Our Affiliation

The orthodox presbyterian church

New Covenant is affiliated with a larger body of believers (called a denomination) which is known as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). You'll find Orthodox Presbyterian churches of many sizes in many communities throughout North America. All are called to demonstrate the love of God and the relevance of Christ's message of deliverance to a society that is weary of sin, hollow materialism, and shattered relationships. The OPC is both conservative and energetic:


• in theology. The OPC is committed to the full authority of the Bible, affirming the tenets of historic Christianity that salvation can be found only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.


• in proclamation and mission. The OPC is eager to answer Christ’s Great Commission and so present people with the good news of life with God in Christ, a call to become Christ’s disciples, and to apply the truths of the Bible to personal, family and social problems.


You can learn more about the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

by visiting its website:

www.opc.org


Who We Are

We are a Presbyterian church, which means that we have elders who are called, elected, ordained and installed to lead the congregation and shepherd the flock of God under their care.  We have two teaching elders (pastors), and five ruling elders at New Covenant.

  • dr. david g. barker, pastor



    Dave Barker joined our staff in August of 2001 after 16 years of ministry in upstate New York. He holds an M.Div. degree from Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia and a D.Min. degree from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh. He is committed to teaching, and his desire is to bring solid, consistent study of God’s Word to minds and hearts. His aim is to help you learn of our sovereign God and His Christ in grace, and how to show the wisdom and benefits of following Christ in your everyday life. Dave and his wife, Janet, have four sons.


    You may visit Pastor Barker’s online library , which includes his articles and recordings of his sermons, classes and presentations: 

    www.ephesians515.com


  • the rev. Nicholas c. hathaway, associate pastor



    Nick Hathaway joined our staff in November 2017.


    Nick attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland where he was trained to become a high school teacher, an Intervarsity leader, and Young Life leader.   After college, Nick taught English at a public high school before being called to be a youth director by Wallace Presbyterian. In 2001, he married Annie, and in 2003 they moved to St. Louis to begin attending Covenant Seminary. Upon graduating seminary with a renewed desire to minister the gospel of grace to youth and families, Nick was called by Liberty Church, PCA in Owings Mills, MD to serve as Youth Pastor from 2007 - September 2017. Nick and Annie are thankful for their eight children.  



  • the Rev. kurt scharping, associate pastor


    Kurt Scharping has been on staff since April 2023. He holds an M. A. from Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. He teaches, preaches, and shepherds that Christ might be formed in his people, that all who hear would repent and believe, and that we all might unite in worship of the Triune God of Scripture. Kurt and his wife Melanie have six children. 

  • ruling elder david o'steen, clerk of session



    The O'Steen Shepherding Group will meet on the first Saturday afternoon of the month at various homes. For more information you may contact Elder David O'Steen - CLICK HERE

  • Ruling elder John bawroski


    The Bawroski Shepherding Group will meet at the Bawroski home on the third Friday of each month at 6:00 pm for prayer, devotions & study time around a meal together.  For more information you may contact Elder John Bawroski - CLICK HERE

  • Ruling elder Leu beach



    The Beach Shepherding Group will meet at the Beach house on the first Saturday of each month at 9:30 am for Bible fellowship and a light breakfast. For more information you may contact Elder Leu Beach - CLICK HERE

  • Ruling elder george jaggers


    The Jaggers Shepherding Group will meet at the Jagger home once a month on Saturdays.  Meetings will begin at 6:30 pm and include light snacks and desserts.  For more information you may contact Elder George Jaggers - CLICK HERE

  • ruling elder Patrick kavanagh


    The Kavanagh Shepherding Group will meet at the Kavanagh home on the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm for hymn singing, Bible study and prayer, as well as snacks & desserts to share.  For more information you may contact Elder Patrick Kavanagh - CLICK HERE

  • ruling elder greg stewart



    The Stewart Shepherding Group meets at the Stewart's home on the second Saturday of each month at 5:00 pm for dinner, Bible study and prayer.  For more information you may contact Elder Greg Stewart - CLICK HERE

  • elder emeritus dennis Baxter




  • elder emeritus dr. donald ciliax




  • elder emeritus robert peacher



  • elder emeritus timothy wilson


What We Believe

A profession of faith must come from a heart of conviction. But it must also be something that can be readily summarized and communicated. Even from the first day of the Church, as we read of it in the book of Acts, Christians have always strived to summarize their Christian testimony into statements of faith, creeds, and confessions. Together, we hold to a formal statement of our faith. That means that we stand united with Christians of generations past, for they, too, summarized and stated their beliefs in the same way. Our summary confession is called the Westminster Confession, which was written in the 17th century, and yet, as many have continued to observe, is one of the finest summations of biblical truth ever penned by mere man.


