Our pastors
Pastors Marcus and Denise Whitfield
iiEst. 1958
Atlanta, GA
Sunday Worship at 8:00 and 10:45 AM
Since 1958 the doors of Greater Covenant Temple have opened on the same Westside corner every Sunday. Bring your whole family. The altar is open, and there is a seat with your name on it.
Church Anniversary
"Thus far the Lord hath helped us."
1 Samuel 7:12
Our anniversary Sunday opens with a processional of every ministry in full dress, followed by the Anniversary Choir, the Word, and dinner in the fellowship hall.
A word from our pastors
Sunday best here is not a dress code. It is a way of honoring the One we came to see.
Greater Covenant Temple began in 1958 with nine families, a borrowed storefront and a promise that the lights would stay on. Sixty-eight years later the lights are still on, the choir is still singing and the altar has never once been empty for long.
We are a church that loves hymns and Holy Ghost fire in the same service. We stand when the choir marches, we wait when the Spirit moves, and we feed anyone who walks through the door. You do not need an introduction. You need a place to sit, and we have saved you one.
Come this Sunday. Come with your children and your questions. Come tired, come grateful, come with a hat or without one. Come expecting, because God has never once been late to this house.
Marcus and Denise Whitfield
Your pastors
Inside this week's program
Here is what we are hearing together, so you can read ahead, bring your Bible and invite someone to sit beside you.
8:00 AMEarly Worship
10:45 AMMorning Worship
Greater Covenant Temple
Sunday, October 11
Come Expecting
The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
Leviticus 6:13
First Sunday of the month. Holy Communion will be served at both services. Please arrive ten minutes early.
2140 Covenant Way SW · Atlanta, GA 30310 · (404) 555-0142
The service, page by page
Every Sunday follows the same ordered path, like the pages of a printed program. Walk it with us, one movement at a time. Times shown are for the 10:45 service.
Order of Service10:45 AM
The Mothers Board leads the congregation to its feet. Together we read Psalm 100 aloud: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise."
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Order of Service10:50 AM
Ministers, deacons and the Covenant Chorale march in singing "Holy, Holy, Holy." Stand, clap, wave a handkerchief. This is the entrance of a King's household.
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Order of Service10:55 AM
The praise team opens with "Total Praise," the choir answers with a hymn of the church, and the whole house lifts "Blessed Assurance" until the room is full.
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Order of Service11:20 AM
The altar is open. Come and tarry. Our prayer ministers meet you at the rail with oil, a hand on your shoulder and no hurry. "My house shall be called a house of prayer." Isaiah 56:7
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Order of Service11:30 AM
We bring the first of what we have as the choir sings "Bless the Lord, O My Soul." Ushers will guide you row by row. Giving online is welcome too.
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Order of Service11:40 AM
Pastor Whitfield opens the Scripture and preaches. Bring your Bible and a pen. Expect the Word to open you.
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Order of Service12:15 PM
The doors of the church are open. While we sing "Just As I Am," anyone who wishes to give their life to Christ, join this church or be prayed for is invited to come forward.
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Order of Service12:25 PM
"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee." Numbers 6:24. We are sent out with the blessing and a hug at the door, and the fellowship hall is open for fellowship.
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Auxiliaries and ministries
Every gift has a place in this house. Pick a tab and meet the people who lead.
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The Covenant Chorale has sung from the loft since 1959. We rehearse hard, we robe with pride, and we sing with the expectation that somebody in the pews needs this song today. Open to all voices, no audition for the Youth Chorale.
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Four leads, a band and a heart for the altar. The Praise Team opens Sunday worship and leads the Wednesday night prayer service, moving between the hymnal and the new song without losing the room.
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White gloves, a warm face and a steady hand. The Usher Board welcomes every guest, seats the late, keeps the aisles holy and the order of service moving. Training is provided for all ages.
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Dressed in white and ready for anything. The Nurses Guild attends every service, checks blood pressure after worship on first Sundays, and covers the hospitals and homes of our sick and shut-in members.
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The mothers of the church have prayed this congregation through six decades. They sit near the front, wear the white, call us to worship and keep the standard. When a Mother says pray, we pray.
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Servants of the table and guardians of the fellowship. Our deacons prepare Holy Communion, visit the sick, care for the widows and stand beside the pastor in the work of the house.
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Ages 12 to 18, taught the Word, trained for leadership and given a real seat at the table. Youth Day is theirs from the pulpit to the praise dance, and the Youth Chorale sings every fourth Sunday.
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Brothers who pray, serve and hold one another accountable. Men of Covenant lead Men's Day, mentor boys on the Westside and show up with trucks and tools whenever a member needs a hand.
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Sisters in Christ across every season of life. Women of Virtue hosts Women's Day, a monthly Bible circle, mentoring for young mothers and the best fellowship dinners in southwest Atlanta.
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Fifty-five and fabulous. The Golden Saints travel, pray, play Bid Whist, receive rides to church and keep the memory of this house. Their stories are our living history.
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Faith with its sleeves rolled up. Outreach runs the Saturday food pantry, school supply drives, neighborhood prayer walks and the Thanksgiving baskets that have gone out every year since 1971.
On the church calendar
Pastor's Appreciation
Honor Pastors Marcus and Denise Whitfield for eighteen years of faithful shepherding. A love offering will be received, and the Women of Virtue will serve a reception after worship.
Guest Rev. Dr. Joseph Ellison, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church
Church Anniversary
A processional of every ministry in full dress, the Anniversary Choir, the Word and a family dinner in the fellowship hall. Wear your Sunday best and your anniversary colors.
Guest Bishop Eleanor R. Whitaker
Homecoming
Come back to the house that raised you. Former members, choir alumni and families who moved away are all invited to sit in their old pew and eat at the long table.
Guest Pastor Marcus Whitfield
A look inside
You are expected
8:00 AM and 10:45 AM on Sundays. 2140 Covenant Way SW, Atlanta, GA 30310.