Today we’d like to introduce you to Trinity Full Gospel Church .
Hi Trinity Full Gospel Church, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Several years ago Rev. & Mrs. Curtis Arnold became pastors of what was then known as Full Gospel Assembly. The congregation had an attendance of 19 people at that time and was meeting for worship in a little white building out on west 40 known as Timber Run Grange. It was in the month of September, 1973, that God brought the congregations of First Pentecostal Church of God of America and Full Gospel Assembly into a merger to become known as Trinity Full Gospel. They then moved location to the little red brick church on the corner of Pine and Bexley Streets. The church began to grow and a few years later the Lord placed it in the heart of this congregation to build another facility. So the building began. On Friday November the 30th, 1979, The congregation of Trinity Full Church held its first service of dedication in their new facility at 535 Munson Ave. which is where we currently meet for services today. Over the years Trinity Full Gospel Church has been a beacon of light in the city of Zanesville. There have been countless lives changed and touched by the power of God through the ministry of Trinity Full Gospel Church.
Trinity Full Gospel Church has overcome many adversities over the years. In the early 1980’s the church had grown to a congregation size between 6 and 7 hundred people. In the mid to late 1980’s, the church went through some hard times. During those hard times the church suffered great loss in attendance. The church had transitioned pastors a few times during those hard times and battled a lot of uncertainty. Early in 1990 the congregation that was once between 6 and 7 hundred people became a congregation of 44 people.
Trinity Full Gospel Church was faced with the mountain of a huge mortgage payment and all the utilities and great uncertainty concerning the future of the church. But through all of the hardship, God was faithful!
In March of 1990 Pastor’s Terry and Barbara Rowland became the pastor’s of Trinity Full Gospel Church. Over time the church began to rebuild and grow and God had blessed Trinity Full Gospel. Several years later under the Leadership of Pastor’s Terry and Barbara Rowland and the wonderful congregation, the church mortgage had been paid off and the church has continued to move forward and grow. Trinity Full Gospel continues to reach into the lives of many with the message of Jesus Christ, the message of hope and salvation, here in the Zaneville, Ohio community and the surrounding Muskingum County. Pastors Terry and Barbara Rowland served Trinity Full Gospel as Senior Pastors for 30 years. Today Pastors Terry & Barbara Rowland’s son and daughter, Pastors Donny & Stephanie Rowland are currently serving as pastors of Trinity Full Gospel and have for the last 5 almost 6 years.
Today Trinity Full Gospel has a congregation size of about 200 people and is growing. Lives are being changed and people are making decisions to follow Christ at Trinity Full Gospel Church. Trinity Full Gospel has a desire to make a positive impact for Christ in the Y-City of Zanesville.
One of the neat things about Trinity Full Gospel is the ground that the church is built on was once a community garden that fed many in the community. Today Trinity Full Gospel serves an average of between 30 and 50 families weekly here in the Y-City through our Food Pantry Ministry.
At Trinity Full Gospel we have a wide variety of ministries. We have Kids City Ministries, Karios Student Teen Ministries, Kingsmen Mens Ministries, Rise Women’s Ministries, Season Warriors Senior Ministries, and our Food Pantry Ministry. We have something for everyone.
At Trinity Full Gospel Church we like to say around here, “We Are More Than A Church, We Are Family.” We strive to make everyone feel like family.
At Trinity Full Gospel Church, we are committed here and abroad to help every person believe in Jesus, become a disciple, belong to this family, & to build the Kingdom of God. This is our vision statement and our mission. This Y-City of Zanesville is our WhY and it is Trinity Full Gospel’s desire to be the Bridge of life and hope that leads this community to Jesus.
This is our story and we continue to write our story every day, every week, every year, as the Lord leads.
Our service times are Sunday Mornings at 10:30am and Wednesday nights at 7:00pm. Our address is 535 Munson Ave. Zanesville, Ohio 43701.
Thank you for allowing us to share a small piece of our story.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. Some of the obstacles along the way were already mentioned in the brief story above. More recent struggles and challenges the church faced was losing our Pastor of 30 years in April of 2020 to Cancer while at the same time navigating our way through the Covid 19 pandemic as many other churches and businesses were navigating their way through as well. That was for sure a tough time for us as a church. But again through it all, God has been faithful and blessed Trinity Full Gospel Church.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My name is Donny Rowland. My wife’s name is Stephanie Rowland and we serve as the current Senior Pastors. We serve week after week the people of our congregation and community. We make hospital visits, officiate funerals, officiate weddings, we meet with people when needed to help them, encourage them, pray for them, in whatever they need to help them grow in their relationship with the Lord. We prepare weekly sermons for Sunday and Wednesday services. We oversee the administration of the church and many other things. Pastor Stephanie Rowland also serves our community as a full time Licensed Practical Nurse and has a loving compassionate heart for her patients and coworkers.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
In ministry, my father was in ministry about 46 years. He was the best mentor we have had. We have also reached out to other pastors we know and are friends with for guidance and advice for different matters. Trinity Full Gospel along with ourselves as ministers are part of The Pentecostal Church of God (PCG) Denomination that has churches and ministers all over the nation and world which provides opportunity for mentorship, accountability, and networking. One piece of advice I would give when looking for a mentor would simply be look for someone who will sharpen you to be better and someone that will get in the dirt with you to help. That’s what Jesus would do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tfgchurch.com
- Facebook: Trinity Full Gospel Church
- Youtube: tfg church zanesville
