On a quiet block of Fifth Street NW in New Brighton, Minnesota, Salem Covenant Church fills its sanctuary and gymnasium each Sunday with worship that spans generations. A congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Church, Salem has served the north suburban Twin Cities for decades, drawing young families, longtime members, high schoolers, and retirees into the same rhythm of two Sunday services, midweek education, and hands-on ministry. Members describe it as a community that has learned to hold both heritage and contemporary worship side by side, with hymns and liturgy at nine in the morning and modern worship music at eleven.
Connect, Grow, Go: The Shape of Salem's Mission
Salem's stated mission is to inspire and equip all generations to connect, grow, and go. The three words carry weight across every ministry on the campus. Connect means forming relationships with God, with one another, and with God's purposes in the world. Grow describes the lifelong process of becoming more like Jesus through worship, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, and service. Go sends members outward, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to share God's love in the neighborhood, the region, and around the world. The church's identity statement, "Equipping all generations to connect, to grow, to go," appears across its communications and underpins every program from nursery care to short-term mission trips to Alaska and the Czech Republic.
Two Sunday Services, Two Worship Styles
Sunday morning at Salem is structured around two distinct services, and newcomers are encouraged to choose the one that fits them best.
The 9:00 am Traditional Service fills the main sanctuary with hymns, liturgy, choral music, and the organ. Members enter through the main doors and turn left toward the sanctuary. The Sanctuary Choir sings at three out of every four Sundays, and the Handbell Ensemble plays six to eight services per year, including the Christmas Concert. Children are welcome in worship and may also attend the staffed nursery for ages birth through two.
The 11:00 am Contemporary Service meets in the gymnasium, with a modern worship team leading in a relaxed, joy-filled atmosphere. Visitors enter the main doors, head toward the back of the building, and turn right into the gym, or use the west side entrance. During this service, children in kindergarten and below may be dismissed mid-worship for Flourish Children's Worship, a special program just for them.
Both services feature biblical preaching that aims to nurture spiritual growth and inspire service in the world. Salem's welcome center in the Narthex is staffed with hosts who answer questions and help newcomers find their way. Dress runs the full range of casual to business attire, and visitors are invited to come as they are.
The Education Hour Between Services
From 10:10 to 10:50 am, the building hums with Christian formation for every age. Salem's Sunday Education Hour runs from September through May and includes several distinct offerings:
- Rooted Sunday School for ages two through fifth grade meets on the lower level in rooms 17 - 20 with age-appropriate Bible lessons using the Wonder Ink curriculum.
- Middle School Confirmation for grades six through eight covers an Old Testament Survey, a New Testament Survey, and Foundations of Faith, after which students are confirmed at Salem.
- High School Sunday School for grades nine through twelve gathers weekly for fellowship and study.
- The Sunday Lecture Series meets in the Fellowship Hall with weekly forty-minute talks from scholars at Bethel University and other Twin Cities institutions.
- Faith 20/20 meets in the lounge, combining twenty minutes of teaching with twenty minutes of conversation on topics ranging from contemplative prayer to the book of James.
- Encouragers is a prayer and book-study group for adults in early to middle adulthood, meeting in rooms 10 and 11 on the lower level.
Wednesday Evenings at Salem
Wednesday nights, September through May, offer a full slate of fellowship, education, and music. The evening begins with a community dinner from 5:15 to 6:15 pm, with a suggested donation of four dollars per person or sixteen dollars per family. The menu rotates: pizza on the first Wednesday, hot dogs on the second, chicken nuggets or mac and cheese on the third, tacos on the fourth, and spaghetti and meatballs on the occasional fifth Wednesday.
Education and discipleship fill the rest of the evening. AWANA clubs for ages three through fifth grade meet from 6:30 to 7:45 pm, divided into Cubbies (ages 3 - 5), Sparks (kindergarten through second grade), and T&T (third through fifth grade). At the same time, middle and high school students gather for Youth Group, and adults participate in an evening Bible study led by Pastor Dan that walks through the upcoming Sunday's texts. A morning Bible study for adults also meets Wednesdays at 10:00 am.
Music programming runs through the Wednesday schedule as well. God's Children Sing (ages 0 - 5 with an attending adult), Praise Singers (grades 1 - 5), and Joy Singers (grades 6 - 8) rehearse from 5:50 to 6:25 pm. The Sanctuary Choir rehearses from 6:45 to 8:15 pm, and Doxology, the high school worship group, gathers from 7:55 to 8:45 pm.
