About Us
A Brief Look At Covenant Presbyterian Church
Ministers
Mark Harper, Pastor / Head of Staff, grew up in Davidson and Raleigh, North Carolina. Mark and Susan and their three children come to Athens from Shaverton, Pennsylvania, where Mark served as Pastor of the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Dallas, PA, and as the Protestant Chaplain of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre. Mark was led to study for his Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. During his seminary years in NJ, Mark was a student chaplain for the NJ State Prison in Trenton, a summer intern pastor at the Westminister Presbyterian Church in Camden, and a full-time pastoral intern at First Presbyterian Church in Ambler.
Beecher Mathes, Associate Pastor, has lived all around the South, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, being the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. She has degrees from Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC, and from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. Her former employment has been in the fields of church and college administration and music. She has served as associate pastor of Covenant, her first pastorate, since 1993.
History
One of Athens' youngest Presbyterian Churches, Covenant was officially established in May 1966, with 33 members. The congregation met in the Gaines Community Center until 1970, at which time it moved to the Presbyterian Center on the campus of the University of Georgia. With the assistance of other Presbyterian churches in Athens, long-range plans came into focus. On May 2, 1971, Covenant Church moved into its multi-purpose building on Gaines School Road. Since the early days of organization, the membership has grown to over 400 confirmed members.
In November of 1975, the Christian Education Building was completed. The following summer some of Covenant's own members finished the basement into one large and two smaller rooms. In March of 1986, the Worship Center was completed. In 1995, the remainder of the facility was completed with space for offices, music and choir, library, and four additional classrooms, and the original Fellowship Hall renovated.
The program of the church includes many aspects of worship, study, outreach, and fellowship. In collaboration with the Witness Ministry team and the Northeast Georgia Presbytery, the congregation is involved in responding to the spiritual and social needs of this rapidly growing segment of Athens. The facility is shared with the Korean Presbyterian congregation, which has a strong ministry with students at the University of Georgia. Covenant also shares the facility with many groups and organizations in the Athens community, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Cub Scouts, Brownies, and residential community associations. Covenant supports ministry to students through the Presbyterian Student Center at the University of Georgia. Covenant Church is a member of the Northeast Georgia Presbytery, Synod of the South Atlantic, and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The congregation reflects the rich diversity of the Athens community and all members are given an opportunity to share their gifts in Christian ministry.
Covenant's Mission Statement: Covenant Presbyterian Church as a community of disciples of Jesus Christ is to exhibit the presence of the risen Christ in its life as a community and as individuals. When Christ says, "You shall be my witness when the Holy Spirit comes upon you," God calls the whole church to ministry, as stewards of creation through the giving of ourselves. In continuing Christ's ministry, Covenant reflects the "good news" of God's grace through public worship, education, fellowship, and outreach in and with the Athens community and the world. Covenant tries to achieve balance between profession and practice of the Christian faith, between word and deed, and between self-nurture and outreach to others.