January 2021 Edition

Dear Friends,

Assaults to our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing are rampant. We were made to thrive – but what happens when just surviving seems like a full-time job? We can’t go it alone. Scripture is replete with warnings of those who have gone rogue personally, and even those who have collectively thrown off God’s authority. In this new year, we’re passionate to see Transformed Lives and Communities through faith in Jesus Christ. If we want to see this vision realized, it’s critical that we band together under the authority of God’s Word. Please check out our new series and some exciting updates as we prepare to enter 2021!

January Series – Strength in Numbers – Surviving Together

Week 1            Prayer Services           Every Campus, Including Online!

Week 2            Details coming 

Week 3            Details coming

Week 4            Details coming

Week 5            Details coming

There is strength in numbers, but only when we’re heading in the right direction! Let 2021 be a year where we passionately pursue God the Father, follow Jesus closely as Savior and Lord, and walk courageously in the power of the Holy Spirit. The new year is here. Let’s make the most of it-together!

Ashkum Permanent Site 

We praise the Lord that in a challenging year, God has led us to continue moving toward a permanent site to serve Ashkum and the surround communities! By His grace, we closed on a beautiful 5-acre plot of land and have a great start on planning and saving for the new facility. Realizing this vision will take sacrifice from each of us, as well as the Lord’s mighty hand. If God is leading you to help with a year-end gift, please mark it “Invest in the Vision” to see it go directly toward the Ashkum permanent site! 

God is at work in Goodland! 

Please continue in daily prayer regarding our ministry partnership in Goodland, IN. May the Lord bless and deepen our unity to bring transformed lives and communities in and around Goodland!

Online Campus 

We praise the Lord for blessing our online ministries. I’m so excited that we can stay connected, grow together, and make new friends in this way. The Lord has allowed us to upgrade our 10-year old livestream computer. This will help to create an even more engaging video presentation and will allow us to provide worship lyric overlays. We are also creating a livestream ministry space to better serve our online friends and guests. If you’d like to serve in this exciting ministry, please let us know! Our immediate need is for additional audio and video mixers.

Watseka Updates 

We are excited to announce some upgrades coming to our Watseka campus. With your generosity and God’s gracious provision, we are able to provide an automatic door opener to serve guests with mobility challenges. We are blessed to update the 10-year old video computer and presentation software. We are updating to a mesh network to better serve daily ministries. Please also pray as we consider selling seven acres of farm ground to leverage it for God’s glory! More details on that to come.

Prayer Services

Please join us this coming Sunday (both in person and online) for a special prayer service. Let’s start 2021 seeking the Lord’s face!

December Connect 

December Connect 2020: Light in the Darkness

Have you ever been afraid of the dark? Darkness comes in a variety of forms: physical darkness, emotional darkness, and spiritual darkness, to name a few. Many in our world are experiencing dark times. You may be there too. Jesus made a bold claim when He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Please take a moment below for some prayer updates, Christmas Eve service times (please click HERE to reserve a spot), and our next series, Light in the Darkness! 

In Christ’s Love,

Ryan 

The darker the world gets, the brighter our lights will shine. Yet that can be hard, as we wrestle with darkness ourselves. I pray God’s Holy Spirit will use His Word to cast out the darkness in and around us, so that we can shine forth Jesus’ light! Come walk in the light this December, in person or online, and invite a friend. Let’s be a light in the darkness!

Dec 6              The True Light                     (John 1:1-14)

Dec 13           The Great Light                     (Isaiah 9:1-7/Matt. 4:12-17)

Dec 20           The Glorious Light               (Luke 2:1-14)

Dec 23           Light for the Lost                 (Luke 2:22-33)      Ashkum Campus 6PM

Dec 24           Light for the Lost                 (Luke 2:22-33)      Watseka Campus 4PM & 6PM, Goodland 6PM, Online 6PM

Dec 27           You are the Light                (Matthew 5:14-16)

Would you please join me in daily prayer that God would Transform Lives and the Communities around us? Here are a few specific requests:

Request #1: We have an unprecedented number of individuals and families that have experienced loss in recent days. Will you pray regularly for them and reach out in love?

Request #2: Please pray for many who are ill, as well as those who are working on the front lines.

Request #3: The Ashkum building team continues working diligently on plans for the permanent location in Ashkum. Please pray for them and if the Lord would lead you to partner with us to reach the lost in this way, gifts can be designated “Invest in the Vision”. Thank you!

Request #4: Goodland Community Church and Trinity Church are prayerfully considering uniting as one, as a full-fledged Trinity campus in Goodland. We believe we can reach the community better together. Please pray daily as we seek the Lord’s will.

The first Sunday in January will be a prayer service and we will then kick off a new series, “Strength in Numbers: Surviving Together.” As God’s children, we are blessed that he hears and answers our prayers. Thank you for praying in faith!

