Our History

The First Presbyterian Church in Covington, Georgia, was first organized in 1827 and was located near the present site of the old Covington jail. That congregation dissolved in 1847. On March 28, 1877, with the Reverend J.N. Bradshaw serving as its first supply pastor, First Presbyterian Church was reorganized with twenty-one members. A dedication ceremony was conducted to consecrate the first building to the glory of God on October 6, 1878. The Reverend T.B. Trenholm was the first installed pastor of the church in 1893. In 1917, the first youth organization was begun with twenty-five members, and during the pastorate of Dr. Sam Burney Hay the first Vacation Bible School was held.
The original church was destroyed by fire in March of 1926, and a new sanctuary was rebuilt and dedicated during October of that same year. That sanctuary now contains church offices. The construction of a two-story building containing additional Sunday School rooms and the Martin Fellowship Hall was completed in May of 1959. In January of 1995, additional properties were purchased on Clark Street toward the west and the Clothes Closet, Food Pantry and Habitat for Humanity ministries were located there.
On May 7, 1995, the present sanctuary and new church facilities were dedicated. The large clear-paned windows of the church sanctuary symbolize the church's call to mission and ministry, not only in the immediate neighborhood of our front and back yards, but also in our neighborhood of the world and the earth. The windows start waist-high and extend to the vaulted ceiling, offering an unobstructed view of God's world right at our fingertips. They reach heavenward, anchored at the top with small stained glass crosses. Plans for these windows were prayerfully solidified by the building committee of the 1990's, with input from the congregation. They represent the aspiration of the congregation in its ministry.
Through its history the church has been blessed and enriched by strong leadership, both lay and clergy. Most recently, our Senior Pastor the Reverend Neeley Rentz Lane who began her call at FPC Covington in January 2020, and our Associate Pastor of Faith Formation the Reverend Erin Morgan who joined us in May 2022. Among our previous notable leaders are long-time pastor Rev. Dr. William B. Wade, Jr., who served from 1986-2018, Sam B. Hay, Sr., who served from 1923 to 1926, and who later served as President of Stillman College, and Peter Marshall, who served here from 1930 to 1933, and later became Chaplain of the United States Senate.
If you visit the church, you will find pictures of all the pastors who served at FPC. We are grateful for Jane Williams who gathered those pictures for us.
The original church was destroyed by fire in March of 1926, and a new sanctuary was rebuilt and dedicated during October of that same year. That sanctuary now contains church offices. The construction of a two-story building containing additional Sunday School rooms and the Martin Fellowship Hall was completed in May of 1959. In January of 1995, additional properties were purchased on Clark Street toward the west and the Clothes Closet, Food Pantry and Habitat for Humanity ministries were located there.
On May 7, 1995, the present sanctuary and new church facilities were dedicated. The large clear-paned windows of the church sanctuary symbolize the church's call to mission and ministry, not only in the immediate neighborhood of our front and back yards, but also in our neighborhood of the world and the earth. The windows start waist-high and extend to the vaulted ceiling, offering an unobstructed view of God's world right at our fingertips. They reach heavenward, anchored at the top with small stained glass crosses. Plans for these windows were prayerfully solidified by the building committee of the 1990's, with input from the congregation. They represent the aspiration of the congregation in its ministry.
Through its history the church has been blessed and enriched by strong leadership, both lay and clergy. Most recently, our Senior Pastor the Reverend Neeley Rentz Lane who began her call at FPC Covington in January 2020, and our Associate Pastor of Faith Formation the Reverend Erin Morgan who joined us in May 2022. Among our previous notable leaders are long-time pastor Rev. Dr. William B. Wade, Jr., who served from 1986-2018, Sam B. Hay, Sr., who served from 1923 to 1926, and who later served as President of Stillman College, and Peter Marshall, who served here from 1930 to 1933, and later became Chaplain of the United States Senate.
If you visit the church, you will find pictures of all the pastors who served at FPC. We are grateful for Jane Williams who gathered those pictures for us.