Covenant Presbyterian Church Augusta

3/30/2025 Stories of Being Prodigal

We are in for a treat this week as we welcome The Reverend Gail Henderson-Belsito as our guest preacher on Sunday morning. Gail will preach on another powerful story in Scripture - the parable of the Prodigal Son.The stories of Scripture - ancient though they may be - have relevance for us in our present day experiences and circumstances, and we are grateful that we get to share these stories together at Covenant.

3/23/2025 Stories of Abundance

Lent can be a tough time to worship together. There are ashes and talk of death, sin, and repentance. There's usually some sort of fast or self-denial. On the first two Sundays in Lent, we've talked about temptation, wilderness, and promises in the midst of doubt. The themes of Lent are weighty and often do not often feel joyful or upbeat.Today, Pastor Andy Cooke brings you a bit of a reprieve this Sunday. Our focus will be on God's abundance, especially as it is envisioned in Isaiah 55. If we look at Lent the right way, then we are really shifting focus and making room for the joy and abundance of God to have a place in our lives. Repentance and self-denial are not ends in and of themselves. Instead, they are means to make room for God in our lives. This Sunday, we will get a glimpse of what God might bring when we shift our priorities and our actions.

3/16/2025 Stories of Promise

In our Scripture passage this Sunday, we'll hear the story of God making an especially important promise to Abraham. It was a promise that would set the course for Abraham's future and the future of God's people, and God would make good on the promise - as God always does. As we continue in the season of Lent, listen to Pastor Katelyn Gordan Cooke as she urges us to consider the nature of God's promises throughout the story of our faith and the promises that God makes to us today.

3/9/2025 Stories of Temptation

During Lent, we will have a 9-part sermon series based on our theme for the year, The Stories We Tell. This Sunday, Pastor Andy Cooke preaches on Stories of Temptation, and we will look at the story of Jesus and his temptation in the wilderness in Luke 4.

3/2/2025 Clouds and Light

This Sunday, Pastor Andy Cook, shares the story of the Transfiguration, which is one of the last things that Jesus does in Galilee before he "set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). This story is mysterious and powerful. Jesus goes up a mountain to pray and his disciples are perplexed by all that they hear and see. Join us  as we explore this story of clouds and light together.

2/23/2025 Commanded to Love

Last Sunday, we heard the first several verses of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus proclaimed blessings to those who are usually considered less fortunate (the poor, the hungry, the persecuted) and woes to those who are usually considered successful and admirable (the rich, the full, the well-regarded). It is the opposite of what we expect and experience in our own lives.Jesus doesn't ease up in the rest of his sermon, as we hear from Pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke, "Love your enemies," Jesus commands his disciples. "Do good to those who hate you, bless those that curse you, pray for those who abuse you." Again, it is the opposite of what we expect and experience in the world around us, but perhaps that is why Jesus is so adamant about it.

2/16/2025 A Level Place

In today's sermon, Pastor Andy Cooke brings a powerful message for all of the church.  He preaches on the pivot in America away from Christ's teachings in the Sermon on the Plain, about Christian hospitality, compassion and inclusiveness.

2/9/2025. Called and Sent

This Sunday in worship, we'll ordain and install our new church officers, and you're invited to wear red (the color of the Holy Spirit) to mark the occasion with us.  And as pastor Katelyn Gordon Cooke tells us, there are many different ways of being called to serve God.  And today we celebrate that in addition to the calling of our new church officers, each of us has our own calling in doing and proclaiming the word of God.

2/1/2025 Youth Sunday

If you've ever been to a wedding, then you've probably heard this Sunday's Scripture passage. 1 Corinthians 13 is a favorite reading for weddings, and that's understandable given its focus on love. But, as the youth of the church have learned during their preparations for Youth Sunday, these verses aren't really about romantic love. They're about God's love and the kind of love God calls us to show each other.In this Sunday's worship service, Covenant's middle and high school youth will lead us and help us to explore what love really means for us as people of faith and why it's so important.

1/26/2025 Unrolling the Scroll

Our Scripture readings for this Sunday show us two different worshiping communities that are facing big moments in their lives together. In Nehemiah, the people are reestablishing temple worship following the Babylonian exile. In Luke, the people in Nazareth are coming to terms with the fact that Joseph's son is not going to be an average kid from Nazareth. Both stories show readings and interpretations of Scripture that elicit big emotional responses.As Pastor Andy Cooke tells us there is power in what we do every week in worship. Sometimes, it can overwhelm us. Join us this Sunday as we contemplate the ways that God moves through our sanctuary and the ways that we might be called to respond.