Trinity Health Update

Hello Trinity Family!

Here’s a timely update regarding our efforts to help promote healthy environments at Trinity Church. Helping to keep others physically safe is a tangible expression of our mission to love God, love others, and serve the world.  

First of all, we have invested greatly in our online campus and online church experience. We want you to know, especially in this season, that online church is real church! We have many members who have pre-existing conditions, are immunocompromised, or are concerned with the potential of spreading Covid to others. You don’t need to apologize for attending online! With any church venue, it makes a difference when we attend faithfully, invite others, communicate prayer needs, contribute toward the ministry, and interact with others. All of these are easy to do through our app, our website, our YouTube channel and Facebook. We’ve also worked hard with multiple camera angles, lighting, background, video mixing and audio mixing to help create an engaging experience that feels like we’re physically together. Our YouTube Channel and Facebook stream are staffed live and interactive, with great sensitivity to prayer needs and welcoming guests. When you like, comment, and share, you bring the hope of the gospel to the online community. Please drop us a note if you’re attending online and let us know if you’d like to serve in our online ministry to others. Please also let us know how we can serve you!  

At every physical meeting location, seating is distanced at 6 feet or more in the worship space and classrooms. Spaces are cleaned and sanitized with great frequency, especially restrooms, classrooms, door handles, and common surfaces like counters and tables. We do not use bulletins or pass offering plates. Communion is pre-distributed in pre-filled containers. We’ve limited our time of corporate singing to fewer songs each week to help reduce spread of germs and viruses through aerosols. While masks are not mandatory at Trinity campuses, we support and respect the choice to wear a mask.

Children are important to Jesus and they are important to us! At every physical meeting location, we are employing campus-specific protocols to help keep children and their families safe. For example, due to space and volunteer considerations, as well as local Covid stats, our Goodland, Indiana children’s spaces are currently self-serve. You can attend in person to worship and then watch the service on a monitor with your child in a clean and age-appropriate setting. In Watseka, a sanitized nursery is available through the entire first service. Socially distanced Pre-K, K, elementary and middle school settings are also available during the first service during the message. In Ashkum, nursery is available upon request and Pre-K, K, elementary and middle school ministries are available during the message. We take great care in providing safe and distanced environments for our children every week and will keep parents and volunteers updated if these ministry conditions change.

We’ve had many folks ask if or when we would cancel meeting in person or cancel children’s ministries. We seek the Lord regularly and discuss those questions frequently among staff and leadership. We are ever-mindful of national, state, and local protocols and we have excellent relations and open communication with the health department. We desire to be responsible and loving members of our communities. We also take seriously our Biblical mandate of meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). It is our desire to continue to offer in-person gatherings for healthy individuals as long as we are legally, ethically, and Biblically allowed to do so. We’ve had comments that people feel safe in our children’s ministry areas because of all of the precautions we take and because the children are accustomed to distancing at school. Of course, availability of healthy leaders and volunteers is a critical factor. Providing safe environments for our volunteers is important. Please bear in mind that hosting children’s ministries in various forms not only provides a great environment for our kids to learn about Jesus, but it also helps to minimize crossover and potential spread of germs with adults, as well as managing appropriate attendance and distancing in the worship space during the services. These issues are complex and we appreciate your prayers as we seek to glorify the Lord in these decisions. 

In addition to taking all of these physical precautions, it’s important that we remain vigilant spiritually and diligent in prayer. Heavenly Father, we desire to be transformed to be more like Your Son, Jesus. We long to see our communities transformed by the life-giving power of the gospel. Please help us to love you and to love others in tangible ways, including caring for the sick at home and helping to keep others healthy. Please bless our online and physical ministries, knowing they are essential and critical ways of bringing salvation, hope and healing to the world. Have mercy on us, oh Lord. We humble our hearts and pray that you would heal our land. We ask in the mighty name of Jesus, Your Son. Amen.

Thank you, dear friends! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any of the staff, elders, or leadership.

In Christ’s Matchless Love,

Ryan

November Edition

Trinity Connect - November 2020

Dear Friends and Family,

How is your joy tank doing these days? Think back to the most joyful time in your life. What happened that brought you joy? Maybe a new person entered your world, like a friend, a child, or a loved one. Maybe you reached a long-awaited milestone, like graduation, a new job, or retirement. We’re told in scripture to rejoice in the Lord always. The instruction literally means to have joy always. Is that even possible? My prayer is that God will refresh us with a new season of joy as we find it in Him. If you know friends who have lost their joy, please invite them to join us in person or online! Meanwhile, please take a quick moment to catch up on the latest news!

