With just a few days to go till we open the doors of the Sanctuary’s centre, we are overwhelmed by the support, hard work and encouragement of so many people.
Here come some more in an ever-growing list of thank yous to:
All Saints’ Church, Ilkley for their geneoristy in making 6 Church Street available to us.
St Pauls’ Church, St Albans for their grant for the equipping of the space, and all the love, support and encouragement that continues to pour out from this church.
Members and friends from many churches in Ilkley, Burley and Otley, and from Mosaic Church Leeds who have given us such an incredible local support base.
The many individuals who have given money, gifts-in-kind, items on loan, or skill and labour to make the decoration of the space possible. And particularly to the artist who’s painted our mural; the carpenter who’s donated our cross; and the sound engineer who made all our cables.
March Design Ltd for the fabulous work they put in to sourcing, designing and managing the production of our bespoke map floor – we know and so very much appreciate how above and beyond you went for us.
The kind and practical helpers who helped cleared the space, hung pictures, cooked meals and invited us over. And to the two people coming from Leeds to set up our PA and recording equipment tomorrow.
The friends travelling from all over the area and the country to celebrate our opening, the ones who will be with us in spirit, and especially to the individual who considered coming up despite there being only two weeks until her wedding.
All those helping with the launch from pray-ers poised to lead intercessions to musicians; cake-bakers; cake-donators; cake-couriers; sandwich makers; balloon-donaters; balloon couriers; friend couriers; cross couriers; thermos jug lenders… the list goes on.
And most of all to everyone who has taken the time to pray, email, text, call or simply speak kind, encouraging truth-filled words, scriptures and encouragement to the Sanctuary’s co-founders over the last few weeks….
…One of our favourite Jars of Clay songs contains the lyrics ‘in the shelter of each other we will live – we will never walk alone’ – more than ever before during these final weeks of set-up we have experienced the extraordinary power of being loved by other Christians…
…Every time we look at the Sanctuary’s mural, read one of your messages or think of any of the many things so many people involved with the project has done we know – this is what Jesus meant when he prayed we’d be known by our love for one another.
And to the One who is able to do so much more than we could ever ask and imagine – thank you just doesn’t seem enough. But there it is all the same.