It’s Family Week at Cove Nazarene! What does that mean? It means that Pastor Ann will be teaching to the kiddos this week as they remain in church with us older folks. For some of us (like me) this is a great deal because the message is simple, straighforward and easy to grasp. So what is she going to talk about?
We all remember playing hide and seek when we were (maybe) younger. Seeking was the more difficult part for some of us because the others we played with were great at hiding. Which part did you excell at? Which part did you enjoy more? If I had to guess…………….. most of us preferred hiding.
As we come to realize that there is something missing in our lives, an emptiness within us that we just can’t seem to fill, we begin to be seekers. Some seek fortune and some seek fame, others seek possessions or status. Not one of these things will fill that hole inside us though.
Jesus told us to “seek the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind.” Why would He say that? Because we are designed to be connected to our God and nothing short of a relationship with Him will ever satisfy us.
Join us Sunday morning at 10:55 in the sanctuary or here on Facebook as Pastor Ann teaches this amazing concept! See y’all Sunday!
Is there a difference between heaven and the Kingdom of God? YES! Pastor Ann has been speaking to us about the Kingdom of God recently and will continue that exploration this week as she moves us into understanding this difference.
Jesus left the Kingdom of Heaven to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. In doing this, He provided a way for us, as sinners, a way to become Kingdom citizens. He sought out ordinary men and women, not religious leaders. He brought them into relationship with Himself to teach and model the Kingdom of God on earth. If we are willing to follow His teaching and example we too can become citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Pastor Ann will bring us details of this exciting news on Sunday morning at 10:55 am. Come grow with us!
Ambassador is a word that we usually associate with politics and foreign countries. It isn’t a word we tend to apply to ourselves. But, ambassadors are exactly what we are. We represent our beliefs throughout everything we do. Think for a moment about how you’ve represented those beliefs this week. Are your actions saying something your mouth isn’t?
We, as Christ followers, are called to be His ambassadors on earth. That means His representatives all day, every day. We want everyone who comes in contact with us to see Him working through our lives.
Come Sunday morning at 10:55 a.m. and listen to Pastor Ann share this concept with us.
David Farris, a church pastor in Alabama, was competing at a Cowboy Mounted Shooters Association event when he was asked to lead a church service.
The CMSA brings together individuals and clubs in a competition of speed and accuracy as they navigate through a course of 10 balloon targets, firing at each target with a pair of handguns loaded with blanks.
“These people are from all over the country,” Farris said. “Most of the competitors are gone almost every weekend to a different club or state, so they don’t have a home church but still want to be a part of God’s family.”
As time went on, Farris was invited to more competitions, and in turn, was asked to preach at more events.
“After a few years, we were being invited to more of these events, and it was taking us away from the church,” Farris said. “The congregation was very supportive, and they became a part of this ministry. We knew that God was placing us here for a reason, so we resigned from the church so they could have someone that was devoted to them totally.”
That is when Farris and his wife, Jill, transitioned from pastoring in a traditional setting to pastoring a mobile group of competing cowboys.
“From that point, the ministry began,” Farris said. “I compete on a regular basis and my wife is starting to again also. The people we get to meet and share time with are from all over the country. We don’t have a regular meeting time or building, and some people I see only a few times a year. Most of the time, our cowboy church service is in the arena — sometimes in the barn area or a side room. I have preached from the back of a truck, on a trailer, on the dirt, but mostly from the back of a horse.”
Traveling as frequently as CMSA competitors do can be lonely. Farris not only helps provide spiritual support for the competitors, but he aims to offer a church family for them too.
“Our ministry has been to make everyone feel welcome and share God’s grace and mercy with them,” Farris said. “To those that hunger for a church family while on the road, we have strived to make that happen. To those that don’t know the Lord, we have spent the past few years trying to just become friends with them and share the love and kindness of our Lord.”
Farris wants everyone to allow God to use their passions to reach the lost the way God used his.
“I encourage those in the body of Christ to take their hobbies and interests and use them to share the wonderful grace of Our Lord,” Farris said. “God has taken what was a hobby and turned it into a ministry and has given us a unique church. We have been blessed with an amazing ministry that God has allowed us to be a part of.”
