Gary Ricucci

After working alongside C.J. Mahaney and other pastors at Covenant Life for many years, Gary transitioned in 2004 to a new role as Director of Student Care at the Pastors College. He comments, “What a privilege to have served with C.J. and the Covenant Life team, and now with C.J. and the Sovereign Grace staff… all the while maintaining close ties with both as part of Covenant Life Church!”

Under the direction of Jeff Purswell, Dean of the Pastors College, Gary is responsible for helping students to watch their lives as well as their doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16). He regularly meets with students, oversees special events, and provides pastoral counsel and care. He also leads monthly couples meetings in his home with his wife Betsy, who meets with students’ wives for additional care and fellowship.

Gary was saved as a young teen. And after a season of rebellion in the late 1960s, he graduated from Carson-Newman College in Tennessee in 1971 with a B.A. in Fine Arts. In 1973 Gary met C.J. Mahaney at a D.C. area teaching meeting called TAG (Take And Give). Here relationships formed that led to the founding of Covenant Life Church. Gary worked as an illustrator and built architectural models until 1974, when he went full-time as administrator, graphics designer, and counselor at TAG. He has been in full-time ministry ever since.

Covenant Life Church (then called “Gathering of Believers”) began in April 1977, an eventful year for Gary. He turned thirty in August, married the former Betsy Mahaney in October (but still considers himself on honeymoon!) and was ordained as a pastor on New Year’s Eve.

“Serving with the men and couples that we love and respect most, and providing pastoral care for couples, leaders and their families, especially when Betsy and I can serve together, is a humbling privilege to me,” says Gary. “Men in the Pastors College, with their wives and families, will go from here to different parts of the country and the world to build churches for the glory of God. It is hard to think of a higher honor than to play some small part in that.”

Crossway Books released the second edition of Gary and Betsy’s book on marriage, Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace in 2006.

Gary and Betsy have two daughters and two sons. Their oldest daughter is married with one baby girl and another baby on the way. The whole family resides in Gaithersburg and attends Covenant Life Church.

Jeff Purswell

Dean of the Pastors College

Jeff has served as the Dean of the Pastors College of Sovereign Grace Ministries since 1998 and is a member of the Sovereign Grace Leadership Team. He also plays an important role at Covenant Life by preaching and providing theological support to the pastoral team.

Jeff’s pre-ministry experience combines a degree in Economics and English Literature with a decade in the corporate banking world. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois (M.Div., 1998), where as a student he taught Greek as a teaching fellow in the New Testament department and worked as a teaching assistant in systematic theology for Wayne Grudem. Jeff is also known for his work as editor of Bible Doctrine, an abridgment of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from The Catholic University of America.

Jeff resides in the Gaithersburg area with his wife, Julie, and their two sons, Samuel and Benjamin.

C. J. Mahaney

President, Sovereign Grace Ministries

C.J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to establish and support local churches. After 27 years of pastoring Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Md., C.J. handed the senior pastor role to Joshua Harris on September 18, 2004, allowing C.J. to devote his full attention to Sovereign Grace. He serves on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and on the board of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

C.J.‘s books include Humility: True Greatness; Living the Cross-Centered Life; and Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God: What Every Christian Husband Needs to Know. He also contributed to Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, and to two additional volumes in the Foundations for the Family Series (Crossway).

He has also edited or coauthored four books in the Pursuit of Godliness book series, published by Sovereign Grace Ministries: Why Small Groups?, This Great Salvation, How Can I Change?, and Disciplines for Life.

C.J. and his wife, Carolyn, have three married daughters and one son. They make their home in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Bob Kauflin

Bob Kauflin serves as a pastor and worship leader at Covenant Life Church and directs worship and music development for Sovereign Grace Ministries.

As a piano performance major at Temple University in the ‘70s he helped to found the Christian band GLAD. He left GLAD in 1984, and after a year joined the staff of what is now Sovereign Grace Church in Fairfax, Virginia. In 1991 he and his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to help launch a new church—what is now CrossWay Community Church. Bob received the call in 1997 to relocate to Gaithersburg and lead the Music and Worship Ministry of Covenant Life Church.

Bob plays a multi-faceted role today by training pastors and worship leaders in the theology and practicals of worship, leading corporate worship at various events, and overseeing the recording projects of Sovereign Grace Ministries. He also blogs on “worship, music, and more” at worshipmatters.com. Most recently he has written a book called Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, available through Crossway Books.

Bob and his wife Julie have six children, four of whom are married. The family lives in Montgomery Village, Md.

