Covenant
Presbyterian Church had its beginnings in 1980
when the development of a new church in west
Gainesville was recognized as a priority by the
Presbytery of Suwanee (PCUS) and the Presbytery of
Northeast Florida (UP).
Following
extensive demographic studies, worship began in
the fall of 1981. The new work was then called the
West Gainesville Presbyterian New Church
Development. These early efforts were led by a
number of part-time, retired ministers that
included Paul Edris, Jim Leitch, Ed Albright, Sr.,
and Alex Flemming.
In
1983, the Reverend James H. Wells was called as
the organizing pastor. The work's name was changed
to Covenant New Church Development and meetings
were held in the library at Oak Hall School.
On
November 21, 1983, the purchase of the current
property was completed. Covenant now had 10.6
acres to which it could someday move. Until that
time, the church continued to meet at Oak Hall and
in 1987 moved to the Village
On
June 1, 1986, Covenant Presbyterian Church was
formally organized with 100 members by the
Presbytery of St. Augustine. Jim Wells was elected
pastor and installed on October 19, 1986. A
Session and Building Committee were also elected.
Work
began immediately to develop a preliminary plan
for a facility. After months of work, the
committee realized that the funds would not be
available. In November, 1986 after a period of
negotiations, Santa Fe Health Care Systems donated
a 9,500 square foot hospital unit to Covenant.
Plans began to move, renovate, and dedicate this
new facility. Loans were secured from the Synod,
the General Assembly, and a local bank to make the
dream come true. The building was finally moved
and installed on the site on November 1, 1987.
Under the guidance of Richard Moseley, a member of
Covenant who served as project manager and with
the help of many church members, renovation began.
This work was completed and the building was
occupied for Sunday services for the first time on
July 3, 1988. The official dedication followed on
September 11, 1988.
From
the very beginning, Covenant sought to encourage
ministry to the surrounding community. A number of
programs were developed and designed to reach out
to those nearby.
On
September 17, 1995, the founding pastor, the
Reverend James Wells resigned after nine years in
the position. The Reverend John Ragsdale was
called as interim pastor. He served from October
8, 1995 until Easter Sunday, March 30, 1997. Glen
Busby served as parish associate from 1988 until
1993. On May 15, 1997, the Reverend Dr. R. Shane
Owens began his work as the second pastor. He was
installed by Presbytery of St. Augustine on June
15, 1997.
In
1999, the congregation participated in a
consultation process that led to the development
of a mission statement and theme for the church.
In addition, goals and objectives were developed
to guide Covenant Presbyterian Church over the
next five years.
Covenant
Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbytery
of St. Augustine, the Synod of the South Atlantic,
and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church (U. S. A.). It is governing locally by a
Session composed of elders and the pastor.
Covenant
Presbyterian
Church
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