Life Community Church First Anniversary!

On October 23, 2011 Life Community Church (LCC) was born!  Our first service held about 14 people and took place in the home of Les and Twyla Brickman (you will see them a bit later).  After just one year our numbers have more than doubled and we are now meeting in a rented building which is too small for us!  On this special Sunday we rented a tent to be able to host the many friends who wanted to join in on the celebration...

Our awesome worship team; Wambui, Ndiki and Saru

Last minute instructions from Lead Pastor Mark Kiiru to Worship Leader Wambui

Maureen and Bevaline knew each other through a student ministry in the rural area where they both grew up.  It has been many months since they last saw each other...

Maureen and Bevaline spending precious time together

Pastor Kamau and his wife Judy are special guests.  He attended our first training for Life (Cell) Groups and is a member of our men's group.  His desire is to begin Cell Groups in his church, modeled after our methods.  We are excited to be helping other churches in Nairobi catch the vision of Acts 2 community living!

Grace greeting Judy

Les greeting Kamau - both in the men's Life Group

Two of our Life Kids; Uzziel and Kenna

Photos from our first service and our information table

Tea and food set up and ready :)

Twyla opens the service...people are still socializing outside!

Our sandwiches...

...and cupcakes...

...and more cupcakes!

Kids helping with last minute details...

Our services always start with a "welcome question"...this week it was 'what special blessing happened to you this week?'  Here Pastor Mark is sharing his special blessing with Charity and Sammy - he is a bishop over several churches and like Pastor Kamau has a vision to bring cell groups into his churches.  He attended our training and is also in our men's group - God is good!

My special blessing for the week was chatting with my daughter on the phone on Saturday!

Martha and Irene (Pastor Mark's wife) sharing...

Time for worship!  Our kids love to worship the Lord! Here they are responding, with the congregation, to hearing God's word.

Twyla helped prepare our hearts for worship by sharing a scripture and asking us to respond...

Martha, at the back, used to be on our worship team...now she is full-time mommy to Andy.

I love this picture of Saru - see her to the left?

See the song sheets?  I print them every week...I love serving the Lord by serving my church!

This is Eric.  He and his wife Martha just had a baby boy named Andrew...we call him Andy.

Love this shot of Wambui...

There I am worshiping in the aisle :)

Auntie Zippy singing praises to God as she waits outside for the Life Kids...she is the teacher today.  Until we are ready for a Children's Pastor members of our congregation are getting to know the kids by teaching them whatever God puts on their/our hearts.

Kenna and Tandy with an attitude!

After praise and worship the kids go to their classroom for a special teaching, this week by Auntie Zippy...

Since they had a special room this week, Twyla (currently acting as our Director of Children's Ministry) helped to guide them...

Auntie Zippy follows...

Each week in October Pastor Mark featured one of our four pillars; Community Ministries (our Life Groups), Marriage & Family Ministries, Compassion Ministries and Worship Ministries. 

Mark preached from Isaiah chapter 6. 

Bevaline, and others, diligently took notes

And there I am listening attentively!

After his sermon Pastor Mark introduced special guests...

Bishop Sammy Nzau and his wife Charity

Bishop Sammy and Pastor Kamau have each captured the vision of starting a Cell Group Ministry in their churches.  We are humbled and grateful to God that we, as a church, have been chosen to help them in this endeavor.

Pastor Kamau and his wife Judy

Judy has a music ministry and blessed us this day with her amazing talent.

Judy instructing Ndiki which song to play...

Pastor Mark to the rescue!

I loved that the service did not go perfectly, but that as a family we pulled together to make it a success.  I believe God was smiling on us this day.

One of our church families;  Jerry, Winnie, Adora (in Jerry's lap) and Hannah (in Winnie's lap).  Their oldest, Nathan, was dismissed with the other Life Kids.

Adora loves to smile :)

Bishop Kimani (one of our two overseers) was asked to speak a prophetic word over our church, which he did.  But first he wanted his wife Pastor Lucy to say a few words.  She is an amazing speaker and blessed us with a challenge to be 'pillars' and not caterpillars...a pillar is one who sees a need and 'stands in the gap' to help strengthen the whole body.

She has a captivating personality

Two of our guests; baby Shannon and her mom Lelit.

Bishop Kimani (he introduced himself to me a few months ago by saying "Hi, I'm Jimmy!" - I love that about him!)  His word for us was to always have a heart for the young people - they are our future.  And to allow the Lord to lift us up to see the beauty of serving the Lord. He referred to Ex 33:21, 22 about how God showed Moses His Glory but also protected him in the cleft of the rock.  That is what Kimani sees for us.  He is such an encourager!

