December Newsletter

December is a busy month and yet Project Caleb work continues on.  Here is a short update of the recent activities since the November 18 Society Meeting.  Thanks for checking in - progress is on going and looking forward to a good meeting with the Town of Clarington early in January.

Click here to go to the newsletter

November 18th Society Meeting Update

November 18 was the night of our direction setting congregational meeting. We asked the members of Trulls Road Church to vote on whether to continue going forward with plans to develop a multipurpose room addition. It was a good meeting with lots of discussion and interest shown. Over one hundred members attended and the result was a clear majority in favour of moving ahead. 84 % voted in favour of the motion to explore the concept further. Thanks to all who attended and we are looking forward now to seeing what comes next.

We are hoping to meet with the Town of Clarington soon to clarify what is needed to amend our site plan agreement. Lots of work yet to be done in order to come back to the Society with a final design and a proposed budget. We will keep you posted here along the way.

Of course the issue remains of how to fund this project - which we are calling Project Caleb. Just as Caleb and Joshua explored the promised land so many years ago and reported back to the people that it was a good land, flowing with milk and honey, so too we will need faith to see the provision of the Lord in building such an addition.

The good news reported at the meeting was that as we head into the last 6 weeks of 2012 it looks very positive financially for this year at this point. We may not meed our proposed budget but it looks like our expenses will be met and for this we are truly grateful.

Until next post - blessings to you!

Pastor Brian Bell's Address Nov. 4, 2012

Here is the text of Pastor Brian's address at Trulls on Sunday, November 4, 2012 about the upcoming congregational vote regarding the proposed addition.


Click here to go to the Address

Jim Best's Prayer

On Sunday November 4 Jim Best led us in a prayer after Pastor Brian's address. It was wonderful and is reprinted here with Jim's permission. Jim serves as the chair of the Project Team for Project Caleb. Thanks Jim for this beautiful prayer.

The Pastor and Official Board are calling us to prayer and fasting this next two weeks leading up to the Nov. 18 Society Meeting. In view of this, before we pray I would like to give you these words by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

“There is a place where thou canst touch the eyes
Of blinded men to instant, perfect sight;
There is a place where thou canst say, “Arise”
To dying captives, bound in chains of night;
There is a place where thou canst reach the store
Of hoarded gold and free it for the Lord;
There is a place-upon some distant shore-
Where thou canst send the worker and the word.
Where is that secret place—Dost thou ask ‘ Where?’
O soul, it is the secret place of prayer!”

Please pray with me.

Our God and our Father, we adore you, we exalt your name above all the earth - we worship you. We have sensed the presence of your Holy Spirit here this morning and are humbled by the way you reveal yourself to us through the Means of Grace in this place. Thank you Lord. You made each one of us in your image and also made each one of us to be ourselves. You distributed diverse gifts, passions, natural abilities, personalities and experiences to each of us. Father, given these gifts, opportunities and potential, we wan to bear as much fruit as possible to your honour and glory.

So we will humble ourselves and pray for your perfect will and perfect timing here at Trulls. Your word says to ask and we will receive, seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened. Too often Lord, we dictate the answer we want to hear instead of asking the pertinent questions and then listening for your direction. Lord, we have some pertinent questions that need pondering and we are seeking your face in these matters. Going forward, what does the ministry of Trulls Road FMC look like and how does it compare to the present effort? Father, we have known and experienced your hand of blessing upon Trulls Road FMC. Father God, keep your hand of blessing upon us, lead us, show us the way forward as the Holy Spirit ministers to each one during this time of fasting and prayer. Let the November 18 meeting be a time of blessing and unity, a time of vision and joy in the Lord! We pray in the name that is above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN.

The Caleb Report Issue # 2 November 4, 2012

Please click the following link to view a copy of this month's newsletter for Project Caleb.

Click here to go to the newsletter


Specially Called Society Meeting Notice: November 18, 2012

The Official Board at Trulls Road is planning a Society Meeting on November 18 at 6:30 PM. At this meeting there will be a presentation about the proposed addition of a Multi-Purpose Room. All members are requested to attend and be prepared for a vote of approval to go forward with this project. See the second issue of the newsletter for details by clicking the link above. Adherents are welcome to attend as well.

On Thursday, November 15, (7:00 PM) there will be a prayer meeting to lift this opportunity to the Lord again at the church.

The text of Pastor Brian's family meeting address will be posted by Wednesday, November 7 here on this blog.

Next Focus Group - October 17.

October 17 is the date for our next Focus Group. For those who may have missed attending one this past summer we invite you along to hear more about the proposed project. We hope to have another rendition of the floor plan to show you and a report on the application for a site plan agreement amendment. Even if you came to a Focus Group in the summer you are welcome to attend this one as well.

Special thanks to the Project Team which meets twice a month to work on the details. Thanks Jim Best, Esther Araujo, Dennis Gunter, Peter Hogenbirk, Liz Leduke and Pastor Brian.

