Tucked into a residential stretch of Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth, Minnesota, Plymouth Covenant Church (PCC) has been a steady presence in the western Twin Cities for roughly five decades. Members are gathering this year to celebrate 50 years in the community, and the church's mission remains the one it has carried since the beginning: to be followers of Jesus who go and make disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit. The church belongs to the Evangelical Covenant Church, a denomination with Swedish roots that has grown into a rapidly expanding multiethnic body with ministries on five continents. Plymouth Covenant's own motto sums up the heartbeat of the place: "Our purpose is to glorify God by enjoying Him while sharing Him with others."
Three Weekend Services, Plus a Livestream
Weekends at Plymouth Covenant center on the main auditorium, where the worship band leads contemporary songs and lyrics appear on screens so anyone can follow along. A service runs about sixty minutes, opening with congregational worship and closing with a Bible-based message from one of the pastors. Services are held on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The 9:00 a.m. Sunday service is also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and sermons remain available afterward for replay.
A second Sunday option sits one floor over. The Connection meets at 10:45 a.m. in The Refinery and was planned with seniors in mind, offering warm hospitality, familiar songs, less standing, personal storytelling, pastoral prayers, and inspirational teaching. Anyone of any age is welcome, and the gathering is intentionally informal so people can get to know one another. Hot coffee and conversation fill the room before the service begins, and on the third Sunday of each month the group lingers over a free lunch afterward.
This Gen Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Plymouth Covenant takes children's ministry seriously, and the philosophy is simple: help this generation learn about Jesus, love like Jesus, and live for Jesus. Kids Ministry, part of the broader "This Gen" family, is offered at all three weekend services. Birth through Kindergarten is welcomed on Saturday evenings, and Birth through Fifth Grade is welcomed at both Sunday morning services.
First-time families enter through Door 2 and find a New Family Welcome Desk staffed by a volunteer who walks them through the check-in process. An automated system prints matching name tags and parent pickup tags with security codes, giving parents confidence that their children are well cared for. Kids are welcomed by screened volunteers - every leader has gone through a national background check and an interview - and the morning moves through singing, a Bible story, games, a craft (for preschoolers), and small-group connection time (for elementary kids).
Two staff directors lead the team: Char Peterson oversees Preschool Kids Ministry and Joy Hyers directs Elementary Kids Ministry. Worship plays a central role even for the youngest. Special PCC Kids Prayer and Worship nights invite whole families to share a meal, sing together, and split into age-appropriate teaching environments. Child dedication, infant baptism, and a special path for kids in second grade or older who want to be baptized are all available. New parents can fill out a form so the church can send a gift when a baby arrives.
Students: Middle School and High School
The middle school ministry is called Impact, and the goal is to give sixth through eighth graders a place to belong, grow, and become passionate followers of Jesus. Impact meets on Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. in the Garage on the lower level. The format is intentionally high-energy: outrageous games in the gym, birthday celebrations, announcements of what's coming up, fun worship songs, an encouraging message, and small group time to talk it through. Snacks are part of the deal. A fall and winter Bible study gives students additional time to learn how to navigate the Bible together.
High schoolers gather under the name Ignite. Ignite meets on Wednesday nights year-round from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in The Refinery for worship, small groups, games, and solid Biblical teaching. A second meeting called 715 takes place on Saturday evenings - after the 5:30 p.m. worship service and a shared meal at 6:30 p.m., students dig into a Bible study that begins at 7:15 p.m., with students and Pastor Aaron alternating the teaching.
Confirmation is a two-year journey for students in eighth and ninth grade. Students meet with their own grade level on alternating Sunday mornings, work regularly with a mentor, serve, take sermon notes, and visit other churches along the way. Fall and winter retreats at Covenant Pines Bible Camp in McGregor, Minnesota are signature events for both Impact and Ignite.
