Yates Baptist Church

The Holy Spirit moves in, reshaping our lives and tuning our hearts, making us a home for divine love to dwell, grow, and send.

Because he lives, you are being made new—through honesty, vulnerability, and the Spirit's call to show up unmasked and truly alive.

Because Jesus lives, you are truly known. What in your life must quiet down so you can hear the voice that's been calling your name all along?

Grace rewrites your story and reclaims your calling—what would change if you lived like someone already forgiven and trusted again?

The risen Jesus breathes peace into fear. What would change if you trusted his presence more than your fears this week?

Because resurrection begins, not ends, with Mary's witness—how will you live this week if the risen Jesus is already changing everything?

Meet Jesus Christ tonight—in basin, garden, and bread—letting his body shape your posture, name your weakness, and call you to the table.

Palm Sunday invites us to trust and walk with Jesus—speaking, surrendering, and loving—before we see the ending or understand the full story.

“There's a Red Sea road”—what must you lay down to walk with God into the new life already unfolding, carrying only the cross you're called to bear?

One son tried to earn it, the other feared he'd lost it—what keeps us from trusting that the father's reckless love is truly meant for us too?

God's table is set and your place is ready. What's stopping you from receiving grace—and sharing it with someone who needs the invitation?

Belief moves. It responds. It steps forward. Trusting God is not about having every answer, but about following the one who has proven faithful. Where is God calling you to take a step of faith, even when certainty feels out of reach?

Trust is not grasping for control but opening our hands to receive what only God can give. What self-preserving instinct is God calling you to release so you can receive what truly sustains?

Lent is not about the subtraction of what we give up but the addition of what we receive as we are shaped into the image of Christ through self-denial, prayer, and service. How will your Lent journey this year deepen your love for God and transform your heart in ways that last beyond Easter?

Faith isn't about staying on the mountain but following Jesus into the world. Where is God calling you to carry the light you've seen?

Resurrection isn't just about what happens after we die. It's what God is doing now—taking what looks like an ending and turning it into the beginning of something new. Where in your life do you need to stop seeing an ending and start looking for resurrection?

God has already made us salt and light, but the challenge is whether we are actively living out that identity, carrying renewal into the world. How can we embrace God's wisdom and live faithfully as salt and light, rather than hiding it or letting it be diluted by the wisdom of the world?

God is already moving—can you perceive it? Isaiah 43 declares that the Lord is doing a new thing, yet we often miss it by clinging to the past or our own expectations. What if discernment means not waiting, but opening our hands to the new connections God is forming? In a world of grasping, today's breath prayer at the sermon's conclusion invites release. Led by Yates deacon Jane Williams, it calls us to stillness, making space to receive what God is already doing in our midst.

Ezra 3 is a lens to read how God's people experience change differently—some mourning what was, others celebrating what is to come. As we navigate our own transitions, can we make space for one another's experiences while also making room for God's unfolding future?

The Spirit moves in unexpected ways, calling the church to witness in forms shaped by the present moment rather than nostalgia for the past or a passive wait for the future. How might God's Spirit be prompting you to recognize and nurture something new in your life and community?

Christian hope doesn't erase life's pain but comes alongside us, grounding us in God's redemptive work through the groaning of creation, Christians and the Spirit. How might you allow God's Spirit to meet you in your struggles and help you see the broader space of God's goodness?

BeeBee Thomas and Laura Rampersad share how God's faithfulness has shaped their lives and called them to serve as deacons at Yates Baptist Church, a position to which they were ordained on January 12. How might their stories inspire you to listen intently for God's voice calling you?

This sermon reflects on the high calling of deacon ministry, looking to Jesus' baptism to inspire bold, grace-filled service. How is God inviting you to reflect Christ's love and humility in your own walk of faith?

Celebrate the life-changing promises of God—restoration, strength, blessing, light and grace—that lift us up and call us forward together as a community of faith in 2025. How will you and we, as the church, embrace these promises to share God's love and transform the world around us?

The hard story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day reveals how God's salvation transforms despair into hope and grief into gratitude. How do we hear God's peace and promise resounding in our darkest moments and how can we share it as good news in our community?

As we prepare to share the Lord's Supper on Christmas Eve, we remember how God's overflowing grace meets us in our humanity, transforming our failures into new possibilities and inviting us into a life of forgiveness, connection, and hope. How might embracing God's overflowing grace transform the way you see yourself, your relationships, and the possibilities for new life in your world?

In our Christmas Eve worship service, the Yates Ministry Team meditates on the three carols that begin the service: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, Away in a Manger and The First Noel. We celebrate the astonishing paradox of Christ's birth, where light pierces darkness, peace confronts turmoil and God's transformative love comes near to us in the humblest of ways. How does the wonder of Christ's humble birth invite you to embrace trust, share light, and reflect God's love in your life today?

