What happens when you dream big dreams to reach one percent of the Lehigh Valley? God says you didn’t dream big enough!
The vision and mission of Trinity Wesleyan Church in Allentown, Penn., is being fueled by a passion and determination to reach beyond Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and bridge the gap between Allentown, Philadelphia, and New York City. We started praying God would give us eyes to see where he is moving and be willing to walk in obedience as part of his movement. We are not waiting on a movement of God. We are a movement of God.
Dr. Karl Eastlack, district superintendent of the Penn-Jersey District, approached me in February about the possibility of starting our first satellite campus in a location the district had recently closed. The idea seemed crazy at first. It was outside the Lehigh Valley, and I was in the process of figuring out how to manage our growing congregation in Allentown.
As I began to pray and research the area, I kept hearing the words “bridge the gap.” God kept reminding me that I had been praying for eyes to see where he was moving and he was showing me a new movement. With that confirmation, we began to explore what it would look like to launch another campus in Pottstown, Penn., just 25 miles from our current location.
We are so excited to start this new chapter at Trinity Wesleyan. Last year we saw 82 people come to Christ and 28 baptized. God is expanding our reach and showing us what it means to be the church. We are excited to help expand the mission God has given us. We celebrate when a new disciple is made. We encourage each person to be a contagious disciple. We believe that we can be part of the greater vision of The Wesleyan Church and Dr. Wayne Schmidt, General Superintendent, in having a transforming presence in every zip code.
Focus Sunday was June 4 at Trinity, and we launched the vision and hopes for Trinity Wesleyan Pottstown. We took an offering to help kick start our efforts and had 20 people sign up for the team that will help launch this campus in the spring of 2018.
There is much to be done, but we are confident that God will provide every need and every leader that it will take to be the church in this expansion.
Rev. Gina Colburn serves as pastor at Trinity Wesleyan Church.
