In the gloom of COVID-19, amidst tough lockdowns, God called the birth of a new lighthouse. Natalie Yeo and Ethan Goh chart the journey Trinity@Melbourne launched into the miraculous.
When we met Lead Pastor, Pastor Dominic Yeo on Feb 27, we did not expect what was coming. Pastor Dominic had just received two similar prophetic words out of the blue at a prayer breakfast in Canberra. God was moving His expansion plans into Australia.
Though excited about the prospects of a church plant in Melbourne, we did not expect things to move so quickly. But when God says "go", things accelerate quickly.
Playing catch-up with COVID-19
We remember Pastor Dominic setting up a meeting with brother Steven Say the next day. Before we knew it, Trinity@Melbourne was announced in service in Singapore the weekend after. Then in quick succession, things began to progress. But so did the COVID-19 situation:
Mar 13 – Our first Prayer Meeting to pray for the planting of Trinity@Melbourne. Nine people turn up. We had our core team.
Mar 15 – Our first service together via Facebook Live Watch Party Mar 19 – Australia closed its borders to foreigners. As a result, Pastor Dominic was unable to travel to Melbourne to commence the church.
Mar 21 – A special online meeting with Lead Pastor, Pastor Dominic, to hear his heart and vision for Trinity@Melbourne.
Mar 24 – Melbourne went into lockdown. We were no longer able to meet physically, and any planned launch date was delayed indefinitely.
Mar 28 – Our first official Connect Group online via zoom
May 3 – Potential to Fulfillment seminar series begun
May 7 – Our first Church Prayer Meeting
To launch or not to launch
By now God had grown our weekly prayer meeting from just the core team to a few more regulars. He also brought in more adults so we are more balanced in terms of age group and dynamics. We had already pulled through a few setbacks COVID-19 tried to throw at us. And in June, the state government started allowing people to gather in groups of 20. We decided to launch Trinity@Melbourne as a physical church in the end of June.
Then the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases started to climb again. The government dropped gatherings to a maximum of five in a group. These extra measures were set to end on Jul 19. In prayer with the leadership team, we committed this date as the launch date for Trinity@Melbourne. We were all excited and were making arrangements for all to meet physically. But on Jul 12, just a week before the launch, Melbourne's second lockdown came crashing down on us. We were crushed. What will we do?
A vision to fulfill
Then we recalled Pastor Dominic's vision for Trinity@Melbourne:
A church of new beginnings for those who need a second chance, a second hope, encapsulating Trinity's relentless belief in each person's God-given destiny.
A place that empowers people to live out their God-given destiny.
A pentecostal church with a difference, exemplary of the Holy Spirit.
What better way to live out the vision than to birth the church in a pandemic? The launch of Trinity@Melbourne during COVID-19 would be an act of faith, declaring that though the pandemic may stop the world, it does not stop the expansion of the Kingdom of God. As Pastor Dominic shared, in God there is no lockdown.
We unanimously agreed to continue to launch on Jul 19, via zoom, as a church without walls! We believe that as an online church, we will be able to connect even more people to the church! But with Connect Groups still meeting physically in the future, the congregation won't miss out on the gathering of the saints.
The miraculous hour
On Jul 19, as declared by Pastor Dominic, Trinity@Melbourne was born in the miraculous hour. It was God's appointed time. Over 50 people gathered for this extraordinary moment held in an unprecedented time and season. With the divine coincidence of each and every person in Trinity@Melbourne coming together in a divine connection, we will bring God’s purpose to fruition.
As we have seized the moment of faith, we have started the momentum for the miracle. Trinity@Melbourne will always walk in the miraculous hour. And Pastor Dominic believes, whenever Trinity@Melbourne convenes, it will be a miraculous hour.
How others have stepped into their miraculous hour
"During my undergraduate years, I’ve always wanted to pursue postgraduate law. I took a step of faith and followed God’s leading, coming to Melbourne to study. While I prayed to God for confirmation that this was the right path, God gave me a vision – a church sitting on a green pasture. I knew instantly that God was calling me to Australia for reasons related to church planting. Law school was His means for me to achieve His purpose.
In the first one and half years, I attended a small local church where I had met many great friends and pastors. But I knew something was amiss. A small voice in me prompted me to consider looking for a new church. Having attended Trinity back in Singapore, I had Trinity as a template for what I was looking for – great sermons, fellowship, and a place where everyone is challenged to grow. Then a week later, I received news about Trinity@Melbourne. What divine timing and coincidence!
It now finally makes sense why God has to take me on such a long detour. He used the time to shape me into a different person, and bring me to where I am today so that I could fulfill His purpose. All Glory to God!" - Talia Chen
"In January I came to Melbourne in faith even though financially I was not in the best position because I knew God called me here. I chose to believe that God will provide. As I was settling in and looking for a church, my aunt told me Trinity@Melbourne was starting. What divine timing! I had visited Trinity's youth ministry a few times with my aunt in Singapore. I felt comfortable immediately. The Connect Group was great as everyone shared authentically. In a new environment, God had divinely connected me to a spiritual community I felt happy with. Little did I know He was providing something more.
By March COVID-19 hit Melbourne hard. This affected my work situation and my home situation. I ran into deep difficulties. I was asked to leave my rented place in two weeks right in the middle of term. I was really struggling but still wanted to believe God will provide. I shared this with my Connect Group and was amazed that two Connect Group members and my aunt offered me accommodation! God has miraculously provided for me through them. It is a tough time but when we are all in it together, and with God, He transforms the heaviness into a hefty testimony of Him." - K.S.
Reflect & Respond
What divine coincidences and connections has God placed you in, to bring about His purposes?
What moment of faith is the Holy Spirit prompting you to seize, so the momentum for the miraculous can be set in place?
Want to join or invite someone to Trinity@Melbourne? Get service and contact details on the service invites here.