A Brief History of Covenant Presbyterian Church
-Prepared by Jerry Siess with the assistance of other church members.
 
Covenant Presbyterian Church was organized on October 23rd, 1890 as the First Presbyterian Church, South, only three years after Potter County was organized.  At the time Amarillo had about 500 residents.  The first church building was located at 4th and Fillmore.  This was the first Presbyterian Church to be established in Amarillo.  For a period of about seven years (from 1915-1922), the church was dissolved and several members transferred to Central Presbyterian Church (now known as First Presbyterian).
In 1922 the church was reorganized, and in 1923 Dr. E.B. Fincher became the Pastor.  He was a beloved member of the Amarillo Community and was known for walking all over town conducting services in each fire station as well as in the jails.  His wife was reluctant to ask him to stop at the grocery store because he nearly always gave the groceries away to someone who was hungry before he reached home!  Dr. Fincher continued as pastor until well past retirement age, serving until May, 1946.  Because of his constant, caring, Christ-like work within the community, he was selected as Man of the Year of Amarillo by the business community in 1950.
In June of 1949 the Reverend Clarence Dodge became our pastor, and served until his death in 1959.  His widow, Georgia, continued to attend until her passing in 2008!  Our present church building was built during his pastorate, with the first services being held in December, 1950.  A great deal of the actual work was done by members, including the painting and wiring of the building.  During this time, the women were busy sewing, painting, and shopping for furnishings.  This tradition of lay involvement continues today as work days are scheduled two or three times per year for repairs and upkeep.
The name of the church was changed from Southern Presbyterian Church to Covenant Presbyterian in 1959, to reflect our commitment to serving the Lord as He would want here in Amarillo.
The Reverend Martin Thomas became pastor of our church in 1966, bringing his wife, Virginia, and their four children from Denton to become part of our growing congregation.  During his time of service our congregation increased, causing us to have two morning services.
During much of our church's history we have been blessed with youth groups, women's Bible studies, a marvelous choir, dedicated Sunday School teachers, as well as supportive and loving members.  During the Seventies we were blessed with a very talented and highly trained music director, Carol Lynn, whose skill brought many visitors to hear our musical performances.  She was a deeply spiritual woman, and was truly an inspiration to us during this period.
In 1983 Covenant called the Reverend James DeCamp as pastor.  The son of missionaries, he was born in Korea.  He had served in the Army before going to seminary and was helpful in enlarging our view of the world.  He went on to chaplain school and served in Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf.  He left Covenant in 1990 for Minneapolis to head up research for Presbyterians Pro-Life.
Rev. George Franklin Williams became our pastor on June 8, 1991, and served faithfully and diligently until he retired on May 3, 2004.  He and his wife, Barbara, moved back to Washington state and live there six months of the year.  The other six months are spent in North Carolina near their children and grandchildren.
Covenant was blessed with many fine men and women who filled our pulpit with thoughtful, inspiring sermons until September 1, 2005, when Rev. Ila Mayes became our Stated Supply.  She served our church with love and grace until the health of her husband, Clay, led her to retire. 
On November 18, 2007, Covenant was blessed to have Nicholas Garner. a recent graduate of Denver Seminary, accept our request to become our Pastor.  His wife, Beth, serves as Ministry Assistant for The Word at Work, a ministry group that works with churches to help the needy in Belize. Covenant invited this group to use some rooms in our building for their office space in our building some years ago. We are moving forward with plans to share God's love with the people of Amarillo, and to know Him and make Him known.
1400 Wolflin Ave.
Amarillo, TX 79109
Phone: (806) 376-5244  debbie@covenantamarillo.org
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”C.S. Lewis