By November 1994 when COTR opened its doors in Second Caledonia, Morvant, the community had developed a reputation for being a “killing field” (Trinidad Express, 1997). Senior Pastor Benjamin Agard knew what he was up against. But he also knew who he had behind him – the Lord, who had called him to Morvant with the words of 1 Cor 16:9, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” He kept before the Lord to find out how to touch a community that was so bereft of hope.

Even though the Lord opened doors into Morvant (for example, by the church holding a joint funeral for 2 young men, aged 14 and 18, who were brutally slain), COTR faced its share of difficulties in its early days. The group of faithful who would later become known as COTR met at one another’s houses for prayer in the days when the church still had no home to call its own. When they did discover an appropriate location, it was some time before they were able to secure enough funds to acquire the building. This resulted in them being told they had no permission to gather there on Sundays as they had taken to doing.

And so began this church that still believes in approaching all of its work with prayer in order to discern the heart of God for His people and obtain His grace to overcome the challenges it has had to face in pursuing the dreams He lays on the church’s heart for Morvant. Through this approach, COTR has been able to win victory after victory for itself and the community it serves. As a result, the church has grown from 50 members to over 500 and is continuously working to grow in number and spiritual maturity.