About Thank God First Church

Alright partner, 

let's saddle up. Here's

the story of Salvation Cowboy style.

Dusty trails and a weary heart, that's

how Jedediah lived. He wasn't a bad

fella, not truly. 

Just… lost. Like a calf

separated from its mama in a dust

storm. He tried to wrangle his own

salvation, worked hard, 

gave what little

he had to the needy, even tipped his

hat to the preacher 

every Sunday. But

deep down, Jed knew somethin' was

missin'. He felt the weight of his

mistakes, like a saddle sore that just

wouldn't heal. He knew he'd done

wrong, things that

gnawed at him like

coyotes at a carcass.

One day, ridin' through the

canyon, Jed saw a

sight that stopped

him dead in his tracks. 

A calf, caught in

a thicket of thorns, 

bleatin' pitifully. It

was tangled good, 

thrashing and cuttin'

itself worse with every struggle. Jed

knew he had to help. He carefully cut

away the thorns, 

causin’ blood to drip

from his hands in the process, until

finally, the calf was free. Scared and

shaken, it ran 

straight to its mama, who

was waitin' nearby.

Watchin' that reunion,

 somethin' clicked in Jed's heart. 

He realized he was 

just like that calf, tangled 

in the thorns of 

his own sin, unable to free himself. All his good deeds, his

hard work, it was

like tryin' to pull himself out of the

mud by his own bootstraps – just

gettin' him in deeper. 

He needed help,

 just like that calf.

He remembered the 

stories the circuit rider told about Jesus, 

the Son of God.

How Jesus took the punishment for

all the wrong things folks had

done. Jesus paid

the price, took the

hurtin' so Jed didn't have to.

 Jed knelt down 

right there in the dust, 

the sun beatin' down on him.  

He confessed his sins 

and told God he was 

sorry for the things he'd done wrong.  

He asked Jesus 

to be his Savior, 

to pull him out of that thicket of sin.  And somethin' changed. 

The weight on his heart,

 that saddle sore of guilt, started to melt. It wasn't gone 

all at once, but

it was like the first rain after 

a long drought - a promise of new life. 

Jed rode on, nothin'

 much different on the 

outside, but inside, he 

was a new man.  

He still had to work hard, still had to face challenges, but 

now he knew he wasn't alone. 

He had a Savior ridin' 

beside him, a brand new start. a clear trail ahead.  

He was finally free, just like that calf, runnin' to 

the open arms of love. 

And that, partner, is the story of salvation.

Interested in hearing more?

Join some other 

guys, gals and kids 

at 

Thank God First Church 

every Sunday morning 

at 10am. 

We'll have a good time 

with singin', a message 

from the 

Good Book 

and fellowship 

with your neighbors. 

Come on down, don't be 

worrying if ya think 

you're a sinner and 

can't be comin' to Church.  

We're all sinners, each 

and every one of us.  

Let's all help each other on God's trail ride thru life. 

PASTORS

Pastor LeRoy Johnson

(616) 915-4102

Associate Paster Zach Schmuck

(616) 826-2645

ELDERS

Tom Firth (269) 838-1273

LeRoy Johnson (616) 915-4102

Tom Krausz (517) 539-2093

Tyler Shaw (517) 204-4162

Mart Wenger (269) 838-7992

DEACONS

Ryan Lankamp (269) 720-0272

Brant O'Heran (269) 331-1932

Glen Tobias (269) 993-9205