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: May 17, 2026

Preacher: Pastor Nokomis Yeldell, Jr.

Sermon: Maturing In God

Scripture: Genesis 45: 1-5

1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

PRACTICE JUSTICE

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. [Micah 6:8 (NIV)]

1 Kings 21, we learn of Naboth, the owner of a vineyard adjacent to King Ahab’s palace in Jezreel. A choice piece of real estate, Ahab wanted it for himself and offered to purchase or exchange it for other land. Property, however, wasn’t to be treated as a real estate investment—it was to remain in the family to which it had been allotted. Because Jewish law prohibited Naboth from selling his ancestral land, he rejected the king’s offer. Angry at his neighbor’s refusal’s, Ahab acted like a spoiled child, took to his bed, and refused to eat. Upon learning the reason for her husband’s sulking, Jezebel hatched a devious plan. She arranged for false accusations to be made against Naboth that would result in his immediate death. Jezebel’s evil plot went as planned and, upon news of their neighbor’s death, she told Ahab the land was his and he took it for himself !

Consider David—the king who took his neighbor’s wife, impregnated her, and then murdered her husband. When the Lord sent Nathan to confront David about his sins, he told the adulterous king a story about a rich man with several flocks and herds and a poor man who had but one ewe that had become a member of his family. When a guest visited the rich man, rather than slaughtering one of his lambs for the night’s feast, he took the poor man’s only ewe and served it for dinner. Outraged at the injustice dealt the poor man, David said the rich man deserved to die and must repay the poor man four times the lamb’s original cost. Until Nathan pointed out that David was that very man, the king (who had power, palace, and plenty of wives) hadn’t considered the injustice of his actions.

Often defined as a violation of someone’s rights or unfairness to another, injustice is an act that inflicts undeserved hurt. Injustice is any act that violates God’s moral law. Because it corrupts His world, God hates injustice; nevertheless, it seems common in today’s world. As Christ followers, how do we respond to the injustice around us? We err by limiting justice to a set of rules or to causing harm to someone as did Jezebel, Ahab, and David. Injustice can be found in what we fail to do, as well. There is injustice in any lack of charity—in not loving our neighbors as ourselves. Every time we fail to extend a helping hand when it is in our power to do so, we are as guilty of injustice as were the priest and Levite who ignored the injured man in the parable of the Good Samaritan or the rich man who ignored the cries of the beggar Lazarus at his gate in another parable. Let us always remember that, regardless of where they live, every man and woman is our neighbor! While we easily see the injustice of the evil Jezebel and Ahab and people like Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Mao Zedong, and Idi Amin; are we like David when we fail to have 20/20 vision when it comes to our own behavior? Let’s not forget that whenever we minister to those less fortunate, we are ministering to the Lord Himself!

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.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY SCHOOL – May 24, 2026

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Christian Rhythms of Life ~ Mark 2:18-28

Lesson Aims After participating in this lesson,

each learner will be able to:

1. Summarize the significance of the Sabbath for a first-century audience.

2. Explain the diversity of Christian practices for

fasting and Sabbath-keeping in light of the

ministry of Jesus.

3. Make a plan to balance fasting and feasting, working and resting.

18 Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?" 19 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. 21 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."

A Time for Feasting and Fasting Why no fasting? the people are asking Jesus. They observe that John the Baptist’s disciples and Pharisees are in the habit, but Jesus’ disciples are not (Mark 2:18). It strikes them as remarkable, maybe even a sign that Jesus is not as devout as He seems. Fasting was a significant practice in Judaism. The Old Testament prescribes fasting on the Day of Atonement. Even though weekly fasting was not required by the law, regular fasts were common. They showed a commitment to prayer, repentance, or even lament for national crises: war, famine, and plagues (see 2 Sam 12:16; Ps 35:13; Zech 7:3–4; 8:19). Fasting was an integral part of Jewish life, so much so that it raised doubts if Jesus’ disciples were not participating. Didn’t Jesus care about the nation? Of course He did! Was Jesus setting aside time for prayer? More than most! Does Jesus keep the ancestral traditions? In most cases, He does! Jesus responds with a wedding analogy: “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them?” (v. 19). Subtly, Jesus is communicating that today is a special time, a joyous celebration. As long as the bridegroom is at the wedding, no one should be fasting. Jesus does not dismiss the legitimacy of fasting. He assures them that the bridegroom will eventually be taken away. When that day comes, His disciples will fast (v. 20). In the analogy, Jesus is the bridegroom. He is talking about His coming arrest and death. But for now, He’s right here. When Jesus is with you, it is time to celebrate. There will be time for grief and mourning later. To emphasize that He is not just any important teacher, Jesus tells two mini-parables. First, new cloth cannot be sewn onto an old garment. New cloth shrinks, and the clothes would tear (v. 21). Second, one tries to reuse old wineskins to store new wine. As the wine ages, the old wineskins would not stretch but burst (v. 22). These tiny analogies are not as familiar to us as the original hearers, but the point is not hard to understand: something new is at hand. If people around Jesus are expecting Him to confirm everything they already think to be true, they will struggle. Jesus is the bridegroom, the most honored guest. Everything that came before was leading up to this moment. When He teaches, the people recognize that His words are full of authority (Mark 1:27). Mark doesn’t want to spoil the surprise, but if you are paying attention, you’ll know that Jesus is reconfiguring His contemporaries’ imaginations.

23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

People Come First Mark 2:23 introduces another controversial event in Jesus’ ministry. On the Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples are walking through some grainfields, and the disciples pick heads of grain to eat. The Pharisees see this and, once again, confront Jesus. The Pharisees accuse the disciples of doing something unlawful on the Sabbath (v. 24). But what starts out as a question of Sabbath rules turns into a deeper conversation about Jesus and His authority. The Pharisees’ accusation against the disciples is rooted in their interpretation of the Mosaic law. They argue that by picking grain, the disciples violate Exodus 20:8–11, which prohibits work on the Sabbath. Even though Exodus 20 does not define “work,” rabbinic tradition identified thirty-nine categories of work, all prohibited on the Sabbath. Among the prohibitions is reaping. Isn’t that what the disciples are doing by picking grain? Jesus responds with a compelling scriptural argument (2:25–26). He references a story from 1 Samuel 21:1–6, when David broke normal regulations. He and his men were starving and facing deadly peril. David asked the priest for bread; and he accepted consecrated bread, the kind placed before God’s holy presence. Only priests were permitted to eat it. David’s actions are more serious than picking heads of grain, yet he is not condemned for them. In his case, hunger took precedence over the law. Sabbath was not intended as a rigid system of onerous observances, and Jesus knows better. In Mark 2:27, Jesus makes a stunningly simple observation: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Pharisees are focused on displaying religious devotion. They placed a heavy burden on the people (see Matt. 23:4). But Jesus reorients the conversation, pointing them to the story of creation. Which came first, humans or Sabbath? As Jesus reasons, people are not created to observe Sabbath. The Sabbath is intended for them. It is not designed as a burden, one that leaves hungry people unable to eat. Even the word Sabbath means simply “rest” or “cease.” Sabbath belongs to God, when all people turn their attention to the one who rescued them (see Ex. 31:13). Jesus concludes His argument by saying, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). Here, “Son of Man” is Jesus’ title for Himself. Jesus is saying that He is the one who has authority over Sabbath. He has the rightful authority to interpret and to make judgments about Sabbath. The day that belongs to God is something Jesus claims is under His authority.

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.