August 2023

Denominational Focus: Covenant College offers a distinctly Christian liberal arts education that is spiritually nourishing and academically challenging. Our mission permeates all of campus life: to explore and express the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all things. Grounded in tradition and a time-tested Reformed theological heritage, Covenant’s close-knit community is shaped by a unifying love of the gospel. Students experience transformative spiritual enrichment through encountering Jesus as a community. Prepared for their professional calling in an academically rigorous environment, students are equipped to be change-agents in all walks of life.

“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

‒ Colossians 1:18

Prayers

July 30-August 5

Prayer for the PCA to continue to be true to the Bible and the Reformed faith and obedient to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

August 6-12

Praise that God graciously preserved the college—students, faculty, and staff—during the pandemic and provided generously through the recently completed IMPACT Campaign.

August 13-19

God continues to bring remarkably gifted, deeply committed, and faithful men and women to serve at the college: a new VP for Academic Affairs and five well-credentialed faculty members.

August 20-26

We long to provide a Covenant College education to as many students as we can. Please pray that He will bring more purposeful, academically capable students to the college every year.

August 27-September 2

Pray the Lord will continue to keep us faithful in providing an exceptional Reformed liberal arts education that is uncompromising both in its biblical faithfulness and in its commitment to academic excellence.

Stories

God has been faithful to provide for Covenant College over the years. In 1955, Covenant’s founders stepped out in faith to establish a Christian liberal arts college. This began at the corner of East Walnut Street and North Oakland Avenue in Pasadena, CA. Before long, Covenant moved to St. Louis, MO, and shared a campus with Covenant Seminary. Then in 1964, right as the College was outgrowing the space, Covenant relocated to Lookout Mountain. This opportunity was an answer to many prayers. Covenant bought “Carter Hall,” which was formerly the luxurious Lookout Mountain Hotel. Guests had come from all over the country since 1928 to vacation at the beautiful “Castle in the Clouds.” It had the South’s largest ballroom and an Olympic size pool. Today, you can still see Carter Hall perching on the top of the mountain from miles away. We are thankful that due to God’s providence, hundreds of students gather on top of beautiful Lookout Mountain each year to grow into their callings in a Christ-centered community.

Personal Stories

“Covenant developed in me the versatile skill of learning. I took a lot of core classes that I thought were pointless at the time, but now I realize that the exposure was instilling in me academic confidence and creative thinking. As an art major, I was not afraid to jump into the hard sciences needed for medical school. I had already brushed shoulders with the material before, and I knew I could apply learning principles to any subject matter.”

– Todd Fleming ’12, Ophthalmology Resident at Eastern Virginia Medical School

“I chose Covenant because I could trust in the solid biblical teaching of the professors, knowing the connection with the PCA meant I was getting a reformed education. Covenant puts a lot of emphasis on spiritual integration in the classroom and looking at things through a biblical perspective. Throughout every class, there’s a spiritual connection; professors are very intentional about bringing the Bible into the classroom. Not only do the classes point you to Christ, but they also make you work hard in your academics and make you a better person.”

– Zoe VanderMaas ’26

“I have learned so much about the body of Christ just by living on Covenant’s campus. One of my favorite things about my hall is that though we are all very different, we are bound together by our love of God, our desire to learn more about Him, and our desire to love each other and others just as Jesus did. The way we love each other, lift each other up, and use our gifts to ultimately worship God reminds me of the way that 2 Corinthians 12 describes the body of Christ and the church.”

–  Jon Schimpf ’23

“Having experienced the spiritual and intellectual richness of a Covenant education as an undergraduate, I was eager to get back to the mountain and curate that formative experience for others. It is a delight and privilege to have a job where I am not merely allowed, but encouraged and expected, to integrate faith with learning. What I love most about teaching at Covenant is the students. They are curious, faithful people who are happy to ask hard questions, willing to discuss ideas, eager to use Scripture as a guide, and thoughtful in living out their convictions within their intellectual and social communities. I also admire and enjoy my faculty colleagues who inspire me not only with their academic excellence, but also with their humility and kindness.”

– Dr. Heather Hess ’09, Assistant Professor of English at Covenant College 

God’s Faithfulness to a Large and Lowly Family!

We, Lewis and Elsbeth Codington, have been missionaries for over 30 years. We met at Covenant College in 1975, and married in 1978, after we graduated. Over a long missionary career with MTW and CLC International, we have lived and worked in four countries (France, England, China, and Korea) and have been extremely blessed to be able to send all nine of our children to Covenant College. There were Codington students at Covenant College continuously from 2000 to 2021. When the last of the nine graduated on my (Elsbeth’s) 65th birthday in May 2021, President Halverson commented that David’s graduation marked the end of an era, ending the continuous use of P.O. Box 59 by one family in the mailroom of Covenant College (and also ending the longest streak of tuition payments by the same family!!). 

–  Lewis and Elsbeth Codington 

Fun Facts

• On a clear day, Covenant has a better view on both sides than See Rock City, come check it out!
• There are over 30+ active student led clubs on campus, including a Doughnut Club!
• Our student body represents 42 states, and 29 countries.
• The main building, Carter Hall, was originally built as a hotel in 1928 and referred to as the “Castle in the Clouds.”
• Founded in 1955, Covenant was first located in Pasadena, CA, then moved to St. Louis in 1956, and then moved to Lookout Mountain, GA in 1964.
• Each year, Covenant’s faculty members all individually reaffirm their commitment to the Westminster standards, the authority of Scripture, and our Statement of Community Beliefs. 
• Covenant is located 15 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, and 2 hours from Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham, and Knoxville.
• We are members of the NCAA Division III and Collegiate Conference of the South.
• Covenant is the only College of the PCA!
• We offer 57 majors, minors, and certificate programs.
• Covenant is only one of five CCCU schools ranked as a national liberal arts college, and the only one in the South. 

Kids’ Activities