Mark Mitchell

“I love exploring ways to impact our community with the love of Christ,” says Mark, who has overseen Outreach since 2007. Priorities include Alpha and Beta, Mercy Ministries (e.g., Prison, Soup Kitchen, ESL, Au Pair, and International Events), Guest-Related Ministries (including Starting Point, Guest Reception, and Guest Follow Up) and Ministry Teams.

Born in Los Angeles to Jamaican parents, Mark responded to the gospel at age 8 in Tampa, Fla., which became home after family moves that took him from the Bronx, N.Y., to Port Antonio, Jamaica.

The precocious youth graduated high school as class valedictorian two weeks after turning 16. Mark went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from University of Florida (1988) and Georgia Tech (’90). In God’s plan, he put aside a rewarding, science-based career to answer the call to pastoral ministry.

In 1993, newly married and 25, Mark embarked on more than two years of evaluation by serving our Singles Ministry while working full time. “I began to realize that my ‘passion’ for my job was diminishing, and my passion for serving in the church was growing,” he recalls.

Mark joined our pastoral team in April 1996. He taught and led Singles Ministry until 2002, when he took on oversight of Mercy Ministries. Since then, he gradually became more involved in the Alpha ministry, teaching sessions and eventually assuming its full leadership around 2004. In 2007, he became the Outreach Pastor, having responsibility for all the Outreach Ministries.

“By God’s incredible grace, I have the privilege of serving alongside men and women who provoke me by their passion to reach those around them who don’t know Christ. Their words and their deeds honor the gospel we cherish. Their joy-filled love and sacrificial service is an example I’m eager to follow.”

Mark, wife Terri, and their three children reside in the Gaithersburg area.

Brian Chesemore

Team Leader - Family Life

Brian heard the gospel during a retreat in Ocean City, Md., when he was 14 years old. “I made my way to an empty stairwell where I thanked God for providing His Son to be my Savior, and I asked God to forgive me for my rebellion against Him,” says Brian. “He has been patiently working in me ever since.”

Brian began attending Covenant Life in 1995, the same year he completed a Bachelors degree in classical guitar performance from West Chester University.

Brian graduated in 1998 from what is now Sovereign Grace Pastors College, and followed the call to relocate and serve the newly planted Grace Covenant Church in Aurora, Ill. While holding a job in the financial market, Brian used his musical gifts and training to serve pastor Tab Trainor by leading worship and a college ministry care group.

During their time in Illinois, God blessed relative newlyweds Brian and Kristin (daughter of C.J. Mahaney) with two boys. In 2003 the Chesemores returned to Kristin’s home town of Gaithersburg, Md.

“I love seeing men take hold of the gospel in such a way that the truth of it not only captures their souls, but also has its intended transforming effects on how they lead their wives and train their children,” Brian says.

Brian and Kristin now have three sons. The family resides in Gaithersburg.

Robin Boisvert

Robin’s duties include teaching, preaching and leading the Senior Saints Ministry. He has served as a pastor since 1976, four years after he was converted. He recalls: “I met a Christian family in 1972 who exemplified the love of Christ in their relationships with one another. Because of their example, their proclamation of the good news was compelling, and I gave my life to Christ.”

At 24, Robin heeded a call to become a pastor. He left his job as a housepainter in 1974 and was ordained in 1976 to serve as an associate pastor at Christ Church of Washington.

Robin joined Covenant Life Church in 1979. He was ordained here in 1981 and was the first principal of Covenant Life School. In 1982, he was sent to plant a church in Lancaster, Pa., serving as senior pastor. After he and wife Clara returned in 1990, his duties included building the biblical counseling and children’s ministries.

Robin grew up in Silver Spring, Md.  He has a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pa., and is a graduate of its Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia.

His interests include golf, reading, and classical music, but he and Clara take greatest joy in their growing family of four children and (currently) three grandchildren.

Joe Lee

When Joe Lee’s second-grade Sunday-school teacher asked him why he was going to heaven, Joe answered, “Because my dad is the senior pastor of the church!”

Sensing the opportunity, Joe’s teacher took him aside and explained the gospel again. At that point, says Joe, “God’s Spirit illuminated the truth of the gospel to my heart and allowed me to see that I was a sinner in need of a Savior.”

Joe grew up in Northern Virginia attending Korean Central Presbyterian Church, where his father was a pastor for 26 years. We are grateful to Joe’s father and the church for sending Joe to us with their blessing.

