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Disappointment is real. Ashes are real. But hope—because it is anchored in the heart of God—is not going anywhere. In the collapse of Judah under a rebellious king, in the siege that starved the streets and silenced the songs, and even in exile far from home, God continued to speak. He still speaks—to discouraged moms and dads, to weary workers, to students with stretched souls, to saints who feel battered but beloved.

So as you open the Word, bring Him your burnt edges and broken pieces. Whisper the worry you’ve been carrying. Offer Him the thing you cannot fix. Watch how He whispers through ancient ruins to present-tense hearts. We worship a God who is not absent in ashes and not silent in suffering—a God who sends His hope to the rivers of exile and His comfort to the turbulence of our lives.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY SCHOOL – NOVEMBER 16, 2025

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Ezekiel’s Sign ~ Ezekiel 3:10–11; Ezekiel 24:15–24, 27

LESSON AIMS: After participating in this lesson,

each learner will be able to:

1. Describe the status of the inhabitants of Judah

in general and Ezekiel in particular.

2. Explain the role of a prophet as a ‘visual aid’

that God uses to communicate difficult truths.

3. Suggest ways that Christians can become a

‘visual aid’ to proclaim the gospel of Jesus.

Ezekiel 3:10–11; 24:15–18 10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.” 15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. 17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

The Word of the Lord Ezekiel 3:10–11 concludes the account of the prophet’s call. After seeing the divine throne chariot (Ezek. 1:1–28), Ezekiel receives his commission to preach to God’s people. God tells Ezekiel to speak the truth without worrying about the response (Ezek. 2:3–7). In his vision, Ezekiel receives and eats a scroll that tastes sweet as honey, even though it contains “lamentations, and mourning, and woe” (Ezek. 2:8–3:3). God gives Ezekiel the strength to confront a hard-hearted people; he must share God’s message without fear (Ezek. 3:8–9; compare Jer. 1:17–19). God addresses him as a “son of man,” which highlights Ezekiel’s low status before the God who is choosing him as messenger. The commands to “receive [God’s words] in thine heart, and hear with thine ears” (v. 10 KJV) emphasize that Ezekiel must embody the divine message. Unlike Jeremiah, who prophesied while in Judah, Ezekiel is with fellow exiles who have now been resettled to regions of Babylon (see 2 Kings 24:10–17). His responsibility is to relay God’s words, regardless of whether the people will hear and obey. Ezekiel 24:15–27 jumps forward to describe one of Ezekiel’s final “sign acts.” Sign acts are like visual parables that deliver a divine message in dramatic fashion (see also Hos. 1:2–9; Jer. 43:8–13; Ezek. 5:1–4; 12:1–16). Some of Ezekiel’s signs cost him dearly (Ezek. 4:4–6), but none more than the death of his wife. God tells Ezekiel, “I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes” (v. 16). God says that He shall use the death of Ezekiel’s wife for a particular purpose, and that evening, she passes away (v. 18). The text does not say how or whether she was previously ill, and the passage does not provide enough information to justify speculations. Ezekiel is losing the person most dear to him. Worse yet, Ezekiel is not allowed to grieve publicly for his wife. God explicitly forbids him from weeping or shedding tears (v. 16). The Hebrew phrase translated “forebear to cry” (v. 17 KJV) or “groan quietly” (NIV) is difficult. It may mean that Ezekiel should express sorrows only to himself, or only in wordless groans, rather than cries. Moreover, Ezekiel must not dress himself like a person in mourning. Rather than throw dust on his head, he must wear his turban and his sandals as if nothing has changed (v. 17). He must leave his mouth uncovered, and he must refuse customary food of mourners. Until we hear the explanation to follow, we do not know why God is asking Ezekiel to throw off all customary ways of mourning.