Children and Family Ministry
Salem's children and family ministry runs programs on both Sundays and Wednesdays. On Sundays during the Education Hour, Rooted Sunday School gathers children ages two through fifth grade for Bible lessons, songs, and activities. During the 11:00 am service, Flourish Children's Worship invites children ages two through second grade to begin with their parents in the gym and then be dismissed before the sermon for a children's message time. Children's messages are also a regular highlight of the contemporary service for kids who remain with their families.
On Wednesdays, AWANA brings a high-energy environment with large and small group times, Scripture memorization, and games. The program uses the KidCheck security system for check-in and check-out, and all volunteers complete a background check and abuse awareness training. Parents register for KidCheck online or through the KidCheck app on iOS or Android devices.
Salem celebrates both child dedication and baptism. Dedication is offered to parents who believe baptism should follow a personal confession of faith, while infant and child baptism is offered to parents who view the sacrament as a visible sign of God's grace claiming a child. Salem performs baptism by both sprinkling and immersion, with immersion services held at locations such as Turtle Lake. To inquire about baptism or dedication, families call the church office.
The church's Children and Family Ministry is currently recruiting volunteers age eighteen and older for Sunday School teachers, classroom support, AWANA small group leaders, and substitutes.
Youth and Young Adults
Salem's youth ministry serves students in middle school and high school with three weekly touchpoints plus special events throughout the year.
Sunday morning offers Confirmation for grades six through eight and High School Sunday School for grades nine through twelve. Both meet during the Education Hour from 10:10 to 10:50 am. Wednesday night Youth Group runs from 6:30 to 7:45 pm for students in grades six through twelve, with games, fellowship, a faith-filled lesson, and small group discussion.
The Threads Ministry meets on the fourth Sunday of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and weaves reading, discussion, and hands-on service projects together. Past events for students have included Capture the Chickens and Messy Powder Color Games with neighboring Emmanuel Covenant, bowling, snow tubing, yearly retreats, and mission trips. Salem's youth recently partnered with the Esperanza Viva Youth Home in Mexico and travel to Alaska Christian College for basketball camps and service projects.
Summer programming includes Vacation Bible School and Youth Pursuits Camps. The most recent VBS, Illumination Station, drew 153 students and fifty StepUp! youth volunteers who explored John 8:12 and the identity of Jesus as the Light of the World. Youth Pursuits Camps include sports and creative arts tracks, with older students stepping into leadership roles through the StepUp! program.
The Youth and Young Adult Director, Shelli Streeper, also leads Salem's annual Arts and Crafts Fair, which has been a youth ministry fundraiser for over thirty years.
An Expansive Music Ministry
Music is woven through nearly everything Salem does. The music ministry invites participation from preschool through adulthood, with ensembles for every age and skill level.
For children, God's Children Sing (ages 0 - 5 with an attending adult), Praise Singers (grades 1 - 5), and Joy Singers (grades 6 - 8) rehearse on Wednesday evenings. Doxology is the high school worship group that leads songs in Traditional services. Adults can join the Sanctuary Choir, the Handbell Ensemble (grade 8 and above), the Brass Ensemble, the String Ensemble, and the Wind Ensemble (grade 6 and above with at least two years' experience). The Swedish Singers carry on the congregation's Swedish heritage through songs in both English and Swedish, while the Salem String Band plays gospel favorites accompanied by guitar, mandolin, violin, and ukulele. The Technical Crew runs sound, slides, and livestream during services.
The Sanctuary Choir sings at three out of every four Sundays at the Traditional Service. The Handbell Ensemble plays six to eight services each year plus the Christmas Concert. The Wind Ensemble typically performs twice a year, including at the Christmas Concert. Volunteers are needed across all groups, with training provided for tech crew roles.
Music is directed by Cindy Reents (organist and music coordinator), Andrea Zimmerman (contemporary worship), Darin Riedel (handbells), Jonathan Veenker (Sanctuary Choir), Carrie Ann Uwadiae (Doxology), Liz Ehlert (Joy Singers), Tanya Eliason (God's Children Sing), and Gary Schwartz (Salem String Band).
Thrive Ministry and Disability Inclusion
Salem's Thrive Ministry empowers individuals with unique needs and disabilities to deepen their love for God, his Word, and his people. The ministry partners with existing Children and Family Ministry programs, providing additional training for volunteers and offering sensory-friendly spaces throughout the building.
