Worship at Covenant: Two Sunday Services, One Open Communion Table
On most Sundays, Covenant Presbyterian Church fills its sanctuary twice, with worship at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., separated by an hour set aside for Sunday school and adult education at 10:00 a.m. The early service is a more relaxed, piano-led gathering. The later service is the traditional one, anchored by a choir, classical music, and the church's 1997 Schoenstein pipe organ. Between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, the congregation comes together for a single 9:30 a.m. service, with music alternating between piano and organ week to week. Every service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who cannot be in the pews.
Worship at Covenant is intentionally family-friendly. Each service includes a children's time, and children are welcomed into the sanctuary rather than shuttled off to another room. Children are encouraged to take part through coloring bulletins, worship bags from the Welcome Center, and a gentle schedule of adult cues, including a lounge at the back of the sanctuary with drawing materials where restless little ones can still hear the service. Open communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, with gluten-free bread and grape juice so all may share at the table.
The pastors describe worship as a place where people do not need to have all the answers but are invited to wrestle with big questions together. The liturgy makes room for inclusive language and for creative expression throughout the year, including dramas, art, and music recitals. New members are welcomed publicly, baptisms take place during worship with the congregation making vows to support the baptized and their family, and prayer concerns are lifted up weekly.
Music Ministry: A 1997 Schoenstein Organ, Three Choirs, and Children Making Joyful Noise
Music has shaped Covenant since its earliest days and remains one of the most visible parts of the church's identity. The crown jewel is a 1997 Schoenstein pipe organ built by the Schoenstein Organ Company of San Francisco specifically for Covenant's sanctuary. The instrument has more than 2,700 pipes, ranging from a few inches to 16 feet long, and was given by longtime members Ray and Virginia Malmquist. Its design in the American Symphonic tradition gives it an unusually wide palette of tone colors, allowing it to handle centuries of organ repertoire and to accompany choirs and soloists with warmth. Much of the organ is enclosed behind swell shades for expression, and the ethereal division tuba can solo above the full ensemble when needed.
Around the organ, the music ministry includes:
- The Chancel Choir, open to anyone of high school age or older, which rehearses Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. from September through May and sings in worship three to four times a month, typically at the 11:00 a.m. service. The choir prepares larger works several times a year and has collaborated with other local churches for special services and concerts.
- The New Day Ensemble, offering a more contemporary musical voice in worship.
- A High School/Adult Handbell Group that meets in seasonal blocks, rehearsing for two weeks and then sharing in worship.
- A Children's Choir that meets for twenty minutes during the Sunday school hour, leading worship periodically and presenting a Christmas pageant each Advent and a spring musical each May.
- Solo and small ensemble presentations throughout the year.
Minster of Music Melissa Hinz coordinates the program alongside organist Doug McNeel, assistant music coordinator Megan Angriawan, and children's music director Arlene Kennedy.
Children and Youth: Sunday School, Kaleidoscope Kids, and Youth Connection
Covenant's ministry to children rests on a simple conviction from Mark 10:14: "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them." Children are treated as full members of the worshiping community, and Christian education is woven into every part of their week at church.
Sunday School meets Sundays from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m., September through May, for children age 3 through 8th grade. Children begin in Children's Choir (room B105) before moving to their classrooms. Each Sunday School class is assigned a Heifer International animal to study, an outreach tradition that has lasted more than 25 years. Middle schoolers make no-sew tie blankets year-round for Project Linus, donating comfort to hospitalized and traumatized children. During Lent, fish-banks for One Great Hour of Sharing are filled and collected on Palm Sunday; twice a year non-perishables are gathered for local food pantries; and school supplies are collected each summer for the church's partner, Glenn Stephens Elementary School. Families also join Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Verona for Feed My Starving Children mobile meal-packing sessions.
Kaleidoscope Kids, a Montessori-style Godly Play program for 3-year-olds through 1st graders, takes place during the 9:00 a.m. worship service immediately following the children's time. Children are invited to follow the Kaleidoscope teacher to room C208, where they explore Bible stories from the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the basics of Christian tradition. The program helps young children learn the rhythm of worship and prepares them to participate fully in the sanctuary.
Nursery care is offered for children under three in room C101, a clean and safe space staffed by nursery supervisor Vicki Alexander, Eileen Durand, and Anne Lawrence. During the program year, the nursery is open from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; in summer it is open 9:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Parents sign children in and receive a beeper in case of need. A baby comfort station in the lounge and changing tables in the family restrooms round out the practical supports for families with infants and toddlers.
Youth Connection, for middle and high schoolers, meets Sundays from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., September through May. Evenings are informal: cooperative games, small group discussions on a wide range of topics, devotions, plus service projects and fellowship outings two or three times a month. Local mission partners include The River Food Pantry and Second Harvest Food Bank. Summer trips have included the Presbyterian Youth Triennium. Megan Berry, Associate Pastor for Children, Youth and Families, oversees the program and serves as the main contact for parents.