While in high school, Joe felt called to ministry but gave up that desire after hearing discouraging stories from pastors. He received a B.S. from Virginia Tech in 1996 and became a computer network engineer.

At Celebration East (a regional conference for Sovereign Grace churches; no longer being held) in 1998, Joe’s desire was re-ignited when he heard Tab Trainor, then a student at what is now Sovereign Grace Pastors College, speak with joy and excitement about ministry. The Lord led Joe to the Pastors College in 1999-2000, and he joined the Covenant Life pastoral staff in July 2002. Today, he oversees numerous care groups and assists Brian Chesemore with premarital counseling.

Joe says he is “most passionate about helping the care group leaders lead their groups into deeper biblical fellowship with God and with one another.”

Joe and his wife Esther have four children.

Don DeVries

God used the persistent witness of his mother and two crusades, one live (Nicky Cruz) and one he watched on TV (Billy Graham), to bring Don to faith in Christ at age 14. “And for the last 35 years,” he recounts, “I have been held and carried and nurtured and sustained by the amazing grace of God.”

Don sensed a call to serve God’s people in the summer of 1974 when he was 16 years old. He says, “I remember sitting alone one evening on the beach in North Carolina, telling the Lord that I wanted to give away my life for the Kingdom of God.” That evening began a process of prayer and pursuit that culminated in June 1998 with Don’s acceptance into the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College.

The DeVries family had come to Covenant Life in 1994. They were drawn in by C.J. Mahaney’s humility and his passionate proclamation of God’s Word. After a few Sundays, they began attending the New Member’s Class (now Starting Point) where the Lord confirmed in their hearts that they’d found a church home.

His year at Pastors College completed, Don stepped into pastoral ministry at Covenant Life in July of 1999. In December of the same year, he accepted an assignment as Senior Pastor to plant a Sovereign Grace church in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He and his family faithfully served the Cleveland church for 7 ½ years and then received a call in April 2007 to return to Gaithersburg to be a part of Covenant Life’s Family Life team. He and his family relocated in August 2007.

Don’s role at Covenant life involves overseeing care groups, discipleship training and leadership development, pre-marital training, counseling and leading a Starting Point discussion group. He shares: “I love caring for people. I enjoy teaching and discipleship. And I love to see how God’s word changes hearts and lives.”

Don holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Mathematics from Oral Roberts University. His hobbies include reading, playing guitar, riding bikes and spending time talking with Trisha, his wife.

Don, Trisha, their oldest son David and his wife Hannah, and their youngest son, Ben, reside in the Gaithersburg area.

Braden Greer

“We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.”

These words and the message they came from would radically alter the trajectory and theology of Braden’s life.  Little did his mom know how much her gift of a trip to New Attitude would impact her son’s life.  C.J. Mahaney’s teaching on keeping the cross of Christ central to everything was mind-blowing for Braden the first time he heard it.  It was as if he was getting saved all over again—which had happened only several months prior to this pivotal event.

After that Braden made all the necessary changes at grad school in Virginia so that he could be a member of Covenant Life as soon as possible.  God blessed this decision over and over.  The fellowship, teaching and training he has benefited from are impossible to quantify.  The training in the Pastor’s College and now the equipping he’s continually receiving from working with men he respects only adds to his gratefulness.

As if that wasn’t enough, after sharing the same copier together in Covenant Life School, Braden finally got the courage to talk to the girl of his dreams.  He and Christy quickly became friends and about a year later were married.  They love to talk about and eat good food together, watch old movies and are currently learning to dance.  They also love to laugh at all the things their precocious daughter Madeleine has to say.  Madeleine’s younger brother Caleb is all boy and loves to throw, tear and break stuff—for which they are sometimes grateful!

Greg Somerville

Greg grew up in a Christian home in the mountains of West Virginia where the six Somerville brothers hiked, hunted and camped. He received Christ as a boy, deepened his faith at 13, and “made an unreserved commitment” after a year at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1985 with a bachelor of arts degree in history.

Greg moved to Gaithersburg and joined Covenant Life Church in 1987, eventually leading a Care Group and being encouraged by Robin Boisvert and others to explore a calling for pastoral ministry.

Greg served eight years with what is now Sovereign Grace Ministries, editing its magazine and “The Pursuit of Godliness” book series. He came on staff at Covenant Life School in 1995 to oversee development of the high school and, within two years, accepted C.J. Mahaney’s invitation to become a pastor. He served as head of Covenant Life School from 2001 to 2007, overseeing the accredited day school (grades K-12) and home school programs. In addition to serving families in the Youth ministry, he now teaches the weekly 12:13 class for Middle School students.

