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

Empty Success

When Jesus met Zacchaeus as he entered Jericho, Zacchaeus was seeking Him. Perhaps at this point in his life Zacchaeus was just not satisfied. He had lots of money, success, and did quite well for himself. Many people ignore Jesus because they feel they don't need Him. "I have my health, wealth, and family – what do I need God for?" But soon enough we all discover that as precious as these things are, they don't fill up that hole deep inside us. Without Jesus in our lives, we are lacking something deeper, something more real.

Zacchaeus wanted Jesus so badly that he ran –the sight of a man running in Israel was a crazy sight ! Men didn't run. Men were served. But Zacchaeus ran, and more than that, he climbed a tree ! Luke 19:2-4 says "Zacchaeus… wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way."

How many of us come to church, or read our Bibles, listen to messages or read devotions like these, and we actually aren't even really seeking Jesus ? We do it out of habit. And so we miss Him. Maybe Jesus has something to say to you if you seek Him like Zacchaeus did.

When was the last time you went out of your way to connect with God? When was the last were you so desperate for Him that you did something embarrassing, like a middle eastern man running through the street; or something uncomfortable like climbing up a tree ? We are so accustomed to comfort these days - so accustomed to just doing the bare minimum in our faith so that we can stay comfortable.

We need the type of desperation for Jesus that causes us to run through the streets and climb trees and get up early and stay up late and drive for hours – to do whatever it takes to get close to Jesus !

The word of God in Jeremiah 29:13 says: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

May today be a day where we seek Him with all of our hearts, doing whatever it takes to get close to the Savior who can change us – just like Zacchaeus did !

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY SCHOOL – July 19, 2026

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Mary, Loyal Mother~ Luke 2:15–19; John 2:1–5; 19:25–27

Lesson Aims: After participating in this lesson,

each learner will be able to:

1. Recount how Mary expressed her trust in Jesus.

2. Explain Mary and Jesus’ loyalty to one another.

3. Write a prayer of trust to Jesus, expressing faith amid

uncertainty in present life circumstances.

Luke 2:15–19 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

A King for the Lowly Today’s readings follow one important character in the Gospels and the life of Jesus: His mother, Mary. Like all mothers, Mary had the opportunity to know her child longer than any other person. Mary’s enduring faith and the variety of her experiences have something to teach anyone who wants to know Jesus. Scene One (Luke 2)—The first Gospel reading comes from Luke, who tells us more about Jesus’ birth than any other evangelist. Luke tells how God used poor shepherds as the Messiah’s welcome party. But, of course, the birth of a special son did not surprise Mary, who had first been visited by the angel Gabriel. The angel had said, “The Lord God will give [Jesus] the throne of his father David, . . . his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32–33). Later, perhaps Mary and Joseph were taken aback to face unexpected responsibilities in the weeks before the heavenly king’s arrival. The current king in those days, Caesar Augustus, required the engaged couple to journey to Bethlehem—unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy of Micah 5:2. Once in Bethlehem, the couple would seek a place to stay with Joseph’s extended family. But because they were displaced and unable to find a private room, Mary faced the uncomfortable reality of giving birth out in the open, beside an animal feeding trough (Luke 2:7). Thus the eternal king was born in the most humble of circumstances. Shortly after this event is when the reading starts, just after a myriad of angels has appeared to nearby shepherds, urging them to seek a baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). Shepherds of the first-century were typically uneducated, lower-class working men who spent a lifetime outdoors. Their arrival brings another unexpected twist for Jesus’ young mother. But once they find the newborn king exactly as the angel announced, they go forth announcing His birth. The text says, “All who heard it were amazed” (Luke 2:18). Yet Mary’s response is slightly different. She “treasured” and “pondered” this memory as a mother would (Luke 2:19). The situation may have been inconvenient and surprising, but Mary began her role as Jesus’ mother by accepting that she is God’s servant (Luke 1:38). Whatever twists and turns may come after, whoever shows up to praise her son, Mary knows that God’s plan of salvation is being accomplished through Him. And at Jesus’ arrival, words spoken by the angel become true in a new way: “The Lord is with [her]” (Luke 1:28).

John 2:1–5; 19:25–27 1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

. . .

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

A Mother Knows Her Son Scene Two (John 2)—The occasion is a Galilean wedding celebration, perhaps extended family of Jesus’ mother, which would be why they are both in attendance. In Scripture, wine is a frequent sign of God’s blessing and abundance (see Deut. 7:13; 11:14; 33:28). At weddings, which could last as long as seven days, running short of wine would be a disaster for the hosting family. When Mary makes a simple observation to Jesus, “They have no more wine” (John 2:3), she may already have some inkling of her son’s power and authority. But in response, Jesus distances Himself from obligations to His mother—calling her simply “woman”—and to anything that distracts attention from the coming “hour”—which is when Jesus’ full identity and role is revealed (John 2:4). Yet Mary isn’t perturbed. She knows her son’s heart and has the faith to say to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you to do” (John 2:5). The resulting miracle demonstrates the abundant life made possible through Jesus. God is turning water into wine through the ongoing blessings of creation, and Jesus can turn water into fine wine in an instant (John 2:7–10). It becomes a sign of His glory and of the restoration of God’s people through their connection to “the true vine” (John 2:11; 15:1). Scene 3 (John 19)—Mary’s love for her son has not wavered, even when the religious authorities mobilized to oppose Him. If the death of a child is the hardest thing a parent can endure, the unjust execution of Jesus means unimaginable pain for Mary. Once Jesus is sentenced to death and is in the hands of the Roman executioners, most of His disciples are nowhere to be found. But Mary, together with a few other women and Jesus’ beloved disciple, is committed to staying near to Jesus, even while He hangs on the cross (John 19:25). While Jesus is enduring the horrific torture, He has enough breath in His lungs to speak. And what Jesus asks is that His disciple would look after His mother—presumably widowed by this point (John 19:27). By welcoming Mary into his home, the disciple is accepting a role of caring for Mary as if she were his own family

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.