Pastoral Staff
Rev. Mark Terry, Senior Pastor
Reverend Terry came to Covenant after completing 10 years as the pastor at Oxford UMC, in Southern Chester County. Prior to that he was the pastor at Bethel UMC (5 minutes from Camp Innabah), and before that he was pastor of Mount Carmel UMC in St. Peter's Village while attending Lancaster Theological Seminary. He is married to Jennifer, and they have 3 sons.
If Mark needed to sum up his beliefs, it would be that we are called by Jesus Christ to achieve eternal life in this life —that is, to seek the oneness with God that Jesus demonstrated in his earthly ministry. When we can live as Jesus did before us (engaged in acts of justice, mercy, and love) we can experience the eternal presence of God. People can find these moments by accident, or the faithful can join in community to support and love one another, so that these moments happen more and more often for ourselves and for our neighbors. He hopes to see us all engaged in joyful worship and humble service, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Contact: mark.terry@covumc.com, or 610-544-1400 during church office hours
Rev. Diana Esposito, Pastor of Children, Youth, and Community Engagement
Rev. Diana Esposito is excited for the calling to serve Covenant UMC and community as the Pastor of Children, Youth, and Community Engagement. She previously served for 6 years at Grove Church as the Pastor of Youth and Young Adult Ministries. In 2018, she was ordained a Deacon in Full Connection following her graduation from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary) in 2016. Deacon Diana also serves as a Campus Chaplain at Drexel University’s Wesley Student Foundation, where she started serving during seminary. Prior to ordination she served as Ardmore Church’s Director of Faith Formation and as a youth pastor for the combined youth groups of Hope UMC and The Garden Church. Deacon Diana serves the Eastern PA Conference as co-chair on the Commission on Religion and Race, general member on the Board of Camp and Retreat Ministries, and as co-program director of Night Camp at Camp Innabah. She is married to Andrew and they have 2 children.
Deacon Diana strives to love God and neighbor in all actions, while recognizing the importance of grace for the moments when humankind falls short. She hopes to accompany children in youth on their journeys as they ask big questions and empower them to become active participants in their own faith formation. In her Community Engagement role, Deacon Diana is continually seeking to see how God is moving in the local community, longing to find ways to meet needs and break down barriers.
Contact: diana.esposito@covumc.com, or 610-544-1400 during church office hours
Rev. Dr. Dale E. Owens, Pastor Emeritus
Rev. Dr. Dale E. Owens returned to Covenant Church after a long and distinguished career in the United Methodist Church.
His formal secondary education was received in the Upper Darby School District, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, conferred a BS degree in Education in 1958; Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois an M.Div. (Master of Divinity) degree in 1962; and Albright College in Reading, PA, a DD (Doctor of Divinity) degree in 1988.
He became a deacon in the Philadelphia Annual Conference of the former Methodist Church in 1959, an ordained elder and member of that conference in 1962. He served the University City Parish (Calvary UM Church) in West Philadelphia, Langhorne UM Church in Bucks County, and Covenant UM Church in Springfield, Delaware County. In 1979, Dr. Owens was appointed by Bishop James Ault as the conference treasurer/director of administrative services of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church, a post which he held until his retirement on July 1, 2000. In this Extension Ministry he was very involved in all facets of ministry, which he enjoyed, as a local church pastor, namely, preaching, teaching, visiting, counseling, and administering (primarily finance and property).
In the years following ordination Dr. Owens served on numerous Boards and committees of the Annual Conference as well as being a member for eight years of the General Council on Finance and Administration. On several occasions he represented Eastern Pennsylvania Conference as a delegate to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference; and in 1988, he was elected by his colleagues as a delegate to the General Conference.
Dr. Owens retired on July 1, 2000, from full time ministry. He joined the staff of two United Methodist Churches soon thereafter at Elam on Smithbridge Road, Glen Mills, and Covenant.
Contact: daleeowens@comcast.net
Music Program
Sarah E. Batchelor, Director of Music, Organist
Sarah Batchelor has been the music director of Covenant United Methodist Church since 1988. She is a graduate of Westminster Choir College, with a bachelor's degree in Church Music, and a Master's Degree in Choral Conducting and Organ. She also holds a bachelor's degree in religion from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sarah is a member of the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists and actively participates in local workshops and seminars.
Sarah is married to Covenant's Handbell Director, Kirk Schneider, and enjoys movies, reading, and spending time with her husband Kirk, their twins, and their beagle.
Contact: sarah.batchelor@covumc.com or 610-544-1400 during church office hours
Kirk F. Schneider, Handbell Director
Kirk Schneider has been the Handbell Director at Covenant Church since 1991. He is a member of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers and actively participates in workshops and seminars.
He is employed full-time as a mechanical engineer for a local company that manufactures aircraft arresting equipment.
Kirk is married to Covenant's Director of Music, Sarah Batchelor, and enjoys all kinds of music, working with computers, watching movies, reading, and spending time with Sarah and their twins.
Contact: kirk.schneider@covumc.com
Office Staff
Tina Hutchison, Administrative Specialist - Pastor/Staff Support
Contact: tina.hutchison@covumc.com or 610-544-1400 during church office hours
Ryan Meyers, Administrative Specialist - Facilities
Contact: ryan.meyers@covumc.com or 610-544-1400 during church office hours
Jeanne Daniels, Accounting Coordinator
Contact: jeanne.daniels@covumc.com or 610-544-1400 during church office hours
Covenant Nursery School
Dawn Hanrahan, Preschool Ministries Director
Dawn Hanrahan became director of Covenant Nursery School in 2010 after over a decade working as one of our teachers. Not only does she have a solid background in early childhood education, but she and her husband also have three children of their own who provide on-the-job experience in parenting.
Contact: dawn.hanrahan@covumc.com or 610-328-9085 during nursery school hours
Childcare Staff
Katey Paulson, Childcare Coordinator
On Sunday mornings you can find Ms. Katey in the Babyfold caring for our littlest ones. Her favorite part of working with kids is watching them explore and learn. When Ms. Katey is not at Covenant, she works at another childcare facility and is taking classes in early childhood development. She is CPR and First Aid Certified.
Contact: childcare@covumc.com