Greg’s great joy in ministry is walking alongside parents and youth as they seek to apply God’s grace to life. He and his wife Suzy have six children between ages 8 and 21.

Matthew Maka

Matthew left a position as senior pastor of a church in East Brunswick, N.J., to move his family to Gaithersburg and become part of Covenant Life. He joined the pastoral team after graduating from our Pastors College in May 2005. Matt was born and raised in Flanders, N.J.

Matthew grew up attending Bethlehem Church in Randolph, N.J., and was an active member of the youth ministry there. He says, “I heard the gospel as a child from faithful, believing parents. God used their faithful witness to draw me to Himself at a young age.  What a miracle to be a child of God.”

Matthew first sensed a calling to pastoral ministry in 1988, at age 19. He decided to attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where he received a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies in 1992. He later studied at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, N.Y. 

He served as a youth pastor in Long Valley, N.J., from 1996 to 2000, then as senior pastor in East Brunswick until he joined Covenant Life in 2002.

Matt’s first encounter with Sovereign Grace Ministries was a seminar that was part of a Joshua Harris “True Love Tour.” “The gospel centered teaching and Spirit-filled, doctrinally rich worship were like nothing I had ever experienced before,” says Matt. Several years of relationship building followed with Covenant Life pastors like Jeff Purswell and Bob Kauflin. Matt states, “Throughout this process my view of my sin, the church, and the Savior was radically altered.”

Matthew says he is most passionate about “serving the people of Covenant Life. What a joy to care for such humble people who desire to serve and love the Savior with all of their lives.”

Matthew and his wife Elsabeth were married June 20, 1992. They have three daughters and a son. Matthew enjoys beach vacations and playing with the children. Other interests and hobbies include fishing, biking, running, weightlifting, and woodworking.

Adam Malcolm

Adam first visited Covenant Life as a non-believer in early 1998, when he and his wife, Linda, attended a marriage retreat in hopes of repairing a relationship that was “not healthy.”  The couple found “love and acceptance,” Adam recalls, and began to attend the Sunday meeting.

Linda had recently become a Christian, and Adam came to Christ while attending the church’s Alpha class that same summer.

Adam was born October 17, 1962, in DeLand, Fla., and grew up in Columbia, Md.  He has an undergraduate degree in management and 20 years of experience in information technology, including senior management.

In 2001, pastor Kenneth Maresco began to help Adam evaluate whether he was called to pastoral ministry.  “Over the next year and a half,” Adam says, “I was placed in positions of leadership—greeting team, care group, Children’s Service Brigade—where God appeared to be bringing fruit.”

After graduating from the Pastors College, Adam joined the pastoral team in June 2005.  His current responsibilities include overseeing 20 care groups composed of parents with at least one child in high school.

Adam and Linda, who were married October 6, 1984, moved to Gaithersburg from Frederick.  They have four children and enjoy the outdoors and amusement parks. Adam is an avid golfer.

Adam says he is most passionate about “seeing God transform, reconcile and build strong marriages and families.”

Michael Bradshaw

Children

Mike leads our Discovery Land ministry which provides care and training for children from infancy to 5th grade.

Mike and his family joined Covenant Life Church in the fall of 1993.  He was only 13 years old. 

“I grew up in a Christian home with godly parents who taught me God’s Word from an early age,” he recalls. “However, I believed that God would judge me based on my merit and not that of Jesus. I’d often run into my parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night and confess sin to them, out of fear that I would go to hell.  It was at Covenant Life Church that I first understood the gospel and it’s amazing implications for my life.”

In God’s gracious plan, Mike would grow up to become a pastor here in April 2005, after graduating from our Pastors College in June 2004.

“The Pastors College began when I was a 10th-grader at Covenant Life School. I would often talk to the men enrolled in the college during lunch breaks and between classes, since both schools shared the same building. It was during this time that I first experienced an internal sense to explore a pastoral calling,” Mike says.

Mike attended Montgomery College for two years and then transferred to the University of Maryland where he graduated with a B.S. in Finance.  During his senior year, Eric Simmons approached Mike about an internship with the singles ministry.  Later that year, Mike attended the Pastors College.

He married Janelle Mahaney, daughter of Covenant Life’s founding pastor, C.J. Mahaney, in June 2003.

