Covenant United Methodist Church celebrates Charter Day on March 1

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - After more than three years as a “church plant” within the United Methodist Church (UMC), Covenant United Methodist Church has made it official: on Sunday, March 1, the church’s growing membership officially chartered itself into the UMC fold.

“We are declaring a permanent presence in this community,” said Reverend Jason Burnham, founding pastor of Covenant UMC, which worships in the Village of Creekside Park in The Woodlands. “In just over 36 months of regular worship, we have reached the point of self-sufficiency with our systems, structures, and stewardship. Charter Day is a day of celebration – we are the newest church in a long line of United Methodist Churches.”

Burnham, along with almost 200 members of Covenant UMC, signed the official charter rolls during last week’s service, and the congregation posed for a group picture following the service.

As a chartered church, Covenant UMC no longer is reliant on financial support from the Texas Annual Conference or its area sponsor churches – The Woodlands United Methodist Church and Christ Church Methodist.

Covenant UMC’s charter service came exactly 231 years and one day after the very first UMC church was chartered in the United States in 1784 by John Wesley.

“As much as we embrace our Methodist heritage, our roots really go back 2000 years, to those first believers in Christ,” said Stephen Greenwade, who serves as Lay Leader of Covenant UMC. “They came together as we do today – to worship and to thank God for all the blessing they had, to teach one another, and to serve one another and the community, to fellowship, and, most important, to find redemption.”

In 2013, Covenant United Methodist Church outgrew its regular Sunday worship space at the Creekside YMCA and moved to a new location, Timber Creek Elementary School. The school is located at the corner of Kuykendahl and Creekside Green Dr. at 8455 Creekside Green Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77389, in the Village of Creekside Park.

“Our continuous growth is an indication that we are fulfilling our vision – to be a community connected in Christ,” said Burnham. “We are focused on mission and outreach on a local, regional and international scope. And, we are committed to our mission of making witnesses of Jesus Christ that will reach unconvinced and uncommitted people.”

“Covenant is uniquely positioned,” he said of the growing church. “Geographically, we couldn’t be in a better spot. There is so much growth in the southern part of The Woodlands, north Spring, and Tomball.”

To that end, Covenant UMC is in the process of purchasing property at the southeast corner of Kuykendahl and Creekside Green, immediately next door to its current worship site, in a deal that should be finalized later this spring.

In addition to contemporary worship services on Sundays at 10 a.m., Covenant UMC offers a vibrant, growing children’s and youth program, as well as adult small groups, mission and outreach opportunities.

“God has provided a virtual blank slate for Covenant,” said Burnham. “I feel so excited—so blessed—to serve alongside the growing number of worshippers in this dynamic congregation.”