The writing on the floor!

You've heard of the writing on the wall, well we like to do things a little bit differently in TLC and so we had writing on the floor!

Sunday 17th August 2008 was a very special night at the new building on the Movilla Road. We had been challenged a few weeks ago in church to enlarge our vision for what God wants to do through TLC and encouraged to think of people who we really desire to come to know Christ as forgiver and leader of their lives.

People gathered at 7pm, some with bibles, notebooks and lists, others just with their thoughts, ready to write on the concrete floor our desires, hopes and dreams for the future of our church. It was a holy moment as people poured out their hearts to God and made covenants before Him to be faithful in helping those prayers be answered.

The new carpet went down on Monday morning and sealed those names, prayers and promises on the floor of our new building. Gareth closed in prayer and shared his dream of us being able to bring the very people whose names we had written down, to that spot and having the privilege of leading them to Christ some day soon.

As we read everyone else's prayers our hearts felt heavy, as once again the sheer number of people who don't yet know God became apparent. The local church really is the hope of the world!

Progress of work

Work began on Tuesday 1st July 2008 to renovate the new building. It has been a time of extreme work (especially for the hard graft team) but also of real bonding and fellowship. It's good to be reminded of the fact that even our manual labour honours God. Left - the men extending the stage area.

Below - The fence is down and the land is being cleared.

Alex and Diane showing real servant hearts in the toilet! Evie cleaning windows.

Even in the midst of dust and dirt, people have been mininstering to each other. There's jobs for everyone no matter what age you are!
Very series discussions about paint!

Celebration Sunday!

Sunday 30th June was the culmintaion of our 4 week series on sacrifice. We enjoyed a fantastic celebration of God's grace to us and a fellowship lunch afterwards.

It was wonderful to be joined by some visitors for our special day - Michael and Candice from South Africa and Dave's parents from England.

At the lunch it was announced that the church had collectively given enough money to clear the debt on the new building. Praise the Lord! He really is good!

So many of us feel that what we have scarificed to clear the debt is only a token compared towhat God sacrificed for us. We feel truly blessed!

Meet Melissa!

Name: Melissa Mills

Family: Wife of Gareth, Mummy of Evie

Hobbies/ pastimes/ relaxation: My favourite way to spend a relaxing evening is baking cakes while listening to Classic FM - but I don't get to do this as much as I'd like! Going fun places with Evie and Gareth is also great!

What has God been teaching you recently? The past three years of TLC have been a tremendous learning curve for me. I feel like God has been trying to teach me something new every week.

I suppose the one thing that God has consistently challenged me about during this time is, that His plans are not our plans and His ways are not our ways. I always knew this in my head but for the past three years I have been living this.

There have been so many instances when I've struggled to understand why things have happened in certain ways, why God has allowed things to happen or why He has brought about situations. Yet I have been amazed when I've been able to see God's big picture and realised that His way was best afterall and that He knew what He was doing all along.

I've been put in positions that I would never have dreamt of being in and I've learnt that God's grace really is sufficient for me and His power is made perfect in my weakness.

What do you enjoy most about TLC? So many things! I love that there are lots of different people from different walks of life, who are at different stages of their faith journey and they all call TLC their home. I love the community that I personally experience everytime I see or hear from fellow 'thrivers'. I thank God for TLC.

Meet Mervyn!

Name/Family: I'm Merv and Head of the Wylie clan which consists of my good wife, Pauline - a hard working teacher; my son, Michael, a doctor working in South Africa and my daughter, Catherine, who is still at school studying hard for her A-Levels.

Hobbies: I enjoy cycling as I once used to race - but I take it at a more leisurely pace these days! You could say I am very much a "fair weather" cyclist. I also enjoy walking and trekking in the mountains as it helps keep me fit. Relaxation for me comes in the form of listening to classical guitar music or getting together with friends to have a music session followed by a good chat.I also love cooking and catering for friends and family as I was a chef in a former life!

What Has God Been Teaching You Recently? You could say He's given me a clearer understanding of just how much He loves us and how He laid down His all that not one of us may be lost for all eternity. We who call ourselves Christ followers have a duty to do likewise - reaching out and drawing alongside the broken, the bruised, the lonely and the rejected so that they too can enjoy Christ's salvation and mercy in their lives. It is better by far to serve others and not count the cost as Christ first did for us.

What Do You Enjoy Most About TLC? This is quite difficult to quantify as there is so much. I have been a Christian for some 35 years yet once again I am excited and challenged by the mission, vision and direction of God's hand on TLC. The integrity and power of the preaching has turned people's lives around; the inclusiveness of the worship and the exciting use of people's God-given talents in drama and multi-media to convey God's word in a way that all can understand have been refreshing and uplifting.

I am both humbled and delighted to be part of a team of people who are committed to one another and to the ongoing work of TLC to see all people become committed, passionate Christ followers.

Nail Art

Last Friday, the women of TLC had a great night of fun and fellowship. Christine Dorrian demonstrated some 'nail art' for us and we attempted to copy some of her examples! Some of us took it more seriously than others and the competitive nature of some ladies emerged.

Christine had to help some of us more than others! Here she is taking pity on Pauline! We enjoyed a lovely supper and raised a grand total of £145 which will help with Chrsitine's forth-coming missions trip to Argentina!

Christine meets the Duke!

On a lovely sunny afternoon in late May, Colin, Marie and Christine Dorrian travelled to Hillsborough Castle to meet the Duke Of Edinburgh.

Christine was presented with her GOLD Duke of Edinburgh award. This is a tremendous achievement for Christine who has overcome serious health issues to complete this scheme. Well done Christine!