Mike’s pastoral duties include Sunday programming, curriculum, and special events for children up to fifth grade. He also is responsible for volunteer training and oversight of Discovery Land.

“I am most passionate about my role in coming alongside parents to teach our kids the gospel so that their lives might bear fruit of repentance,” he says.

Erik Sheffer

Erik Sheffer says he and his wife Jerusha “had a conviction that it was time to stake our claim” in a Sovereign Grace church. With degrees in tow (he an M.A. in Counseling; she an M.Div.), the couple left Boston and Gordon Conwell Seminary and moved to Maryland in May of 2002. They initially ruled out Covenant Life because of its large size, but “Providence and wise counsel” soon overrode their reluctance, says Erik.

Erik’s involvement at Covenant Life Church ramped up quickly in the summer of 2002 when he took a job as manager of the Audio and Bookstore ministries. In 2004 Erik was asked to oversee all of the church’s ministry teams and leaders. At the same time he led a few Beta groups and a Care Group from 2004 to 2005. Over time, however, the Lord began to make it clear that his role in the church was to change drastically.

“I realized more and more, only through the help of many, that God [was] calling me to pastor his people. Sadly, it was a long road. I didn’t heed God’s call because of sin—fear of man, unbelief, etc. But through God’s grace and the care of many people, I am here today,” Erik says. Erik studied faithfully with the Sovereign Grace Pastors College class of 2006 and joined the Covenant Life pastoral staff in June.

Erik serves Brian Chesemore and the other pastors in the Family Life ministry by overseeing care groups, leading discipleship groups, counseling, and developing new resource materials for the ministry. He says he is most passionate about “building with and caring for God’s people,” as well as discipleship, counseling and studying God’s Word.

Erik and his wife Jerusha married in 2000 and have five children—Karis, Jotham, Mercia, Jedidiah and Titus. Erik enjoys spending time with his family, the beach, games, reading, and basketball. The family resides in Damascus, Md.

Jon Smith

Jon Smith is the pastor of college age students.  He’s a graduate of UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (no one knows what this is, including Jon). 

His passion is helping college students to know, enjoy and give their lives for the cause of Christ in this world.  His responsibilities include overseeing college Care Groups, speaking at Big Meetings, counseling, leading discipleship groups, and overseeing college outreach.

If you need to find Jon chances are he’s at Starbucks reading the latest book by John Piper, hanging out with college students and talking about God, or riding his mountain bike with his close friend and fellow pastor, Eric Simmons (now senior pastor of Redeemer Church of Arlington, Va.).

Jon and his wife Jenni have two sons, Carson and Chase (Chase went to be with God shortly after he was born) and a daughter, Jade. Jon and Jenni spend their time together hanging out with friends, surfing in the summer, and occasionally throwing the lacrosse ball around (and yes, Jenni throws better than Jon).

 

Corby Megorden

Corby Megorden and his wife, Vilma, first visited Covenant Life Church in November of 1990. “As C.J. Mahaney preached the gospel, we clearly understood our need for a Savior and God’s gracious provision of Jesus as our Savior,” says Corby.

A 1979 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy (where he played ice hockey), Corby earned an M.S. from the University of Maryland in 1992. He served seven years active duty and 15 years in the Naval Reserves, retiring with the rank of captain. While pursuing a successful career in the corporate world, Corby began serving in the biblical counseling ministry at Covenant Life as a volunteer.

After the pastors asked him to consider pastoral ministry, Corby went through a two-year process of evaluation, prayer, and seeking counsel, entering the Pastors College in 2001 at age 43. Upon graduation in 2002, he joined the pastoral staff as an administrator.

Corby says he loves “the opportunity to serve the pastoral team behind the scenes… [and] to release them to exercise their gifts in their ministry areas.”

Corby and Vilma have two daughters and reside in the Gaithersburg area.

Isaac Hydoski

Team Leader

At the age of 16 Isaac’s life was changed forever when he sat down and read a simple letter from a friend that explained his need for the Savior.  Soon thereafter, the message of the gospel drew him to Covenant Life, and he has been here ever since. 

After earning a degree in visual arts from UMBC, Isaac worked for a handful of years as a freelance photographer, but his true passion was for the church.  Several years of serving in small group leadership in the singles ministry gave Isaac a love for leading singles and helping them to apply the gospel in a way that defines their lives, their work and friendships. 

He was invited to attend the Pastors College and graduated in 2001 (during which time his wife served him heroically by putting food on the table while he studied!).  He then began working with Eric Simmons in the singles ministry as a pastoral intern and then a pastor. Hydro says he believes God has gifted him “to equip men to lead, and to help Christians see the necessity of applying God’s Word to every detail of their lives.”

