Covenant Church Vision

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Dear friends,

Below you'll find a vision and stories about Covenant Church, a church that, as I'm writing this in 2023, is just starting in Burbank.

This vision and these stories are set five years in the future.

Dream with us.

How are you being called to participate in this ministry? What are your gifts and abilities? What can you do now?

Covenant is a new church with a renewed concept of what a church should be, but with historic roots to the 1600's and the Reformation. Our foundation is solid, built upon God and his Word. As we grow, and God gives opportunities to glorify and enjoy him, this vision and these stories will continue to grow as well. Perhaps one of the characters in these stories is you!

I hope you'll join us!

-Pastor Brooks

Last Updated: April 7, 2023

The problem: Uncertainty, instability, and anxiety.

The solution: God's covenantal love.

Living and working in and around Los Angeles is filled with uncertainty. This is a real problem. People come and go. And we never know who we can and should invest into with our time and friendships. Work and money come and go. For many of us, we never know when or if we’ll be hired again. This high cost of living adds to stress and uncertainty.

But the God who made the world and everything in it (including you!) has made covenant promises. We can have certainty and lasting confidence in these, like his promise of love for his people in the Lord Jesus. From God, a covenant promise is a promise that cannot be broken. God’s people can have confidence then in his unchanging love and can know with certainty that Jesus is always for them and is their closest friend, no matter their circumstance.

The name “Covenant” provides opportunity to tell and to speak much and often of the unchanging, covenantal love of God.

The problem: Restlessness, brokenness. Everyone worships something or someone, seeking meaning where meaning cannot be found.

The solution: Opportunities weekly to worship the God who gives meaning, purpose, hope, and joy.

It's with great joy that God's people in Covenant Church gather weekly on Sundays for worship. All of the events of the previous week: the prayer, the service ministries, the fellowship; they all come together in crescendo on Sundays as all the Covenant Church members, from their various locations across and beyond the San Fernando Valley, come together to celebrate what God has done for them in Jesus and what God is doing among them by his Holy Spirit.

Each Sunday consists of morning worship, an exciting and structured opportunity for singing, confessing, preaching, praying, giving of time, talents, treasures, and partaking of the Lord's Supper as we're reminded again of God's great love for his people.

And then evening worship, a quieter opportunity to refocus our hearts and minds on the things of Jesus as we begin the new week.

God's people in Covenant Church always look forward to Sundays because Sundays are where they experience gathered true community, and true encouragement among those whom they call such dear friends.

Private & Family Worship:

God's people in Covenant Church are equipped and encouraged to participate in family worship. This is a daily time of worship at home with the household by prayer, reading Scripture, and singing praise.

Youth & Family Ministry:

The youth of Covenant Church are encouraged to participate in Covenant's youth ministry. There are also opportunities for family conferences and events like these:

ARP Conferences – Encouraging young people and families in their walks with Christ

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The problem: Seeking answers and identity in all the wrong places.

The solution: Covenant Church emphasizes and gives opportunities to learn the Bible.

Among the wonderful gifts God has given for his people is his written Word. At Covenant Church, knowing the Bible and applying its message to life is a primary ministry. The Bible has answers for how to glorify and enjoy God, how to be saved, how to live by faith, and hope for life.

God's people at Covenant Church do not rely solely on their minister to understand and apply the Bible. Instead, they're equipped and encouraged to read the Bible on their own, and to seek out meaning and application. This is a blessing to the hearts of Covenant Church people and they're able to share hope with those in need.

The problem: No community, no close friends, lonely. Used by people instead of loved by people.

The solution: A place where people love one another as they have found love in the Lord Jesus.

There's a special moment in the gospel narratives when the Lord Jesus turns to his disciples. He tells them that he loves them. And he calls them his friends (John 15).

One of the things we learn from this is that the Lord Jesus considers his people, who follow him in faith, to be something very special — his friends. What an encouragement!

Think now for a moment. When was the last time someone in Burbank or Los Angeles told you that they loved you and considered you a dear friend? It has probably been some time, am I right? It's hard to make true friends here.

But Covenant Church changes this. Forming deep friendships with people happens naturally when you share a close mutual friend already. Those in Covenant Church who are following Jesus, thereby growing closer to him, are automatically developing relationships and friendships with fellow believers in the church as all move in one direction towards the Lord Jesus in faith.

Below, I show a possible example of community. It's impossible, of course, to capture every aspect of what makes "community" in a short story, as it's something better lived than said. But a group of people who are loved by the Lord and thereby love and support one another can and do make real differences in their own lives and in the lives of others. Here's one possible example, out of an infinite number of possibilities for which the Covenant Church community can be a blessing and a joy to people in Burbank and Los Angeles.

