How God Grew Trinity
The story of Trinity’s beginnings and growth is a story of God’s faithfulness. God did more than just provide the vision for the school – he provided the location, the staff, the funding, the building, and yes, even the students.
God provides the idea and the means
The idea of Trinity Academy started in 1992 with three couples at a retreat: Bob and Roxie Smith, Bill and Jennifer Nath, and Pete and Debbie Ochs. They were good friends, and talk turned toward where to send their children for high school.
“We had a vision for what a high school ought to be,” said Pete Ochs. “All of us had had a great high school experience ourselves, and we wanted that for our sons and daughters as well — one that was really Christ-centered.”
So they agreed to pray daily, meet weekly and see what God would have for them. After four or five months, they felt they had done all they could do. So they asked God to show them whether to move forward or stop.
Within a couple of weeks, they got a call from the elder board at Central Christian Church. The board brought them in and asked them about their vision for the school. And at the end of the meeting, the Board said, “We’ve had an elderly family give us 20 acres for a Christian high school. We’re not going to do a high school, so we’re going to give you that land.”
The land was worth $500,000. The men sat and wept.
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Founding board members Bob Smith, Bill Nath, and Pete Ochs at the Central Community Church location, 1994.
God provides the students
By June 1994, they’d hired a strong faculty, had some money in the bank, and Central Community Church in west Wichita had given them space to launch the school.
“We were all set up and ready to roll. We only had one problem: We had no students,” laughed Ochs.
The school was slated to open two months later, but by this time, only eight or nine students were enrolled, and the men decided to pull the plug on the school.
Fortunately, they had three older mentors: Marvin Martin, George Fooshee, and Glen Zumwalt. And their mentors began to question them.
“Did God give you the $500,000 piece of land?”
“Well, yes.”
“Did he give you $500,000 in cash?”
“Yes.”
“Did he provide you with a strong faculty and a place where the school could begin?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re just going to walk away from that?”
Again, they answered “Yes.” But the mentors encouraged them to pray, and very quickly, the tide turned.
“How many students do you want?” asked the mentors.
“We really want 80.”
“How many do you need to make it work?” asked the mentors.
“We have to have 40.”
They agreed to pray for 60. Two months later, Trinity opened its doors to 61 students.
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The three mentors: Marvin Martin, George Fooshee, and Glen Zumwalt.
Students line up for first day of classes.
God provides more land and funds
By the third year, the school had outgrown the space at Central Community. They decided to sell the original 20 acres and buy more space. Soon, they located the 75 acres where the school now stands. God led several businessmen to buy the land and donate it to the school. A building campaign was held, and $2.5 million was donated to the project. By 1998, the high school was completed.
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Trinity Academy high school, built in 1998.
God provides for continuing expansion
Over the next 16 years, God provided for the high school by building an auditorium, a second gym, additional classrooms, and a stadium/track.
In 2016-17, Trinity added a $5 million K-8 school with 13 classrooms. Within three years, the K-8 school had reached maximum capacity, and an additional five classrooms were built.
In 2023, Trinity broke ground on a K-8 multi-purpose room/gym. Today, the K-8 school enrollment has once again reached capacity, and the school is raising funds to build additional classrooms.
The K-8 School, opened in 2017.