See you on the 17th - that's a Wednesday night at 7 PM at the Church.

First Edition of The Caleb Report

Here is the September version of The Caleb Report - our newsletter about the building expansion opportunity. Enjoy!

Click here to go to the newsletter

September Update: 2 Announcements

September 16 will be the launch of a communication piece as we continue to consider the new expansion.

And a name for the project has been selected. Project Caleb. Stay tuned for a copy of the newsletter that will be offered monthly or more as needed to communicate further details as we go. The newsletter is called The Caleb Report.

Just a reminder too that you can sign up for this blog so that whenever there is an update you will be notified that a new post has been made. The sign up process is simple but you do need to respond to the request that you will be sent so that the email notifications will get through to you.

We hope this all helps and feel free at any time to send us a note or give us a call if you have questions or comments about what you see or read or hear!

Let's be praying together for a clear sense of God's leadership by the Holy Spirit.

Project Team Introduced

The work of the Project Team has begun. The members at the invitation of the Church Board are:

Jim Best (Chair)
Peter Hogenbirk (Board Member)
Liz Leduke
Esther Araujo
Dennis Gunter
Pastor Brian

These good folk will serve the congregation by doing behind the scenes work which is so necessary in preparing for final decisions regarding the building project. Design, budget and administrative items are all a part of the mandate - and should we go forward - this team would help follow the construction effort carefully on our behalf.

To a large extent we now need some professional assistance to prepare and gain the approval of the Town of Clarington. The process to start with is called the Site Plan Agreement. An architect is going to meet with us shortly to help begin this Site Pite Agreement process. Lots of questions and ideas to digest in these early days.

More reports to follow - til then we appreciate your prayer support and continued feedback.

Summer Focus Groups Complete

Hello again as we reach the end of August.

This past summer we have held 10 Focus Group meetings - times to get together and provide some input to the on going discussion regarding a new multi-purpose room.

Thanks so much for participating. Over 80 people attended the meetings and we have a great list of thoughts and ideas as a result. Now we are in the process of sorting through the information.

Look for further updates along the way. If you missed the meetings this summer feel free to be in touch - either send us a note or give us a call.

August 9 & August 15-17 Groups

Hello Again!

This week we had two Focus Groups with some good ideas coming out of the discussions. Thanks to those attending.

Next groups are as follows.

August 9 at the Heffords, 217 Grandview St. S. Oshawa, ON L1H 7C6 at 7 PM

August 15 at Bert & Ria Martin, 11 Westmore Street, Courtice, ON L1E 2H7 at 2 PM.

August 16 at Linda Caskey, 56 Keewatin Street South, Oshawa, ON L1H 6Z1 at 2 PM

August 17 at Brian and Lori Bells 1067 Interlake Dr., Oshawa, L1K 2M5 at 7 PM.

Please take advantage of these times to interact and dialogue together. More groups happen the week of August 20th as well.

Have a Glorious Week!

July 27 & 28 Focus Group Locations

Heh Everyone,

This week's Focus Groups are as follows:

Thursday July 27 at Heather & Andy Kelly's, 2 Highgrove Court, Whitby, ON L1P 0B3 905-493-0582. 7:00 PM

Friday July 28 at Brian & Lori Bell's, 1067 Interlake Dr., Oshawa, ON L1K 2M5 289-274-5546. 7:00 PM


The agenda is simple. To gather around a sketch of the potential building and to comment, offer ideas, suggestions and generally discuss the reason for such an expansion.

Hope you can make it and if not this week then consider another date coming up in August. A previous blog gives the dates and each week we will provide the address of the group meeting.

Have a great week.

Upcoming Focus Groups

The Church Board would like to invite you to attend any one of the following Focus Groups.
These are gatherings for us to continue to interact about the potential building expansion. The agenda will include a time for comments, questions and reflections on the information given out on June 24; another look at the design idea and considerations regarding timing.

We have been pleased to receive your Feedback Surveys and you are welcome to drop yours off if you haven’t already.
There are many good comments and helpful suggestions. We look forward to a good continuing process over these next months.

No need to sign up for a Focus Group – just show up and bring along your thoughts and ideas. A couple members of the Staff and/or Board will be there facilitate discussion and take notes. The hope is to continue to discern the Lord’s leading for Trulls. Looking forward to some great discussions.

Call the church office (905-436-2300) to get the address of the Focus Group you would like to attend or find the information printed at the Welcome Center at the Church.

Day, Date, Location and Time

Thursday, July 26, Whitby 7:00 PM

Friday, July 27, Oshawa 7:00 PM

Thursday, August 9, Oshawa 7:00 PM

Wednesday, August 15, Courtice 2:00 PM - Note Time!

Thursday, August 16, Oshawa 2:00 - Note Time!

Friday, August 17, Oshawa 7:00 PM

Tuesday, August 21, Oshawa 7:00 PM

Wednesday, August 22, Bowmanville 7:00 PM

Wednesday, August 22, Newcastle 7:00 PM

Thursday, August 23, (TBD)

Church Board Follow Up - Post June 24!

