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Covenant Chapel
Covenant Chapel is the English-speaking ministry
(EM) of
the
First Korean Presbyterian Church of Greater
Hartford (FKPC), located in Manchester, CT.
Though we are financially independent from the Korean-speaking
ministry (KM), we consider ourselves to have an
inter-dependent relationship with the KM as both
sides work together to strive for unity and serve
the several different demographics in our
congregation. We are reformed in theology
and are part of the
Korean American
Presbyterian Church (KAPC) denomination.
Covenant Chapel was established in September 1989
with the vision of reaching English-speaking Koreans
in the Hartford, Manchester, and Glastonbury areas
of Connecticut. Under the leadership of pastors
Victor Kim and Joseph Yang, the KM
pastors at that time, Covenant Chapel had a thriving
outreach on college campuses such as Wesleyan
University.
Nine years later in 1998, Covenant Chapel appointed
its very first full-time pastor, John Lin. As a
Chinese-American pastor, he was able to lead the
church into taking on a new direction of shifting
away from a strictly Korean-focused identity to that
of a more general Asian ministry, both in make-up
and vision. Even more important was the shift he
made in developing Covenant Chapel as a
Gospel-centered ministry. Attendance averaged
approximately between 50 and 60. This emphasis on
the message of the Gospel has affected every part of
the life of the church. Consequently, it has become
the intent purpose of this ministry to make the
Gospel a central influence in the lives of people.
And, to this extent, the staff at Covenant Chapel
further developed this Gospel centrality by casting
a formal vision of the church to reach the world,
nurture believers, and worship God in this
generation.
Covenant Chapel has
active small group, mercy, and both long- and
short-term missionary ministries. Its demographic is
made up of mostly young families, young working
professionals and college students with most members
who are of 1.5 or second generation Asian American
descent. Our college student body is a diverse one,
all from several of the various schools in the
vicinity, such as the
University of Connecticut, Trinity College, Wesleyan
University, Central Connecticut State University,
and the University of Hartford.
The leadership of the
church overall is made up of the session of elders, the
pastoral staff, and both ordained and appointed
deacons. Covenant Chapel has seven active appointed
deacons to care specifically for Covenant ministries. |
