Author: Jon Swerens

Dear saints,

The elders have been informed that there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases in Allen County within the last 48 hours. In order to avoid contributing to the problem, we’re going to do a livestream only service for tomorrow — Sunday, May 17.

Our hope is to resume our regular service again next week, Lord willing. Hopefully, we’ll have a clearer picture of the situation by then.

We’re striving to make well-informed decisions based on the best information available, for the good of Trinity and our neighbors. If you have any questions or concerns at all, please let us know.

Photo by Reiner Knudsen on Unsplash

Thanks be to God, per Governor Holcomb’s address on Friday, May 1, we will be resuming worship at Trinity on Sunday, May 10. We also will be observing the precautions recommended by our government within our gathering.

These health precautions are not being imposed upon us by the state. Our government has offered them only as recommendations, not as commands. So Trinity is observing them on the authority of the elders, not the state, because we believe that it is prudent to do so. Thus, in complying with these precautions, you are submitting to the elders, not the state.

The elders and deacons will continue to regularly meet and assess the situation in the mean time. If you have any questions or concerns at all, please do not hesitate to contact the elders.

For those of you who might prefer to remain home for health reasons, please feel free to do so. We only ask that you would inform the elders of your intent to do so. If your health is compromised, we strongly recommend that you remain at home. Our hope is to continue live-streaming the service from Trinity so those at home may participate in worship with the rest of us.

The elders have appreciated your patience during this strange time. The Lord has humbled us and is now restoring our regular worship, in His great mercy. Those whom Christ loves, He disciplines, so let us be zealous and repent.

With great love,
Nate for the elders and deacons

Below is the link to Trinity’s YouTube channel. There’s no content on it as of yet, but you may use this link to join the livestream service this Lord’s Day at 10:45 a.m.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzH_Uin2pJDQQoaxEJM7S_A

Singing will be included within the service. Jon Swerens, Jason and Eli Fest, and Jon Townsend recorded hymns today at church. These songs will be incorporated into the livestream service. The lyrics will be included in the videos. Lord willing, it will work well.

We are preparing an order of service and will post it here when it is complete.

Order of Service for March 22, 2020 AD

Scripture Reading of Praise: Psalm 119:169-176

Prayer of Invocation

Hymn: “This is My Father’s World”

Passage of Confession: Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Personal Silent Prayer of Confession

Corporate Prayer of Confession:

Our most holy and merciful Father, be gracious to us according to Your lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity and cleanse us from our sin. For we know our transgressions and our sin is ever before us. Against You Lord, and You alone, we have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. Forgive us for the sake of Your Son and our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Passage of Pardon: Ephesians 2:4-7: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Hymn: “I to the Hills Will Lift Mine Eyes” (Ps. 121) 

Nicene Creed: Christian, what do you believe?

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 3:17-19

New Testament Reading: Roman 8:18-25

Sermon: 1 John 3:2-3 “The Hope that Purifies”

Hymn: “Immortal, Invisible”

Commissioning

Gloria Patri

Benediction