A Small Congregation with a Long Memory on East Meadow Drive
Covenant Presbyterian Church sits on East Meadow Drive in southern Palo Alto, on the very lot its founding members bought in 1951, a former pea patch near Wilbur Middle School where they built the Fellowship Hall that still anchors the campus. Founded as an offshoot of First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, Covenant is part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and belongs to the San Jose Presbytery. After more than seven decades in this corner of the city, the church still describes itself with the same adjectives members used at the founding: small but faithful, lively, diverse, and unique. Worship is held Sundays at 10:30 a.m., both in person and on Zoom, with a fellowship hour, adult education, and youth connection following the service.
Sunday Worship: Common Lectionary, Communion, and a Choir That Sometimes Earns an "Amen"
Sunday mornings at Covenant center on a service that emphasizes congregational participation in liturgy, prayers, and hymns. Scripture readings follow the Common Lectionary. Sermons are anchored in the Bible and strive to engage both the head and the heart, and a "Time for Young Disciples" gathers the youngest worshipers before they head to Sunday School. Visitors and members are welcome at the communion table, and baptism is available for those who wish to join the church family.
The music woven through worship is rooted but never predictable. Members may encounter trumpets, a choir anthem that draws an "Amen," an offertory from the Covenant Ringers handbell choir, or a visit from a Bible "bad guy" during a sermon. Colorful sanctuary banners shift with the seasons, and an organ, choral, and congregational music program gives services a traditional feel while leaving room for creative moments. After worship, the congregation gathers in Fellowship Hall for coffee, tea, and conversation during the Fellowship Hour, hosted by the Deacons with help from rotating volunteers.
Those who cannot attend in person can worship through Zoom using ID 833 7572 7892 with passcode 180884, or by viewing recordings on the church's YouTube channel.
A Music Ministry That Has Helped Shape American Hymnody
Covenant's music program has historically punched well above the weight of a small congregation. The Sanctuary Choir, made up of adults who simply love to sing, rehearses on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m., presents music for worship each Sunday, and offers special musical works during Advent and Lent. The choir also leads a Gospel/Jazz service before the start of Lent each year.
The Covenant Ringers handbell choir meets Thursdays at 6:45 p.m. and consists of about a dozen musicians who read music in either treble or bass clef. The ensemble lends the unique sound of English handbells to services throughout the year.
Music Director Donald E. Dillard leads both ensembles. A Philadelphia-born composer with graduate training at Westminster Choir College of Rider University, he is an active composer of more than 150 works for orchestra, chorus, instruments, piano, organ, and voice, including three fully scored cantatas, two oratorios, concertos for violin, cello, and organ, song cycles, and three symphonic poems. His orchestral works have been performed by the Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Delaware County Symphony, and the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia. His piano solos have been performed internationally.
From December through February each year, the Covenant Chamber Concerts bring a diversity of top Bay Area artists to the sanctuary for a Sunday afternoon recital series. Concerts begin at 4:00 p.m., are open to the public, and request a donation of $20 for adults, $8 for youth 12 to 17, with children under 12 admitted free.
Children, Youth, and Confirmation
Covenant gives careful attention to its children and youth. On Sunday mornings, after the Time for Young Disciples during worship, children from preschool age 5 through age ten adjourn to Room 5 for music, stories, and activities tied to the lectionary. Seasonal events fill out the children's calendar with an Easter Egg Hunt, a Blessing of the Animals service, a Trunk or Treat, and a Christmas pageant during Advent.
Confirmation is offered to students in sixth grade and older when numbers and age allow. The confirmation class teaches young people about the responsibilities and meaning of church membership and concludes with full participation in the life of the congregation.
Youth Connection meets on Sundays from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m., after the worship service, and typically includes prayer, a short Bible discussion, and a meaningful group check-in. The group plans its schedule around social events and service projects when possible. Over the years, Covenant youth have participated in the Multicultural Youth Conference at Mo Ranch in Texas and traveled for mission trips to Alaska, New York, Guatemala, and Puerto Rico. They have led worship and raised support for local and global mission work as part of their formation.
Weekday Learning and Fellowship for Adults
Covenant offers a rich menu of adult formation that meets people where they are. On Sundays at 9:00 a.m., "Bible and Bagels" gathers in the Fireside Room and on Zoom to explore the preaching passage for the following Sunday, with coffee, donuts, fruit, and bagels provided. The discussion gives the pastor a chance to fold the group's questions and insights directly into the next sermon.
After worship on Sundays, an Adult Education class often meets at 12:15 in the Fireside Room for discussion on topics drawn from the Christian tradition.
The Brown Bag Bible Study meets Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in the Fireside Room and on Zoom, also exploring the upcoming preaching passage and inviting questions that shape the sermon.
The Healing the Heart of Democracy Reading Group gathers Wednesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall and on Zoom. Originally sparked by Parker Palmer's book, the group reads widely and discusses current events in conversation with the Christian tradition.
Wednesday Walkers meet at 11:30 a.m. for a weekly walk through nearby parks and neighborhoods, a chance to build cardiovascular health while catching up with friends.
Smaller regular groups include a Presbyterian Women's Circle on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:15 p.m. on Zoom, a Book Club on the third Tuesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom, and a Men's Breakfast Group on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m., meeting in person and on Zoom.
Wellness and Support: A Six-Dimensional Approach to Mental Health
Wellness ministry is one of the most distinctive emphases at Covenant. The church has adopted the Global Wellness Institute framework, which recognizes at least six dimensions of wellness: physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, social, and environmental. Each dimension is woven into the church's programming, supported by an active Mental Health Awareness emphasis each May and a year-round calendar of classes, articles, and partnerships.
