New faith centre in former Limerick toy store wins monthly Tidy Towns prize

A CHURCH in a former toy shop in Limerick city has won the monthly Limerick City Tidy Towns award for October.

Abundant Life Christian Church has been given the Tidy Towns award for October for its new ‘Life Centre’ in the old Smyth’s store at Henry Street.

Maura O’Neill, Limerick Tidy Towns, said: “We love to see long-term vacant properties being occupied and rejuvenated, and Abundant Life’s new home, The Life Centre has utterly transformed the former Smyth’s Toys store which had become quite an eye-sore in this very prominent city centre location, especially in light of the redevelopment currently taking place with the Hanging Gardens site nearby.”

“The property is now a highly attractive state of the art Christian Centre with an extremely high-quality finish, beautiful windows and signage, whilst maintaining and enhancing the original red brick exterior.  However, while we are delighted with the physical appearance of the property, this award is also for the members of the Abundant Life congregation who have volunteered to help Tidy Towns on many occasions in the past, and who continue to do great work for the community in general as part of their Church’s ethos and beliefs,” she added.

Set up in 1995, the Abundant Life is a pentecostal church.

Their current pastor is Kevin Fitzgibbon, an ordained minister with Christian Churches Ireland, who has led the church since August 2003.  

The Life Centre is Limerick City Tidy Towns’ tenth monthly winner for 2018. They, a​nd nine other winners this year, will be in with the chance of winning this year’s overall prize at the Tidy Towns group’s annual event to be held early in 2019. If you wish to volunteer with Limerick Tidy Towns they meet every Sunday morning at 11 am at the corner of Thomas Street and O’Connell Street (all year round), and on Wednesday evenings at 6pm outside The White House Pub (summer months only).