Covenant guides and encourages members and visitors to establish a direct connection to and attunement with the Divine that dwells within. We create a safe, non-judgmental space for those who are spiritually curious and questioning. We welcome individuals of all religious persuasions and those with no religious affiliation at all who want to enrich their spiritual journey and find a community that will support them along their path.

“…to follow the teachings of Jesus the Christ and other enlightened beings…”

Covenant’s origins are grounded in the teachings OF Jesus, as distinct from the teachings ABOUT Jesus. Key among these teachings are: “Love one another…” (John 15-12) and “The kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) Jesus’ ministry was focused on the empowerment rather than the salvation of his followers. This empowerment is the result of our attunement to God, and our ability to cultivate pure hearts which long to know and do God’s will.

Rev. Lola Johnson Singletary was inspired by the insights and healing ministry of Rev. Dr. Leon Edward Wright, a New Testament scholar and mystic who taught at the Howard University School of Religion (now named the School of Divinity) for 33 years. His spiritual legacy is honored through the adoption and practice of meditation as the church’s principal spiritual discipline. It is through this practice that individuals are able to establish a direct connection to and attunement with God.

Rev. Lola Johnson Singletary, one of Dr. Wright’s students, was deeply moved by Wright’s insights and ministry and became the only one of his students to establish a faith community based on those insights. Though Rev. Singletary was the only student to create a church founded around Dr. Wright’s insights, many of his other students carried these insights into their various ministries, denominations, and spiritual settings. His teachings continue to be widespread and influence others.

In April 1978, Covenant Christian Community was founded by Rev. Lola Johnson Singletary and four other members of like spirit: Janie Boyd, Wilhelmina Reuben Cooke, Edmund Cooke, and Booker Yelder. This fellowship was established for the purpose of creating a faith community while allowing each individual to strengthen and deepen their own spiritual journey. Covenant members are guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ and other enlightened beings in their quest for personal spiritual growth.

“We…intentionally actualize God-consciousness…and embody the meaning of this experience in our lives before our families and others along our paths.”

Covenant’s values are rooted in our intention to transmit God’s love and healing presence to our community through service. To that end, Covenant sponsors a signature service event during the Thanksgiving holiday season where, in partnership with other churches, we feed up to 300 families and individuals per year. Thanksgiving food boxes include turkeys, fresh produce, and all of the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Covenant also supports community-based educational institutions like the Academy for Ideal Education, and community-based arts and cultural groups like the Emergence Community Arts Collective. Our service opportunities are expanding as members are called to provide assistance to individuals and groups in a host of ways.

In addition, Covenant joined members of Seekers Church in a collaboration called Sacred Conversations on Race and Diversity in response to the United Church of Christ’s (UCC’s) invitation to faith communities to begin the process of healing the deep racial, ethnic, and religious wounds that divide the nation. It is in the sanctuary of Seekers Church that Covenant holds worship services in person.

The call from the UCC came in the aftermath of Presidential candidate Barack Obama’s famous 2008 Philadelphia speech calling for the nation to begin to talk to one another across racial lines about those subjects they usually discuss only among people like themselves in barbershops and at the kitchen table.

Though neither church is a UCC affiliate, Covenant responded to the Seekers Church invitation to join them in a series of conversations that encourage wholesome respectful relationships across borders that separate people by race, beliefs, culture, economics, gender, and other factors. The purpose was to create new experiences of trust and peace-building. Large and small group conversations have taken place in church and in the homes of church members over dinner. A film series has been developed and shared among members and with the public featuring topics that promoted discussion about diversity. Museum visits, lectures, plays, and anti-racism analysis training have been among the many activities shared by the two communities and the invited public. The numbers involved in these conversations are now expanding and we invite others to join our ranks.