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Covenant Reformed [[Baptist]] Church is a Baptist Church in Providence, [[North Carolina]], in the Danville, [[Virginia]] area. It professes three distinctives: being "Reformed", "Inter-racial" and "Active".<ref>Covenant Reformed Baptist Church pamphlet </ref>

Covenant Reformed [[Baptist]] Church is a Baptist church in Providence, [[North Carolina]], in the Danville, [[Virginia]] area. It professes three distinctives: being "Reformed", "Inter-racial" and "Active".<ref>Covenant Reformed Baptist Church pamphlet </ref>

==Origins==

==Origins==

The church was begun in March, 2008, first as "Covenant Fellowship", meeting in the Caswell County Parks and Recreation Gym, as an experiment seeking if their area needed a new church "committed to being Reformed, Inter-racial, and active." After a three month exploratory stage, the initial congregants decided to go forward, naming themselves Covenant Reformed Baptist Church (CRBC), seeking a founding membership willing to be committed to the church's covenant and statement of faith, being inter-racial and active in out-reach. That "formation stage" of the church ended in November 2008 when it members ratified a church constitution and called as pastor Dr. John Carpenter and as a lay-elder Joe Scruggs.<ref>"New Church Forms and Expands," ''The Caswell Messenger'', November 12, 2008, p. 11.</ref> In early 2009 the new [[church]] purchased the gymnasium originally built for the Piedmont Academy, a now defunct segregated school in Providence, North Carolina, which has since served as it's main facility.<ref>"Covenant opens new building in Providence," ''The Caswell Messenger'', March 2009.</ref>

The church was begun in March, 2008, first as "Covenant Fellowship", meeting in the Caswell County Parks and Recreation Gym, as an experiment seeking if their area needed a new church "committed to being Reformed, Inter-racial, and active." After a three-month exploratory stage, the initial congregants decided to go forward, naming themselves Covenant Reformed Baptist Church (CRBC), seeking a founding membership willing to be committed to the church's covenant and statement of faith, being inter-racial and active in out-reach. That "formation stage" of the church ended in November 2008 when it members ratified a church constitution and called as pastor Dr. John Carpenter and as a lay-elder Joe Scruggs.<ref>"New Church Forms and Expands," ''The Caswell Messenger'', November 12, 2008, p. 11.</ref> In early 2009 the new [[church]] purchased the gymnasium originally built for the Piedmont Academy, a now defunct segregated school in Providence, North Carolina, which has since served as it's main facility.<ref>"Covenant opens new building in Providence," ''The Caswell Messenger'', March 2009.</ref>

==Reformed==

==Reformed==

==Inter-racial==

==Inter-racial==

From it's origins the church has sought to be "inter-racial". John Carpenter said, "We're not playing church, not cultural Christianity for just one kind of people but a loving flock for all of God's people."<ref>"Another Milestone for new church," ''The Caswell Messenger'', September 2008.</ref> In February 2009, the church took a group of youth from it's area to see the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref>''The Caswell Messenger'', March 2009.</ref> The church, led by Mary Yeo of Singapore, has reached out to and included the area [[China|Chinese]] community. Besides welcoming Chinese into membership, Yeo brought back a small library of Chinese language [[Christianity|Christian]] books. John Carpenter said, From our beginnings in 2008, we've sought to be a truly inter-racial church, with black, white and now Chinese. We don't believe in segregated churches. . . . Here there has been a shameful racial segregation. We're working, with Jesus' love, to bridge those gaps and let Jesus build one church out of many believing people."<ref>"Covenant reaches out to Chinese community," ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 2011.</ref> Upon the [[death]] of an 13-year old [[African American]] boy, Demion Farmer, who attended the churches functions, Carpenter wrote, "We're also reminded of why we've been called to be a church for all kinds of people. Our building was originally built in the 1970's for a segregated school, to keep the races apart. But apparently King Jesus decided that He had a better use for that building: to welcome all kinds of children (and adults) in."<ref>Carpenter, John, "Loss of a Child," ''The Caswell Messenger''. February 22, 2012.</ref>

From its origins the church has sought to be "inter-racial". John Carpenter said, "We're not playing church, not cultural Christianity for just one kind of people but a loving flock for all of God's people."<ref>"Another Milestone for new church," ''The Caswell Messenger'', September 2008.</ref> In February 2009, the church took a group of youth from its area to see the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia.<ref>''The Caswell Messenger'', March 2009.</ref> The church, led by Mary Yeo of Singapore, has reached out to and included the area [[China|Chinese]] community. Besides welcoming Chinese into membership, Yeo brought back a small library of Chinese language [[Christianity|Christian]] books. John Carpenter said, From our beginnings in 2008, we've sought to be a truly inter-racial church, with black, white and now Chinese. We don't believe in segregated churches. . . . Here there has been a shameful racial segregation. We're working, with Jesus' love, to bridge those gaps and let Jesus build one church out of many believing people."<ref>"Covenant reaches out to Chinese community," ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 2011.</ref> Upon the [[death]] of an 13-year old [[African American]] boy, Demion Farmer, who attended the churches functions, Carpenter wrote, "We're also reminded of why we've been called to be a church for all kinds of people. Our building was originally built in the 1970's for a segregated school, to keep the races apart. But apparently King Jesus decided that He had a better use for that building: to welcome all kinds of children (and adults) in."<ref>Carpenter, John, "Loss of a Child," ''The Caswell Messenger''. February 22, 2012.</ref>

==Active==

==Active==

==Founding Pastor==

==Founding Pastor==

John Carpenter earned a Ph.D. in church history studying [[Puritan|Puritanism]] ([[Lutheran]] School of Theology at Chicago). He also has a B.A. from Samford University; an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary; and a Th.M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.<ref>"Church refurbishes Providence Gym, since purpose in 2009", ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 2011. Covenant Reformed Baptist Church pamphlet.</ref> Some of his sermons are available through youtube and at the church's web-site.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEWT0r86ch_R0bMwt1p4V2ZnheUiMBtCS. www.covenantcaswell.org.</ref> He is the author of "The Fourth Great Awakening Or Apostasy:  Is American Evangelicalism Cycling Upwards Or Spiraling Downwards?" and various other articles.<ref>''Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society'', 44/4 (December 2001) 647–70. http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/44/44-4/44-4-PP647-70_JETS.pdf</ref>

John Carpenter earned a Ph.D. in church history studying [[Puritan|Puritanism]] ([[Lutheran]] School of Theology at Chicago). He also has a B.A. from Samford University; an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary; and a Th.M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.<ref>"Church refurbishes Providence Gym, since purpose in 2009", ''The Caswell Messenger'', July 2011. Covenant Reformed Baptist Church pamphlet.</ref> Some of his sermons are available through YouTube and at the church's web-site.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEWT0r86ch_R0bMwt1p4V2ZnheUiMBtCS. www.covenantcaswell.org.</ref> He is the author of "The Fourth Great Awakening Or Apostasy:  Is American Evangelicalism Cycling Upwards Or Spiraling Downwards?" and various other articles.<ref>''Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society'', 44/4 (December 2001) 647–70. http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/44/44-4/44-4-PP647-70_JETS.pdf</ref>

== References ==

== References ==