Ezekiel 24:19–24, 27 19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us? Why are you acting like this?” 20 So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners. 23 You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. 24 Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’ 27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Message Explained After witnessing Ezekiel’s astonishing behavior—his reserved attitude toward his wife’s death—the people say, “Tell us what these things have to do with us” (v. 19). The sign act has done its job, opening up the people to hear a message. The strangeness of Ezekiel’s past behavior and history of enacting signs make them suspect that there is a message behind Ezekiel’s composure. Ezekiel begins his answer with “the word of the Lord came to me” (v. 20), a common introduction to a revelation in the Old Testament (see Gen. 15:1, 4; 2 Sam. 7:4; 24:11; Jer. 1:4; 2:1). This speaking formula shows the divine authority behind the messenger, which enables Ezekiel to boldly declare, “Thus sayeth the Lord God” (v. 21 KJV). Ezekiel calls the exiles of Judah, and he addresses them as “the house of Israel” (v. 21 KJV), a recognition of their common heritage in Abraham’s family. Ezekiel interprets and explains his sign. Just as Ezekiel lost his wife—“the desire of [his] eyes” (v. 16)—the exiles are about to lose “the desire of [their] eyes,” the temple in Jerusalem and the lives of their family in and around Jerusalem (v. 21). News will soon arrive that the Babylonians have destroyed Solomon’s temple. This is the decree of God, who takes full responsibility for profaning His own sanctuary. God is not powerless to prevent this, but He is allowing it to happen. Because of Judah’s persistent idolatry, it might seem odd to call God’s temple “the stronghold in which you take pride” (v. 21). But even the exiles believed that the temple’s persistence guaranteed God’s favor. They expected to return, or at least that their distant families would survive in Judah. Ezekiel crushes these hopes: the temple will crumble and many of their children will die. In verses 22–24, Ezekiel explains his odd behavior. Just as he avoided public displays of his grief, so shall the exiles. They will continue in their daily lives, permitted only to groan over their iniquities, rather than to properly mourn their loss. As exiles in the heart of the Babylonian empire, they will not have the luxury of grieving what Nebuchadnezzar will declare a victory. When word of these horrors reaches them, they will know that this is God’s judgment (vv. 24, 27).

About Us

OUR HISTORY

Faith Covenant Christian Church began on February 27, 2014 following a fellowship dinner for displaced former members of Crossroads Christian Church. Following that first meeting, we formed a Planning Committee and began meeting @ Best Western Hotel at Cedar Bluff.

On May 7, 2014, we adopted the name Faith Covenant Christian Church, with our foundational verse being Jeremiah 50:5. On June 22, 2014 an invitation to membership was given by Rev A. David Baxter and 21 people united with Faith Covenant Christian Church. Women’s and Men’s Ministries began having regular meetings. In September 2014, we began having Sunday School and Wednesday Night Bible Study. In November, Youth Ministry began. By the end of 2014, ten more people joined, three as new converts. We moved to 1027 Summer Wood Drive on April 1, 2015. Following a yearlong pastor search, Violet P. McRoy, was called as pastor on April 18, 2016. In March 2018, Pastor McRoy resigned as pastor, due to poor health and other personal issues. God quickly responded to our prayer-laden search and Nokomis Yeldell, Jr. was elected to the pastoral position on April 16, 2018. On Easter Sunday in 2025, we moved into a new sanctuary at 1021 Summer Wood Drive. In May, 2025, we celebrated our 11th church anniversary and are looking onward, upward and forward to serving God faithfully.

OUR PASTOR

Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Pastor Yeldell was born in Mt Pleasant, Texas, the third of five children of Nokomis and Dollie Pearl Yeldell. His father, also a Pastor for over 60 years, was called to Memphis, TN, where Nokomis Jr. grew up. Following graduation Pastor Yeldell attended Southwestern Christian College. He then served four years in the United States Air Force. He then decided to move to Knoxville, TN to further his education. After serving in leadership capacities in various ministries at Foster Chapel Baptist Church, Pastor Yeldell was called into the ministry in 2010.

