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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Did you know that Trinity has had 10 lead pastors and 2 associate pastors in the past 100 years?
Pastor Brian Keepers has been at Trinity for less than 2 years and already his passion for preaching the Word, his leadership skills and his kind and caring personality have connected with the congregation and community. Our previous pastor, Jon Opgenorth, served at Trinity for 17 years before taking a position with Words of Hope.
However, our longest serving pastor, Rev. Donald Lenderink, led and served at Trinity for 24 years before accepting a call to another church. Years later, he and his with wife, Ruth, returned to Orange City and Trinity for their retirement years. Rev. Lenderink has graciously assisted with many memorial services of long time Trinity members and together he and Ruth have enjoyed calling on many of Trinity’s seniors.
God has blessed Trinity through the leadership of each of these individuals. Each has been led by the Lord and has contributed to the nourishment and growth of the church. (See pictures of Trinity’s previous pastors on the fellowship hall tv. There is also a table with stories and photos of past pastors and staff.)
In addition to these pastors, there are many staff members who have dedicated several years of service to Trinity and its mission. Some of the longest serving staff include: Lawrence Van Wyk and Roland Simmelink as choir directors; Andy Keller as worship leader; Bev Heemstra, Lila Simmelink, and Laurie Kurtz as office personnel; John Feikema as bookkeeper; Rick Clark as youth leader; Karen Clark as children’s education coordinator; and Lee and Elaine Hofland and Doug Carlson as custodians.