Adults: Life Groups and the Wider Family
Adult Ministries at PCC are built around a single conviction: people grow when they do life together. The Life Groups ministry is the backbone of that vision. Life Groups are eight to twelve people meeting in homes and around the church to seek the Lord, build community, and care for one another. Twice a year the church launches a fresh round of groups built around the current sermon series, but groups continue throughout the year as natural communities. Anyone can search for an open group or apply to lead one.
Alongside Life Groups sit several focused ministries:
- Men's Ministry, led by Community and Men's Pastor Randy Stensgard, runs a Friday morning Bible study that meets year-round at 7:00 a.m. with two formats: a small-group option in The Refinery led by John Hilbelink and Kerby Skurat, and a larger discussion group of about twenty men in the Turtle Lake Café led by Donovan Saba and Kurt Nelson. Coffee starts early in both rooms. Special events include the annual Men's BBQ, Marked Men for Christ weekends at Camp Friendship, the Real Men speaker series, mountain biking and wake surfing excursions through the summer, and Sunday Night Live cookouts at the pastor's home.
- Women's Ministry meets through Bible studies (Tuesday morning or Thursday evening in the Turtle Lake Cafe), MomCo for mothers of kids from birth through teens, Solo Sisters for single women (divorced, widowed, or never married), Women's Walk with Christ weekends, and a six-week marriage study called Awaken Love. Women's Excursions fill the calendar with hiking, cycling, floral design, sourdough workshops, garden tours, and pickleball evenings.
- Young Adults exist to encourage and equip recent high school graduates, college students, and people in their mid-twenties to live on mission with Jesus. The community gathers around food, friendship, and laughter while diving into Scripture, prayer, worship, and intentional training. High School and Young Adult Pastor Aaron Felty oversees the ministry.
- Marriage ministry is anchored by Re|Engage, a group-based experience that helps couples learn God's design for marriage and apply practical, biblical principles. Re|Engage meets on Sunday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in The Refinery, with childcare provided at no cost. The Cha-Ching marriage event brings in speakers like Craig and Molly Sanborn for an evening of laughter, real-life stories, and practical tools. Anyone whose spouse is unwilling to attend can come on their own.
- Seniors ministry, led by Outreach and Seniors Pastor Sanjeev Bhonsle and The Connection Pastor Dan Johnson, centers on the Sunday morning Connection service but stretches well beyond it. A weekly Bible study meets Thursday afternoons in the Turtle Lake Café with treats at 1:30 p.m. and study from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Senior Pickleball fills the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Special events, a monthly email newsletter, and the Legacy Grandparenting Summit keep the ministry active throughout the year.
RightNow Media is offered as a free resource to anyone in the congregation, giving access to a large library of video Bible studies for every age and stage.
What Plymouth Covenant Believes
Plymouth Covenant's Statement of Faith runs from one God who is creator and sustainer of all things - revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - through Jesus as Messiah and risen King, the work of the Holy Spirit who comforts, convicts, guides, and empowers believers, and the Bible as the inspired word of God without error in the original manuscripts. All people are created in God's image and given value, dignity, and purpose, but have been corrupted by sin and need a Savior. Salvation comes by grace through faith as a gift from God that requires repentance and results in forgiveness and restored relationship. Heaven and hell are real, eternal destinations that are a choice for each person, with heaven as a place of restored perfection and hell as the avoidable absence of God.
Spiritual gifts, the church as the gathering of God's people devoted to worship, prayer, and Scripture teaching, marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman with sex as a gift to be enjoyed within that covenant, and unity in essentials with freedom in non-essentials and Christ-like love in all things round out the confession.
Three values organize church life. The first is to abide in Jesus, gathering on weekends for corporate worship and being intentional about personal practices of worship, prayer, Scripture reading and meditation, and meeting with other believers. The second is to be transformed by Jesus, embracing the lifelong process of sanctification and living as new creations who love others radically. The third is to live on mission with Jesus, looking for everyday opportunities to do what Jesus did - seeing people as He sees them, sharing His love here, near, and far.
