On Tuesday, April 15, 1997 the True & Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days closed the purchase on another building, the former Manti Chiropractic Center, and intends it to be used for a meetinghouse and for the TLC Academy, the church's alternative school.
Only weeks after the official dedication of the "Red Brick Store", the purchase of the Chiropractic Center building represents the new and rapid growth of the TLC. "We have been experiencing a recent surge in new convert baptisms, and we have sorely needed the space to accommodate the growth," says Apostle Jeffrey G. Hanks, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "The additional room will make a great difference in our seating capacity, increasing it to as much as three times what it is now."
Plans are already underway for remodeling the building from an office with examination rooms to a large, open meeting hall. The members of the TLC will be providing the labor for the project. "We have enough skilled workers among us that can do just about everything that needs to be done," states Apostle Jon Harmston, the project supervisor, "It should only be a matter of a few weeks before the building is usable."
The TLC will maintain its original building, the Red Brick Store, for administrative purposes. It will continue to house the offices of the Presidency, the TLC Library, the church's printing facilities, the Bishop's Storehouse, and the main hall will be kept for multi-purpose use.
"These growing pains we experience are a reminder to us
that this thing is bigger than we are," says Hanks, "As
the Lord keeps moving upon the elect to gather, we anticipate
that the growth will continue."