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The Church of God Trinity Assembly History

 

The Church of God Trinity Assembly began in 1956 as the Church of God Assemblies. The church was officially chartered on April 11, 1956 in the state of Ohio with Rev. Fred Stanton, Rev. William Warren, and Rev. Randall Watkins being the original signatures on the charter (Articles of Incorporation). Rev. Haskel Swain was voted in as the Assembly General Overseer. The first church was opened on East 13th Street in Cincinnati Ohio; Rev. Swain opened a second church on Elm Street in Ludlow Kentucky.

In the first year of the opening of the Ludlow church it moved across the street to 304 Elm Street to an auditorium known as the Odd Fellows Temple. This church was often referred to as the Headquarters church being located just across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. During those early years the assembly also started satellite churches (in those days referred to as mission churches) throughout the greater tristate area. They extended as far north as Central Indiana, as far East as Pittsburg, Pennsylvania and as far South as Southern Kentucky. Some of these churches still are operating today.

In the early 1960’s the Ludlow church built and dedicated the first actual church building in rural Covington, just outside the city of Independence. This building served as General Headquarters and Rev. Haskel Swain Served as General Overseer and Pastor of the new church until the Early 1970’s. Meanwhile Rev. Don Neal stepped in as pastor at the former Ludlow location to accommodate the churches neighborhood parishioners, as the local interstates were just being built, therefore making travel to the new church cumbersome.

In the mid 1970’s the organization encountered some challenges and relocated the headquarters to another church in Camp Washington (Cincinnati) with the merger of that church and the Covington church. At that time Rev. Hampton Young was Pastor of the church and was voted in as the new General Overseer. In 1976 the Camp Washington church purchased a church building in Covington, Kentucky at 1401 Garrard Street and moved the headquarters to that location where they remain today.

Rev. Hampton Young served as General Overseer until the 1982 General Convention, when Rev. Wendell Bell was elected General Overseer. Rev Hampton Young continued as Pastor of the Covington church until his death in 1983. A few months after the death of Rev. Young the church on Hamilton Ave. in Cincinnati merged with the church in Covington and Rev. Bobby Dalton assumed the pastor ship of the newly merged church. After other pastors had come and left the Covington church Rev. Wendell Bell was elected pastor in 1996 and still holds that office as well as President/General Overseer of the organization.

In 1987 on October 9th the name of the organization was changed to the “Church of God Trinity Assembly”, Articles of incorporation in the state of Ohio. The Articles of Incorporation (Charter) had always been established in Ohio, claiming the Cincinnati Metropolitan area (which encompasses the cities of Ludlow and Covington, KY.) as its headquarters location. In 2013 the Articles of Incorporation were established in the state of Kentucky under the “Church of God Trinity Assembly Inc.” as the current legal name. The church still maintains its Articles of Incorporation for the state of Ohio.

As of 2016 the assembly still operates the general headquarters church in Covington, Kentucky, as well as churches in residential communities in Somerset, Kentucky and Muncie, Indiana. All three local churches are being served by members who are committed to reaching out to their families, friends, co-workers, residents of their community, and anyone else they come in contact with, reaching out to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, his unconditional love, Devine existence, sinless life, sacrificial death, resurrection, and anticipated return. The members of the Church of God Trinity Assembly are on a mission to make an impact on their communities by introducing them to Jesus that they may also come to know him, and experience a life changing encounter through him.