On June 25th, the Church Board met to review the responses from the Town Hall Meeting and would like to offer this update. First, thank you very much for the responses we have received to date. Please feel free to send in your feedback surveys over the next week or so – if you don’t have one, more are available at the Welcome Centre. As you may have seen over 80 ‘initial responses’ were placed on the poster in the lobby - 78 were green and 4 were red. There were over 40 surveys handed in last Sunday and more have come in during the week. Already we are receiving some very helpful feedback and ideas. These dots were meant to say YES continue with the exploration of the idea – “Green” or NO we do not sense this is a good time to proceed or a good project to consider – “Red”. The dots were not meant to indicate, go ahead with the proposed design from last Sunday. If you haven’t already done so, please feel free to add your sticker to the poster as well. We are looking for more input from you over these summer months. We hope to gather together some ‘Focus Groups’, smaller gatherings, to discuss the concept and provide further interaction and ideas. Watch for details of these times to come. We also want to remind you of the upcoming prayer gatherings, specifically about the proposed idea to expand. Please plan to come to one or more of these summer evening prayer times at 7 PM – July 10 & 24 and August 14 & 28, all Tuesday evenings. More times to pray and discern the Lord’s direction will be held as we move into the fall. The Church Board is in the process of forming a Project Team, a group of gifted individuals who will handle the major dimensions of such a project should it go forward. We will be introducing this team in the near future. In the meantime a special thank you to Dennis Gunter, Jim Best and Peter Hogenbirk who have been very helpful in doing research to this point. Let us all continue to pray about this potential expansion – for clarity, discernment, guidance and unity going forward. Please be in touch with the Church Board at any time. Posted by Pastor Brian.

The Town Hall - June 24, 2012

Today we had approximately 140 attend our first Town Hall Meeting regarding the possibility of a new MPR (multi-purpose room). Pastor Brian gave a 25 minute presentation and then there was about 25 minutes of questions and comments. After the meeting we had 41 people leave their completed surveys, 78 green dots and 4 red dots showed up on the floor plan poster and a great BBQ lunch outside with only a few drops of rain. Thanks to all for the comments and questions and for your willingness to express yourselves in a genuinely sincere manner. As mentioned at the meeting we are at the preliminary stages of this discussion in many ways. It might be good to mention that lots of work by the Board and in particular two men on behalf of the Board, Dennis Gunter and Jim Best, has been done so far in making contact with a variety of businesses and sources so that we could even get to today and be able to present something with a level of awareness of basic issues. We will attempt to fill you in along the way with more detail and try to offer some kind of Question and Answer format here with the blog at times. We realize that some are processors and others are more willing to offer an early response. Please know that we are wanting to take time to hear from you all - the response today is only meant to give the Church Board some kind of indication as to the benefit of doing more research and study. A very strong "Red Dot No" this-not-a-good-idea would have told us to be careful about how much time we set aside in our upcoming effort. The Church Board meets June 25 so we will be in touch again after that with our sense of direction regarding next steps. Til later, have a great evening. We must say how many comments there were at lunch too about the wonderful service today with the baptisms... looking forward to many more of those times in the life of our church. Thanks to John and Jim for setting up the baptismal this week. Pastor Brian

June 24, 2012 Town Hall Meeting

Three purposes for this Sunday: Information: We want to keep people informed. Engagement: By introducing some general concepts, to welcome input and feedback. Idea Generation: Who knows where the next great idea will come from? Simple yet helpful in order to include as many ideas and considerations as possible. This meeting will be the beginning of our feedback loop as a congregation. Hope you can make it - the meeting will start shortly after the morning service. There will be some materials for you to take home to ponder beyond the meeting time itself. We will also be giving you a way to give us a "first impression" kind of response to the concepts put forward on Sunday. See you then!

The Journey and the Process

Thanks for signing on to our blog at Trulls Road Free Methodist Church. We are in the early stages of working towards a potential building addition at Trulls and wanted to keep you posted along this journey. It is important, of course, to consider many aspects along the way in any building program, so we want to invite you to be a part of the process. Over the course of the next few weeks and months there should be lots to talk about and consider. Your thoughts and feedback are most welcome. On June 9 the Church Board met for an extended Saturday morning meeting to prepare for the upcoming Town Hall meeting. We are excited about the possibilities and the potential to add to our facility so we can serve our community more effectively. One of our board members suggested our church ministry and it's building is for "every age at every stage." We liked that kind of vision of what this is all about. We'd appreciate your prayers as we look to set the agenda for the June 24 meeting. A special thanks to Dennis Gunter who has been very helpful to date in doing some leg work on the expansion ideas so far. Many more will be added to the list of appreciations to be sure. So thanks for checking this blog out and here's wishing for a great ride until the day in which we can dedicate the new addition, whatever it will look like, to the Glory of God. Many blessings, Pastor Brian