Thrive Worship Nights are offered several times a year as a sensory-sensitive alternative to Sunday morning worship, with minimized light and sound, sensory tools and movement, and a shorter message. Upcoming Thrive Worship Nights are scheduled for September 20 and October 18 at 5:00 pm, each followed by a fellowship hour.
All Thrive volunteers are background-checked and serve in teams, with training and ongoing support provided.
Adult Education, Small Groups, and Sunday Nights
Beyond Sunday morning, Salem offers a wide network of adult ministries. Small Groups meet throughout the year, launching in September and refreshing in January, with focuses ranging from Bible study and book study to special interests. Life Groups meet for seven weeks in the fall and seven weeks over the Lenten season to discuss the previous week's sermon and pray together.
Sunday Nights at Salem opens the building for adults on Sunday evenings with a menu of offerings that change each season. Recent programs have included pickleball in the gym, game nights in the Fellowship Hall, video game nights, LMDJ movie nights on Minnesota history and racial justice, a six-week contemplative prayer series called Come As You Are Contemplation, guided conversations around national elections, and a Christmas cookie decorating class. Thrive Worship also takes place on selected Sunday evenings.
Older adults have their own gatherings. Journeys for 50+ plans fellowship, service, and mission events throughout the year, including a soup supper and sandwich-making event for The Sandwich Project. Friday Fellowship meets on the third Friday of each month, September through May, for adults age fifty-five and older, with lunch and entertainment. The MomCo (formerly MOPS) gathers moms on the second and fourth Fridays, September through May, from 9:30 to 11:30 am, with childcare for infants through age five.
Salem's Connecting Ministries team welcomes new and returning attendees at the door, staffs the Welcome Desk, and hosts Connecting Lunches and all-church events. The Multicultural Team welcomes the church's diverse neighbors through the annual Multicultural Lunch, Faith 20/20 teaching sessions, multicultural nativity displays, cooking classes, and restaurant outings. The Love Mercy Do Justice team focuses on cultural intelligence, advocacy for vulnerable people, and care for creation.
Care Ministries
Salem's Care ministries include Pastoral Care, Caring Friends, Prayer Ministry, and a Footcare Clinic. Members who are hospitalized, homebound, or in spiritual need can request a pastoral visit by calling the church office. Caring Friends volunteers maintain one-on-one relationships with homebound, sick, and struggling individuals through phone calls, emails, and home visits.
Prayer requests and praises are sent to the church office and shared through the Salem Weekly Prayer Update email. Confidential requests are honored as directed. Salem also hosts a foot care nurse on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
Missions: Here, Near, and Far
Missions at Salem is organized geographically. Here, the church partners with Loaves & Fishes to prepare and serve monthly meals, sends volunteers to Manna Market food pantry at Fridley Covenant Church each Tuesday, supports the Community Support Center as a founding member, and pairs with refugee families for up to a year through the Good Neighbor Team alongside Arrive Ministries.
Near, Salem supports Joni and Friends Family Retreat by providing one-on-one buddies for campers with disabilities, and provides financial support to McGregor Young Life for after-school Christian instruction.
Far, Salem supports an international network of missionaries including Jim Bengtson with Cru, Jochy and Tammi Hernandez in the Dominican Republic, Tom and Rachel Jones with the Navigators, Peter and Anna Kim in East Asia, Dale and Sara Lusk with Merge Ministry, Francisco and Stephanie Martins Ramos with La Fonderie in Paris, Bonnie and Eric Sparrman with the Swedish Covenant Church in southern Sweden, and James Tang with the Evangelical Covenant Church in South Sudan and Ethiopia. Salem also supports Alaska Christian College, KICY radio in Nome, Covenant World Relief and Development, Covenant Kids Congo/World Vision, and the Paul Carlson Partnership in DR Congo.
Short-term mission trips in recent years have included Alaska Christian College, the Czech Republic for English Bible camp, and Joni and Friends Family Retreat. An upcoming trip is planned for Mankato, Minnesota, in July 2027, partnering with Community Covenant for a family-friendly VBS, community garden, and learning week.
Salem Preschool: Growing God's Amazing Kids Since 1971
Salem Preschool has been part of the church's ministry for over fifty years, serving New Brighton and surrounding communities since 1971. The play-based program aims to help children grow cognitively, socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually as they prepare for kindergarten. Teachers hold a combined 150-plus years of experience, all with bachelor's or master's degrees. Each class includes monthly chapel time with the pastor and Bible verse memorization.
