Trinity Lutheran Church and School sits along Harding Street in Conklin, a small rural community in Ottawa County, Michigan, located roughly halfway between Grand Rapids and Muskegon. Surrounded by the apple orchards that give this stretch of west Michigan its working character, Trinity has anchored life in the area for more than 150 years. The congregation was established in 1865 and has operated a Christian day school on the same grounds since 1870, making the church and school a single, integrated ministry that has shaped generations of families in this farming community.
A Congregation Established in 1865
Trinity Lutheran Church was organized in 1865, just a few years after the first Lutheran families settled in the Conklin area. By 1870 the congregation had already opened a Christian Day School, an early sign of the central role that faith formation for children would play in the church's identity. The church marked its 150th anniversary in 2015, a milestone that reflected both the long history it carries and the active ministry it continues to build.
Today Trinity is affiliated with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, a denomination headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and shares with that body its central confession that salvation is by God's grace through faith for Christ's sake. The congregation describes itself as a family of faith standing firmly on Scripture as the inspired Word of God.
"Together in Faith": A Stewardship Theme That Built the Campus
In 2002, Trinity launched a stewardship campaign under the theme "Together in Faith." The campaign funded a major expansion of the church property that included an addition to the narthex and the construction of a Family Life Center. The Family Life Center houses a gym, church offices, youth rooms, and the preschool classrooms, bringing most of the congregation's ministry footprint under one roof. "Together in Faith" remains more than a slogan; it is the working phrase that continues to describe how the members see themselves as a community.
Sunday Worship and Wednesday Summer Services
Trinity gathers for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary on Harding Street. During the summer months, an additional Wednesday evening worship service is offered at 7:00 PM, giving families and travelers a second chance to worship during the busy season.
Worship services follow the liturgical pattern common to Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregations, centered on the preaching of the Word and the celebration of the Sacraments. Bulletins and recordings of recent services are posted after each Sunday, with links to view the service on YouTube. Online giving is available through the church's giving page.
What Lutherans Believe
Trinity lays out its teaching in plain language. Everything Lutherans believe comes from the Bible, which the congregation holds to be the inspired Word of God. There is one true God, the Triune God, who exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Humanity cannot cooperate in earning salvation; Jesus Christ has already done everything necessary through His death and resurrection, and forgiveness and eternal life are received by faith alone.
Faith itself is a gift worked in the believer by the Holy Spirit. Grace is God's undeserved love, and the church teaches that God delivers this grace through three tangible means: the Word, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Trinity also affirms the LCMS position that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, that human life begins at conception, and that on the Last Day Christ will return to raise the dead and judge the living.
A Christian Day School Since 1870
Five years after the congregation formed, Trinity opened a school. That school has continued without interruption for more than 150 years, growing into the present Trinity Lutheran School, which serves preschool through fifth grade. The school describes itself as Christ-centered and student-focused, and frames its core values around an acronym: Teachers of the Truth, Outstanding Education, Operating scripturally, Lovingly modeling Christ.
Beyond the core academic curriculum, students receive instruction in technology, art, music, and physical education. Trinity also partners with Coopersville Area Public Schools through a shared-time program that brings in specialized teachers for additional subjects. Class sizes are kept to no more than 20 students, a deliberate choice to support the personalized, faith-rooted environment the school is known for.
Tuition assistance is available through the Lutheran Christian Day School Fund (LCDSF) and through the Raise Right scrip program, which returns a percentage of everyday gift card purchases toward tuition. The school admits students of any race, color, or national or ethnic origin, but it is not equipped to serve students with severe learning or behavioral needs.
Preschool Rooted in Play and the Apple Farm Upbringing
The preschool at Trinity is directed by Jackie Rasch, known to her students as "Miss Jackie," who joined the staff in 2016. A graduate of Aquinas College with a degree in Elementary Education and an emphasis in Early Childhood Education, Miss Jackie grew up and still lives on the family apple farm in Conklin, where she and her 13 siblings were raised. She brings more than 16 years of preschool teaching experience to the program.
