Over the weekend, Christ Community Church celebrated its longtime founding pastor, Keith Cowart. Keith and Pam Cowart began Christ Community Church inside of their home in Columbus twenty years ago, taking it from a five-person gathering, to a church with over one thousand members. Keith and Pam have exemplified what it means to be planters of the harvest, sowing seeds of God’s fruit in the hearts of the Chattahoochee Valley. In recent months, Keith has been elected to serve as the superintendent of the Southeastern Region of the Free Methodist Church, and Pastor Derrick Shields will be transitioning into the Lead Pastor position here at Christ Community at the end of the month.
 
On Sunday evening, we gathered for Family Fun Night to celebrate what God has done in and through Keith and Pam over the last two decades with food, games, fun and fellowship! Earlier in the day, CCC enjoyed a special Sunday morning worship service in the Cowarts’ honor, with Keith and Pam both sharing their gratitude and love for the congregation with a special joint message.
 
Check out these photos from Sunday and see if you were spotted at Family Fun Night, and remember to join us on Sunday, October 28th as Derrick Shields is officially installed as the lead pastor of Christ Community Church.

By Pam Cowart

In January of this year we heard God calling us to AWAKEN. We gathered to fast and pray in a desire to respond to this calling with obedience. We prayed we would all awaken. We heard the knock on our individual and corporate hearts asking us to “open the ancient gate and let the King of Glory enter in.”

And enter He did! The Spirit of the Living God was among us as we gathered for early-morning and noontime prayer, as well as in our nightly revival gatherings. Again, in late April/early May we gathered to pray and fast for the Call to AWAKEN revival week with Mark Nyswander. We heard the call to AWAKEN to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We experienced what the Holy Spirit in our lives can do to transform us, redeem us, restore us and empower us. There have been powerful testimonies of what God has done in the lives of individuals and in us corporately as we have woken up!

At both revivals we joined together in the war cry, “COME ON!” That cry has a three-fold meaning:

1. To God we cry, “COME ON!” in a passionate desire for heaven to invade earth ... for the Holy Spirit to invade our gathering ... for holiness to invade my heart!
2. To our own spirit we cry, “COME ON!” in a passionate desire for our spirit to rise up, enter the battle, AWAKEN, activate, come alive again!
3. To one another we cry, “COME ON!” in a passionate desire to spur one another on with encouragement that we are not in this battle alone. We are an army together taking ground from the enemy’s camp!

As we enter a third week of fasting and prayer leading up to a third week of Call to AWAKEN revival gatherings, this cry is still before us. It is still valid and needed as a war cry among us. Yet, I hear a stiller, smaller, quieter voice inviting us into something deeper yet. I hear the voice of Jesus cutting through the noise of this world. I hear His firm, confident, compassionate voice waking us with a call, “Come on.” I hear Jesus saying, “Come on ... wake up ... get up ... follow me.” I hear Jesus saying, “Come on ... follow me ... I am inviting you into something new.” I hear Jesus saying, “Come on ... I truly want you to know and experience an awakening to MY LOVE FOR YOU!”

This invitation into the depths of His love is not some sugary, sappy journey. The filling of our lives with the love of Jesus is the source of all we need. This deep filling is for healing and wholeness. This deep filling is for empowerment for battle. This deep filling is for pouring out to those in need around us. This deep filling is to grow us up together to be the mature and functioning body our Head needs us to be.

What a glorious invitation it is. Will you come? Will you say “yes” to his invitation”? Will you come on? Will you wake up?
 
Response

1. Have you participated in the first two weeks of A Call to AWAKEN? If so, take some time to remember what God has done to awaken you. Take some time to thank God for what he has done. Share your awakening testimony with someone today.
2. If you have not been able to participate in the first two weeks of Call to AWAKEN, please don’t hit the snooze button this time. Jesus is calling. His invitation is so good. Take a moment to respond to his invitation.
3. What do you hear in Jesus’s invitation to “Come on?” Do you sense anything specific for yourself? For the church? Beyond?