Adult Education and Small Groups
Covenant's adult education ministry runs Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in Bradfield Hall from September through May, with classes resuming each September. The Adult Education Committee offers a wide range of offerings, from Christianity basics and scripture interpretation to special speakers and topical series. Recent series have included parables of Jesus, the Gospel on Broadway, being a good neighbor, and Justified Anger Courses. Adults are encouraged to bring questions; classes are designed for those who grew up Presbyterian as well as seekers with little or no church background. A library of resources from past classes is available for those who missed a session.
Small groups are the other main pathway for adult formation. Pastor Jess Scholten oversees the program, which includes a variety of ongoing groups meeting in person and on Zoom:
- Soul Sisters, a women's group that meets the second Sunday of the month at 12:30 p.m. for thoughtful discussion, mutual care, and getting to know other Covenant women.
- Friday Book Club, meeting the first and third Fridays at 10:00 a.m. in the Lounge.
- Tuesday Talkers, a coffee-and-conversation group meeting Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. in the Library.
- Wednesday Morning Men's Group, meeting every other Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in the Lounge.
- Thursday Morning Men's Group, meeting Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. on Zoom.
- Fiber Friends, a fellowship for knitters, crocheters, and other fiber artists that meets the second Thursday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in the Lounge, with some finished items going to donation projects.
- Mercy Mats Small Group, meeting the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. to crochet sleeping mats from reused plastic bags, donated to friends of State Street and Porchlight.
Racists Anonymous Fellowship: A 12-Step Community for Anti-Racism Work
One of Covenant's most distinctive small groups is the Racists Anonymous Fellowship (RAF), which meets seasonally on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Modeled on the 12-step tradition, RAF is a confidential space for people who want to do their own work of recovery from racist conditioning. Members work through a guidebook and engage in book studies together; recent reading has included Christine Jeske's Racial Justice for the Long Haul. The group sees this work as integral to the Matthew 25 call to dismantle structural racism. Anyone can join at any time by contacting Jennifer Morgan.
Mission and Outreach: A Matthew 25 Congregation
Covenant is a Matthew 25 congregation, a designation within the Presbyterian Church (USA) that commits a church to view all of its ministry through the lenses of dismantling structural racism, eradicating systemic poverty, and building congregational vitality. The Mission Committee frames its work in the words of Micah 6:8: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God. Food insecurity has been named the congregation's mission focus for 2025 and 2026.
The church maintains deep relationships with a long list of local, denominational, and international partners. Housing partners include The Road Home Dane County, Porchlight Inc., Habitat WI River, and Solace Friends. Children, youth, and family partners include Glenn Stephens Elementary School (with whom Covenant celebrated a 10-year partnership in 2026), Lussier Community Education Center, Briarpatch Youth Services, and RISE. Hunger relief partners include Triangle Community Ministry and Grace Food Pantry. Social justice partners include the Wisconsin Council of Churches, Just Dane, Domestic Abuse Intervention Services, and Own It. Denominational support extends to Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Pres House, John Knox Presbytery, Synod of Lakes and Prairies, and the General Assembly.
Internationally, the church's partnerships reach CEDEPCA, Medical Benevolence Foundation, PCUSA Mission Co-Workers in Indonesia, Guatemala, South Sudan, and Peru, Eric Miller in Kenya, Village Partners International at Covenant Hospital, and Heifer International. The congregation has long-standing ties to Guatemala, supporting housing, education, medical missions, and health improvement work.
Each year Covenant awards Mission Grants of up to $10,000 to local nonprofits addressing a designated focus area. In 2026, the focus is food insecurity in Dane County.
Creation Care: Solar Panels, Composting, and a Green Team
Covenant takes seriously the Genesis charge that humans are called to care for creation. The Creation Care team, known as the Green Team, has put the call into practice in concrete ways. Solar panels were installed the week before Christmas 2017 and tied into the building's electrical system in January 2018, reducing the church's carbon footprint and saving money on utilities. The Green Team works closely with the Building and Grounds Committee on recycling, on-site composting (including a kitchen compost bin for coffee grounds and food waste), and waste reduction.
Kitchen operations emphasize reusable plates, glasses, silverware, and coffee cups, refusing single-use plastic whenever possible. Each Palm Sunday, the congregation waves Eco-Palms, harvested through a program that supports Latin American palm harvesters and sustainable practices; the palms are then burned into ashes for the following Ash Wednesday. In January and February 2023, the church held a Creation Care sermon series exploring what scripture says about creation, what scientists are saying, and how environmental harm falls hardest on poor people and people of color.
Seventy Years on Segoe Road: The Story of Covenant
Covenant Presbyterian Church was organized on Sunday, September 12, 1954, with the reception of 45 charter members, and held its first worship service a week later. In October 1957, the congregation voted unanimously to build a church made of three units, representing its commitment to worship, study, and service. The Christian Education wing and Fellowship Hall were dedicated in November 1961, and the Sanctuary wing followed on May 19, 1968.
