The Covenant Churches of Taylorsville gathered on Friday, September 18, 2026, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of their Covenant Agreement of cooperation. The three congregations—All Saints Roman Catholic, First Christian (Disciples of Christ), and Taylorsville United Methodist Church—first formalized their commitment to shared ministry in 1986.

Reverend Marvin Singh, pastor of Taylorsville United Methodist Church, opened the service with a prayer of gratitude for being in “a house of prayer where we can pray for others, pray for the nation, pray for the authorities, pray for the community, pray for the schools, and pray for the people serving here.”

Kelly Creed, a member of the Covenant Churches of Taylorsville Committee and All Saints parishioner, read John 17:20–26—the same scripture used at the original service forty years ago.

The guest speaker, Reverend Tom Clark, former priest of All Saints and the clergy representative who signed the 1986 Covenant, offered a first‑hand account of the events that led to the agreement. Now 95, Father Clark reflected on his background, his ecumenical experiences prior to arriving at All Saints, and the cooperation that grew among the pastors and congregations of the three churches during the mid‑1980s. He spoke warmly of the spirit of unity that shaped the original covenant and continues to guide the churches today.

The celebration concluded with a dessert reception in St. Benedict’s Parish Hall and the signing and presentation of a 40th Anniversary commemorative gift for each church.

Although September 2026 has brought record‑high temperatures, the words of the late Preston Jeffiers—a longtime TUMC member and the lay representative who signed the covenant in 1986—still resonate. He once wrote:

“Sunday, Sept. 14, 1986, was a warm sunny day in Taylorsville. Nothing unusual about a beautiful September day. But what was about to happen at the 11 a.m. service at the First Christian Church was going to be quite unusual. So much so, we were told that only once before had such an event taken place in the state of Kentucky. Our churches were about to sign a covenant of cooperation. This Covenant had the blessing, encouragement and participation of each church’s hierarchy.”

While the temperatures may have changed, the message and meaning of the Covenant have not. Those gathered for the anniversary reaffirmed the original pledges: to include prayers for one another in Sunday worship, to work and pray for unity in the body of Christ, to hold joint services, to cooperate in shared ministries and programs, and to promote dialogue and understanding of each church’s traditions while supporting one another in preserving them.

The reaffirmation concluded with the Covenant’s closing words:
“While we strive for unity, we remain aware that unity does not imply uniformity. Therefore, we commit ourselves to the preservation of that richness which springs from the diversity of our separate traditions. We are one in commitment not only to Christ and to each other, but also to the whole Church.”

When asked why cooperation among different denominations remains important, Father Clark offered a simple, enduring truth: “We need to know each other better, get together and understand each other better, be a sign to the larger community—whether church or otherwise—that even though we’re different, we can walk together, work together, and talk together, be a better person, and grow through that way.”

A sentiment as relevant today as it was in 1986.