Serving has a rhythm that flows through the whole week. On Sundays, teams arrive early – some setting up the space, others preparing music or refining sound and visuals – each playing a part so everything is ready in time. At the door, the welcome team offers a warm hello and guides new faces. Someone gets the coffee ready so that, after the final song, many can linger in conversation while others quietly begin packing down. During the week, Trinity Kids leaders prepare activities and pray that small hearts will grow big in Christ. And service doesn’t stop at the door – people lead Growth Groups, read the Bible with newcomers, run youth nights, deliver meals, and sustain our ministries in prayer. Through it all, God is using willing hands and open hearts to build communities where people come to know and follow Jesus.
In May, pastors, apprentices and ministry leaders from all the churches in the Trinity Network gathered at Trinity Church Adelaide for our first Network Training Day of the year. We welcomed Rory Shiner – Senior Pastor of Providence City Church and leader of a network of three churches in Perth – who helped us ask an important question: What kind of harvest is God seeking among us? Rory encouraged us to see that God is not simply interested in tasks being completed, but in lives transformed by the gospel and communities shaped by the servant-hearted love of Christ. When we lift a music stand, teach a Bible passage or prepare morning tea, we are joining that harvest.
Across the network, this conviction is shared. Des Smith, Senior Pastor at Trinity Church Lockleys, notes that “because we’re called to be like Christ, and Christ was a servant, you cannot be like Christ if you don’t serve: it’s impossible.” Echoing this, Paul Cooper, Senior Pastor at Trinity Church Campbelltown, points out that “our community grows through it, as do we individually. There are many different ways and stages of life that determine what that looks like, but what a witness to those who visit us to see a community living out that care and love for each other each Sunday and during the week!”
Service is not spare-time generosity or a necessary chore; it is one of God’s primary means for shaping us. When we serve, the gospel becomes visible in actions as well as words. Every act of love – done thoughtfully, humbly and in step with others – testifies that we belong to one church family. Stephen Urmston, Kids and Families Pastor at Trinity Church Adelaide, puts it like this: “Serving is one of the key ways you can give back in a way others cannot. It’s crucial when you find your church family to serve. This will truly help you feel like you belong somewhere.”
If you’re not serving at the moment, you don’t have to work it out alone. Start with a conversation: talk with a ministry leader about areas of need, or chat with someone you trust about where your gifts could be a blessing. As we offer what God has given us, He uses it – not only for the good of others, but for our own maturity and joy in Christ.
Thank you to everyone who serves – faithfully, quietly, generously. Thank you for arriving early, staying late, caring for others and offering your time, energy and skills for the good of God’s people. Week after week, your work helps create spaces where the gospel is heard, relationships are built, and lives are changed. We may not always see the fruit immediately, but God does. And He uses every act of love to grow His church into something beautiful – something that reflects His Son. Let’s keep serving one another with joy, prayerfulness and purpose, trusting that in His hands, even the smallest offering can bear lasting fruit in His harvest.