Faith Covenant Christian Church represents Pastor Yeldell’s third and prayerfully final pastorate.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

FAITH COVENANT Christian Church accepts the Holy Scriptures as the revealed will of God, the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, and holds to the following foundational truths:

1. The One True God

GOD IS… He is the eternally existent and immutable Father, Creator of the Universe and everything therein. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, and in Him we move and have our being. He is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Our Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is One God in three distinct persons: one in essence and purpose and distinct in personality and function. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. He is the essence of love, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, mercy, grace, holiness, righteousness, and justice.

2. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the eternally existent Son of the living God, the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the image of the invisible God, and the firstborn of all creation. Through Him was made everything that is made—things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things are held together.

He was born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God through His substitutionary death on the cross. He was resurrected bodily from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.

3. The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth, who goes out from the Father and testifies about the Son. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regards to sin and righteousness and judgment. He is given to all who believe, for Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit according to the promise of God the Father, who gives the Spirit without limit. The Holy Spirit lives with us and in us, bringing about the endowment of power for life and service, as well as the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry. These gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to His own will (Hebrews 2:4) include: prophecy, service, teaching, encouragement, contributing to the needs of others, leadership, mercy (Romans 12:6-8), message of wisdom, message of knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous powers, distinguishing between spirits (discernment), tongues, interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

4. Salvation from the Penalty of Sin

By grace, through faith, we are saved from the penalty of sin. Mankind, though made in the image of God, has inherited through the first man, Adam, a sinful nature. By this nature, all mankind has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and thereby, was alienated from God; dead in transgressions—gratifying the cravings, desires, and thoughts of the sinful nature; following the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air; stirring up wrath against himself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. But God did not appoint mankind to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—and saved us by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

5. Salvation from the Power of Sin

By grace, through faith, we are saved from the power of sin. Having been crucified with Christ, we put to death the deeds of the body so that sin shall have no dominion over our mortal bodies. We have received the Spirit who is from God so that we may live by faith, understanding what God has freely given us to accomplish His purpose:

He has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our personal knowledge of Him as Savior and Lord.
He has given us His precious and magnificent promises by which we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
He has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ, His church, may be built up.
He has given to us the manifestation of the Spirit through spiritual gifts for the common good.
He has given us the ministry of reconciliation: that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him.

6. Salvation from the Presence of Sin

By grace, through faith, we are saved from the presence of sin, for the Lord Jesus died and rose again, and will Himself come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth will pass away. And we shall dwell with God in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. We shall be His people, and God Himself will be with us and be our God. He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.

7. The Inspiration and Inerrancy of Scripture

God’s Word is TRUTH. The Holy Scriptures (both the Old and New Testament) is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. We are saved from the penalty, power, and presence of sin by grace through faith that comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, which testifies of Jesus Christ. By His Word, God has revealed Himself, His plan, His purpose, and His ways—so that we would come to Him to receive eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

OUR MINISTRIES

Faith Covenant Christian Church operates under a FIVE FOLD Ministry concept

I EXALTATION

Deacons- Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Holy Sacraments And Sacred Days – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Media- Sis. Tiaeshia Kelso, Bro. Anthony Lindsey

Music- Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Program – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Public Relations – Bro. Reggie Lindsey, Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Pulpit – Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Reconciliation – Ministerial Council

Ushers – Sis. Teresa Farmer

II ENABLING

Benevolence – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Food Pantry – Bro. Karl Townes

Hospitality – Sis. Teresa Farmer

Intercessory Prayer – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

Missions – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

III EDUCATION

Bible Study – Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Youth Church –

Sunday School – Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Supplemental Education And Training – Bro. Reggie Lindsey

Vacation Bible School –

IV EDIFICATION

Church-Wide Edification – Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Men’s Ministry – Bro. Karl Towns

Women’s Ministry (WICS) – Sis. Teresa Farmer

Youth – Sis. Earlenia Lindsey

V EQUIPPING

Administration – Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Finance – Sis. Teresa Farmer, Sis. Tiaeshia Kelso, Sis. Sabrina T. Wilson

Transportation – Bro. Karl Towns

Trustees – Bro. Karl Towns

Kitchen Ministry / Special Events – Sis. Teresa Farmer

Comfort And Care Ministry - Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.