04-11-2021, 05:15 PM
LAS VEGAS — In a city renowned for its nightlife, a lot of people are still asleep at 8 o’clock on a recent Sunday morning. But those on hand at Remnant Ministries, four miles south of the Strip, are wide awake.
As the pastor steps up to the pulpit, he is greeted warmly.
“You all on coffee or something?” he says. “Is that what it is? Or Jesus?”
There are some laughs, and the applause continues. Then it is time for Randall Cunningham to get down to business and give his sermon on Saul’s coronation.
Yes, that Randall Cunningham, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who once starred for the Philadelphia Eagles and later led the Vikings to 15-1 record in 1998. Two decades after playing in his final NFL game, Cunningham says he has found his true calling.
“The value of what I do now far outweighs everything I’ve done it life, whether it was football or whatever,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham, 58, is known now in his hometown as “Pastor Randall.” He became an ordained minister in 2003, and in 2006 opened Remnant Ministries, a nondenominational church that boasts several thousand members in the Las Vegas area. Felicity Cunningham, his wife since 1993, also is a pastor at the church.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 400 people attended each of three services that Cunningham presided over each Sunday. The numbers dwindled during the pandemic, but in recent weeks there have been about 300 at each of the services, with seating spread out to allow for social distancing.
On top of that, the services can be seen online at www.remnantministries.net.During the pandemic, there were weeks when 2,700 combined to watch the three Sunday services online, up from about 1,000 each week before the pandemic.
“I think a lot of pastors didn’t know the future of churches, and so we were trying to figure out ways to keep things going, and it’s amazing how God has worked it out,” Cunningham said of surviving the pandemic. “Our donations started to go up.”
Cunningham said donations have gone up about 75 percent over the past year. And he has high hopes for the future.
On Easter Sunday, Cunningham will preside over his usual services at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. But in addition to the usual sizable portion of the one-hour services devoted to gospel music, there also will be dance and drama teams performing.
There might be a very recognizable Las Vegas figure on hand at the 8 a.m. service. Cunningham is also the team chaplain for the Las Vegas Raiders, and head coach Jon Gruden regularly attends the first service on Sundays.
“Randall is a great pastor and he delivers a great message, and you become a better person when you’re around him,” Gruden said. “Randall Cunningham has a real impact on people, and obviously he’s a prodigal son in Vegas.”
https://www.twincities.com/2021/04/01/ex...as-church/
![[Image: IMG_5530.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.twincities.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMG_5530.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)
As the pastor steps up to the pulpit, he is greeted warmly.
“You all on coffee or something?” he says. “Is that what it is? Or Jesus?”
There are some laughs, and the applause continues. Then it is time for Randall Cunningham to get down to business and give his sermon on Saul’s coronation.
Yes, that Randall Cunningham, the four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who once starred for the Philadelphia Eagles and later led the Vikings to 15-1 record in 1998. Two decades after playing in his final NFL game, Cunningham says he has found his true calling.
“The value of what I do now far outweighs everything I’ve done it life, whether it was football or whatever,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham, 58, is known now in his hometown as “Pastor Randall.” He became an ordained minister in 2003, and in 2006 opened Remnant Ministries, a nondenominational church that boasts several thousand members in the Las Vegas area. Felicity Cunningham, his wife since 1993, also is a pastor at the church.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 400 people attended each of three services that Cunningham presided over each Sunday. The numbers dwindled during the pandemic, but in recent weeks there have been about 300 at each of the services, with seating spread out to allow for social distancing.
On top of that, the services can be seen online at www.remnantministries.net.During the pandemic, there were weeks when 2,700 combined to watch the three Sunday services online, up from about 1,000 each week before the pandemic.
“I think a lot of pastors didn’t know the future of churches, and so we were trying to figure out ways to keep things going, and it’s amazing how God has worked it out,” Cunningham said of surviving the pandemic. “Our donations started to go up.”
Cunningham said donations have gone up about 75 percent over the past year. And he has high hopes for the future.
On Easter Sunday, Cunningham will preside over his usual services at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. But in addition to the usual sizable portion of the one-hour services devoted to gospel music, there also will be dance and drama teams performing.
There might be a very recognizable Las Vegas figure on hand at the 8 a.m. service. Cunningham is also the team chaplain for the Las Vegas Raiders, and head coach Jon Gruden regularly attends the first service on Sundays.
“Randall is a great pastor and he delivers a great message, and you become a better person when you’re around him,” Gruden said. “Randall Cunningham has a real impact on people, and obviously he’s a prodigal son in Vegas.”
https://www.twincities.com/2021/04/01/ex...as-church/