Here is a list of some of the most essential points of the Bible’s message:

• The Tri-une God - that there is one God who exists eternally in three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one in power and glory.


• The Bible is the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts, and carefully and providentially preserved for His people down through time. The Bible is our infallible and divine authority in all matters of faith and life.


• All men have fallen short of the glory of God and are unable to escape condemnation themselves or even to cooperate with God in efforts to earn their salvation.


• Salvation comes by God’s action alone, who saves His people by choosing, calling, and drawing them by His Holy Spirit, by Whom He convinces them of their sin and misery, enlightens their minds, and renews their wills so that they are able and willing to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as He is offered in the Gospel.


• Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, became man by being born of a virgin, lived, ministered miraculously, and died to atone for the sins of those who trust Him alone for their salvation. He rose again from the tomb on the third day to share with his people his eternal life. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and mankind.


• The gift of God’s Holy Spirit, which gives Christians the daily strength and wisdom they need to walk according to His will and to grow in holiness.


• Jesus Christ, being raised, having ascended into heaven, and being seated at the right hand of God the Father, shall return personally, visibly, and bodily to restore the dead to life, to judge all mankind, and to receive His people unto Himself.


You can read the Westminster Confession online at:

http://www.pcaac.org/resources/wcf/

and we will give you a free printed version upon your request.


How We Worship

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand. (Ps. 95:6-7)

/lords-day/morning-worship

The heart and soul of any true, biblical church is her worship unto her Lord. Nothing else - no program, no ministry, no outreach - may be allowed to compete with or dominate the church’s reason for existence. The worship of God is our greatest desire and our chief aim.


We live in a day and age that seems to pride itself in variation, innovation, and imagination. As a result, the very meaning of worship has all but been lost to our generation. People do not know why they are in church, what they should be doing or why, and what it is actually being accomplished.


Our worship is guided by three biblical principles:


• Worship of God is the duty of man – Worship is not an elective - something you choose to do if you do not have any other weekend plans or if something special is going to be featured at church that day. Worship is everyone’s responsibility. God calls every man to acknowledge Him as the one, true God and to stand before Him in reverence. Every Lord’s Day, we seek to answer His call and stand before Him as His congregation.


• Worship is at the pleasure of God – What are we doing in a worship service? Whom are we trying to please, to satisfy, to acknowledge? If it is ourselves, then we are free to do as we please. But if we seek to

please our God, we must do as He instructs us in His Word. God has given us clear guidelines as to what pleases Him in worship. That alone is what is needful.


• Worship is communicative – The dialogue of worship is not only from the people to God – in adoration, confession and thanksgiving – but also from God to His people – in extending His call, in revealing His law, in pardoning His people in Christ, in reassuring us of His covenant love, in teaching us the Gospel from His Word, and extending His blessing to the faithful.


Our Style of Worship is historic – We do not wish to be labeled “contemporary” simply for the sake of modern trends and interests; nor do we wish to be labeled “traditional” simply for the sake of institution. We have seen how our fathers in the faith have, over the centuries, wrestled and studied to present a clear and biblical order for worship. We recognize their wisdom and we seek to benefit from the work of those faithful, previous generations.


Morning and Evening – God has given us the entire day in order for us to give ourselves to worship, rest from the demands of the world, and allow us time to be with our families and with each other. Every Sunday (what the Bible calls the Lord’s Day), we hold morning worship at 11 a.m. and evening worship at 5:30 p.m. we gather together to praise God, hear his Word, and lift up our prayers.


Communion is held on the first Lord’s Day of each month. We also schedule evening Communion Services quarterly throughout the year.


At the end of every month we have a fellowship dinner at 5:30 pm and hear a report from one of our missionaries. You are invited!


Special Services are held each year around the three major holidays: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.


For a copy of our worship bulletin - CLICK HERE


For more teaching on the subject of the service of worship to God,

please visit this page of Pastor Barker’s website:

www.ephesians515.com/site/worship/worshipindex.htm.