Reverend J. Beth Goss, Pastor
Beth has been pastor of Church of the Covenant since August of 2008.  Before that she served churches in Vienna and Winchester Virginia.  Beth has a B.A. from Wellesley College (1975) and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Beth and husband Rollie met in the high school youth group at The Village Church in Northbrook, Illinois, where Beth's dad was a pastor.  In her first career, Beth was a C.P.A. and worked for a "Big 8" public accounting firm and then with private clients. Beth and Rollie lived for nearly 20 years in Miami, Florida, where their three sons--Carl, Blake, and Emery-- were born.  Volunteering with survivors of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 put Beth on a path to ordained ministry after Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. 2000).  She is still active in the disaster response communities from Northern Virginia and serves on the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance National Response Team. Rollie is an attorney and practices in the District of Columbia.  They enjoy baseball (yea, Nats!), opera, and traveling around the county to visit their spread out family.  Whenever possible, Beth still pretends to be a farmer by puttering around in the garden and digging in the dirt.

Barbara Anderson, Organist and Choir Director
Barbara A. Anderson, Organist and Choir Director, has directed the senior and junior choirs at Church of the Covenant since 1985. Over the years, she has directed performances of many of the choral masterpieces, including Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in G; Saint-Saens’s Christmas Oratorio; Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Faure’s Requiem, and Rutter’s Requiem and excerpts from his Magnificat. In addition to the classical choral repertoire, Mrs. Anderson incorporates a variety of musical genres into the typical church service, including contemporary sacred music, spirituals, popular music, and show tunes. Mrs. Anderson happily works with singers at every level of experience and ability. Indeed, she has a particular knack for recruiting the musical neophyte, working with them to develop their singing voice and ultimately generating wonderful singing tone and ability. With a degree in piano performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Mrs. Anderson is an accomplished organist and pianist who performs with unparalleled depth, precision, and musicality. Finally, Mrs. Anderson works with the children’s choir at Church of the Covenant, skillfully training these very young children (some as young as three years of age) to: use proper vocal technique, sing in an ensemble; and develop an appreciation for music and music performance. Prior to coming to Church of the Covenant, Mrs. Anderson directed large adult choirs in Africa (Lusaka, Zambia) and Central America (Tegucigalpa, Honduras). Before moving overseas with her husband, Mrs. Anderson was music director at Redeemer Lutheran Church in McLean, VA; District Heights Presbyterian Church in District Heights, MD; and First Christian Church in Alexandria, VA. In addition to her responsibilities at Church of the Covenant, Mrs. Anderson privately teaches piano, organ, and voice.

Marilyn Gallant, Office Administrator

Marilyn was welcomed as our new Office Administrator in January 2013.  She is almost a native of the D.C. metro area, first moving here when she was just one year old.  While growing up in Suitland, Maryland, she attended District Heights Presbyterian Church.  In 1989 she moved to Florida, where she worked for First Presbyterian of Palatka.  Marilyn moved back to Virginia in 2002 and married Larry Gallant (who is a native of the area!). They live in Fairfax County and attend Franconia Baptist Church.  Larry is a retired USPS Letter Carrier who referees youth soccer.