COMMUNITY UPDATEs

The church exists for moments like this.


In order to guard health for all people, we won’t be gathering in our building for a while. 

The promise of God’s presence and the persistence of God’s call to share good news and serve the world remain steadfast, no matter the distance. In this time of uncertainty, the way that First Covenant Church of Saint Paul continues to belong, believe, and become looks like these three things: 

worshipping the Triune God, caring for one another, and looking out for neighbors. 


Below you will find helpful information about how we will be church together during this pandemic. 

WORSHIPPING the triune god

Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Grounded by that promise, we will continue to worship, learn, grow, and serve each other and the world around us. Here are some of the ways we’re doing that:

  • REGATHERING UPDATES

    8.30.20 Regathering Update: Phase 2 begins Tuesday, September 1

    • general office work allowed
    • congregational and partner use of the following spaces by reservation only: Upper Fellowship Hall, Game Room, Graffiti Room, parking lot and other outdoor spaces
    • ability to host memorial services at First Covenant
    • in-person, outdoor worship for the month of September
    Rooms are able to be reserved by filling out the following form (reservation is not complete until verified by the church office):

    6.26.20 First Covenant Regathering update

    6.26.20 Worshipping with Friends update

  • WORSHIp

    We are continuing to gather for worship, in an online space instead of in person. This new way of worshipping brings familiar elements into an opportunity for the First Covenant community to authentically worship together -- whether it's just you, or the whole family around a computer. 


    Our online worship experience is a recorded worship service on Vimeo that is emailed Sunday mornings, posted on our website, and on Facebook. DVDs of this worship service can be mailed to you if you do not have computer access. 


    Join us on Vimeo.

    Join us on Facebook. 

    Join us on our website.

    Request a DVD of a worship service.

  • prayer

    We will continue to gather, monitor, and send prayer requests during this time. Below we have links for you to submit a prayer request, and ask to join the prayer team. This team receives requests by email and commits to praying for them. We also have resources for prayer.


    Submit a prayer request.

    Join the prayer team.

    Resources for prayer.


  • Generous giving and living

    Here at First Covenant, generosity is an act of worship that comes from a profound sense of gratitude. We give because we recognize that we have so richly received. 

    An attitude fueled by generosity impacts how we serve with our time, and how we support the church with our finances. Your gifts to First Covenant are supporting and changing lives in people and communities in our church, our communities, and around the world.

    We have three ways to receive financial gifts:

    1. First Covenant's online giving tool

    2. Donate via check, please mail to:
      First Covenant Church of Saint Paul, 1280 Arcade Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106

    3. Give Plus Mobile
      Search for "Give Plus" in the Google Play or Apple App store. Download and follow the prompts to give financially to First Covenant.

    For help in using First Covenant's electronic giving tools we have a helpful step-by-step video available.

caring for one another

Physical distance doesn't mean disconnection. We are committed to keeping the First Covenant community connected and cared for during this time. We have implemented new and creative ways to stay connected, informed, and authentically living out faith together. 

  • g2g: Generation to Generation

    Generation to Generation (G2G) is an opportunity for families of children and youth to care for senior members of our congregation on an ongoing basis during these days of disconnection. Through prayer, notes, phones calls, and more, First Covenant is connecting intergenerationally. 

  • children, youth, and family ministries

    Our Children, Youth, and Family team is creating incredible ways for you to continue to form faith at home during this time. Big G's Neighborhood, Confirmation, and Youth Group have all moved to online formats. Sunday School materials for children and youth are included in the Sunday worship service emails. 


    We are active on social media! Daily updates, reminders, faith forming home activities, engaging videos, and more can be found on the First Covenant Church Children's Ministry Facebook page. Our youth are active on First Covenant Youth Instagram page.


    Emails have been going to First Covenant families in those specific groups. If you haven’t received those emails, please email Donovan DeGaetano for Children and Family updates or email Kate Makosky for Youth and Family updates. 

  • news and updates

    We will provide updates from our leaders at First Covenant Church and beyond, ideas for worship and faith formation at home, upcoming online gatherings, and more. We will send that information out a few ways: We plan to email and update our website with all these news items. We will also continue to create content and conversations on our Facebook page. To ensure we can contact you quickly and accurately, please let us know if your phone or email information have changed so we can update our database. 


    You can find our history of all church emails here, and subscribe to get on our email list.

  • FIRST COVENANT'S FACEBOOK GROUP

    First Covenant's Facebook group is a space on Facebook for our community to gather online. This group is designed less for information and more for conversation. Think of it like a cup of coffee around a table after worship, a chat in the parking lot, or a heart to heart with a pastor. You have access to ask questions, share ideas, post photos and videos, get recommendations, and more – and please do! We want every member with a Facebook account to join this group today!


    Join the group today!

  • pastoral care

    Our pastors and visitation team have created a plan for pastoral care during times of pandemic that seeks to honor the hopes and needs of individuals and guard the health of all at the same time. They will not go into homes, but through phone conversations and other ways will continue to provide this type of care. You may email our pastors or call the office if you are in need of pastoral care. When you call the office you can leave a message on the main office account or leave a message directly on a ministry team member's account. The phone instructions are simple and streamlined -- ministry team members are checking their voicemail even as they work from home. Our homebound visitation continues through phone calls and cards in this time, thanks to our visitation team.

  • CCC: Congregational care & communication

    Congregational Care Calling (CCC) is a way to ensure we are connecting with all of FCC’s community (members and regular attendees) on an ongoing basis through regular personal contact (phone, text, or personal email) from “Calling Captains” for both regular care and to share imminent information, as needed. CCC does not replace the work of our visitation team, it extends it through intentional care for the community by many in our community.

looking out for neighbors


More than ever, partnership provides connection and hope. Here are a few ways that First Covenant continues to show the love of Jesus through key partnerships.

  • Fruit of the vine food shelf

    Even though the First Covenant building is closed, our partners Fruit of the Vine (a ministry of La Viña St Paul) continue to operate a food shelf serving the East Side community every Saturday from 9:30am - 11:30am. 


    The food shelf has transitioned to a drive-up service during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide prepackaged groceries of approximately 95 pounds per household. Clients should stay in their car and will receive instructions from a parking lot attendant. 


    Follow Fruit of the Vine on Facebook for up to date information.

  • Jonathan House

    Jonathan House extends shelter, hope, and healing to asylum-seekers in Minneapolis/St. Paul by offering supportive housing, strategic connections, practical assistance, and a welcoming community with a desire to help our new friends recover from forced displacement and begin to rebuild their lives. First Covenant's Hyacinth House (formerly the church parsonage) is the first Jonathan House and began housing asylum seekers in Fall 2017.


    See how Jonathan House is coming alongside asylum-seeking residents in the midst of this global pandemic.

  • Saint Paul public School Information

    First Covenant is proud to continue supporting Saint Paul Public Schools as they ensure that kids in our neighborhood are learning, cared for, and fed following the stay-at-home order. Discover ways that our local schools are: