Trinity Pres Organizing! A
By Rev. Justin Westmoreland
s I write this, the journey of planting this church involving praying, as- sessment, exploration, gathering, praying, worshipping, training, suffer- ing, and praying is almost complete. I marvel that our mission congrega-
tion has an organization service planned for September 19, 2021. To sum up the process, I’d say church planting is a great tool for my sanctification. I join with King David in the Psalms in saying, “I am a very blessed man.” I’ve had the blessing to witness God gather, unite, and transform myself and
others through the Word, sacraments, and fellowship. I’ve had the blessing to witness God calling his people to our church who faith-
fully answer and strive to uphold our denomination’s seven membership vows. I’ve had the blessing to witness new members (some for the first time ever)
begin to engage their co-workers, neighbors, and family with the gospel. I’ve had the blessing to witness teams and ministries develop because of
needs, and our members are gifted and have a heart for Christ and the church. I’ve had the blessing to witness our members and regular attenders not only
love the church as an institution but develop a love for particular people in mar- riages, friendships, and service. I’ve had the blessing to witness God at work through many losses and crosses such as covid, no meeting spaces,
divorces, financial woes, etc., but a bruised reed the Lord Jesus will not break. As the first ARP church plant in our state, we will often say to one another that “our church is just too important to
fail.” We believe the ARP is currently God’s most faithful expression of the biblical, presbyterian, confessional, evan- gelistic, historic, winsome, and kingdom-centered, reformed church. At Trinity Pres, I believe that we intuitively love our church because it represents our shared expression of that same passion that we saw in the apostle Paul communi- cated in Romans 1 when he declared himself to be a doulos-- set apart for the gospel of God living for one another who also belong to our risen Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve found that, if every member doesn’t contribute, we won’t survive, but more so, we’d experience less of the sweetness of Christ our Redeemer. Planting Trinity Pres has been a blessed discipleship plan. I dream of the work God will do in and through this church, in Oklahoma, and to the ends of the earth until the Lord Jesus returns.?
Rev. Justin Westmoreland is a church planter in Florida Presbytery. Trinity Presbyterian Church is in Norman, Oklahoma.
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The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
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