Covenant United Methodist Church has stood on West Springfield Road in Springfield, Pennsylvania, since 1924, and the congregation that worships there traces its roots back to a cold February morning in 1922 when services first began at the Old Central School on Saxer Avenue. A century later, members still gather in the same Springfield neighborhood to sing from the hymnal, hear the chancel choir, ring the handbells, share communion on the first of each month, and roll up their sleeves for a remarkable range of mission work that stretches from Prospect Park food pantries to the mountains of Central Appalachia to a hospital in Kathmandu.
A Hundred Years on West Springfield Road
The story of Covenant begins in 1921, when a group from the old Philadelphia Conference of The Methodist Episcopal Church noticed that a large number of Protestants, especially Methodists, were living in Springfield. A lay minister was sent, and on February 19, 1922, services began at the Old Central School on Saxer Avenue. The congregation, originally called the "Community Church of Springfield," moved to its present location on West Springfield Road in 1924.
In 1953 a much larger church building was erected on the site. At that same time, the older Covenant Methodist Church at 18th and Spruce in Philadelphia was closing, and funds from that sale were made available to a church that would carry on the name "Covenant." The new Covenant Methodist Church took the name and never let it go. Over the next fifteen years, membership and programs grew quickly enough to require expansion of the physical plant. "Epworth," a classroom building, and "Kingswood," an activity center with a fellowship hall, music room, and multipurpose rooms, were added to the campus in the 1950s and 1960s. A memorial wall and garden were placed in the courtyard between the buildings in 1994.
In 1956 the Covenant Nursery School was founded, and it has served thousands of families since then by providing affordable, quality preschool education rooted in Christian virtues of kindness, acceptance, and love. A 39-rank Schantz pipe organ was installed in 1979, joined by a five-octave set of Schulmerich handbells that has complemented the choirs in worship for decades. The most recent addition, "Wesley Hall," was erected in 2001 as a place for gathering, fellowship, and welcoming new people. Covenant celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 20, 2022, with a year-long Celebration of Faith, Hope, and Love that remembered the past and anticipated the future.
Sunday Mornings in the Sanctuary
Covenant gathers for worship on Sundays at 10:15 am, both in person in the sanctuary and online through a live stream. The service is traditional in style and filled with music from the hymnal, the chancel choir, the bell choir, and the children's choir on various Sundays throughout the year. Pastor-led prayers, communal prayer, and times of silent prayer all find a place in the liturgy. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, and on special occasions, using bread (with a gluten-free option) and grape juice. In keeping with United Methodist practice, the communion table is open to all who seek to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
The music program has long been a defining feature of life at Covenant. The Chancel Choir, made up of high schoolers and adults, rehearses on Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Music Room of the Kingswood Building and sings at the 10:15 am service each Sunday from September through June. The choir also sings at the 10:00 pm Christmas Eve service, on Ash Wednesday, on Maundy Thursday, and at both services on Easter Sunday, and members are invited to take part in the Springfield Community Services on Thanksgiving Eve and Good Friday. No prior experience is required to join.
The Covenant Ringers, a mixed-age handbell choir of thirteen experienced ringers, rehearses on Monday evenings at 7:30 pm in the Sanctuary and presents an anthem about once each month. Their repertoire ranges from settings of favorite hymn tunes and original handbell compositions to popular and folk song arrangements, with several ringers performing solo pieces with piano accompaniment or in handbell duets and trios. The Children's Choir, for kindergarteners through sixth graders, rehearses on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 6:15 pm in the Kingswood Building Music Room and shares its music about once each month from September through May. Through choir, children are gently introduced to reading rhythms, basic musical notation, and the Solfege system of sight reading. Covenant also hosts an annual Advent Special Music Service and a Spring Special Music Service that showcase the music ministries, and welcomes guest musicians throughout the year, from oboists and cellists to trumpeters, harpists, violinists, and vocalists.