Trinity structures early childhood education around the developmental stages of its youngest learners rather than rushing toward kindergarten. The three-year-old program emphasizes "progressing through play." The four-year-old program focuses on "Explore and Expand." A "Preschool Plus" option, called "Develop and Demonstrate," is designed for children with fall birthdays who miss the state's September 1 cutoff for kindergarten, as well as for those who benefit from the gift of additional social and emotional maturity. Children spend time outdoors in a nature-scape playground on the campus.
A Homeschool Co-op for the Surrounding Community
In addition to its full-day school, Trinity hosts a half-day homeschool co-op that draws students from the wider area. The co-op has filled its available capacity in recent years, with new families placed on a waitlist. Families interested in joining can email trinityco-op@tlc-conklin.org for information.
The Faculty Who Walk With the Students
Britney Ritz serves as School Administrator, joining the Trinity staff in June 2022. A University of Michigan graduate and former stay-at-home mother of three Trinity students, she also brought years of experience in children's leadership, women's ministry, and Bible Study Fellowship.
The elementary classroom teachers include Wendi Lepley, who leads the fourth and fifth grade room. A Grand Valley State University graduate with a Lutheran Colloquy from Concordia Chicago, Mrs. Lepley taught in Indiana for 15 years before moving to Michigan with her family. Allie Geiger teaches second and third grade. A Ferris State University graduate, she joined Trinity in 2018 and married her husband Tin in 2020. Jessica Dietrich teaches kindergarten and first grade. A Michigan State University graduate with a double major in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development and a minor in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Mrs. Dietrich is a lifelong Trinity member who attended the school herself from preschool through fifth grade.
Youth Ministry and Mission Outreach
Trinity runs an active youth ministry that has organized mission trips to various parts of the country in recent years. Each year the congregation supports a special mission project alongside its ongoing work. Members extend care to one another through the church's elders and through a network of small groups and Bible studies. RightNow Media access is available to the congregation for additional video Bible studies and Christian teaching; members can text TRINLS to 49775 or use the church's invite link to sign up.
The Hessler Endowment Scholarship
The Hessler Endowment Scholarship Fund was established in honor of Rev. E. A. Hessler by his family. The accrued interest from this fund is awarded each year to students pursuing full-time ministry in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. When applications are plentiful, preference is given first to members of Trinity Lutheran Church, then to the local LCMS circuit, and then to members of the Michigan District. Applicants may apply more than once during their studies. Letters of request can be sent to office@tlc-conklin.org.
Pastoral Leadership and Office Staff
Trinity is served by Pastor Zachary Benkert, who came to the congregation with his wife Vanessa and their four children. Raised in Brant, Michigan, Pastor Benkert spent 13 years working as a chemical plant operator in Hemlock before entering the seminary, while Vanessa has worked as a registered nurse for 15 years. The Benkerts were confirmed as Lutherans during their engagement and were married at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Saginaw. The family enjoys camping, the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, reading, history, and time outdoors.
Deb Cheyne has served as the church's Office Manager since June 2023. She brings more than 20 years of church ministry experience to the role and also serves on the LWML Lakeshore Zone board as Vice President.
Steady Rhythms in Rural Ottawa County
On Sunday mornings the parking lot fills with families, farmers, and neighbors who have been gathering at 1379 Harding Street for generations. School days run from 8:00 AM to 3:10 PM, with the older children moving between their Christ-centered classrooms, the gym in the Family Life Center, and the outdoors that surrounds the campus. A monthly newsletter, the Messenger, keeps members informed, and a calendar of upcoming activities is published each month.
That steady rhythm - gathered around Word and Sacrament in worship, gathered around desks and play equipment in the school, gathered around tables in small groups and Bible studies - is what Trinity Lutheran Church and School has been offering its neighbors in the apple orchard country since 1865.