Three-year-old classes meet two days a week (Green Class on Tuesday and Thursday, Orange Class on Wednesday and Friday) from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at $160 per month. Four-year-old classes include the Blue Class (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, $235 per month) and the Purple Class (Monday morning plus Tuesday and Thursday all-day, $375 per month). Marvelous Monday enrichment, open to Blue and Purple students, runs Monday afternoons from 12:00 to 3:00 pm at $75 per month and features movement, music, sports, Spanish, drama, and STEM.
The preschool is licensed by the state of Minnesota. Salem members and families with multiple enrolled children receive a ten percent discount. Students grow vegetables in the preschool garden that are donated to a local food shelter, and families donate birthday bags filled with party supplies for food shelters as well.
The Salem Arts and Crafts Fair
Salem's annual Arts and Crafts Fair has been a fixture of the church's outreach and youth ministry fundraising for over three decades. The most recent fair drew more than one hundred artists and crafters and ran from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Vendor fees, a bake sale (with traditional Swedish cakes, pumpkin rolls, and other baked goods), and a café offering croissant sandwiches, chicken wild rice soup, and hotdogs all raise funds for youth mission trips and national youth conferences. A raffle of three gift baskets has been added in recent years. The next fair is scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Foundation for the Future Capital Campaign
In recent years Salem has undertaken a capital campaign called Foundation for the Future, with a challenge goal of $3.4 million. More than 170 households contributed, and the campaign has exceeded its goal, raising more than $3.725 million. The funds address aging facility infrastructure (roof, exterior, windows, parking lot), essential building systems (HVAC, elevator controller, commercial dishwasher, office security), and worship improvements (organ restoration and integrated lighting and camera systems). The campaign offers three-year pledges, non-cash gifts of stock or property, and legacy gifts through wills and living trusts.
What Salem Believes
Salem is a congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a growing multi-ethnic denomination in the United States and Canada. The church holds to six core convictions: the Bible as the Word of God, the gift of God's grace revealed through Jesus Christ, the joy of an ever-deepening spiritual life through the work of the Holy Spirit, the call to love God and neighbor, and the freedom in Christ that enables unity amid diversity.
The church's Five Foundational Practices for Christian Formation are worshiping God as the heartbeat of life and community, waiting on God through devotional practices centered in Scripture and prayer, walking with fellow believers in relationships that encourage love and growth, working with others to extend compassion, mercy, and justice, and welcoming people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.
Leadership and Staff
Salem is pastored by a team of five. Mark Pattie serves as Senior Pastor. Alice Johnson serves as Executive Pastor. Terri Russell serves as Community Engagement Pastor. Andrew Stonina serves as Facility Pastor. Matthew Ness serves as Outreach and Congregational Care Pastor. The pastoral staff is supported by an extensive ministry team including Lynn McDonald (Children and Family Director), Shannyn Stoffel (Preschool Director), Shelli Streeper (Youth and Young Adult Director), Mary Jacobson (Nursery Coordinator), Cindy Reents (Organist and Music Coordinator), Andrea Zimmerman (Contemporary Worship Arts Director), and Theo Lukes (Technical Director). The administrative team includes Marcy Toensing (Business Administrator), Michelle Rinken (Office Manager), Janell Davalos (Cash Receipts Clerk), Mark Anderson (Financial Secretary), Sarah Burt (Digital Media Director), and Grace Walker (Creative Producer).
A long-tenured facility and kitchen team maintains the building and prepares Wednesday meals and funeral receptions, and Salem hosts weddings through its Wedding Coordinator.
Plan a Visit
Newcomers are invited to choose either the 9:00 am Traditional Service or the 11:00 am Contemporary Service, with greeters at the front doors and hosts at the Welcome Desk in the Narthex ready to help. The Connection Card on the church's online form is the best way to ask questions or request information. A staffed nursery is available during both services and the Education Hour for children from birth through age two. Children may join Rooted Sunday School during the Education Hour or Flourish Children's Worship during the contemporary service. Visitors dress to their comfort level and may participate in worship at their own pace.
Salem 101, a three-session class exploring the church's beliefs, history, vision, and mission, is offered periodically for those who want to learn more and possibly become members. Child care is available upon request.
Salem is located at 2655 Fifth Street NW, New Brighton, Minnesota. The church office can be reached at 651-633-9615 or admin@salem-covenant.church. Services are livestreamed online for those who cannot attend in person, and past sermons are available in a growing archive.