Childcare is provided on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:15 am, and children are welcome in worship. A changing table is available in the Babyfold room. Dress is casual. Visitors are invited to come a few minutes early for silent meditation and reflection, to learn about events and service opportunities, or simply to get to know the community. A prayer team stands ready to lift up prayer requests, and the church encourages everyone to come as they are.
Learning for Every Age
The United Methodist tradition has long placed a high value on learning, and Covenant offers active Christian education opportunities for all ages on Sunday mornings from 9:15 to 10:15 am, between the early Sunday School hour and the 10:15 am worship service. Children's Sunday School for kindergarteners through fourth graders meets in Epworth Room 23 and uses the "Living the Word" curriculum from Spirit and Truth Publishing, which follows the Narrative Lectionary so that students learn about the same Bible verses that are incorporated into weekly worship. Lessons engage children with the Bible stories through games, skits, crafts, and other activities. Sunday School classes run from Labor Day through Memorial Day.
Youth Sunday School gathers 5th through 12th graders in Kingswood 4 at 9:15 am on Sundays. In addition to teaching Bible stories and theological concepts, the youth class seeks to provide a place where young people can feel safe to express themselves in a loving environment.
CovKids and CovYouth
Covenant's ministry with children and youth is anchored in the conviction, rooted in Proverbs 27:17, that "as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." For John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, there was no such thing as solitary religion, and Covenant strives to live that out across generations.
Children's Sunday School runs from kindergarten through grade 4 in Epworth Room 23 from 9:15 to 10:00 am on Sundays, Labor Day through Memorial Day. The Babyfold and Nursery Care is available for children five and under, and the church follows a program called Safe Sanctuaries that requires all volunteers to receive background checks required by Pennsylvania state law, yearly training on how to prevent and spot potential abuse, and policies that minimize risk to children and vulnerable adults.
Covenant Youth offers Sunday morning AM Gatherings for 5th through 12th graders in Kingswood 4 at 9:15 am, plus a Youth Group for 6th through 12th graders that meets every other Sunday from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in Kingswood 4, Labor Day through Memorial Day. The group gathers to eat, play games, go on adventures, and discuss how faith plays a role in their lives, with a particular commitment to creating a place where youth feel comfortable enough with each other and their leaders to share when they are going through something, when they have questions, and when they have doubts. Many Covenant youth also participate in the church's Appalachia Service Project team each summer, joining more than 15,000 other volunteers to repair homes for low-income families in rural areas of Central Appalachia. Vacation Bible School, hosted in recent years in partnership with Shorter AMEC, runs for one week each summer with VBS groups for age 3 through adult, including dinner served nightly.
Covenant Nursery School and Children's Morning Out
Covenant Nursery School is a Christian nursery school and a ministry of the congregation, with a rainbow as its symbol of love for all children. The school welcomes children of all faiths and encourages a sharing of different beliefs, striving to exemplify the Christian virtues of kindness, acceptance, and love in its daily interactions. Its primary purpose is to provide a happy group experience, with stimulating and challenging activities that help children grow emotionally, socially, mentally, and physically. The school's philosophy is captured by a line from Pre-K Today: "Play is the work of childhood, worthy of respect and encouragement."
The school offers two-day and three-day classes for three-year-olds and three-day, four-day, and five-day programs for four-year-olds, with morning sessions from 9:00 to 11:00 am for three-year-olds and 9:15 to 11:45 am for four-year-olds, afternoon sessions from 12:30 to 3:00 pm, and optional Lunch Bunch extended afternoons three days a week beginning in October. Children must be three by November 1 for the three-year-old classes and four by November 1 for the four-year-old classes, with a non-refundable registration fee of $65 for one child and $115 for two or more children. The school year begins in September, and registration opens in January. The building is connected to the sanctuary and is accessible from Saxer Avenue or the parking lot at the rear. It is well equipped with age-appropriate furniture, house centers, blocks, easels, books, and manipulatives, and has an outside playground with a large mulched area, a sandbox, and playground equipment.
