Ministries
Ministry simply means serving others. Jesus himself said, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Jesus’ ministry to us is the heart of the gospel, and our desire at Covenant is to convey this gospel message in both word and deed, truth spoken in love and love displayed in action.
Worship
Worship is not something we do just on Sunday mornings, nor is it just one part of the Christian life. Worship is the summation of the Christian life. It is what we were created for and what we will do for all eternity. God’s plan is not to just create individual worshippers of Him, but to create a community of worshippers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. Therefore, when we meet together on Sunday mornings, we are not just experiencing a taste of what is to come, but what we were created for.
Worship is also not mainly the music we sing or listening to the preacher. It is a re-telling of the Gospel: the glory of God, our brokenness and need for redemption, the grace of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ by securing our redemption through Him, and our response to the Gospel. We experience this through the sacraments, the reading and hearing of God’s word, prayers, confession of sin, confessing our faith, offering our gifts, singing, and music. Therefore, in our worship services we incorporate these elements, drawing from the ancient church to the present time, to remind ourselves of our link to the saints who have gone before, as well as to our brothers and sisters today.
We gather to worship God together on Sunday mornings at 9:30am.
Mercy Ministry
In Matthew 22:39, Jesus said that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. One way that we love our neighbors is through our service to those in our community who are in physical and spiritual need. The Deacon’s Fund is used when financial assistance is needed, and we receive a special offering on the first Sunday of every month to provide for this fund. In addition to responding to local and global mercy needs both as individuals and as a church family, we also financially support and participate locally in:
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Tree of Life - Pregnancy support center.
Contact Debbie Jo Trinidade at (805) 238-6918 for more information.
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The Peoples Kitchen - Serving and preparing hot meals for those in need. Contact Ruth Kuhn at (805) 226-7522 for more information.
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Loaves and Fishes - Weekly food distribution for low income and homeless individuals and families. Contact Ruth Kuhn at (805) 226-7522 for more information.
Youth Ministry
Pilgrimage is the name of our ministry to middle school and high school students consisting of weekly youth meetings designed to offer encouragement, instruction, and care for one another. The overarching goal of Pilgrimage is to glorify God by enjoying Him and each other through singing, laughing, playing games, studying the Bible, and have a lot of fun. See the calendar page for our next meeting time or service opportunity.
In addition, our fall campout at Lake San Antonio and our winter snow trip to Shaver Lake, are among the highlights of our calendar year.
Please contact our lead youth intern, Jake Horn, at (805) 975-8686 for more information.
Children’s Ministry
We are committed to the quality care and nurture of our children, and are constantly striving to find innovative ways to teach biblical truth in a clean, safe, and engaging environment. We welcome and expect the sounds of the family in our worship service, and want parents to feel free to have their children remain with them. However, nursery is provided throughout the service for infants through age 2, and our children’s program, which starts before the sermon, welcomes ages 3 and up. We also offer a room for nursing mothers and infants located near the front entrance.
During the week, we share facilities with Great Beginnings, a Christian preschool, which is separately owned and operated by Kandy Goebel. If you would like more information about Great Beginnings, please contact them at their office (805) 239-4441.
Study groups
Jesus response to the question of “What is the greatest commandment” was to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. Our study groups are designed to lay the foundation of knowledge about God’s action in the world and in individuals, and in turn, how we serve God and each other in all aspects of our life.
On Sunday mornings, we offer classes for all ages on a quarterly basis that explore different aspects of Biblical knowledge and cultural interaction. During the week, we also offer a variety of study groups covering various topics of interest.
Community groups
Acts 2:42 says that the early church devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, fellowship, shared meals and prayer. Therefore, we desire to gather together to experience these things, not only during worship on Sunday, but in smaller communities throughout the week. Community groups are a way that we can know and care for each other, and invite our friends to view and participate in the fullness of the Christian life. The simple goal of our community groups is that we not only ‘attend church,’ but we are able to ‘be the church’ in each other’s lives.
