Gabriel and Trey met in a small group of Newtonians who were discussing ways to help bring unity to the community. They quickly hit it off and decided to meld their experiences and differences into a podcast environment where locals could weigh in and the two hosts could discuss with diplomacy agreeing to disagree in places while always learning from each other.
Gabriel C. Stovall serves as the Senior Pastor of the James Paschal Missionary Baptist Church of Covington, Georgia, and he also provides pastoral oversight for Macedonia Family Church of Augusta, Georgia.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Gabriel has been preaching the gospel for 27 years while also serving in various forms of pastoral ministry for 21 years. He has called Georgia home for the last 18 years.
An award-winning writer and journalist, he is the founder, owner and operator of Remarkable Media & Publishing and Sports Editor for The Augusta Press. He has served stints as Sports Editor, and later, Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of The Covington News in Metro Atlanta, Senior Sports Writer for The Augusta Chronicle, Assistant Sports Director at The Louisville Courier Journal in Louisville, Kentucky and a Lead Social Media Strategist for the USA TODAY Network’s Southeast Region.
In March 2024, he became founder and publisher of The Newton County Journal, an all-digital news publication giving a fresh media voice to Covington and Newton County. Additionally, he’s worked as a church planting and church revitalization consultant for several denominations and specializes in Black Church growth.
After pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministry and Religious Studies at Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Georgia. He’s currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity Degree with an emphasis on Biblical Languages at Luther Rice Seminary.
He’s the proud husband to wife, Shawnda Stovall and together, they share a beautifully blended family consisting of son Micah and daughters Tamia, Courtney and Samira.
Trey Bailey is a native of Newton County and has lived on the eastern part of the county for the last 25+ years. In 1996 he married his high school sweetheart, Alonda Hodges Bailey—a teacher at Mansfield Elementary School. The Baileys have three daughters: Anna Beth (class of 2023 Eastside HS/NCCA) and identical twins, Kaitlyn & Kristen, who currently attend Eastside High School.
Passionate about public education and community unity, Trey serves District 1 as their elected representative on the Board of Education, while also pastoring at Eastridge Church, a position he has held for over 20 years.
After graduating from Newton County High School in 1992, he attended the University of Georgia, took a break from school, and spent six years touring the U.S. in a Gen-X alt-rock band, before graduating from Mercer as a Bachelor of Business Information Systems. A committed life-long learner, Trey completed his masters work in Biblical Studies from Luther Rice Seminary in May 2023.
Trey has served the Covington Newton County Chamber of Commerce as chairman of Leadership Newton County with five years service and three years on the Special Events Committee. He and his family have a great appreciation for the arts and have volunteered with both the Covington Regional Ballet and the Arts Association of Newton County.
Trey has a passion for learning, leading, and community unity. His level-headed logical approach to politics coupled with his diplomatic style of dialogue has given him an audience with citizens on both sides of the political aisle.
To read more of his thoughts on education, ramblings about life, and inspirational messages, check out his blog at www.TreyBailey.us or follow him on most social media platforms with handle @treybailey333.
