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: June 21, 2026

Preacher: Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Sermon: The Wisdom Of A Godly Father

Scripture: Esther 4: 7-8

7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

GOD AS FATHER

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord

shows compassion to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

It is a sad fact but it is true, when people today hear of God being referred to as ‘father’ it often creates more mental barriers than open hearts. Unfortunately for more and more in our culture, the term ‘Father’ causes individuals to think of someone who was absent, abusive, addicted, or all of the above.” Some people, usually young women, relate that thinking of God in terms of being a father to them, in spite of the fact that He is God, is difficult if not outwardly painful because of the distrust and anger they have towards a dad who wasn’t there, who didn’t care, who abused them, ignored them, and let them down. How sad that in a culture of brokenness the picture of a loving Father who is there for his children has become so maligned, so abused and out of focus. There is one powerful truth that we need to share: God is not a man, weakened by the failures, scarred by the passions of the flesh. Moses put it like this: “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). What does it mean when we address God as Father?

Calling God “Father” means there is a relationship with Him. He’s not your “uncle” nor is God “the Man Upstairs,” or a “weak-kneed, bearded Old Man. Jesus taught us to pray saying, “Our Father….” The relationship of a father to a child can come through natural generation or adoption. From the days of Roman law to the present, courts recognize both as having equal force, but adoption brings with it beautiful pictures. It means that you were chosen. You were wanted. Does that tell you something? Writing to the Ephesians, Paul said, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world…” (Ephesians 1:4). God had a plan which included you even before He spoke the Word and brought our world into existence.

Calling God “Father” brings an intimacy with Him, a connection whose links are chains of love and compassion. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that we are to look to our heavenly Father for “our daily bread”—the most basic of our needs. He knows what you need even before you ask. The New Testament promises that your Father will provide for your needs.

Calling God “Father” also means He will be there for you! He sent His Son as His personal representative to show you the way back home. Like the prodigal, though, we have wandered far away from home, and the loving Father sent the gentle shepherd to pick us up, give us robes of righteousness, and provide the means of finding a new relationship with God, the Father. Jesus said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Don’t base your relationship with the Father on your feelings - but on what the Word tells you about God.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY SCHOOL – June 28, 2026

____________________________

Amos, the Courageous Prophet Amos 1:1; 2:11–12; 3:7–8, 7:10–15

Lesson Aims After participating in this lesson,

each learner will be able to:

1. Summarize the message Amos brought to Israel.

2. Compare the call and ministry of Amos to other

prophets of Israel and Judah.

3. Propose a way to strengthen courage for

giving witness to God's justice.

Amos 1:1; 2:11–12; 3:7–8 Amos 1:1 1 The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa-the vision he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel. Amos 2:11-12 11 "I also raised up prophets from among your children and Nazirites from among your youths. Is this not true, people of Israel?" declares the LORD. 12 "But you made the Nazirites drink wine and commanded the prophets not to prophesy. Amos 3:7-8 7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. 8 The lion has roared who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken who can but prophesy?

A SHEPHERD CALLED TO SPEAK Amos is a name you might recognize, but his story and prophetic ministry are not well-known. He is among the first prophets to use a written text to record messages from God. During an age when things seemed to be going well—before the exiles of Israel or Judah—he exemplifies God’s desire to use people who are willing to speak the truth, including ideas that are difficult or unpopular. Amos comes from Tekoa, about ten miles outside of Jerusalem. Yet most of his prophecies will address the northern kingdom of Israel, which was engaged in idolatrous worship practices in the cities of Dan, Bethel, and Gilgal (thus Israel’s residents do not need to travel to the temple in Jerusalem). It is an age of divided kingdoms, divided loyalties, and divided people. So it is the perfect time for God to raise up a prophet to speak and to warn (Amos 2:11). The pertinent question is whether anyone will listen or whether will they reject his message as troublesome (v. 12). Amos is but a shepherd and raiser of livestock, not from a school or tradition of prophets (1:1; 7:14). He does not have a long resume of experience. But his vision is from God and “concerning Israel” around 750 BC (1:1). You might wonder, What makes this message controversial and unwanted? Why wouldn’t Israel be eager to receive a prophetic vision from God? But consider what it means to live in an age where the system appears to be working. Amos’s contemporaries would cheer at God’s expressed judgment against foreign nations, those guilty of war crimes (Amos 1:3–2:3). But when the script is flipped, when Judah and Israel become the objects of God’s judgment (2:4–16), Amos appears to be disloyal. After all, the sinful abuses of other nations are the real problem, right? Instead, through the ministry of Amos, God holds His own people accountable for social injustices and religious abuses: taking bribes, trampling the poor, rampant immorality, and worshiping at every altar (Amos 2:6–8). It sure looks like Israel is Amos’s main target! “The lion has roared” is a metaphor for God’s fearsome authority, thundering from Zion and the place where God had chosen for His name (1:2; 3:8). Through Amos, God is confronting what disasters shall come upon those who depart from the covenant and close relationship with God.

Amos 7:10-15 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent a message to Jeroboam king of Israel: "Amos is raising a conspiracy against you in the very heart of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words. 11 For this is what Amos is saying: ""Jeroboam will die by the sword, and Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land.'" 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, "Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. 13 Don't prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king's sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom." 14 Amos answered Amaziah, "I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore fig trees. 15 But the LORD took me from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' "

MESSAGE RECEIVED AND REJECTED Amos is confronting the complacency of God’s people who are normalizing injustice. God says to him, “the sanctuaries of Israel will be ruined; . . . I will rise against the house of Jeroboam” (Amos 7:9). This calls to account the religious leadership and line of kings. Amos comes under immediate personal attack. He is in the center of worship in Israel, at the shrine of Bethel, from where he proclaims God’s judgment. In return for the idolatry and immorality that God has seen, He will judge the house of Jeroboam harshly (Amos 7:17). The king will come to a foul end, the sanctuaries of Israel will be wiped away, and the people shall go into exile, losing possession of the promised land (7:11). Unsurprisingly, the authorities have a thing to say about this talk. Israel still has a king on the throne, one who does not intend to go quietly. And the priesthood of Bethel doesn’t appreciate Amos’s verbal accusations either. One priest, Amaziah, gives a deflective evaluation: “the land cannot bear all [Amos’s] words” (7:10). He accuses the prophet of supporting a conspiracy against the king. Amos’s words of warning are targeted to anyone who might want to escape what is coming. But Amaziah tells him to leave Israel: “Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there” (v. 12). He implies that Amos is putting on a show in exchange for food, that he could take his message and leave. It reveals more about the corrupt mindset of the speaker who thinks only in terms of self-interest. Amos responds calmly, but directly. He is no professional prophet as if he were born into a family of performers. He was a shepherd and a tender of “sycamore-fig trees” (v. 14). He claims a modest profession, a far easier way to support himself. But it was God who called him away from his former life in Judah to be a witness to Israel (v. 15). What Amaziah opposes is the message of God, at his peril.

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. On May 03, 2026, we celebrated our 12th 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.