Covenant is a recipient of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mental Health Grant, which undergirds the church's commitment to walk compassionately with people who live with mental health concerns and their loved ones, reduce stigma, recognize neurodiversity, and encourage emotional well-being for all through education, welcome, support, and advocacy. The church participates in the PC(USA) Mental Health ministry and works with partners including NAMI Santa Clara County, Mental Health America, and Emotions in Harmony, Inc., which provides support in Spanish.
Walking groups, mental health awareness Sundays, and adult education classes all offer on-ramps for engagement, and the church's online writing and newsletter regularly share vetted resources.
Mission and Outreach: A Church with Open Doors and a Generous Heart
Covenant houses a remarkable collection of community-serving programs on its campus. The South Palo Alto Food Closet has operated out of Room 9 for more than forty years, sustained by first-Sunday food donations, memorial gifts at Christmas and Easter, special needs offerings, and member volunteers. The non-denominational Covenant Children's Center has provided weekday care and preschool for children from two months through pre-kindergarten on Covenant's grounds for more than four decades.
A Boy Scouts troop has met at Covenant since 1959. With about 50 to 60 scouts and an affiliated girls' troop, it is one of the longest continuous community presences on the property. 12-Step groups, i-Sing Silicon Valley, and other cultural and service programs also use Covenant's facilities on a regular basis.
During the cold-weather season each December through January, Covenant hosts the Heart and Home program for six weeks, providing food, laundry, overnight shelter, and a warm community for 6 to 12 women served by this local program.
The church supports a wider network of mission partners with its offerings, gifts, and volunteer hours, including the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo Alto, Maui Strong, Men in the Mirror (working in Guatemala and Malawi), United Campus Christian Ministry, Sweaty Sheep, the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, Downtown Streets Palo Alto, Emotions in Harmony, Life Moves, and the Community Health Awareness Council. Alternative Gifts in December give church members an opportunity to support these partners in honor or memory of loved ones.
Stories Carried Through the Congregation
The history of Covenant is inseparable from the southern Palo Alto neighborhood it has called home since 1951. In that year, a select group of members of First Presbyterian Church purchased a literal pea patch near Wilbur Middle School and built the Fellowship Hall that still anchors the campus. For the first few years, every worship service was held in that hall while members designed and built the main sanctuary themselves.
Over the decades the church has contributed in ways far beyond its size to the San Jose Presbytery, with multiple Covenant elders serving as moderators of the regional body. Don Mason, the pastor who led the church in those early years, organized intergenerational "Family Clusters" and lent his voice to support for Measure B in 1981, a pro-LGBTQ rights initiative that drew national attention within Christianity and the wider culture.
Members of Covenant have included extraordinary figures. Donaldina Cameron, a New Zealand-born Presbyterian missionary who rescued more than 2,000 Chinese immigrant girls and women from forced labor in San Francisco's Chinatown and was known as the "Angry Angel of Chinatown," worshipped regularly at Covenant in her later years. Ed Arnold, a longtime Palo Alto city councilman and former mayor, was part of the congregation. Isaiah Jones, Jr., a former pastor at Covenant, was a Grammy-winning gospel songwriter whose work appears in Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Baptist, and Catholic hymnals; "Fill My Cup" alone has been recorded by more than 15 groups, and his song "God Has Smiled on Me" was featured in the 1988 film "Clara's Heart." Jones briefly played piano with The 5th Dimension and was featured on their recording of "Border Song."
Margaret Willis Boles retired in October 2022 after twelve years of service as pastor. Under her leadership, mission giving and participation grew, and Covenant sent teams to Indonesia, Guatemala, New York City, Kenya, and Tanzania as well as to New Jersey and the U.S. Gulf Coast for hurricane recovery. Rev. Dr. Jack Cabaness became Covenant's solo pastor in October 2022, arriving after serving churches in Missouri, Vermont, Colorado, and New York. His sermons are available each week in video, audio, and text form on the church's sermon archive.
Beliefs, Inclusion, and a Statement That Reads Like a Welcome
Covenant's beliefs grow from its place in the Reformed tradition. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has its spiritual roots in the Reformation begun by John Calvin in Switzerland and refined by John Knox of Scotland. The denomination is organized democratically under leadership chosen from among the members (elders), and the Bible is received as "the unique authoritative witness" to God's activity in the world. The denomination emphasizes both the heart and the mind, balances careful study with passionate devotion, and values the connectional nature of the wider church.
Covenant's Statement of Inclusion, drawn from Galatians 3:26-28, says that the church welcomes everyone into the community "regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, financial means, political affiliation, theological perspective, physical or mental ability, relationship status, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression." Everyone is invited to worship, serve, and participate in the life and ministry of the congregation, and, following membership, all are eligible to be called into leadership.
The church is a Matthew 25 congregation, working through education and activity toward three commitments: eradicating systemic poverty, building congregational vitality, and dismantling structural racism. The mission statement, adopted by the Session in 2008 and reaffirmed in 2021, calls the congregation to grow "in faithfulness, energy, and spirituality, in welcoming newcomers, in caring for each other and cherishing our diverse gifts, in replenishing and sustaining our church family, and in reaching out in generous and loving ministry to do God's work in the world."
First-Time Visitors
Visitors who walk through Covenant's front doors are greeted with a warm welcome and a bulletin that explains the worship service. The sanctuary offers open seating, so guests can choose where they would like to sit. Those arriving early can join Bible and Bagels at 9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room; those arriving at 10:30 are welcome to worship in person or join via Zoom. After worship, the Fellowship Hour offers a chance to meet members of the congregation over coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall. Sunday worship at 10:30 a.m., the weekly fellowship hour, and a place at the communion table are open to all who come through the doors on East Meadow Drive.