When Pastor Abram Crozier began leading Trinity Southern Baptist Church in January 2019, only about 20 people attended. But thanks to a new mission involving their community of Falmouth, Kentucky, not only has the church grown in size and faith, but the town itself has begun turning around.
Trinity had always been small, but it declined rapidly, mirroring what was happening in the town of Falmouth, home to about 2,000 people. In 1997, Falmouth experienced a catastrophic flood that caused more than $50 million in damage.
“We’ve never really fully recovered from the flood,” Crozier says. “A lot of houses are still abandoned. Poverty came in, drugs came in and that’s still where we are. But I knew what Falmouth used to be like and what it could be again.
“I cast this vision for us to be a church on the move—not to be confined to our pews but to step outside the four walls and make a difference in the community,” says Crozier.
The church has helped firefighters provide free smoke detectors to the community, built ramps to make buildings more accessible, provided meals to seniors, and spent “Serve Sundays” picking up trash around town.
“My goal is to make sure if anyone needs anything in the community, Trinity should be the first thought in their mind,” says Crozier, who also serves as the local police chaplain.
In October 2021, the church doubled down on its commitment to Falmouth. The mayor even came to a formal “adoption” ceremony to make it official.
Currently, Trinity is up to 220 people. And although Falmouth isn’t completely transformed, it is starting to look and feel different.
“A lot of people are starting to get on board,” Crozier says. “And other churches have been looking for new ways to engage the community as well.”