Ministries

Children
Youth
Adults Fellowship
Deacons

Children

WOW (Worship Our Way)
For children kindergarten to fourth grade. Led by Katey Johnson the children enjoy a time of being together exploring lessons that are prepared and presented just for them!

Covenant Children’s Ministry Values
1) Every child is a beloved child of God and every family is welcome to our church.
2) Covenant provides a safe and secure place for every child and family to worship God and grow in their faith. (All Christian Education/Children’s Ministry programs and events are staffed by Covenant employees and volunteers who have passed background checks.)
3) The Christian Education/Children’s Ministry is a vital part of the Covenant community and the church’s mission statement–working hand-in-hand with other ministries of the church and across generations–to follow Christ’s example to love and to serve.
4) Children’s Ministry provides age-appropriate, engaging, and uplifting Christian programming to children through Sunday School, W.o.W., Wednesday night activities, and other special events.
5) Parents and guardians play essential roles and are invited to participate, volunteer, or observe ALL of our programs and events at any time. Our goal is to connect with, support, and encourage parents in their God-given role as the spiritual leaders of their children.
6) The Christian Education program seeks to glorify God by teaching children to love God and to accept His love, grace and forgiveness. Our goal is to equip children with an expanding knowledge of the Christian faith and provide age-appropriate avenues to learn the Bible stories.

Youth

Covenant Student Ministries
Covenant Student Ministries is an involved and vibrant community dedicated to serving God through worship, education, service.

“The goal of the Covenant Presbyterian Church Student Ministry Program is to glorify God through the enrichment and strengthening of relationships with each other and with God through the equipping of young people with appropriate tools for theologically competent discernment within the Body of Christ.”

Programs:

Confirmation Class: At Covenant, students 6th-8th grades engage in a special time of study and instruction in preparation for a life of continuing education and growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
                Confirmation is a process in which students will be instructed in the faith as they continue their faith journey. Confirmation is not just a series of classes. Confirmands will be fully engaged in the life of the church through worship, learning, growth, service, and nurture of community. Confirmands should emerge from their confirmation experience at the end of their 8th grade year equipped and prepared for a life of Christian discipleship (which means a life of continued learning and growth in Christ) and ready to profess their commitment to Jesus Christ and intention to engage in church membership at Covenant.

                The confirmation experience involves:
Learning
Serving
Community Building
Spiritual Growth
Relationships
Fun!

The Confirmation program spans the years of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. All three grades will attend the Confirmation Retreats together (with the exception of the final 8th grade retreat).

Confirmation Retreats
                There will be at minimum two retreats per year (usually fall and winter) and a final retreat for 8th graders the weekend before Pentecost. Retreats are generally held at Covenant on Saturday from 9:00 am -3:00 pm.
The retreats will focus on what it means to identify as a Presbyterian follower of Christ through study of Presbyterian polity (how we govern ourselves), the confessions which inform our theology, a more in-depth study of what Scripture is and the practice of responsible scriptural interpretation, history, and who we are in relationship to God and neighbor.
The final 8th grade retreat for students completing the program consists of a more in-depth examination of several documents contained in the Book of Confessions which will then inform the group as they gather together all that they have learned and believe about God and craft a corporate statement of faith together. During the week between the 8th Grade Retreat and Pentecost the student will craft their own personal statement of faith.
Confirmation
                Upon completion of the program the student will be eligible for confirmation which is held on Pentecost Sunday (which usually falls in late May or early June). The student will meet with a couple of Session members before worship to celebrate their decision to confirm their baptismal vows and their intention to join the church. Following Sunday worship there will be a celebratory reception in Fellowship Hall.
                Attendance of both the Retreats and Sunday mornings is crucial for your young person’s spiritual education. Students are expected to participate in the Confirmation Program with regular attendance at the various activities. This means regular attendance of classes, worship, Youth Group, Retreats, and special events. Unless the students are present and families are committed and involved, the objectives of the program cannot be accomplished.
                Middle school age students are capable of learning that is challenging, intentional, and integrative. To short change their instruction would be a disservice to them and to the mission that God in Jesus Christ has given the church. The intended outcome of the Confirmation Program at Covenant is to empower a young person who is increasingly knowledgeable about their faith, who is committed to Jesus Christ, and who is intentional about living a life of Christian discipleship. By the grace of God in Christ and through the cooperative efforts of students, parents, mentors, and staff, this outcome will be realized.

Regular Student Community Events

Monthly Wednesday Gathering
Led by Bill Spi(cer) the Science Guy (Sir!). Drawing upon his lifetime of engineering experience and his insatiable passion for science, Bill leads the youth in adventures through scripture and the wonders of God's creation.

Saturday Sunday School
Pastor Joseph posts videos that follow our lectionary for Sunday school on Saturday.

Wednesday
Pastor Joseph posts lessons on Wednesday that follow C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew

Adults

Sunday School
Adult Sunday School
Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in Fellowship Hall. Both in-person and via Zoom. Led and facilitated by members of Covenant’s Wednesday morning group. Come explore the parables of Jesus!

Saturday Sunday School. Pastor Joseph posts videos that follow our lectionary for Sunday school on Saturday.

Weekly Educational Opportunities
Women's Bible Study
All are welcome via Zoom and in-person! The group is currently studying Lynn Japinga's book, "From Daughters to Disciples." There is no preparation needed. If you’re interested, please let us know and we will get the meeting information to you.

Men’s Bible Study and Prayer Breakfast
Join us for a wonderful time of study and fellowship! This group meets at 8-9am on Thursdays in-person and on Zoom. Grab some breakfast and join us! We are studying Luke using the commentary series “Luke for Everyone” published by Westminster John Knox Press. N.T. Wright, one of the world’s leading scholars, offers great commentary that is also timely and relatable. There is no preparation needed. We read the scripture and commentary and then have a great discussion. We close the class with a time of prayer. If you’re interested, talk with Pastor Joseph or Pastor Laura.

21 Day Racial Justice Challenge and Beyond
We want to invite you to join us for a class focusing on racial justice. We meet over Zoom on Wednesdays from 10:30 -11:30am. All are invited to join us!

Fellowship

Join us on Fridays at 10 AM as Pastor Laura and Pastor Joseph go live on Facebook for a time of community, discussion, and prayer. (Lovingly dubbed, the Pastors' Variety Show)

There are many fellowship opportunities at Covenant

Deacons

Called to Serve!

Hi. We’re the deacons of Covenant, and we would love to have you join us in service to our church and Wichita! The general assembly says Deacons are to, “exhibit…the exemplary moral authority of sympathy, witness and service after the example of Jesus Christ.”

We try our best to live those words by: feeding the hungry through our food pantry and Wednesday Night Suppers, providing money and gifts through our family emergency fund and Christmas family adoptions, supporting Westminster Woods, campers, college students and more.

We work hard, but we have a lot of fun doing it. Please ask Pastor Laura Frazey about how you can become a deacon.