Celebration Sunday

Celebration Sunday was the culmination of our '40 days of Purpose' campaign. We broke open the chocolates, partied with balloons and enjoyed a real sense of God's presence with us.

We celebrated with those who had moved steps closer to understanding who God really is, with those whose lives have been transformed through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with those who were baptised declaring publically their desire for God to be their leader and forgiver.

And to echo the words of one of the songs, "O what a glorious , glorious day" it was.

40 days of Purpose!

Thriving Life Church have been talking about the '40 days of purpose' campaign for a long time! For so long it seemed to be something in the distance, but it is finally here!

Our pre-launch weekend was a special time in the life of the church. A chance for some of us to experience the power of prayer and fasting as we thought about our friends, family and neighbours that we have asked to join us in this experience. We broke fast with a meal together and enjoyed a non-service (as Gareth and Philip kept referring to it) of praise, prayer and the practical instructions for the next 40 days.

Notice the smiling faces after the food! The idea of doing a project like this or even all of us fasting on the same day, has given us a shared sense of 'purpose' and has had a unifying impact on many.

Day One - Sunday 18th Ocotber 2009

What on earth am I here for?

Day one of the campaign coincided with the launch of two services 10am and 11.30am. This was a huge operation for the teams that serve on a Sunday but as ever the servant hearts of the Thrivers showed up and both services went very well with many of you bringing the important people in your lives with you.

The idea of finding out your purpose in life in a fortune cookie, (pictured above) added a light hearted introduction to Gareth's message, when he reminded us that "Everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him" Colossians 1:16

There are 46 host homes running throughout the week where people from TLC are reading 'The Purpose Driven Life' and watching a short DVD together with their friends and family. Please remember to pray for those groups and share stories of how your group went. Feel free to email them to 40days@thrivinglifechurch.org

The 40 days of purpose is not a campaign sorely for the adults of the church, but the children and youth ministry teams have also done a fantastic job in preparing the campaign for 'Thriving Kids' and D4Y. As the adults read one chapter a day, the children and youth complete their journals and memorise verses from the bible. The opportunities for whole families to be impacted by God and find their purpose in life are there, and we have got to take them as they arise.

40 days of prayer for 40 days of purpose

Be encouraged church - God is already moving in the lives of our families and friends, but we must continue to underpin the campaign with prayer. Each weekday morning between 7.00 and 8.00am there are people at the church praying for you and your group! There has been a real sense of God's power at these meetings and we encourage you all to attend at least one a week and be involved in the power house behind the campaign.

Prayer is happening on Saturday mornings between 7.30 and 8.30am and on Sunday mornings at 9am. One of the values of our church is that full dependence on God is normal , so let us make a decision to depend on Him in prayer in the coming days!

Hope you can make Sunday as we think about the first purpose "You were planned for God's pleasure". Remember to keep reading one chapter a day, so on Sunday you will be beginning to read chapter 8.

International Ministry Team part 2 - MEXICO!

Firstly a huge thank you must be said for the support of the church, the farewell we received and the warm reception on our return was a real blessing. The fact that we knew that TLC held the team up in Prayer everyday made us all feel safe in the knowledge that although we were far away the hands and hearts of our brothers and sisters were right with us. THANK YOU!
Anyone writing about a trip to distant lands knows that the first hurdle to get over is the hours and hours of travel, whether it is by air, sea or land it is both tiring and at times life-sapping. Happily however the team spirits were very high and this buzz of excitement was like a wave which we rode out all the way to sunny Irapuato, Mexico. I must briefly mention the awesome view from Newark airport of the New York skyline, and the rather incredible donut breakfast that was shared (mostly between Johnny & Nathan) at Houston airport. After a rejuvenating stay at the Sheraton Hotel in Houston on we went to our destination, taking in the wonderful scenery of the Texas coast and the mountains of North Eastern Mexico.
Upon our arrival at Guanajuato International Airport we met our hosts Bill & Lydia Allshouse, along with their son Luke and daughter Ariel. The first test was in getting everyone through customs past a very suspicious official, fortunately Bill was able to intervene when two of the party were held up and their bags searched, twenty minutes later ‘honest’ Merv and Olwyn made it through, unfortunately after surrendering any medical equipment without a best before date on it. However we were soon on the road to Irapuato and all gazed excitedly out of the window at the sights and sounds of the real Mexico, which for the lads was the number of ‘cool’ trucks and automobiles unique to this part of the Americas.

Our first look at the Lazaro church was on the first Sunday when we arrived for the service. Initial impressions were that their worship band was amazing! Nathan immediately felt humbled by the outstanding quality of drumming, although he later discovered that the guy had been specially drafted in for our arrival. The whole team enjoyed listening (and playing along for Catherine) to the Spanish songs and the welcome we received really made us feel like we were at a home from home. Paul and Hannah shared their testimonies and the congregation listened intently.

