Covenant Church of Pittsburgh to Celebrate 50th Anniversary Ceremonies to be Held for Installation of New Senior Pastors & Special Reassignment of Bishop Joseph and Pastor Barbara Garlington

PITTSBURGH, PA (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — Covenant Church of Pittsburgh (2110 Andrews Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15221) will celebrate an exciting milestone in its history – the 50th anniversary of ministry that will commence on June 24 with the installation of Apostle Bill & Pastor Lynne Themelaras as new pastoral leadership. The commemoration continues on June 25 with the reassignment of its founding leaders Bishop Joseph & Pastor Barbara Garlington.

 

A special installation service for Apostle Bill and Pastor Lynne Themelaras will take place Thursday, June 24 at 7 p.m. The historic reassignment service for Bishop Joseph and Pastor Barbara Garlington will occur on Friday, June 25 at 7 p.m.

 

“Pastor Barbara and I are thrilled to welcome Apostle Bill and Pastor Lynne back to Covenant Church of Pittsburgh and our city. As revivalists, they represent fresh hope for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this region. Covenant Church is recognized globally as an authentic model for racial reconciliation, and Apostle Bill has demonstrated a proven ability to continue this trajectory in tumultuous times.

 

This gifted couple will prove to be excellent pillars in the Western Pennsylvania region. As they joyfully respond to this significant expansion of their growing ministry, they will release new energy to a refreshed vision for Covenant Church and the City of Pittsburgh. We look forward to seeing how God will use them as they lovingly shepherd the Covenant Church family.” – Bishop Joseph L. Garlington, Sr.

 

Both historic events will take place during this year’s Presence Conference which will take place June 22-25.

 

“I am greatly honored to receive this mantle and the responsibility that comes with it. Covenant Church of Pittsburgh has a rich history of a thriving church in this region, and I believe that will continue into the future. Bishop Joseph and Pastor Barbara Garlington have provided a legacy of church leadership and city-wide impact. Lynne and I are privileged to be an extension of this, as well as we embrace the call of God for our future. ” – Apostle Bill Themelaras

 

Services at Covenant Church of Pittsburgh are held Sundays at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.ccop.org.

 

Bill Themelaras serves the greater church as a prophetic apostle. He oversees two congregations: Oasis City Church in Columbus, OH and Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, in Pittsburgh, PA. Both are dynamic worship communities diverse in culture, race and age.

 

He is the President of Reconciliation! Ministries International®, a network of five-fold ministries participating in the revival, renewal, restoration, and reformation of the church.

 

Bill is gifted as an organizational leader with a heart to raise up team ministry within the church. He travels internationally as a voice of wisdom and consultation to dozens of ministries.

 

Bill is happily married to his wife, Lynne, and is the proud father of two daughters, Nia and Skylar, and their son, Cullen.

 

Bishop Joseph L. Garlington, Sr. is the presiding pastor of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, a large multi-racial, cross-cultural Christian community which he and his wife Barbara founded in 1971.

Covenant Church of Pittsburgh has been a model for racial healing and reconciliation for more than forty-eight years. Through the auspices and energy of Covenant Church, they launched Reconciliation! an international network of churches and ministries for which he is the Presiding Bishop.

 

As the Senior Pastor and visionary of Covenant Church, a ministry located in the heart of Wilkinsburg, a borough integrally located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, he launched an outreach in the late 1980s to recover Horner, an abandoned junior high school which was located one city block from their worship center. This initiative has now become Hosanna House, a world-class, award-winning community center, enjoying partnerships with government, businesses, financial institutions, foundations, and churches. This and other numerous outreaches to the local and international community have positioned Bishop Garlington as a recognized leader in the faith-based community.

Bishop Garlington served from 2000 to 2018 as president of Building United of Southwest Pennsylvania, an ecumenical coalition of bishops and clergy in the southwestern and western Pennsylvania corridor. Through the synergy of this partnership with local and financial institutions and foundations, they saw genuine fruit from President George W. Bush’s faith-based initiative which provides home-ownership for low and middle-income families.

 

Bishop Garlington consults for pastors, churches, and organizations that are eager to develop similar models of racial reconciliation and healing as they have at Covenant Church of Pittsburgh. He has been married to Barbara Williams Garlington for more than forty-nine years. They share life with seven grown children, thirteen grandchildren, and five and a half great-grandchildren.

 

Presence will take place June 22-25, 2021 at Covenant Church of Pittsburgh located at 2110 Andrews Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15221. Each evening will begin with a time of worship followed by a powerful word from one of our guest speakers, including renowned gospel artist and pastor, William McDowell, musical guests DOE, David & Nicole Binion and more!

 

For more details regarding the installation and reassignment of CCOP leadership or for attendance at the event, please reach out to the media coordination team via the aforementioned contact information.