When work is done for the day, Hydro enjoys being with his beautiful wife Kelly and roughhousing with his two boys KJ and Tate. He prays they will one day be God-fearing, gospel-loving, church-builders someday like their dada. 

Grant Layman

Grant Layman grew up in Sarasota, Fla., and was raised by “God-fearing parents who modeled the Christian life and love for the local church,” he recounts. Grant says he can remember “having an awareness of God’s claim on his life and a desire to serve him at an early age.”

Grant accepted an invitation in 1980 at age 19 to move to the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., to live with his sister, Carolyn, and her husband, C.J. Mahaney. C.J. was then the senior pastor of Gathering of Believers, the precursor to what is now Covenant Life Church. Grant says the personal care and training he received by living in C.J. and Carolyn’s home for five years was invaluable preparation for ministry.

While serving in his initial position with the church as assistant administrator, Grant’s interest in vocational ministry grew stronger. After a few years of prayer, counsel, training, and evaluation, Grant was asked by the pastors to establish a youth ministry in 1983. That same year is when he met Karin Tammaru, the girl of his dreams, and they married two years later on May 11, 1985. The following year Grant was ordained into ministry.

Over the years Grant helped to build a unique kind of youth ministry where the role of parents is every bit as important as that of the kids. He states, “I had a passion to see the next generation cultivate a love for the Lord and the local church. I wanted to encourage all of our parents to embrace this privilege and responsibility to train the next generation.”

In 2006 Grant assumed additional responsibilities in his role as Executive Pastor including oversight of Sunday meetings and the various teams that support these and other meetings (Worship, Discovery Land, Production, Communication, and Ministry Teams), as well as other strategic initiatives. At that time Dave Brewer assumed leadership of the Youth Ministry and the 10:31 team of pastors.

Grant and his family share a love for sports and the outdoors. He enjoys riding the family four-wheeler and dirt bikes with his kids.

Grant, his wife Karin, and their four children reside in Montgomery Village, Md.

Kenneth Maresco

“I grew up in a Catholic family in New York City,” Kenneth recalls. “When I was a freshman in college, on spring break, an aunt in Florida shared the Gospel with me. By God’s grace, when I returned to college, I was converted.”

Kenneth receiving a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1982, then worked for two years as a corporate advertising and marketing manager.

Kenneth has been a part of Covenant Life since 1985. He was a part of the staff for five years at what is now Sovereign Grace Ministries.

He attended the School of Ministry, predecessor to the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College, in 1990-91, then joined the pastoral team in July 1991. He served at different times Singles Ministry, Married Couples ministry, College Ministry and International ministry. Evangelism and outreach ministries became Kenneth’s primary focus in 1997, among them the burgeoning Alpha program on the basics of the Christian faith.

In November 2004, Kenneth stepped into a larger role as one of two executive pastors. He is responsible for overseeing the pastoral ministries of Covenant Life Church, as well as leading the church in leadership training and church planting.

He also serves C.J. Mahaney in providing counsel and care to the pastoral teams of other Sovereign Grace churches in the Washington/Baltimore region, as well as a church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that was planted out of Covenant Life in 2003.

“My heart is most passionate about seeing the lost reached through church planting and evangelism as well as equipping men and in particular pastors to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives,” Kenneth says.

“I grew up in the Bronx, but am a Mets fan,” notes Kenneth, whose other hobbies and interests include a passionate pursuit of his wife Valori, golfing with his sons, and reading.

Kenneth, his wife Valori, and their five sons reside in Montgomery Village.

Joshua Harris

Senior Pastor

Joshua Harris came to Covenant Life from Portland, Oregon, in 1997 to be trained in ministry by C.J. Mahaney who had helped to found the church.

After serving various roles on staff, Josh became senior pastor of Covenant Life in 2004. He loves the people of the church and wants to grow old preaching God’s word here.

Joshua is the author of several books including his latest, Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters.

Joshua serves on the Leadership Team of Sovereign Grace Ministries. He is also a member of the Gospel Coalition Council and the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

Joshua is married to Shannon. They have a boy and two girls and live in Gaithersburg, Md.

Covenant Life Church
7501 Muncaster Mill Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
301-869-2800

• About Us Ministries Resource Library News and Events Photo Directory Blog
• Directions and Contact Online Giving Feeds Sovereign Grace Ministries