Care and Prayer
The Care Ministry walks alongside people through every part of life - joys and trials alike - based on Acts 2:42-47. Screened, trained volunteers offer practical help and Christ-centered hope through hospital, care-facility, and home visits. For longer-term counseling, the church maintains a referral list that includes Pathways Psychological Services and RockBridge Counseling. Prayer is woven into the weekend: a prayer team is available at the end of each service in the main sanctuary, and staff and the prayer team continue praying throughout the week for submitted requests.
Reach Ministries: Local, Global, International
Outreach at Plymouth Covenant is organized under the banner of Reach Ministries. The vision is to share the truth and love of Jesus with neighbors near and far, to support the poor and marginalized, and to come alongside people in need.
Local Mission partners include Together For Good (support for parents and children in crisis), MN Adult and Teen Challenge (addiction recovery), Celebrate Recovery (a Christ-centered recovery program that meets at Plymouth Covenant on Monday evenings at 7 p.m.), Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners, and Loaves and Fishes. Plymouth Covenant hosts a Loaves and Fishes dinner every Saturday evening - drive-thru meals from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. and dine-in meals from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. - feeding anyone in the community who needs a meal.
Global Mission partnerships extend across continents: Alaska Christian College; Light of Hope in Kenya, a home and school for girls; Love for Kenya, supporting Shangilia Children's Home, widows, a medical clinic, and ministry in the Kibera slums; HMCHA serving children in East Africa; Merge Ministries and Templo Siloa Church in the Mayan village of Mucel, Mexico; Rancho Hebron Ministries in Nicaragua; the Ward family serving with YWAM Mazatlán; the Garifuna Church in Hopkins Village, Belize; and Hope Sewn in Haiti, working with women to bring them out of prostitution through work and faith. Annual mission trips give the congregation a chance to serve alongside these partners. The summer Peaches for Missions fundraiser sells Colorado organic peaches to support the work.
International Ministry welcomes people who have recently arrived in the community. Weekly badminton, monthly gatherings, and seasonal celebrations like the Indian Independence Day celebration create space for internationals to find friendship, share culture, and hear the gospel. Outreach and Seniors Pastor Sanjeev Bhonsle oversees this work.
Next Steps: Connect Lunch, Belonging, Baptism
Plymouth Covenant makes it easy to take a next step. Connect Lunch is a casual gathering on the first Sunday of each month after the morning services. Newcomers sit down with staff and other newer attendees over a light lunch, with childcare provided. Belonging is a Saturday class that covers church membership, what the church believes, and how to get involved in groups and serving. Baptisms for believers are scheduled throughout the year, with a special Lake Baptism at Baker Park Reserve each summer followed by a potluck. Children in second grade or older can be baptized after conversations with the Kids staff. Child dedication and infant baptism are also offered, with a required parent class beforehand.
Leadership and Governance
Daniel Sarmiento serves as Lead Pastor. Charlene Williams is Executive Director. The staff team includes pastors and directors for outreach and seniors, worship, high school and young adults, middle school, elementary kids, preschool kids, men's ministry, the Connection service, outreach and guest services, and tech, along with ministry operations and administrative staff.
Governance rests with two lay-led bodies elected by the congregation. The Shepherd Team focuses on spiritual oversight and guides ministries, while the Trustee Team manages business affairs, facilities, properties, resources, and finances. The final authority on major decisions lies with the members themselves, who approve an annual budget and elect the Shepherds and Trustees. Congregational business meetings are held once or twice a year, with occasional dialogue meetings to prayerfully discern direction together.
A Building Being Renewed, a Mission Unchanged
The Plymouth Covenant campus on Vicksburg Lane is currently being renewed. Kids classes have relocated within the building while demolition begins on a building renovation, and the congregation has celebrated the next chapter with tours of newly renovated spaces. The work is the visible side of an invisible conviction: a building is a tool, but the mission is the same one the church has carried from the beginning - to glorify God by enjoying Him and sharing Him with others in Plymouth, in the Twin Cities, and to the ends of the earth.