Children's Morning Out is a pre-nursery school program offered during the school year from late September to early May. Sessions run from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, five days a week, with children grouped according to age and parents enrolling their child for one or two days. Children are dropped off at their classroom door and greeted by the leaders, with daily peanut-free snacks provided. To register, children should be no younger than 16 months by September 1 and no older than 3 years by November 1. The director of both programs is Dawn Hanrahan, who has led Covenant Nursery School since 2010 after more than a decade as one of its teachers.
The Delco Souper Bowl of Caring: Tackling Hunger Together
Covenant has been fighting hunger with the Souper Bowl of Caring since at least 1998, and the church provides both leadership and muscle for the Delco Souper Bowl of Caring, a massive food drive held each February during the weeks before the NFL's Super Bowl. The community effort collects non-perishable donations from local households across Aston, Morton, Media, Ridley, Rutledge, Springfield, and Westbrook Park, then sorts, packs, and ships them to multiple Delaware County food pantries.
In 2010, churches and civic organizations in Delaware County collected over 22,000 food items through the effort; in 2011, that figure rose to over 24,000; in 2022, the community effort brought in more than 54,362 units for eight local food pantries, then the largest SBOC collection in Pennsylvania. Covenant's own drive has scored impressive totals as well, with the team collecting over 4,058 units, including more than $2,930 in cash donations, in one recent year. All donations from Covenant have been delivered to the Loaves and Fishes food pantry in Prospect Park. Donations are dropped off in Wesley Hall at the church.
The fight against local food insecurity extends well beyond Souper Bowl season. Covenant conducts monthly food collections at the church, hosts a Harvest Home food drive each November, and partners with the Life Center of Eastern Delaware County, which provides emergency housing and meals to homeless individuals. Every other month, a team of Covenant volunteers provides, delivers, and serves home-cooked meals and bagged lunches to the people served by the Life Center, with volunteers able to sign up whenever they are available. The congregation also supports the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and the Shorter AME Food Bank with urgent needs like canned proteins, boxed pasta, cereal, cooking oil, and paper products.
Appalachia Service Project: Heading South Each Summer Since 1982
Covenant's Appalachia Service Project team has been heading south to make homes warmer, safer, and drier for families in Central Appalachia since 1982. Appalachia Service Project is a Christian ministry, open to all people, that fosters human development by addressing the housing needs of Central Appalachia, and Covenant's team joins more than 15,000 other volunteers each year to repair homes for almost 600 low-income families in rural areas of the region. The team runs a yearly summer mission trip and a fall mini-mission trip, supported by a long calendar of fundraisers.
Those fundraisers include an annual fall pie sale featuring Weaver's Orchard pies in flavors like Apple Caramel Walnut, Apple Lattice Top, Cherry Lattice Top, Blackberry Lattice Top, Strawberry Rhubarb, Peach, and Pumpkin; a Spring Plant Sale called "Petals, Pedals & Pancakes"; an Easter "Egg My Yard" delivery of candy-filled eggs; a Pumpkin Patch each October; a St. Patrick's Day Parade bake sale; and the annual Dinner & Auction. The pumpkin patch helps fund Covenant's mission projects, while proceeds from every fundraiser support the ASP team's summer trip. The team's social media presence keeps supporters connected to each trip.
On a recent summer trip, the Covenant team returned to Knott County, Kentucky, to build an 80-foot accessibility ramp for Pam and Tim, a family the church had served the previous summer. The couple had requested the ramp to enter and exit their home safely, and Covenant was able to make that prayer a reality over four long days of near-nonstop work. The team continues to deepen its connection with the families it serves and with the greater East Kentucky community.
