Covington First United Methodist Church sits just off the courthouse square in Covington, the seat of Tipton County, Tennessee, where two distinct worship styles share one church. The congregation runs a major food pantry that now serves more than four hundred families each month, a long-running prayer shawl ministry, a respected weekday preschool, and a wide range of mission work across Tipton County.
Two Sunday Mornings Under One Roof
First United Methodist Church in Covington gathers twice on Sunday morning, with each service offering a very different feel while sharing the same Biblically based teaching. The Modern Worship service begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Christian Life Center, where a praise band leads contemporary music in a casual setting. Coffee is welcome, and the dress range runs from suits to shorts since members dress across the full spectrum.
The Traditional Worship service begins at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Organ and piano music, a choir, and traditional hymn singing shape a more formal and liturgical feel. Both services are livestreamed on Facebook Live and YouTube, and both include a Children's Church program for children through fifth grade; volunteers escort the children out during worship and return them to their families before the closing.
The church teaches a Wesleyan emphasis on grace and forgiveness and holds that all who are part of the body have been called to a particular ministry. Scripture, the church says, is inspired by God, the authority for Christian belief, and the guide for Christian living.
Leading, Learning, Loving
Covington FUMC states its purpose in three movements: Leading people to Christ, Learning to be Disciples, and Loving through Service. Grace is the foundation, with justifying grace coming at faith and sanctifying grace shaping the lifelong walk that follows. The mission echoes the wider United Methodist calling to make disciples for the transformation of the world, and the congregation describes itself as a diverse, multi-generational, and outwardly focused body.
Members are asked to give of their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Worship, in the church's own words, is one of several ways to express love of God, and the gathering happens both in person and online.
KIDS FIRST: Birth through Fifth Grade
Children are a visible part of the church's life, with a ministry called KIDS FIRST that runs from preschool through fifth grade. Children's Director Jennifer Lindley oversees a full week of programming.
KIDS FIRST Sunday School meets from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. each Sunday, weaving music, live scripts, small group discussions, video, and creative activities around one bottom line so kids walk away remembering what matters most. KIDS FIRST Children's Church runs during both Modern and Traditional Worship and is designed as a worship experience shaped entirely for children, with a weekly Bible point, games, and engaging worship.
On Wednesday evenings during the school year, KIDS FIRST FX meets at 6 p.m. FX is a multi-media experience built around interactive games and comedic presentations led by a hype host, a comic host, a credible host, and a word character. Each summer brings Vacation Bible School, with volunteers and children gathering over several days in late July.
The nursery, for newborns through age three, is located in the lower level of the Education Building and is staffed by employees and volunteers. Parents are asked to leave a contact number for security purposes.
ELEVATE: Students in Grades Six through Twelve
Students in sixth through twelfth grade are part of ELEVATE. The group meets Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Christian Life Center for Bible study, games, and a shared meal. A Sunday morning small group and a Confirmation Class round out the year. Youth Director Ethan Cedarfield, who is studying at Austin Seminary, oversees the program.
Sunday School for the Rest of the Family
Adult Sunday School classes meet from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. each Sunday. Six classes cover a wide range of ages, stages, and interests:
- Enjoy Class is made up of singles and couples roughly age twenty to forty and meets in an open discussion format on the top floor of the Education Building.
- G.O. Class (God's Orderlies) is mostly senior couples who are active in mission and service and meets on the lower level of the Worship Building.
- H.O.P.E. Class (Hearts Open, Possibilities Endless) is a women-only class for those forty and up that draws on short-term studies and member-led teaching.
- Legacy Class gathers parents of young children, ages thirty to forty-five, for a mix of lesson and discussion.
- Men's Bible Class welcomes men of all ages and uses the International Lessons series in a lecture format.
- Now Class is for couples and singles fifty-five and older, using Cokesbury materials over six-to-twelve-week units.
On Wednesday mornings, a Bible study on the Book of Romans meets at 10 a.m. in the New Beginnings Room.
