In Woodbridge, Virginia, on the first floor of the Parkway Professional Building on Black Forest Lane, Covenant Presbyterian Church has built something unusual for Northern Virginia: a single Sunday gathering that fuses contemporary praise music with classic Presbyterian hymnody. Pastored together by husband and wife Rev. Knox Swayze and Rev. Bev Rice Swayze, the congregation has shaped its identity around a question it poses to the busy commuters of Prince William County: 'Is this all there is?'
A Church That Meets in a Professional Building
Covenant does not occupy a traditional sanctuary. Worship takes place on the first floor of the Parkway Professional Building at 12700 Black Forest Lane, an arrangement that has shaped the congregation's welcome in a particular way. Ushers hand each arriving visitor a printed bulletin, greeters point newcomers toward the coffee bar, and fellowship with snacks follows the service in the same space. The atmosphere is casual, warm, and centered on a single hour of music, prayer, and preaching.
Sunday worship begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs about sixty minutes. Rather than offering separate early and late services in different styles, Covenant runs one combined service that draws on choral music, congregational hymns, instrumental pieces, and praise songs. The music is led by Music Director Maya Cooper and a rotating team of volunteer vocalists and instrumentalists who describe themselves as an "eclectic group of musicians" performing "a blend of familiar hymns, as well as meaningful anthems." Anyone with a talent, the church invites, is welcome to join the jam.
Co-Pastors Bev and Knox Swayze
Covenant has been co-pastored since at least the early 2000s by Rev. Bev Rice Swayze and Rev. Knox Swayze, both Princeton Theological Seminary graduates who served as Presbyterian mission co-workers with street children in São Paulo, Brazil, before coming to Woodbridge. Bev is a Whitworth College graduate and a volunteer chaplain with the Prince William County Police Department; Knox, a Belhaven College graduate, volunteers weekly at the ACTS food bank in Eastern Prince William County. Together they share preaching duties, alternating sermons from week to week in what the church calls the combined service.
Both pastors are involved in mission work that takes the congregation beyond Woodbridge. Knox helps lead Covenant's annual disaster-recovery trips and serves as a contact for the men's Bible study. Bev's chaplaincy work connects the church to first responders in the county, and the church also runs a military ministry that supports veterans and their families.
What Visitors Can Expect on Sunday
Anyone walking in on a Sunday morning will find the same rhythm week after week. The service includes a sermon by one of the two co-pastors, a scripture lesson that has been working its way through the book of Acts, congregational singing, and prayer. The first Sunday of each month is set aside for the celebration of the Lord's Supper, with Communion woven into the regular service. After the final amen, the same space fills with the sounds of coffee being poured and people introducing themselves.
For those who cannot attend in person, services are livestreamed on Facebook Live, and recordings of past sermons are kept on the church's Facebook and YouTube pages. The church's recurring weekly announcement invites: 'Attend in-person or virtually on Facebook or YouTube every Sunday at 10:00am.'
Sunday School for Children, Teens, and Adults
Children from preschool through fifth grade gather during the Sunday service for Christian education using the Growing in Grace and Gratitude curriculum. The year is divided into thirteen-week segments that move from Old Testament stories to the Advent season and then to the Easter narrative and the life of the early church. Special children's events dot the year, including a Sunday School Kickoff, an Advent Workshop, an Easter Workshop or Easter Egg Hunt, crafts tied to the Sunday school lessons, and a Bible presentation to third graders.
Middle school and high school students are currently encouraged to attend the main worship service with their families or together as a group, with the church having previously run Wednesday evening gatherings that combined discussion, prayer, and service planning. A safe nursery is available during services for the youngest children.
For adults, learning continues in smaller settings. The Learn ministry describes a roster that includes men's and women's Bible studies, book clubs, and the Wednesday Walkers, all of which run alongside Sunday worship.
Women's Bible Study on Tuesday Nights
Women from across the country gather by Zoom every other Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. for a multi-generational Bible study conversation. The current series, Growing Older & Wiser by Dale and Sandy Larsen, is built around the idea that growing older is inevitable but growing wiser is a journey worth taking together. Participants have joined from California, Nebraska, Missouri, Texas, Florida, and as far away as Africa, and the group is open to women who have been studying Scripture for years as well as to those who simply want to listen in. Session notes are shared through a 'Bookclubs' application.