The following day we began our work at Lazaro, which was mostly varied apart from the first two days which were spent solidly chiselling away at walls in order to prepare them for the wooden infrastructure needed to lay the concrete floor. Although it was very hot and tough work the mood among the workers was kept high by the trusty iPod blasting out the best worship hits! Much fun was had over the 7 days we worked on the site, and to see all the work that was carried out and the appreciation shown by people from the church really gave us a sense that we were making a difference.

Late on in the first week, Bill decided that we should see the area where the children came from for the kids club, and the community that the church had to reach out to. It affected everybody in the Van that day. Dusty streets, wild goats, one room homes and old men sat as children played football in the street. For many it was an eye opener and certainly spurred us all on to do our very best, during the time we had, to make a difference in these people’s lives. It was amazing to think that the wonderful 70 or 80 children that we had met at the Kids club in the first week had come from such poor homes as they were polite, respectful, well presented and very loving.

Over the middle weekend we ventured south of Irapuato into the state of Michoacán, the volcanic region of Mexico, taking in the beautiful scenery and the traditional industries of guitar making and copper production. Mervyn and Chris were especially excited about the possibility of picking up a handmade guitar and a lasting memory will be Bill escorting Mervyn from one shop to another trying to find ‘the one’, which he eventually did and proudly displayed it on the bonnet of the Van to whistles and coos from the rest of the team. Rachel also convinced her dad to buy her a violin so take note Melissa!! The trip was a great opportunity to recharge the batteries, one which Nathan gladly took by sleeping for twelve hours straight!

Our next Church visit was to the first church plant by the mission; Transformación in Irapuato. Again the service was very enjoyable, we had become well practiced at singing well known songs, but in Spanish and once again we felt a very warm and friendly welcome. We had the chance to sing for the congregation and Jim preached a message which one church member described as like a dagger to his heart, such is the descriptive passion of the Mexican people. The youth at Transformacion very quickly embraced the young people within our team and gained a lot from sharing their experiences of living as a Christian in a different culture from our own. Stewart and Paul especially were warmly welcomed by the ladies!

Finishing off at the project church at Lazaro brought mixed emotions; relief that the work was done, sadness that we wouldn’t be back to see the finished job and joy that we had managed to do so much, in such little time, that none of us had done before. It must be said that the Mexican master architect and his two assistants were absolutely amazing! They would have started before we arrived in the morning and worked all through the day, only stopping for food at around 2pm and then carrying on after we had left. If it wasn’t for their hard work and guidance then our efforts would have been useless, I hope that we remember them in our prayers and that God used the time we had alongside them to open their hearts to him.

I must give a paragraph to the great experience we all had at the Orphanage in Irapuato. We were welcomed by the manager of the organisation who was very pleased that we could spare some time to play with the children, but as it turned out nowhere near as excited as the children themselves! These kids were amazing; at first quiet and shy, within about 30 seconds they had us running all over the place to swings, slides and strangely enough several requests to just pick them up and let them hang from the gazebo bars. It really was an uplifting experience being able to have a manic two hours with some of the happiest and lively children many of us had ever met. The harsh reality however was that these children had little to look forward to and each of us felt a tinge of sadness at that thought. I’m sure if given the chance we’d have happily brought one or two home with us!

The last night of our adventure was, culinarily, the best; a huge BBQ at Raymondo the butcher’s house with 30+ people in attendance, birthday cakes for Stu and Johnny and good craic had by all! Keep er lit!

TLC Mexico Team 2009

International Ministry Team - Ukraine Adventure

The first trip of the International Ministry Team from Thriving Life Church left the Movilla Road at midnight on Friday 10th July 2009. There were a few nervous giggles and smiles from the team as the bus pulled away from the sending off party that had gathered at the church to bless us with gifts and prayers.

We all knew that the journey was going to be long, but it allowed us plenty of opportunity to start really getting to know each other. After 2 planes (Dublin to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Kiev) we finally arrived in the Ukraine and faced the prospect of an overnight train journey.

Below:The team at the station before boarding the train. The hosts on the train were lots of fun!

Spirits were high at this point as we waited for the train to leave the station and enjoyed a McDonalds. We waited on the platform for approximately 40 minutes to avoid the stifling heat on the train (no air-con!). It felt good to be able to lie down after travelling overnight and very little sleep.

The next morning (5.15am) we were wakened by an enthusiastic Ernie Smith (WGM missionary) who informed us to use the toilets before they closed them as we approached Zaporizhzia. From there we had another 3 hours on a mini-bus ( brken up by a two hour church service in the middle) to get to the city of Berdyansk and the Home of Hope -our final destination.

On the road to Berdyansk we were astounded by the miles of sunflowers that lines each side of the road. Beautiful!Work began on Monday morning, some enjoyed painting the fence around the edge of the centre, some shovelled dirt into flower beds, others helped prepare food, others cleaned the youth centre. We worked at these tasks throughout the fortnight.Above: David behinds bars!

