Chairman's Comments

This final greeting as Chairman of TCT comes with my prayers that all the Churches in the district will be blessed by God in the year ahead. It is perhaps not too late to have one last glance back at what God has done among us over the last twelve months. 

Most significantly, the Open Door Charity has stepped out in faith and been rewarded with expanded premises better suited to serve the needs of the most vulnerable and homeless in our community. Everything is now geared to giving people a ‘hand up' not a ‘hand out' as General William Booth once put it so succinctly. 

The expression of practical Christian love by Taunton's Street Pastors was expanded to include Friday night revellers as well as the patrons of the town centre on Saturdays.  Indeed, such is the community's appreciation and increased demand for the services of these unpaid Good Samaritans, that a training course to recruit many more has just started at North Street Church on 11 January.

The ways in which we have met to worship and proclaim the greatness of God have developed positively with inspirational experiences on Good Friday, in the Summer at the Songs of Praise and the Flower Show display and in the town centre opportunities at Christmas. The involvement of Christians who have not traditionally linked to TCT activities has been a mutual blessing. I hope that the local expressions of our unity by which we demonstrate the love that we have for each other will result in the fulfilment of the Scriptural promise that ALL people in Taunton and beyond will know that we are Jesus' disciples and choose to follow the same Lord and Saviour in the years to come. 

May God bless you greatly in all your work and witness for Him throughout 2010

Adrian Prior-Sankey

Chairman, Taunton Christians Together