Trinity Methodist Church came into being on 19 August 1984 when it held its first worship service at its present premises, 57 Ellis Road, Kuching.
The Church was formed by the English Congregation of the Chin-Fu Methodist Church at 20, Pisang Road, Kuching. The English service there began in 1957, three years after the Chinese Service started, to cater for the needs of the non-Chinese speaking worshippers. In the thirty-seven years of its existence, the congregation had evolved from a largely fluid expatriate congregation to a more established and stable group made up of locals mostly.
It was at the end of 1982 when the idea of giving an independent identity to the growing congregation was first mooted. Several informal discussions were held to weigh the merits and demerits of separation from the Chinese congregation.
At the Local Conference held on 27 February 1983, the proposal of establishing the English Congregation as a separate and new local conference was tabled for discussion. The meeting felt that the move was timely, as the lease agreement for the building at 57 Ellis Road with the Emmanuel Baptist Church would expire at the end of August that year. A sub-committee was formed to study in depth the possibility and suitability of moving the English congregation to occupy the premises.
The members were:
The first sub-committee meeting was held on 17 April 1983. It was decided that a survey should be carried out among the members regarding the move. A majority of the members favoured the idea. For those who objected, meeting was held with them to discuss their opinions and to resolve any problems wherever possible. After the Local Church Executive Committee had endorsed the move, an application was forwarded to the Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference, (SCAC). The approval came on 3 June 1983.
The renovation plan was then prepared and at the LCEC meeting on 20 November 1983, it was agreed that the renovation work would be Chin-Fu Church’s Thirtieth Anniversary project. Appeal letters for contributions were circulated among all the church members in early February 1984 and tender for the renovation works was called shortly after. Work began in March and was completed in time for the shifting the English Congregation of the Chin-Fu Church to the newly constituted Trinity Methodist Church.
The Thanksgiving Service was held on 26 August 1984 at 8.30 a.m. and the Dedication of Trinity Church that afternoon at 3.00 p.m. It was officiated by the Bishop of the Malaysian General Conference, Bishop C.N. Fang. That evening a thanksgiving dinner was held at Chin-Fu Church. Many friends and well-wishers came to show their support and pray for rich blessings upon this fledgling church. Surely the heavy downpour during the Dedication Service must be a sign that God was going to impart grace and blessings in great abundance upon us!In fact, the first service in Trinity Church was held a week earlier on 19 August. It coincided with Youth Sunday and the sacrament of baptism, which was conducted for three adults and two children. Both if these symbolized the initiation of this young church. In these first five years of its history, truly vitality, energy, growth, change and a boldness to undertake the new and unknown have marked every area of the life of Trinity Church.Notes: This article was published in the TMC magazine in August 1999 to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of TMC.