Advent invites us to embody God's transformative love—seen in Mary and Elizabeth's joy, the Magnificat's bold hope, and Christ's ultimate offering—by living lives of blessing, service, and reconciliation. How is God's love calling you to recognize, celebrate, and share its transforming presence this Advent?

Advent joy bursts forth in the transformative presence of God, calling us to respond with repentance, praise, and lives shaped by love for creation and neighbor. How can you prepare your heart and life this Advent to reflect the joy of God's presence and carry it into the world?

Advent reminds us that God's peace—promised in scripture, revealed in Christ, and transforming our hearts—calls us to prepare space for its light and carry it into a waiting world. How is God's peace inviting you to prepare your heart and reflect Christ's light during this Advent season?

In a series of three meditations connecting Scripture to our carols in Advent, we remember that hope looks beyond brokenness, trusting God's promises to redeem and transform our world and lives. Where in your life do you most need to trust that redemption is already near?

Transform Thanksgiving into "thanks-living," by embracing a lifestyle of continuous gratitude! How can you deepen your appreciation for the gifts you often take for granted this week?

Hebrews 10 teaches that Jesus, as our perfect high priest, opens the way for us to connect directly with God, calling us to encourage each other in love, make "good trouble," and let the Spirit lead us in transforming our community. How might the Spirit to provoke you toward actions of love and justice that push beyond personal comfort this week?

We build God's house through common trust by practicing genuine generosity, sacrificial service and a shared commitment to creating a welcoming, dignifying space for all people. How can we better align our gifts and service with the vision of a house built by God, where every contribution is valued and no one's sacrifice is taken for granted?

On All Saints Sunday, Jesus' act of weeping with mourners and raising Lazarus is a powerful picture of our own journey of dying and rising with him, reflecting the essence of what it means to live as saints—embracing both suffering and renewal. How does the image of dying and rising with Jesus shape your understanding of living as one of God's saints?

Christian self-control is not about human willpower but aligning our desires with God's through the Spirit, leading us to live purposefully and reflect Christ's character. How can we practice a Spirit-led self-control that not only restrains but transforms our will to align with God's purpose?

God's self-control reveals God's deepest attributes—love and compassion—inviting us to embrace self-control as a space for growth and connection rather than mere restraint. In what areas of your life can you practice self-control to open your heart to God's love and foster more authentic relationships?

The Church transforms individual faith journeys and must continue to adapt to fulfill God's larger vision. As we navigate transitions and challenges in a changing era, how can we remain faithful to God's call while embracing new ways of being the Church? Additionally, two church members offer testimonies after the sermon: Judy Smith and Elaine Kowalewski

On Homecoming Sunday, former pastor Ron Cumbie reflects on the themes of homecoming—both earthly and heavenly—through biblical stories and personal experiences. Considering the prodigal son's return and John's heavenly visions, how do these narratives of extravagant grace inspire us to prepare for our ultimate homecoming with God?

A compassion-driven life means embodying Christ's love in every moment, finding purpose in serving others, and allowing even our suffering to deepen our capacity for compassion. How can your experiences of pain help you show deeper compassion to others today?

Being born again means experiencing a profound spiritual transformation from above, driven by God's compassionate love and mercy, that redefines our lives and connects us to God's life, God's will and God's work.

True compassion, rooted in God's character, requires courage and action.

At the heart of the universe is a God whose greatness is revealed through unwavering compassion.

God clothes us with garments we don't always appreciate to supply needs we don't always know that we have.

Navigating life's transitions with faith and wisdom involves acknowledging our limitations, seeking divine guidance, prioritizing service, trusting in God's involvement, and embracing faithfulness.

Living in Christian freedom is to choose to deepen our friendship with God by serving others with love. God's transformative friendship empowers us to live out grace and compassion in our daily lives. How does viewing your relationship with God as one of holy friendship challenge and change the way you interact with others and approach your daily life?

Elijah's friendship with the widow in Zarephath shows us that blessings are not just about receiving but about sharing and transforming scarcity into generosity and hope. How can we apply this lesson of turning our own perceived scarcity into opportunities for generosity and community-building in our daily lives?

Jonah's prayer from the belly of a big fish shows us the path from from loneliness to solitude, highlighting how God's mercy and presence transform our separation and despair to spiritual growth and friendship. How can you open yourself up to God's presence and guidance during periods of isolation?

True faith is shown through loving actions and relationships, not just rigid beliefs. How can you live out Jesus' teachings daily, focusing on love and faithfulness over simple answers?

Jesus' famous invitation in these words presents three big ideas that we can use in our discernment of God's desire for our lives: cultivating childlike, humble faith, resting under Jesus' yoke, and seeking intimacy with God. Have you ever considered how deeply knowing and being known by God transforms your ability to navigate life's decisions?

Embracing diversity and fostering unity in the unique friendships within a church community reflects God's identity, shares Jesus's purpose and counters real divisions in today's world. How can your commitment to unity within (and beyond) the church embody God's transforming love in our neighborhood and beyond?