Located on the northeast corner of the Square in downtown Springfield since 1985—with the vision to be a light in the midst of the blight—Abundant Life Covenant Church started as an idea one morning in October of 1981, when the Lord impressed very strongly to Pastor A. Wilson Phillips:
“I have set a great open door before you; no man can close it. Those who enter therein shall reap an abundant harvest. They shall reap both within the Body of Christ and without. They shall reap where others have labored and they have not sown.”
At the time, Phillips was pastor of Republic Assembly of God and had little idea of the course God had in store for him.
The first service of what was then called Abundant Life Ministries occurred on March 27, 1983. The group of around 200─some from Republic Assembly and some loyal listeners of Phillips’ radio broadcast on KWFC—met at a Springfield hotel. The church meeting had to be held in the hotel’s nightclub because the staff had accidentally double-booked the conference room. The anointing was wonderfully manifested as Pastor Phillips preached from the disco floor!
After several months, the church moved to a former funeral home across from where the Springfield Expo Center is now located on St. Louis St. It was during this period that the congregation was led to pursue acquisition of the Fox Theater on Park Central Square. Back then, the Square was closed to traffic and not very active; however, several developers were also interested in the property. A few weeks later when the Springfield News-Leaderprinted a story that another party was purchasing the building, the church simply trusted the Lord and continued to follow His leading.
After much publicity and testing, Abundant Life Covenant Church acquired the theater on April 5, 1985. The central location of the building symbolized one of the messages in our church; God was bringing down religious, political, social, economic, and racial barriers. He put this ministry on the Square to demonstrate true unity and bring healing to the wounded Body of Christ.
Over the 25 years Abundant Life has been here, downtown Springfield has experienced a revitalization. The future of the area is bright and filled with optimism. The ministry has always made every effort to be a good neighbor to other area businesses and has been a stabilizing presence throughout the transformation.
Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine (Ezekiel 47:12).
- Senior Pastor Pastor: Benjamin and Holly Davis
- Associate Pastor: Pastor Jonathan and Christa Clark
- Founding Pastors: Wilson and Patricia Phillips