Community at Covenant Church

Imagine please that it’s the year 2028. At the time of writing, that’s five years from now. And Karla, a single mother, has just moved to Burbank

Covenant ChurchRev. Brooks Pipher

The problem: Days feel empty and meaningless.

The solution: Equipped via Covenant Church to make every moment count.

One of the joys of participating in the life and ministry of a local church, like Covenant Church, is the opportunity to gather for worship on Sundays.

In gathered worship the written Word of God is read and preached. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible to shape us. Some may become convinced of their need for the Savior, and believers are built up in holiness and comfort. There are also the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper which God uses to encourage his people regarding their standing in Jesus.

But then there are six days in the week in which, most weeks, there are no opportunities for gathered worship with Covenant. And yet God’s people are not hindered in the outflow of daily worship at home, in the family and individually, by way of prayer, singing, Bible reading, service, and more (Romans 12).

As God’s people live daily for God, being shaped by the Spirit's use of the Word of God as it's applied to their hearts, their lives bring glory to God.

At Covenant Church, God’s people will be encouraged in our gathered worship, and from one another, to make every minute count, as far as is possible, for God’s glory.

Below, I show an example of one way in which Covenant Church might glorify God. It’s impossible, of course, to capture every aspect of how this church hopes to glorify God in a short story. But a group of people who are loved by the Lord and thereby love and support one another can and do encourage one another to live unto the Lord. Here’s one possible example, out of an infinite number of possibilities, for which the Covenant Church community can seek to glorify God in Burbank and Los Angeles.

Glory at Covenant Church

As God’s people live daily for God, being shaped by the Spirit’s use of the Word of God, their lives bring glory to God.

Covenant ChurchRev. Brooks Pipher

The problem: A society that seems to be breaking apart.

The solution: Covenant Church brings the community together by God's grace through love.

At Covenant Church, we know well God's great love for us. And knowing how much he loves us, we feel compelled to love others as we have been loved.

Covenant Church is excited to demonstrate love to the community, being known as people who care for those in need, especially those in foster care and those who have experienced loss.

Our communities are a wonderful mix of people. Some have been providentially blessed with opportunities to succeed in their education, their family life, and with financial success.

Others need help and encouragement. Covenant Church seeks to support schools and students, families, and helping to provide opportunities for success. We look after our neighbor in need. And above all, we encourage one another to walk in holiness with the Lord.

We are known for our support of local schools and organizations. Covenant Church seeks to be active in the community, and present in the community, especially in Burbank, North Hollywood, Glendale, Sun Valley, and Eagle Rock.

The problem: Creative talents and other giftings go under-utilized.

The solution: Opportunities to use talents for the kingdom of God.

Covenant Church members are people who have many giftings. In Covenant Church, everyone is encouraged to boldly use their gifts to God's glory, whether in media or in justice, compassion, mercy, hospitaltity, and more!

Covenant Church supports  Pak-7, a media network known for spreading the good news of the gospel in Pakistan. We work with Pak-7 to encourage and equip the organization for their productions with the skills we have here.

And we're always seeking to develop new art and media content locally. That the joy we've found at the things of Jesus may be communicated well by the art we love to create.

The problem: Living in multicultural and multigenerational neighborhoods, but living monocultural lives that miss the blessings of knowing the experiences and cultures of our neighbors.

The solution: A people, reflective of the makeup of our neighborhoods, gather together as Covenant Church for worship together, fellowship together, prayer together, encouragement in the Lord together, and much more.

Covenant Church is for the community, anyone who would seek to walk with Jesus in repentance and faith. In this, we live life together, sharing culture.

And we learn from those who have gone before us and who are coming after us, to God's glory.

The problem: One church isn't enough to share the good news of hope, joy and peace in the Lord Jesus.

The solution: Covenant Church is the first church of many.

As Covenant Church grows, we've seen a need for there to be more churches in Los Angeles. And even in Burbank. More churches — perhaps with a different style of music and a different order of service and a different style of preaching, but the same foundation and belief in God and his Word.

Covenant Church works to help start new churches by sending people out from this church to be missionaries in their cities and neighborhoods. And by giving financially.

Perhaps your call to Covenant Church is to come here and grow for a time, that God might make you into an instrument he'll use to help start a new Asssociate Reformed Presbyterian church in your neighborhood.

The problem: Our communities have lost their joy.

The solution: When the weight of sin is lifted, people are free to enjoy God's blessings.

In all these things, being a part of Covenant Church is a lot of fun! We genuinely enjoy knowing one another, these events, and the opportunity to share so much of our lives with one another. And this joy and fun is carried over into the love we have for our communities, neighbors, colleagues, and friends.

It's a joy to be a part of Covenant Church.