How it all started...
In June of 1993, evangelist Denny Livingston and his family came to the city of Greeneville, TN to plant a church. With two families and a burden for a city, the young church saw the hand of the Lord from the start. An empty church building overlooking the city was located and a lease was signed with an option to buy. Several churches graciously pledged financial support early on. Soul’s Harbor Apostolic Church of Bristol, VA, Greater Life Apostolic Church of Utica, MI, Apostolic Lighthouse of Kingsport, TN, First Apostolic Church of Knoxville, TN, and First Apostolic Church of Maryville, TN were major contributors to the new work. Thanks in large part to their efforts, New Life Apostolic Church held their first service on June 15, 1993.
Marked by anointed singing and preaching, NLAC quickly began to draw the attention of the community as a growing revival-minded church. The Lord added to the church, and some who came to the Lord in the first services are still a part of the congregation today.
Expanding the vision...
In 1996 Bro. Livingston temporarily returned to the evangelistic field. For about two years Bro. Dean Livingston, Bro. Denny Livingston’s father and pastor of Soul’s Harbor Apostolic Church in Bristol, VA, served New Life as Interim Pastor. Then in late 1997, Bro. Denny Livingston returned to Greeneville to continue the work he began. The first expansion took place soon after his return. The front porch was closed in, creating room for 2 offices, a foyer, and storage. The entire facility was remodeled, a new stage was constructed, new carpet was installed, and pew chairs replaced the old wooden pews. During this time, revival was surging throughout the church, and overcrowding would soon become a problem. As the church continued to grow, Bro. Livingston began to put in place a plan for a much-needed larger facility that would connect to the older building.
In the summer of 2000 plans were drawn up and ground was broken for the new 60’ X 120’ 7200 sq. ft. home of New Life Apostolic Church. The next 4 years would include many mountaintops and valleys. The construction took longer than anyone anticipated, but there were enough victories to keep the aspirations alive. One such victory occurred when Rev. J.B. Simms of Foley, AL brought a crew of construction workers to begin “The Nehemiah Project”. 1 week later, the interior of the new facility was completely framed up and ready to wire. The men and women of the church worked tirelessly and the church gave sacrificially to see the vision become reality.
Where we are headed...
In June of 2004, the church officially moved into the new building and began to rejoice in what God had done. A short time later, Bro. Livingston left New Life and currently pastors in Nashville, TN. In September of 2004, Rev. Jeremy Carver, a full-time evangelist, came to serve as interim pastor and relocated to Greeneville the following year.
In 2013, the membership voted by 100% to change the name of the church to The Sanctuary, to better reflect our mission to the community and our vision going forward.
2018 represented a landmark year for the church, as we celebrated 25 years of ministry to Greeneville with a complete remodel of our main worship center.
In 2013, the membership voted by 100% to change the name of the church to The Sanctuary, to better reflect our mission to the community and our vision going forward.
2018 represented a landmark year for the church, as we celebrated 25 years of ministry to Greeneville with a complete remodel of our main worship center.
In spite of the challenges facing the world beginning in 2020, the church lived-out our theme for that year- "Faithful". As a result, God continued to bless The Sanctuary with growth. In 2022, some walls were removed and offices relocated to enlarge our foyer in order to accommodate the increased traffic flow.
2023 will mark 30 years of a continuous Apostolic voice in the city of Greeneville, and we are excited to see what comes next.
Our story is to be continued...
2023 will mark 30 years of a continuous Apostolic voice in the city of Greeneville, and we are excited to see what comes next.
Our story is to be continued...