Our Mission • Our Beliefs • Our History • Our Ministries
The Assemblies of God developed out of the Pentecostal movement of the early twentieth century. As the fire of Pentecostalism spread around the country and around the globe, Pentecostal leaders felt the need to coordinate their efforts. In 1914, over three hundred ministers and laypeople from Pentecostal churches in twenty states gathered at Hot Springs, Arkansas. The purpose of their meeting was to discuss issues of doctrinal unity, foreign missions, the creation of Bible schools, formal recognition of ministers, and the perpetuation of the Pentecostal movement. The result was the emergence of a cooperative fellowship incorporated under the name "The General Council of the Assemblies of God."
In 1931, Rev. and Mrs. G. W. Hardcastle were moved by the Holy Spirit to establish a Pentecostal place of worship in the Covina Valley. On April 16, 1931, Rev. Hardcastle and Rev. Fred Lewis led a meeting in a tent on the corner of Citrus Avenue and Dexter Street. Six weeks later, formal church services began under the name “Covina Assembly of God.” When a small white frame building became available on the corner of Second and School streets a few years later, two men from the church took out loans on their homes to enable the church to purchase the property. Covina Assembly of God has been located there since that time.
Today, the Assemblies of God is the largest Pentecostal organization in the world with more than fifty million adherents, and Covina Assembly of God has become one of the largest churches in the San Gabriel Valley. As the church leadership looks toward the future, they realize that they are just as dependent upon God as the early leaders were during the humble beginnings of the Pentecostal movement.