I have been the pastor here for 20 years and love my church family and this community, where my wife Lisa and I raised our two children. I enjoy the ministry and working with all age groups, my favorite being junior high.  We are known in town for our children’s and youth ministries. We have Sunday school for all ages, an Alpha program, men’s and women’s Bible studies and many who serve the less fortunate. There is a ministry for children with special needs called Special Grace.

Our passion is for prayer – praying for and with people. We strive to help every member and friend identify their spiritual gifts and use them in ministry. We are a generous and thriving church, seeking to follow God’s direction. The Spirit is alive in our church and many come to see what is happening.

A little background: I grew up in a northern suburb of Chicago; I studied City and Regional Planning at Illinois Institute of Technology. My wife Lisa Sundell and I met in New Hampshire at Camp Squanto in 1986. We got married in 1987 in Chicago, completed North Park Theological Seminary in 1990 and moved to our first church in Rochester, MN. Maja Brittany Cederberg and John Alrik Olsen were born while we served the Rochester Covenant Church. We have also served churches in Chicago and Northbrook, Illinois; Mount Vernon, Washington, and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. In my free time I enjoy being with family (my granddaughter Else is pictured with me!), Chicago sports teams, playing golf, yard work, swimming, and splitting/stacking fire wood.

I invite you to visit us at the Covenant Church of Thomaston. We are a graciously loving community; you can come as you are! And may the Lord bless you today!

Welcome to the Covenant Church of Thomaston!