Mark and Deirdre Zimmerman in Nepal
Covenant has long supported United Methodist missionaries Mark and Deirdre Zimmerman, who serve in Kathmandu, Nepal, through the United Mission to Nepal, which was established in 1954 to minister to the people of Nepal in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ. About 150 missionaries from twenty different countries work for UMN in the fields of health, industrial development, education, and rural development. Mark has worked in Nepal as a doctor of internal medicine and has served as medical director of Patan Hospital. He most recently served as Director of the Nick Simons Institute, where he worked to develop and train doctors and medical personnel throughout all of Nepal, and has since returned to Patan Hospital to practice medicine. Deirdre worked in Nepal as a community nutritionist from 1997 to 2002, and in addition to raising the couple's two sons, is involved with the Nutrition Promotion and Consultancy Service, which develops training and educational programs to teach the people of Nepal about proper nutrition and hygiene.
The Zimmermans have support churches in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Ohio, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, as well as in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Prayer forms the foundation of their work, and Covenant's prayer team regularly lifts up the Zimmermans and their ministry in Nepal.
UMCOR: Disaster Relief Around the World
Covenant partners with the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters like famine, hurricane, war, flood, and fire. One hundred percent of donations made to UMCOR through the Advance program reach the chosen mission project or ministry, since the administrative costs of UMCOR are already covered by other gifts. Covenant supports UMCOR's U.S. Disaster Relief Fund (Advance #901670) and its International Disaster Relief Fund (Advance #982450), and invites the congregation to pray for those impacted by disasters as well as the Early Response Teams, disaster coordinators, and volunteers working on relief efforts.
Serving Springfield: Help Build Hope, Life Center, and Beyond
Covenant's commitment to serving its own community is woven into the congregation's identity. Beyond food drives and the Souper Bowl of Caring, the church partners with Lima UMC each year for Help Build Hope, a weekend construction project that frames all of the walls for a new Habitat for Humanity home in New Jersey. The project welcomes volunteers ages 5 through adult and of all skill levels, even those who have never swung a hammer.
The church hosts the offices of the Center for Pastoral Counseling, which is supported by a cluster of local congregations and provides professionally accredited counseling, consultation, and educational programs and services to members of area congregations and the wider community. Covenant also maintains partnerships with organizations like CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates), CityTeam Chester, Good Neighbors Home Repairs, Fostering Hope Delco, and Harvest Home, and offers a wide range of volunteer roles, including acolytes, babyfold assistants, lay readers, ushers, Sunday school teachers and assistants, the Stream Team, and Sunday refreshments.
Getting Connected at Covenant
Covenant's purpose, in its own words, is "to be a vital and inclusive Christian community of faith that reaches out to Springfield, Pennsylvania and beyond through the love of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all people through ministries of service, learning, and worship." The church's four essentials, Know God, Discover Purpose, Make a Difference, and Find Yourself, are at the center of everything that happens from Sunday morning through the week.
Senior Pastor Mark Terry came to Covenant after ten years as pastor of Oxford UMC in Southern Chester County. Prior to that he served Bethel UMC and Mount Carmel UMC in St. Peter's Village while attending Lancaster Theological Semester. He and his wife Jennifer have three sons. Pastor of Children, Youth, and Community Engagement Rev. Diana Esposito, ordained a Deacon in Full Connection in 2018, brings a heart for creativity, service, and justice, and continues to serve the Eastern PA Conference as a program director for Night Camp at Camp Innabah and as a member of the LGBTQIA+ Committee. Rev. Dr. Dale E. Owens serves as Pastor Emeritus. Magdalene Garsuah serves as a Pastoral Intern and Nana Kpaan Allison as a Deacon Candidate.
Music is led by Sarah E. Batchelor, Director of Music and Organist, who has served Covenant since 1988 and holds degrees from Westminster Choir College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and by Kirk F. Schneider, Handbell Director since 1991. Dawn Hanrahan directs the preschool ministries, and Katey Paulson coordinates Sunday morning childcare in the Babyfold.
Giving is available online through secure SSL-protected pages and by mail to Covenant Church at 212 West Springfield Road, Springfield, PA 19064. The church office can be reached at 610-544-1400 and at [email protected], and worship, special music, and other services are livestreamed on YouTube.