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-Leader printed 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).
The seventh of nine children, Wilson experienced heartache at the age of six when his mother died. His father Raymond—an Assemblies of God pioneer pastor—raised the Phillips kids during the Depression years, instilling in them biblical values.
When he was a young adult, Wilson started working for the Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas City, Kansas. During his 17 years there, he served as a switchman, tower yardmaster, and terminal trainmaster. In 1965, God sovereignly called Wilson to an unconditional surrender to His lordship and then two years later led him from the railroad industry into public ministry.
Wilson earned a bachelor of arts degree from Central Bible College in Springfield and was ordained as an Assemblies of God pastor. He served as assistant pastor at Calvary Temple in Springfield and then as senior pastor at a pioneer church in Sedalia (1970-75) and Republic Assembly of God (1975-83). In 1983, the Lord directed him and his wife to start Abundant Life Ministries in Springfield.
From 1983 until his transition to be with the Lord in 2009, Wilson followed the leading of the Holy Spirit in teaching deeper kingdom truths about love, acceptance, forgiveness, our identity in Christ, body-life ministry, eschatology, and so much more. His legacy of faith will continue for generations to come.
Patricia J. Phillips grew up in Centerville, Iowa, with her single widowed mother and five siblings. She moved to Kansas City as a young adult, met and married A. Wilson Phillips, and had three children. In 1962, Patricia became a believer in Christ, a few years before her husband surrendered to the Lord. Living the American dream, Patricia was surprised when God called Wilson and her into public ministry. As the summer of 1967 arrived, the Phillips relocated to Springfield for Wilson to attend Central Bible College. After Wilson received his degree, they pastored Assemblies of God churches—first in Sedalia then back in southwest Missouri in Republic. In 1983, they founded Abundant Life Ministries in Springfield.
The presbytery and congregation of Abundant Life Covenant Church recognized Patricia’s ministry and ordained her in 1986. Many in the Abundant Life family have seen Pastor Phillips as their spiritual mother and have followed her example as she has faithfully tended to her spiritual home.