After four years, the historic Springfield Baptist Church will resume weekly worship services in Covington on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 9:30 a.m. Springfield was founded along the banks of the Yellow River in west Newton County in 1879 by former slaves. During the residential population boom of the past decade, Springfield experienced astronomical growth that compelled them to pursue the 2005 purchase of their current facility at 3001 Old Salem Road in Conyers. The move to Conyers and the subsequent return to Covington were inspired by the same pastor, Eric W. Lee, Sr., who is only the sixth pastor of the 130-plus year old church. According to Pastor Lee, "County and city jurisdictions have never limited the scope of our ministry." Lee continues, "We’ve always served a membership that predominantly resides in both Rockdale and Newton and this expansion will allow us to do it better."

Springfield has entered into a two year agreement with the Newton County Board of Education, Newton County High School, and the Newton Arts Association to utilize the Porter Memorial Auditorium as their Covington worship location. The partnership will result in significant upgrades to the 700 seat theatre which is currently the largest civic auditorium in the county. In lieu of limited school funding and the delay of the proposed Covington Civic Center, the initiative was approved unanimously by the Board of Education and lauded as a model for creative organizational collaboration during lean financial times.

The 9:30 a.m. weekly service at Newton High School will be added to Springfield’s two services in Conyers at 7:30 am and 11 a.m. The new service is also a prelude to the eventual construction of a new worship facility near the historic Almon community in Newton County. For more information about Springfield, please consult www.sbclive.org.