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

Finding Faith in Life's Challenges

Hannah is the woman in 1 Samuel who prayed with a heart so raw and faithful that God answered in a life-changing way. She models faith under pain, persistent and honest prayer, a vow kept with integrity, and a posture of worship when God answers.

Hannah’s story asks you to bring your whole heart to God — your sorrow, your promises, your gratitude, and your praise. In a world that often demands quick fixes and public perfection, Hannah shows you how to bring private pain before a faithful God and then honor Him openly when He answers. Hannah’s situation was painfully real: she was childless in a culture where motherhood defined social standing and personal identity. Yet, rather than blame God or abandon hope, she poured out her heart before the Lord. Her faith was not passive; it was a waiting faith that still trusted God’s authority over her life.

When you feel stuck in a long season — infertility, joblessness, grief, or an unanswered prayer — practicing faith in God’s sovereignty helps you reframe waiting as an active spiritual discipline rather than wasted time. Start by reminding yourself of God’s character: He is wise, good, and working even when you can’t see the outcome. Write down truths about God that you can return to when emotions surge. When your patience wears thin, speak aloud simple declarations like, “God is good,” or “He sees me,” anchoring your hope in who God is rather than the timing of the answer. Faith doesn’t require you to understand every detail; it requires you to believe the One who does. Hannah’s faith looked like honest wrestling and steady hope — a model you can adopt.

Hannah becomes a portrait of raw, unguarded prayer. She wept and prayed with such intensity that Eli the priest initially misunderstood her as drunk. But her persistence and honesty in prayer mattered deeply to God.

Your prayer life thrives on honesty and persistence. Don’t be afraid to bring your most painful, messy emotions to God. He is not surprised by your anger or sorrow. In fact, Scripture invites you to be honest with God: He knows your heart already, and He wants your relationship to be real. Persistent prayer doesn’t mean repeating words like a mantra; it means returning to God again and again, with the same desperate trust Hannah showed. When your faith is tested by delay or pain, your persistence in prayer becomes the soil where trust grows. Hannah’s example shows you that God listens to the prayers born out of anguish and hope alike.

Hannah didn’t merely pray for a child; she made a vow. She promised to dedicate her son to the Lord’s service if God gave her a child. When Samuel was born, she fulfilled that vow, handing him over to Eli and committing him to God’s temple life. Her obedience was costly and visible.

You may not be called to give a child to temple service today, but Hannah’s commitment invites you to practice integrity with the promises you make to God. If you vow to change a habit, give financial offerings, or serve a ministry, take steps to follow through. Integrity matters because it reflects your trustworthiness before God and others. Your promises are not bargaining chips with God; they’re signs of a heart willing to be shaped by covenant love. Hannah’s obedience teaches you to let your “yes” be yes, and your “no,” no (Matthew 5:37), honoring God publicly when He answers.

When God answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her Samuel, her response was theology—an outpouring of praise and a prophetic song that acknowledged God’s justice, reversal of fortunes, and kingship. Hannah immediately glorified God and recognized that the blessing was from Him alone.

When God answers you, pause to worship. It’s tempting to rush into the next thing, but expressing gratitude deepens your spiritual memory and points others to God. Your worship can be simple: a prayer of thanks, an offering, a testimony shared with your community. When you celebrate, you reinforce the truth that God is the giver of every good thing.

Hannah’s dedication of Samuel had far-reaching effects. Samuel became a prophet and judge who shaped Israel’s destiny and anointed kings like Saul and David. Your faith choices matter beyond your immediate circumstances; they create spiritual legacies.

Think about the spiritual legacy you are forming. Whether you have children, mentor younger believers, or influence your workplace, your trust in God and your obedience form a pattern others will notice and follow. Don’t underestimate small acts of faith; they can shape future seasons for God’s people. Hannah demonstrates that when you dedicate what you love to God, you participate in God’s larger story. Your trust today can shape God’s work through those who come after you.

SUNDAY SCHOOL NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY SCHOOL – June 21, 2026

____________________________

Jonathan and David, Resolute Friends

1 Samuel 18:1-4; 1 Samuel 20:16-17, 32-34, 42;

2 Samuel 1:26-27; 2 Samuel 21:7

Lesson Aims: After participating in this lesson,

each learner will be able to:

1. Identify the ways David and Jonathan show loyalty

to one another.

