This summer Trinity is celebrating 100 years! That’s 100 years of stories, experiences, individuals, and God’s faithfulness in the life and ministry of Trinity. Leading up to our July 14 celebration, check the bulletin or the blog for stories from Trinity’s history. You might just learn something you didn’t already know.
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Do you know how Trinity Reformed Church started?
Trinity was founded in 1919 when a group of around 25 families from First Reformed Church requested to establish a new bilingual church in Orange City that would hold services in both Dutch and English. (At the time, all services were held in Dutch.) The families desired to reach out to the younger generation while keeping connected to the older.
On February 24, two days after the request was made, a reply from First Reformed Church was written to the families in Dutch, expressing deep concern for the request and asking that the group reconsider moving forward with their plans. The families held several meetings, always opening with prayer. There were many difficulties and oppositions to struggle against and overcome, but God indeed blessed their efforts.
A request was made to the Classis of West Sioux to establish Trinity Reformed Church. On July 15, 1919, the classis committee voted unanimously to proceed with the request. At that point, Trinity consisted of 58 members and 47 children. They became the charter members.
Services were held each Sunday at the Northwestern Academy chapel for the first 4 months. However, the need for a permanent place of worship was felt so a building committee was formed. With winter approaching, the congregation decided to construct a temporary building on the church grounds where property had already been purchased. This building was constructed in 4 days and became known as the Tabernacle. The congregation worshipped in this building for 1 year and 4 months during construction of the permanent building.
Today Trinity has 562 members and an additional 450 who regularly attend (which includes college students). On an average Sunday, over 1,000 individuals worship at Trinity. We give God praise for his faithfulness.
