From Six Members in 1877 to a Church That Spans Generations
On April 29, 1877, Faith Covenant Church was founded with six members, and Rev. George Whitworth was called as its first pastor. Though the body was called the First Presbyterian Church of Puyallup, the church was located in Sumner. From the very start a vision took hold for reaching out to the surrounding community and saving the lost.
That early commitment produced an academy. The Sumner Academy began as an outgrowth of the church, with students using desks fastened to the pews. Eight years later it was incorporated as Whitworth College, eventually relocating to Spokane. That heritage of learning continues today, with children, students, and adults still gathering around the Bible to learn together.
Today the church belongs to the Evangelical Covenant Church, and its mission focus has not changed. Faith Covenant commits more than 15 percent of all giving to missions, alongside youth and adult mission trips, Vacation Bible School outreach, and a Christian preschool that has reached many families for Christ.
Sundays on Washington Street
Faith Covenant Church meets at 1915 Washington Street in Sumner for worship at 10 AM each Sunday. The music draws on the best of both contemporary and classic styles, creating a service that feels accessible to first-timers and rooted for long-time attenders. Every Sunday service is livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, and a sermon podcast lets anyone catch up on a missed weekend.
Getting to the building is straightforward. From Highway 410, take the WA 162 exit toward Orting and Sumner, then turn onto Valley Avenue East (left if coming from the east, right if coming from the west) and continue across Main Street. The church sits on the left just past Sunset Stadium, about a mile from the highway. Two parking lots serve visitors: a north lot off Langdon Street and a south lot off Washington Street.
An Intergenerational Family on Sundays
Faith Covenant calls itself a "truly inter-generational church," and the shape of a Sunday morning reflects that. Children are always welcome in the sanctuary with their families, and several programs run alongside the service:
- Nursery (birth through PreK), a staffed room with toys, songs, and Bible stories.
- Kids Worship (kindergarten through fifth grade), where elementary children are prayed over during the service, dismissed to KidMin leaders for age-appropriate worship, and return before the service ends. A check-in kiosk in the lobby by the north doors helps families get started.
- The Rock-A-Bye Room, a quiet space with rocking chairs and couches where nursing parents can watch the service on a TV.
- The Family Worship Room in Snelling Hall, a livestreamed worship space with tables, chairs, and activities for young children.
Chrissy Cuellar serves as assistant director of family ministry and helps families plug in.
Students: Wednesday Nights at Faith Cov
Middle and high school students, grades 6 through 12, gather on Wednesday evenings during the school year in the Family Room of the main church building from 6:30 to 8 PM. The evenings include games, snacks, a lesson, and small-group conversation. In summer the group shifts to Loyalty Park from 5:30 to 7:30 PM for dinner and games, and the whole family is invited. Dean Soule, associate pastor of family ministry, leads the program.
Real Life Together: Connect, Grow, Serve
Faith Covenant's calling is captured in the phrase "real life together." Three rhythms hold the church's ministry together.
Connect
A monthly 4th Tuesday Family Dinner brings the whole church together for a meal and conversation. Three times a year, Esperanza Viva Services gather the congregation with a Spanish-speaking sister church to worship and celebrate as one family. Newcomers can meet pastors, staff, and leadership at a Next Step Lunch, share a prayer request through a digital connect card, or join the weekly "What's Happening" email or text list by texting CONNECT to 253-993-1797. Baptism classes are offered for anyone ready to declare faith in Jesus.
Grow
Life Groups meet around the area for fellowship and study. Men and women can sign up for Bible studies tailored to their season of life. Immerse, a six-volume Bible reading program, walks community groups through Scripture once a week in a "book club" style. Each meeting uses four simple questions: What stood out to you this week? Was there anything confusing or troubling? Did anything make you think differently about God? How might this change the way we live? Grow Groups then bring three or four people together for accountability, prayer, and real-life application of God's Word.
Serve
Workshops, retreats, and one-on-one coaching equip members to disciple others. Annual adult and student service and learning trips send teams into local and international settings. Beyond these programs, the whole church is encouraged to walk through the Bible together over a three-year cycle, reading all six Immerse volumes twice a year.
#FORsumner: Local and Global Outreach
Faith Covenant's local outreach runs under the banner #FORsumner, a commitment to be known for what the church is FOR rather than what it is against. The congregation serves alongside a long list of partner organizations:
- Sumner Food Bank, with a team of about 50 people serving together one Monday a month.
- Step by Step and Dreams Work, equipping pregnant women, mothers, and families.
- CareNet of Puget Sound, pregnancy and family services.
- Family Renewal Services, domestic violence assistance.
- Tacoma Rescue Mission, meals and shelter.
- St. Francis House and New Hope Resource Center, shelter, meals, and resources for people experiencing homelessness.
- Compassion Washington, free medical and dental clinics plus trafficking awareness and prevention.
- The Coffee Oasis and Mother 2 Many, reaching youth in the wider community.
- Navigators, college ministry at the University of Washington.
- Reach Ministries, community for young adults affected by HIV.
- Mission Aviation Repair Center, flight support for missionaries in Alaska.
- CarePortal, meeting specific needs of vulnerable children and families.
Internationally, Faith Covenant partners with Covenant World Relief and World Vision through Covenant Kids Congo for child sponsorship. Long-term partners include Team Agape Kenya (Kelly Fitzpatrick's ministry in Kenya), Gabriel House (an orphanage for children with disabilities in Mandeanero, Mexico), Hands for Peacemaking in Guatemala, OMF International (church planting in East Asia), the Rafiki Foundation (training Africans to reach Africa), Thembalethu Care Organization (HIV prevention and care in South Africa), Serge Ministries (care for missionaries and refugee trauma work in the Czech Republic), Action International, and the APK Family serving with the Evangelical Covenant Church in Taiwan. Many Faith Cov families also sponsor individual children through Covenant Kids Congo.
When Life Gets Hard: Care for One Another
Faith Covenant's care network is built around two overlapping efforts. Emergency Help provides practical assistance, including transportation, meals, yard work, and other essential needs, to individuals and families facing urgent situations. The Emergency Help Fund offers financial help for essentials when other options have run out. Volunteers can sign up for the Helping Hands list, and those who need help submit requests through the church office at 253-863-5101 or info@faithcovsumner.com.
Other care ministries include the meal train (sign up to bring meals to a family in need), visits to those who are homebound, funeral receptions, devotionals, food bank drives, grief support, and the COMPASSION Widows Support Group. The Young at Heart fellowship brings the 55-plus community together for meals, games, and outings to local museums and plays.
Little Sprouts Early Learning Center
The church operates Little Sprouts Early Learning Center, a Christian preschool founded in 2005 and now expanding to include licensed full-day options for children 12 months through age 5. Small class sizes, an interactive curriculum, and a safe, loving atmosphere combine with Christian values integrated into everyday learning. Shannon Unger directs the center and can be reached at 253-737-4343 or littlesprouts@faithcovsumner.com.
Covenant Beliefs and Pastoral Leadership
Faith Covenant Church belongs to the Evangelical Covenant Church. The church affirms the Old and New Testaments as the inspired, infallible Word of God, and the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed as faithful summaries of historic Christian belief. Believed truths include one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the sinfulness of humanity; salvation through Christ alone; the necessity of new birth; the communion of believers; the priesthood of all believers; and a call to be agents of reconciliation across boundaries of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, and status.
Kurt Notehelfer serves as lead pastor, with Dean Soule as associate pastor of family ministry. Kristal Locke serves as director of leadership development. The church office can be reached at info@faithcovsumner.com or 253-863-5101.