Bishop Kimani delivering his word from the Lord

Hannah was up and down during the whole service, which was very okay.  However she was wearing shoes that squeak with every step so I think her parents (especially Daddy) were a bit nervous! You can see here that Pastor Mark was not bothered at all and received her warmly :)

Hannah feels very at home in church

Mark introducing Les, our other overseer

Calling Irene forward

Les' word, after much prayer, was directly to Mark and Irene but also for us as a congregation.  They have been through hardships in the past but are emerging victorious.  God is restoring their hopes and dreams.  What we are doing at Life Community is flowing and will flow out of the life of Mark and Irene.

Pointing to our vision statement: Because...God restores Hopes and Dreams

Speaking the word over the two of them, for us as a congregation...

Calling us to prayer over them...

First Kimani laid hands on them while Les prayed...

And the whole congregation joined in praying...

Then Les received Kimani's prayers for Mark and Irene

I think he is glowing!  Here he is referring to our very first service and asking those who were in attendance that first day to rise and be recognized...

Martha and Eric were two of the first congregation...sans Andy of course!

Les and Twyla (Les pictured here with Wambui) hosted that first service...there were others introduced but they stood and sat so quickly I was not able to snap their pictures!

Barnabas Achoki (he and his wife Grace are our Marriage and Family Pastors) prepares us for giving our tithes and offerings by reading from God's word.

Our awesome Worship team (led by Wambui on the far left) help us to remember that giving of our resources is an act of worship...

Jane (one of the charter members!) takes the offering...she is on the finance team along with Eric and myself.  I count it a privilege to serve with these two awesome people!

Restless Hannah provided much entertainment for me!

Time for cutting the cake...

Irene and Mark do the honors as we all look on...

That's teamwork!

We are all singing Happy Birthday to us!

Martha kept it up causing us all to laugh - so much fun!

Kata kata haraka haraka - "cut cut quickly quickly"

Jerry (Papa Hannah) with a baby blanket! and Bishop Sammy

Of course the women are left to do the REAL work!

Wambui LOVES babies and can always be found near one if there is a baby in the house.  As I stopped to snap a pic of Wambui and baby Andy, Martha (Mama Andy) jumped it to make it a perfect photo!

Ndungu, Martha and Lelit (and Ndiki?) enjoying photos from our first service!

Food!  Charity got two cups of tea while her husband Sammy carried their plates of food...teamwork!

A full plate; cupcake, mandazi, sandwiches and popcorn!

Saru and Ndiki sharing a private joke...

Shooting pics of people with food while chatting with Ndiki

Dennis is a young man, living and working in Nairobi, that Denise met while living in the rural area of Kenya...Denise invited him to join us at LCC a few months ago and he is now a member of our church body...every week he helps set chairs, set up the children's area and whatever else needs to be done.  He and Denise will teach the children two Sundays in November.  I am excited what God is doing in this young man's life!

Denise helping to serve

I just love this shot of the tea table...and Martha's beautiful smile :)

That's Ben being served tea. He is our official 'chair setter'

Fellowship

Irene's mom, Mary, fixing herself some coffee...

Grace has such a servant's heart...

This is Irene's dad being served by Grace...

Hannah singled out Barnabas and Pastor Mark as her two favorites for the day

Twyla chatting with Irene's parents...

Saru with THREE cupcakes...what????  Oh they are for Martha, Wambui and Ndiki...mmmhhhmmm

Great pic of Jerry and me...

Pastor's circle...enjoying 'high tea' and good fellowship...

Other men gathered outside

Irene's parents and her Aunt Carolyne...

Sonia (who is 12) helping Tandy get a piece of cake...

Notice Tandy's finger?

Yum!

Eric and Martha with Martha's brother Solomon and his wife Lelit

Tent guys waited patiently for us to be ready for the tear down

It was not easy to part ways on this day...we were all enjoying each other SO much!

Ndiki and Saru with the sound equipment...

Bevaline took charge of the banner...last week she arrived at church early and in Ben's absence took it upon herself to set the chairs...you go girl!  Bevaline, like Dennis, was one of the youths Denise met while living and serving in the rural area...

Gathering bowls, etc. as the tent comes down!

The tent guys were great to work around us as we gathered and packed up our things.

Tandy!  She is captivated by all the activity...

All but the roof is now disassembled...

Just the frame of the roof to go...they were very quick!

What an amazing day of celebration, fellowship, eating and worshiping together...it feels so good to be surrounded by my church family...Looking back to where we have come from and looking forward to where we are going.  God is good!