ABOUT US
CONTACT US
Pastor Kling loves to meet new people over coffee, etc. Connect with us to meet up, or to ask general questions.
PASTOR AND ELDERS
Our pastor and elders are the men God calls to shepherd this church through a ministry of the Word and oversight. We are in the process of searching for and training up new elders to shepherd this congregation. In the meantime, we are blessed by the ministries of Pastor Peder Kling (since 2021) and two elders from other OPC churches who are "augments" to our session until we raise up and ordain elders from our midst. Elder Humphrey is currently on a sabbatical.
Rev. Peder Kling
Kirk Humphrey
Al Hanna
Rev. Michael Shingler
Pastor
Ruling Elder | *On Sabbatical
Ruling Elder | *Augment
Teaching Elder | *Augment
Covenant called Rev. Kling as their pastor in 2021. Peder and his wife, Anna, have four boys, and a girl—William (9), Nathan (7), Micah (5), Caroline (3), and Reggie (0). They enjoy outdoor recreation, fixing their fixer-upper home, reading, and rejoicing over Anna’s incredible gift of cooking and baking. In 2018, Peder received his Master of Divinity from Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis. During his four years in seminary, he worked at Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge—a Christian recovery center wherein Peder helped countless men overcome their addiction to drugs and alcohol. Peder also worked with a church plant for 3 years in AZ before moving to NY.
Kirk was ordained and installed as a Ruling Elder at Covenant in 2010. Prior to that he was a Deacon in the PCA and was installed as a Deacon at Covenant in 2009. Kirk and his late wife Kathy had two children, Elizabeth (35) and Gregory (32), both of whom live in VA. They also have two grandchildren by Elizabeth, Adaline (3) and Dawson (1). Kirk enjoys outdoor activities, spending time with friends and family, and going to car shows with his '86 Camaro. Kirk has an A.A.S. degree from SUNY Cobleskill in Landscape Development and has been employed for the last 22 yrs. at Union College, Schenctady as a Landscape Specialist. Kirk is currently on sabbatical from his duties as an elder.
Al Hanna was born in northern Ireland and was brought to Amsterdam NY when he was a baby, to graduate from Amsterdam High in 1965. In 1968, Al began his career in the NY Air National Guard as an airplane mechanic, and he served in the military until he retired in 2006 as a Master Sergeant. Al met the Lord in 1981 when some ladies invited him to a Bible Study at Covenant. He met his wife Gloria in 1989. She was attending a liberal church and Al said "get out of there, come worship with me." They're happily married to this day, spending half the year in FL with Providence OPC (where Al is an elder). They spend the summer months with us. Al is one of our two augmented elders.
Rev. Michael Shingler serves as pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Syracuse, NY. As pastor at Hope, he proclaims God’s word every Sunday, and tends to the regular pastoral needs of that church. As an augment to our church (Covenant OPC), he attends monthly session meetings, is available to our members, and swaps pulpits with Pastor Kling every few months. Michael is from central PA and has been in ministry since 1999. He came to Reformed Presbyterian convinctions, and joined the OPC in the 2010's. He and his wife Sabrina have 4 children and 9 grandchildren. Mike enjoys fly fishing, outdoors, weightlifting, music, and (of course) his grandchildren. You can enjoy his preaching here.
DEACONS
Our deacons are called to show forth Christ's compassion on behalf of this church. They do this through a manifold ministry of mercy toward our saints and neighbors. We currently have four deacons working to this end. To get connected with our deacons, email Pastor Kling (above).
THE "OPC" AND OUR PRESBYTERY
While we love to fellowship with many churches from other backgrounds and denominations, we hold to a "presbyterian" perspective of the church. This means we are not an independent church in isolation from other churches. Rather, we are members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church ("OPC"), and the Presbytery of New York and New England.