Building Project Update

 

We are the first Tamil church in Europe. Over our 38 years of service we have helped to plant 15 churches across the UK, but despite this we sadly do not have a church building of our own. We’ve been using the Manor Park Christian Centre (MPCC) building for over 35 years. During the lockdown the MPCC leadership informed us that we couldn’t use their facilities any longer. We are very grateful for the use of the building for over 35 years and we bless MPCC leadership for their help and support over these years. 

 

During this time we learned about the potential sale of the United Reform Church building. The building had all the facilities we needed, and was situated in the heart of Newham. The negotiations started off well and on that basis we started to raise funds in order to pay the deposit for the purchase. We also had discussions with Reliance bank to secure the mortgage. 

 

Although the discussions looked promising at the beginning, URC leadership decided at the last minute not to proceed with the sale of the building.

 

In light of this we decided to put a temporary stop to our fundraising initiative. 

 

However we are still on the lookout for a building around the vicinity of Manor Park/ East Ham. Unfortunately there is no suitable property available at present but we are still determined to secure a building of our own. 

 

As you all know we are currently using St Paul’s church building on a temporary basis and our sincere gratitude to the Vicar Rev. Merrin for allowing us to use the building at very short notice. 

 

 

We are so grateful for your generous donations towards this building project. Thanks to your generosity we were able to raise £ 302,166.78 including tax reclaim. And these funds are ring fenced and held in a separate account. These funds can only be used for building purposes. 

 

As mentioned above, although we have paused fundraising at this time, we are more than convinced that we need to be able to worship without the worry of being asked to leave at short notice. Given the size of our congregation and the various activities we are involved in it’s not feasible to find a suitable place within a short period of time. Therefore we are determined to explore every possibility to reduce that risk and to ensure we have continuity in our worship and service to the Lord. When an opportunity arises, we are in a good position to move forward as a result of the funds raised so far. We are currently considering an option that may very well suit our needs. The discussions are at exploratory stage and there are indications that this may move forward. We will provide an update if this option becomes feasible. 

 

Thank you so much for your support and generosity. We are truly humbled by your love and faith. Please continue to pray for this initiative so that we will have a permanent place of worship.

 

Blessings