Joy in the Journey – Philippians – Find Your Joy Again

Week 1      Rejoice in the Gospel                    (Philippians 1)

Week 2      Rejoice in Relationships                 (Philippians 2)

Week 3      Rejoice in the Lord                       (Philippians 3)

Week 4      Rejoice in Every Circumstance       (Philippians 4)

Thank You!       Thank You for blessing our pastors this past month with cards and gifts! We feel appreciated and we love serving the Lord together with you. Thank you also for generously partnering with us toward the vision of Transforming Lives and Communities through faith in Jesus Christ!

Ashkum Permanent Site    Thank you everyone for being so generous with your time and resources! We praise the Lord for all the hard work and sacrifice by individuals and teams to help turn this vision into reality. Please pray with us as we seek the Lord for wisdom regarding when to start building. Do we start building after we’ve saved 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the total cost? We need the Lord’s provision and guidance. Will you please join us in praying for that?

Baptisms  We praise the Lord for His work among us. We’ll be holding baptisms on Nov. 15^th in Watseka and Nov. 29^th in Goodland. Please pray for these friends who are proclaiming the work that God has done in their lives!

Goodland Membership Meeting  On November 29^th, Goodland Community Church will be holding a membership meeting to discuss the potential of becoming a Trinity Church campus! Both Goodland and Trinity members are welcome to attend the 10AM service, baptism, and informational meeting. We will then take the month of December to seek the Lord in prayer. What an exciting opportunity as we continue to partner together to Transform Lives and Communities!

Online Community     We praise the Lord for our Online Campus! We cherish both new friends and old as we gather online each Sunday morning to worship the Lord together. Even if you attend one of our three geographical locations, please pray for and check out all the updates and enhancements to our Online Campus. When you Like and Share our snippet on Saturday night or the service on Sunday morning, you help bring the hope of Christ to a hurting world. Thank you!

Thanks for taking time to catch the latest news! We love you and we’re praying for you!

In Christ’s Love,

Ryan

October Edition

Trinity Connect – October 2020

Dear Trinity Family,

Thank You! What a precious time we’ve had in recent weeks! Our Sensational September wrapped up with a week of prayer and fasting, and an incredible outdoor concert. Thank you for bringing the church! If you’re looking for another fun fall outing, join us at the Ashkum Campus this Friday (7:30) for “The Chronicles of Narnia!”

The Lord has impressed upon my heart the burden to Love Well in this season: to love one another well – to love Him well – to love the lost well – and to love our communities well. Will you please join me in asking God’s help that we would Love Well, today?

Do you know anyone who needs encouragement? I think we all do right now! Please invite a friend to our upcoming series and check out some exciting news below!

Dealing with Discouragement – Part Time Job 

We all go through seasons of discouragement. Sometimes it comes and goes like the weather. Other times it hits like a hurricane and hangs around like a perpetual rainy season. In the midst of life’s storms, we all need a rock-solid foundation and a tender hand to hold on to. Whether your discouragement shows up like scattered showers, or feels like it’s here to stay, our next series is for all of us. We’ll learn in the book of Job that dealing with discouragement is more than a Part Time Job. You have a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24, Job 16:19-21) His name is Jesus and it’s time we learn to lean on Him! 

October 4        Job Description           Job 1-2

October 11      Job Interview              Job 3-37          

October 18      Job Review                  Job 38-41                    

October 25      Job Security                 Job 42

Exciting News!            We have hired a Campus Host for our ministry partnership in Goodland! Please welcome David Artibey and his wife, Maria! David and Maria work full time at Adkev in Goodland and have been involved with our Goodland partnership from the very beginning. David is in the midst of ministerial studies and will serve on staff at Trinity 4-8 hours/week, hosting Sunday services in Goodland and coordinating with staff mid-week. We’re so excited to have David on board!

The Ashkum Building Team has been hard at work planning for the permanent site. The final location has been selected and the land purchase is scheduled to happen this month! We praise the Lord for providing for the land through a generous donation. We also praise Him for gifts and savings now totaling $96,000 toward construction of the building! If the Lord would lead you to give above your regular offering, would you please consider marking an extra gift toward “Invest in the Vision”? It will go directly toward the Ashkum permanent site. Thank you!

Prayer Needs              Please join me in praying for: Healing of our Nation (physical, emotional, cultural, spiritual); Supreme Court Justice Appointee; Presidential Election; Safe and Fruitful Harvest; Transformed Lives and Communities; God’s Mighty Work and provision in our Watseka, Ashkum, and Goodland locations, as well as Online; God’s help and guidance in launching Spanish ministries; healing and encouragement for the many in our congregation facing loss, illness, and discouragement of all kinds.

Thank you so much for taking time to stay current and to pray. I’m praying for you!

