Thank you for being here and showing your interest in our church. Our Pastor, Rev. J.R. Finney (or J. R. as he is known) has been the cornerstone of our congregation for many years with his excellent knowledge of the bible and deep desire to lead people to a better understanding of the Word and of themselves as they form a relationship with Christ.

Pastor Finney comes from a background that believes  that the church must not only meet people’s spiritual need for a relationship with Christ first, but also, when possible, help in the everyday struggles of living for those whom Jesus called in Matthew 25:40, “the least of them.”  For this reason Covenant Community Church strives to be a voice for those that struggle and face discrimination.

Pastor Finney received a Master’s of Divinity degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.

From April 1977 through May 2006, Pastor Finney was a member of Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) where he was ordained, and he served in various denominational, district and local church leadership positions. He was known throughout the District and Fellowship as “The ‘Preachin’ Deacon.”  In 1977, while living in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he united in membership with St. John’s MCC in Raleigh, North Carolina and commuted 140 miles for worship. In 1978, he founded MCC-Fayetteville and served as its first Pastor. From 1979 to 1983, he was a member of MCC-Memphis where he served eleven months as its Interim Pastor. In June 1983, he accepted employment with EPA in Atlanta, Georgia and became a member of First MCC (formerly MCC of the Blessed Redeemer) the same year. During 1997 and 1998, Pastor Finney was chosen to serve as the Interim Pastor, and the church experienced unprecedented growth during his leadership.

In July 2000, with 84% of the congregational vote, Pastor Finney was elected as the Pastor of CCC. In September 2000, Pastor Finney became the Pastor of CCC after a seventeen year membership with First MCC and a seventeen year career with the US EPA, Region IV, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

In January 2006, CCC voted to disaffiliate with MCC and became an independent congregation. After seven years as an independent congregation, Pastor Finney led CCC in a covenantal relationship becoming “A United Church of Christ Congregation” in April 2013.

In 2019 Covenant Community Church moved from it’s location in Center Point Alabama to join with fellow congregation Pilgrim UCC in the more centralized location of Downtown Birmingham. Currently, Both church share a building and operate two separate services. . Pastor J.R. has been instrumental in helping the church through the recent pandemic by insuring that online services were available for the congregation that could not get out. Pastor J.R.s  guidance helps Covenant Community Church to  continue to move and transform as needed to meet the needs of the community.