Men's Study: A Year with the Apostle Paul
The men's ministry has launched a seven-session study of N. T. Wright's Paul: A Biography, meeting via Zoom on the second Saturday of each month at 8:30 a.m. Wright's book offers a clear and engaging portrait of Paul as 'a real person whose meeting with Jesus changed his life,' a committed Jew, a Roman citizen, a traveler, a leader, and a follower of Jesus. Each session explores Paul's background, faith, struggles, and mission, and the church is open to new participants joining at any point in the seven-part arc.
ACTS: A Founding Church in the Local Safety Net
Covenant is one of thirteen founding churches of ACTS, Action in Community Through Service, a Prince William-area nonprofit that grew out of efforts more than fifty years ago to address the most basic human needs of food and shelter in the region. The church continues to support ACTS through volunteer time and donations, and Pastor Knox gives part of his week to the organization's food bank. Covenant also partners with the Hilda Barg Homeless Shelter and overnight drop-in shelters by helping provide meals on a rotating basis, and it encourages members to volunteer with the Covenant Keepers, a small handyman team that helps county residents with minor home repairs.
Mission Trips Beyond Woodbridge
Each year, the church sends a team on a week-long disaster-recovery trip. The most recent partnership is with the Coastal Carolina Disaster Resiliency Agency (CCDRA) in New Bern, North Carolina, where volunteers stay at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Volunteer Village and help families still rebuilding after Hurricane Florence with flooring, painting, cleaning, and repairs. No special skills are required, only a willing spirit. Past trips have also gone to Kentucky.
Inside the congregation, the same impulse toward service shows up in smaller ways. Children filled men's toiletry bags for PATH, Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness, as part of the Sunday School Kickoff, and the church runs a series of fundraisers throughout the year: a baked goods auction that supports the fall mission trip, a cake auction that benefits national missions, and a cookie sale that benefits local missions.
Blessing of the Animals and Other Yearly Rhythms
One of the church's most distinctive traditions is its annual outdoor Blessing of the Animals. Held in the back corner of the parking lot near the picnic tables, the gathering invites members of the wider community to bring their pets and have each animal blessed by name. The tradition goes back nearly eight hundred years to Saint Francis of Assisi, and it is open to anyone who loves an animal, whether or not they belong to Covenant.
Other recurring rhythms fill the church's calendar. There is a Slice of Thanksgiving meal, an Easter Brunch, a Lenten series of fellowship, movies, and bingo, an Advent Craft Workshop, and Celebrations of Life that mark the passing of members and loved ones. Weekly fellowship with snacks after Sunday worship, the Wednesday Walkers exercise group, and a handful of book clubs keep the congregation connected through the year.
Mission Framework and Identity
Covenant sums up its mission, values, strategy, and vision in a short framework. The mission is "Connecting People to Jesus in a Hectic World." The values are hands-on ministry, a welcoming environment, and inspiring worship. The strategy describes four teams: worship for connecting to God, learn for connecting to oneself through study, serve for connecting to the needs around the church, and connect for encouraging one another in fellowship. The vision is summarized in three words: Connected, Nourished, and Living Our Faith.
That framework shows up in the choices the church makes. Sunday School Kickoff launches each new program year with a service project. The fall mission trip is underwritten by a baked goods auction. The combined worship service is a deliberate expression of one congregation rather than two. And the co-pastorate, with both Bev and Knox in the pulpit and at the table, is itself an expression of the church's belief that ministry is shared.
Giving and Online Connection
Online giving is set up through the church's giving platform, and the church's Facebook and YouTube channels carry live services, sermon recordings, and announcements. A weekly email and the events calendar keep members informed of upcoming Bible studies, mission trips, and fellowship events. For visitors ready to take a first step, the church keeps the language simple: 'Come as you are. Start wherever makes sense: a Sunday service, a service project, an online message, or just a conversation over coffee.'
Covenant Presbyterian Church gathers on Sunday mornings at 12700 Black Forest Lane in the Parkway Professional Building, with online worship on Facebook Live and YouTube, Bible studies through the week for men and women, a year-round slate of children's events, and a congregation that has spent more than fifty years building a safety net of food, shelter, and disaster recovery in Prince William County and beyond.