Highlights from the church's history include the long tenure of the Rev. Bill King, who served as senior pastor from 1978 to 1998 and then as pastor emeritus until his death in 2017. In the 1960s, Covenant members helped lead the fight for fair housing in Madison, and in 1965 four members joined the Freedom March from Salem to Montgomery, Alabama. International mission work took root in the 1980s in Guatemala, Mexico, and Haiti. The congregation took a leading role in the ordination of the Rev. Scott Anderson, the first openly gay pastor ordained in the PC(USA). In 2000, Covenant was one of the Madison churches that helped host the Interfaith Hospitality Network for people experiencing homelessness.
The 2010 "Covenant Renewal" expansion continued the three-unit emphasis by updating sanctuary electronics, adding a meditation room and columbarium, increasing classroom space, and expanding the Narthex into a large, welcoming gathering space. In September 2024, Covenant celebrated its 70th anniversary with a special concert titled "On the Journey Together" featuring the congregation's own hymn, "On the Journey, Faithfully." The church is currently in the middle of a 2026-2028 Capital Campaign to reconstruct its parking lot, addressing flood control and stormwater management requirements from the City of Madison; ten percent of all gifts to the campaign are allocated to mission programs chosen by the Mission Committee.
Pastoral Leadership and Staff
Covenant is led by three pastors. The Rev. Dr. Charlie Berthoud has served as Pastor and Head of Staff since 2013. Rev. Megan Berry serves as Associate Pastor for Children, Youth and Families. Rev. Jess Scholten serves as Associate Pastor for Mission, Spiritual Growth and Care.
The music program is led by Minister of Music and Pastoral Care Melissa Hinz, organist Doug McNeel, assistant music coordinator Megan Angriawan, and children's music director Arlene Kennedy. Children's ministry is supported in the nursery by supervisor Vicki Alexander and assistants Eileen Durand and Anne Lawrence. The office is staffed by church administrator Jo Mahnke, administrative assistant Ann Perry, and financial coordinator Janet Cresson. Sunday operations are supported by Sunday host Mary Kieta, livestream operator Jay Petrie, custodian Rodrigo Morales, and maintenance assistant Rick Bartz.
Inclusion and Affiliation
Covenant's inclusion statement is explicit: "We affirm the worth and dignity of all people." The congregation welcomes people of every sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, political belief, level of economic means, and family structure. The statement closes with the line, "Come and worship with us, exactly as you are."
Covenant is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), within the John Knox Presbytery, and part of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. It is also affiliated with the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, which seeks equity and full inclusion for LGBTQIA+ members in the life of the church and the wider world.
Pastoral Care, Prayer, and Grief Support
Pastoral care at Covenant is shared among the pastors, staff, and Deacons. A weekly prayer list circulates in worship and online; names ordinarily remain on the list for five weeks and can be extended or removed by request. The Deacons and staff coordinate support for members in need. Grief resources are available, and the church has produced a booklet, "Prayers and Scripture for Challenging Times," that families can pick up.
Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals, and the Columbarium
Baptisms take place on Sundays during worship, with the congregation making vows to support the baptized and their family. Covenant baptizes infants, children, teens, and adults, and recognizes baptisms from other Christian traditions rather than re-baptizing.
Weddings are held at the church and officiated by Covenant pastors. The church treats marriage as a covenant in which God, the couple, and the community all participate.
Funerals typically include congregational singing, prayer, scripture, and reflections by the pastor and a few relatives or friends. The focus of the service is on God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. The Fellowship Hall is available for a reception following the service.
The Columbarium, added during the 2010 Covenant Renewal expansion, offers members and their loved ones a dedicated space near the sanctuary for the inurnment of cremated remains. Each niche can hold up to two bronze-plated urns behind a granite faceplate. The columbarium sits beside a meditation room with a stained-glass Resurrection Window, dedicated in April 2022 by Conrad Schmitt Studios. Niche reservations can be made in advance through the church office; each niche costs $1,000, which includes one or two urns.
Visiting Covenant: What to Expect
Covenant describes itself as a congregation of about 600 members with a healthy diversity of ages, backgrounds, and perspectives. On a typical Sunday, members dress fairly casually: a nice pair of jeans or slacks with a blouse, polo, or button-up is common. The church has a large off-street parking lot off its main entrance; a current parking lot reconstruction project is nearing completion. A drop-off area with power-assisted doors sits directly in front of the main entrance, and an elevator to the side of the gathering space provides access to the lower level.
Sunday mornings move from worship to a 10:00 a.m. education hour (Sunday school for children, Adult Education in Bradfield Hall) and back to worship at 11:00 a.m. Children are welcomed throughout, with a children's time in each service, Worship Bags at the Welcome Center, and Kaleidoscope Kids dismissing 3-year-olds through 1st graders after the children's time. Families with younger children can use the staffed nursery in room C101.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed at youtube.com/c/covenantpresbyterianchurch, where a full archive of past services is also available. The sermon archive includes written transcripts and audio podcasts on Podbean.
Giving is available online through the church's online giving form, through electronic contribution transfer (automatic bank transfers), and through wills and legacy gifts administered through the Presbyterian Foundation. A library, a digital catalog, and links to subscribe to church email updates round out the resources offered. New visitors are invited to sign an online welcome pad so the church can be in touch.