In Christ’s Love,
 Ryan

September Edition

Dear Friends,

I can’t wait to kick off our series on Esther! God has placed you right here, right now, for such a time as this. Nothing is by accident. The family you were born into, the community you live in, and your sphere of influence were all crafted by your Heavenly Father. Why? So that your life will be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29) So that your community will be transformed as you share your faith. In every blessing and every crisis, God is there working behind the scenes. This month let’s go back in time together, to glean a lesson we can apply today. Please take a moment for some quick updates below. Thanks!

In Christ’s Love,

Ryan

Invest in the Vision

We were blessed by a very generous donation of more than $50,000 to purchase land for the new Ashkum permanent site! May God be praised! Though the donors wish to remain anonymous, their hope is to inspire generosity among the body of Christ toward construction of the new church building. If you desire to give above your regular contribution toward this effort, please designate your gift “Invest in the Vision”. You can give using the app, the website, or by mail. Thank you for investing in the vision of Transformed Lives and Communities, through faith in Jesus Christ!

Annual Meeting Recap

We had a great turnout locally and online to celebrate God’s work, to pray, and to talk about God’s future plans at Trinity. Every motion passed enthusiastically, including the decision to purchase land for an Ashkum permanent site, the proposed budget, the decision to expand the elder team as God grows Trinity, the new elder chair, and affirmation concerning Christ’s “glorious” return. The highlight was walking together prayerfully through Ashkum to pray at the future gathering location. Approval of the budget also means addition of Tim Tammen as full time Ashkum campus pastor, Pastor Mike transitioning to a global role to advance God's kingdom, and intention to hire a part time campus pastor for Goodland. What a joy!

Sensational September!

Please pray for so many exciting plans in September! Sunday morning children’s ministries (Nursery, JAM, and Middle School) will resume at each campus on September 13. Nursery will check in before the service. Older children will join the worship time and be dismissed to class before the message. We’ll be hosting a Marriage Night at Watseka (Fri 9/18) and Ashkum (Sat 9/19). It’s time to learn, laugh, and grow together! You can sign up here. If you need assistance with the cost, just let us know, as we are happy to sponsor. Women’s Ministry is kicking off, as well as a variety of Bible studies resuming. Please let us know if you’re interested. Feel like going to a concert? We’re delighted to host an outdoor concert Night of Worship featuring Hallel on Saturday, September 26 from 6pm-8pm. What a great opportunity to invite a friend! If you’ve been wanting to learn more about Trinity, just let us know! We’ll be hosting membership classes to help us get to know one another better.

Thanks for taking time. You’re up to speed!

August Edition

Dear Friends and Family,

 We have two incredible opportunities coming up! One this weekend for men and one next weekend for ladies. I’m always amazed at the number of people whose lives have been forever transformed by God’s work through special events, conferences and speakers. If we want to keep growing in Christ during this season, we need to invest in our faith. I pray you’ll carve out time to be challenged and changed by God’s Word! You can attend in person or online. Please use the links above to reserve your spot today!

Last month we saw the importance of being led by God. This month we’ll see how God calls us to lead others, as we follow Him. God has called us each to lead others and to follow Him. You don’t want to miss this!

Leading Together-The Book of Titus

Week 1            Church Leadership 1:1-16

Week 2            Personal Leadership 2:1-10

Week 3            God’s Leadership 2:11-15

Week 4            Leadership that Works 3:1-15

I’m super excited about our annual meeting this August 23^rd! God has blessed us with many things to celebrate and some important things to prayerfully decide upon. For example, we’ll vote on the purchase of a 5-acre piece of land south of Ashkum for a new permanent site for that campus! We’ll also vote on increasing the elder team capacity range to 6-9. That’s important as God expands the reach of His kingdom through Trinity. We’ll also share blessings from the past year and prayerful plans for the days to come. We’ll share exciting staffing updates, like Pastor Tim joining us full time as Ashkum campus pastor, transition of Pastor Mike to a global role, and hiring of a part time Goodland campus pastor! The annual meeting will be held in Ashkum at 1:30, including an opportunity to pray at the prospective build site! If you’re unable to join us in person, a Zoom link will be sent, closer to the date. 

Thank you for your generosity in partnering with us! Because of God’s work through you, 4,000 meals were provided to hungry kiddos in multiple communities. Yesterday one local school district granted us the Excellence Award for coordinating these efforts. Wow! God has been so faithful to provide in this season. Thank you for your faithfulness! As we finish this budget year, God has called us in faith to plan for the next. On August 9, we’ll provide advance copies of next year’s proposed budget that will be voted on during the annual meeting. Please plan to pick up a copy. Elders will facilitate informational meetings on the 9^th to answer any questions (10:15 Ashkum and Watseka, 11:15 Goodland). 

We carry the precious Gospel to a thirsty world. What a privilege! Let’s pray fervently for the Lord’s help, and let’s continue to expect God’s church to thrive in these challenging times. Thank you!

In Christ’s Love,

Ryan