The part of the trip that we all had strong feelings about were the scheduled visits to the first stage orphanage. Some of us were really looking forward to this, others were apprehensive about how we would react. However, by the end of our trip we were all overwhelmed by the warmth and love of the children that we met at the orphanage. We were able to have great fun playing with them, we were able to bless them with gifts donated by the church back home and we were able to sing and share Christ with them. They were well looked after and in good health, but the reality how little they had and how ill prepared they are for being released into the world at the age of 16 really weighed on our minds. Above: Dianne and Sandra skipping with the little ones. Below: Evie giving out the toothbrushes collected by Thriving Kids.

Below: Pleased as punch with bubbles, toothbrushes, hair bands and toys. The amount of gifts we were able to take out was overwhelming and all generously donated by church, family and friends.
The other major focus of our trip was our kids club. On the first day of the club, only 3 children turned up and we were met with some suspicion. One of the locals said, "No-one gives our children joy for free!" We really sought God and felt the support of the church back home as they prayed that God would bring kids. By the end of the two weeks we had 52 children who were having a great time playing mad games, practicing English, singing songs to praise God and learning about the life that Jesus lead and how to respond to Him.

Below: The flyer we pasted on the around the doors of the blocks of flats.

Above: Maureen and Audrey with translator Katya teaching the children the song God made me. Below: Donna and Sarah teaching the kids memory verse Ephesians 3 v 18.

On the final day of the club,we made the most amazing privilege of leading over 20 children into a relationship with the Lord Jesus - it really was a holy moment as they bowed their heads and asked God to the leader of their lives. We really pray for the Bethel Church in Berdyansk and the team at WGM (particularly Bill and Oksana) as they work to develop a Kids ministry which will nourish and develop these new Christ-followers into passionate committed ones.

We couldn't neglect to mention the faithfulness of Bill and Betsy who hosted us in th Home of Hope - feeding us, looking after us and putting up with our noise! We will miss Betsy's chocolate cake and Ukrainian champ.

The journey home was long but fun! We enjoyed day in Kiev, visiting the Chernobyl museum, McDonalds at 6am (they serve pancakes in Ukraine!) and finally boarding the plane for the first leg of our homeward journey.

The thoughtfulness of the church , meeting us at Dublin airport with goody bags of food and drinks and the welcome home party at the church building was awesome. The team were inspired by the faithfulness of our church family who drenched us in prayers. There may have been only 15 of us in Ukraine, but we felt that this was a whole church effort. We couldn't have done it without all of the Thrivers!
We're looking forward to the reports of the trips to China and Mexico later this month.

The Big Event

The International Ministry Teams summer trips are approaching fast and in order to support the local churches in Mexico and Ukraine, Thriving Life Church hosted 'The Big Event' at Ringhaddy (courtesy of Nevin's Uncle!).

The sun shone (most of the day) and a great time was had by all. The Thriving Kids particularly enjoyed the Bouncy castle. There were some big kids that day!

The men (or boys!) enjoyed the games - there were a few aching joints and stiff legs the following morning!

The women enjoyed stealing away and engaging in quiet chats in the peaceful surroundings!

The BBQ was enjoyed by all. Burgers and sausages are always a hit and cooked to perfection! The new range of 'Provence Salads' from Rich Sauces went down well - available to buy soon in Tesco and all good retail outlets!

The money raised (over £1000 in total) will help the churches serve and meet the needs of the locals in these underprivileged areas of the world, while advancing the cause of the gospel. One happy thriver commented how they hadn't been able to be involved in any of the other fund-raising activities but just by turning up and enjoying themsleves as a family, they were helping people they would probably never meet! That's why the local church really is the hope of the world!

Donard gets a little TLC!

SAM (Sports and Adventure Ministry) headed up the Mournes last Saturday. The aim was to reach the summit of Donard and get back down again in just 3 hours (slightly over-enthusiastic)!

However the photos tell the real success story of the day-a great opportunity to challenge ourselves physically and a fantastic chance to build community and friendship! For those who weren't adventurous enough - enjoy the photos!

That wasn't enough for die-hard walkers Audrey and Amanda, who ventured out the following day to complete an eight mile sponsored walk from Helen's Bay to Bangor and back. Funds raised are being taken out to Berdyansk with the Ukraine Team on 10th July 2009.

TLC hosts WCA conference

It was our pleasure and privelege to host the Willow Creek Association UK and Ireland and James Emery White on Monday 15th June.

Innovating for the church for the 21st century was the topic of the day and Jim White certainly challenged us about making church relevant to the culture around us and how we are contributing to that culture.

The wisdom and insight Jim shared from his experiences at Mecklenburg Church were fascinating, challenging and encouraging. It confirmed to us once again, that church really can be a place that people enjoy coming to and must address the issues that people deal with on a day to day basis.

Experiencing over 80% growth from unchurched people, Jim and the church at Meck, are a inspiration to all who attended the conference from TLC. The dream of becoming a church which sees people becoming passionate, committed followers of Jesus Christ on a regular basis, really is possible, but it takes hard work, dedication and innovation!

Above pictured: James Emery White (centre) with some of the leaders of TLC.

Check out some of his books at the resource area in the next few weeks:

Rethinking Church

Serious Times

Wrestling with God