4 years ago
The church certainly has it's challenges just like...
The church certainly has it's challenges just like any other human run organization, but I give it 5 stars because of 3 things. 1: The pastors. Mark Prater in particular, genuinely cares about God, and in turn loves people. He asked me to come out to his house after a severe storm (I run a roofing company), and asked me how I was doing. Well, you know how 99% of the time when someone asks you this they don't really care about your answer? Well, he cared... I went on to tell him how my family was sick and with 2 kids under the age of 4 that brought it's challenges but we were working through it. 2 weeks later to my surprise, I receive a card in the mail, from Mark, saying he's praying for me leading my family, and that my family is recovering. This was 5 years ago, and every interaction with him has been consistent. 2. The teaching. I tend to be analytical in general, I also attended a Bible University (Cairn). Just imagine how difficult people like me make the job for a pastor who already has the high task of sharing the gospel in front of a 1000 people. Well, 3 things I look for in sermons; a. Even handling of the Word of God. They make a concerted effort to cover the scripture, not just the "feel good" or "easy to preach" stuff. b. Christ as Center. If my memory serves me, I cannot remember a sermon where Christ and His Glory was not central. c. Subjective impact. I admit it's title, again here's the skeptic talking; if there is a God, and if this is His word, and if this is His body (the church), I would expect a personal impact of some sort as I attend, listen, and get involved. More often than I have experienced in any church before, I have seen God's blessing through friendship and the body in general, and God's direction for me personally, and my family, through his word. As an aside, my wife and I now have 4 kids, and we have open conversations about where we sense God is leading our family in terms of where to attend church. During this season we are confident in attending Covenant Fellowship, but are open to the idea of Him leading us elsewhere. All of this to say, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS CHURCH.... I am thankful for the Pastors, the teaching, and admittedly subjective, above both of these; God, for caring enough to meet us here