Methodist Preparatory School
Methodist Preparatory School sits in the lower level of the Education Building and provides programs for children ages three through six, plus an after-school program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Director Amy Shrum leads the school, which is described as a nurturing, Christian environment. An ongoing Educational Building Renovation campaign is underway to expand space for the program, with pledges and donations accepted.
Bread of Life Food Pantry
The Bread of Life Food Pantry opened in April 2010 as an outreach of First United Methodist Church and has grown into a lifeline for more than four hundred families each month who face food insecurity. The pantry operates in partnership with the Mid-South Food Bank and is supported by a Feeding America grant program, with food donated by local retailers. The late Rev. Grace Phelps shaped the ministry in its early years, and her influence is still remembered and honored in its work.
Two distribution locations serve Tipton County. The first and third Saturdays of each month bring patrons to the Education Building Fellowship Hall at the church on West Church Avenue in Covington. The second and fourth Saturdays shift distribution to Munford First United Methodist Church at 57 South Tipton Road. Both sites run from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Over one hundred volunteers staff the two locations each month, handling transportation, stocking, and distribution. Tipton County residents who meet one of six federal criteria may receive one food distribution per household every thirty days.
Volunteers can sign up through a Helping Hands signup, and donors can give by contacting Liz Newman for volunteering or Sandy Burgess for food donations.
The Good Samaritan Fund and Operation Round Up
The Good Samaritan Assistance Fund exists in response to the biblical parable and is a ministry of care and compassion for neighbors living in poverty in Covington and Tipton County. The fund helps with rent, utilities, and other necessities. Each person who comes for help has a private conversation with a staff member or volunteer, with the office open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. In addition to financial help, patrons are offered prayer and the chance to submit a written request that will be prayed over by a prayer team.
Operation Round Up began in October 2011. Covington city residents who pay utility bills can round each bill up to the next whole dollar, with the change going into the Round-Up Utility Assistance Fund. A bill of $98.32, for example, becomes $99.00, with the sixty-eight cents supporting neighbors hit by an emergency or unexpected expense. Round-Up funds also buy space heaters and electric fans for low-income families during extreme weather.
Share the Warmth and the Prayer Shawl Ministry
Share the Warmth runs in conjunction with the Bread of Life Food Pantry from November through February, offering a warm coat to anyone in need. Coats are collected year-round from across Covington and Tipton County. Children can receive one coat per year and adults one every three years.
The Prayer Shawl Ministry began in April 2005 after former member Debbie Wilson received a prayer shawl from a church in another state and felt moved to start a similar ministry at Covington First Methodist. Since then, members have knit and crocheted more than four hundred and fifty shawls, given to those in need of comfort in times of sorrow and joy. The makers meet once a week for prayer and fellowship while they work.
Arise2Read and United Women in Faith
Arise2Read is a literacy mentoring ministry focused on second and third grade reading skills. Volunteer mentors give one hour per week to two students using a team-read approach, which provides one-on-one coaching twice a week focused on essential sight words and phrases. The program currently serves two Tipton County public schools, Covington Integrated Arts Academy and Crestview Elementary. Many of the children served live in poverty, and the ministry emphasizes that reading proficiency by third grade is one of the strongest predictors of high school graduation.
United Women in Faith, formerly known as United Methodist Women, is a sisterhood of women who work to improve the lives of women, children, and youth. The group meets monthly in the Fellowship Hall with lunch provided and welcomes anyone who wants to take part.
What to Expect When You Visit
Covington FUMC welcomes first-time visitors at either Sunday morning service. Parking is available in any of three lots, with the upper lots best for accessing the Sanctuary and a lot right outside the Christian Life Center for the Modern service. Street parking is also available. Dress ranges from suits to shorts, the nursery is open for newborns through age three, and Children's Church is offered during both services.
The church is located at 145 West Church Avenue in Covington, Tennessee, just off the courthouse square. The phone number is 901-476-9694 and the email is covingtonfumc@covingtonfumc.com. Services are livestreamed at the Covington FUMC YouTube channel and on Facebook Live.