2. Explain the significance of the covenant between

David and Jonathan.

3. Plan a way to show love and loyalty to a friend or

community member in the week ahead.

1 Samuel 18:1-4 1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

1 Samuel 20:16-17, 32-34 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD call David's enemies to account." 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself. 32 "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.

Unexpected Allies Fresh from David’s victory over Goliath, David is welcomed by Saul and Jonathan. David has been anointed as a future king, and God has been faithful in orchestrating the details for his future. While God has already made known to Saul that the throne would be removed from his family, the text at this point does not indicate that Saul realizes it is David who has been anointed as the future king (see 1 Sam. 15:28). Thus David gains favor in Saul’s eyes, and his friendship with Jonathan increases. Jonathan even makes a covenant of loyalty and friendship with David, accepting David as his equal and loving him “as himself” (v. 3). The text does not describe David and Jonathan’s initial agreement. But in a remarkable sign of acceptance and submission, Jonathan gifts David tokens of his own office (v. 4). Jonathan’s princely clothing and soldier’s armor are fitting gifts to Israel’s future king. Whenever David goes to battle, he comes back victorious. Thus Saul makes David an officer in the army, and David continues to excel and increase in popularity (see vv. 5–9). When Saul realizes that David’s abilities are recognized beyond his own, Saul becomes angry. He repeatedly tries to kill this rival, without success (18:10–11, 25; 19:9–10). Even though Jonathan doubts his father will follow through, he agrees to protect David. Thus they expand their covenant agreement. Just as Jonathan promises to protect David’s “house” (20:16)—which includes family and descendants—Jonathan requests David’s future protection (vv. 14–15). The two plan a test for Saul, to see whether he truly intends to kill David. As planned, Jonathan makes excuses for David’s absence at a feast. This provokes the king’s fury, as David has escaped a trap (20:24–31). Jonathan advocates for David, only for Saul to hurl a spear at his own, supposedly disloyal, son (vv. 32–33). With no more lingering doubts, Jonathan is “grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David” (v. 34).

1 Samuel 20:42 42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever." Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

2 Samuel 1:26-27 26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. 27 "How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!"

2 Samuel 21:7 7 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

A Covenant Remembered After confronting his father, Jonathan confirms David’s suspicions: Saul is still seeking David’s death. He needs to leave immediately. Realizing this, the pair “wept together—but David wept the most” (1 Sam. 20:41). They renew their covenant of mutual friendship. And this time, they invoke God as a permanent witness to their alliance, promising a never-ending alliance among their houses. David flees, but Jonathan cannot go with him. He returns to serve his father, the king. Ever loyal to his father, Jonathan dies beside him in battle while they fight the Philistines. It is a tragic end to the life of a man who did not follow in his father’s crimes. In the same battle, Saul dies by his own hand, falling upon his sword rather than being captured (1 Sam. 31:1–4). In the face of this news, it is David’s turn to show graciousness in his reaction to the deaths of rival leaders. He composes a song of lament—weaving together words of tribute to Saul and Jonathan. For the man who tried to kill him, David writes, “the shield of the mighty was despised, the shield of Saul” (2 Sam. 1:21). It demonstrates respect for Saul’s kingly office; David does not speak ill of the dead. David has even more to say over the death of Jonathan: “How the mighty have fallen,” he repeats (2 Sam. 1:25, 27). He calls Jonathan “my brother” as he grieves the loss of the closest of friends (v. 26). David’s psalm refers to Saul and Jonathan as “weapons of war” now destroyed (v. 27)—a personification of their heroic roles as defenders of the nation. Although 1–2 Samuel is sometimes critical of David’s conduct, he is never portrayed as seeking to rule until God’s timing is fulfilled. And even after Jonathan’s death, David continues to honor their covenant. When he negotiates with the Gibeonites—whom Saul tried to annihilate—David spares the life of Jonathan’s disabled son, Mephibosheth. Any descendant of Saul could be held responsible for his grandfather’s crimes. But David spares him on account of his oath, honoring his friend one more time (2 Sam. 21:7).

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.