Grace, mercy, and peace to you!

We thank God for 12 years of becoming church! This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous before our eyes! 12 years ago, we endeavored to follow Jesus to an empty building that the Lord has added to daily for 12 years. How did this happen? Rev. Paul Sadler gave us three powerful points to remember in following the Lord, Surrender, Courage, and Trust. These points must be integral to the ministry and mission of Covenant UCC if we are to make a difference in our church and community. The war, a falling economy, mortgage collapse, contemporary racism, and inept government are all creations of humanity's ongoing obsession with greed. These situations are the growling lions of society. Yet, people of faith know that God is able! Today's Sunday School lesson from Daniel 6 is a powerful reminder of Surrender, Courage, and Trust in the Lord in trying times. If our children and children's children are to have an inheritance, it is our charge to leave one here and now–a lasting legacy of Surrender, Courage, and Trust in the Lord! I pray that we will remember Jesus' words in John 14:12, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father." May the promise and presence of Jesus Christ sustain you in all things as I remain,

Yours in Christ, Rev. Ozzie E. Smith, Jr.