About Us

First of let me introduce myself, my name is Allan Holleran and in the picture above you see my lovely family, my beautiful wife Margaret, my eldest Elijah (middle), and the twins Zoey (left), and Rose (right), I would like to point out that although they are twins, you could not meet 2 more polar opposite children, both awesome in their own ways.

​

I was brought up in a Christian family, I went to a Gospel hall in a town called Bo'ness. It was in this church that I gave my life to God when I was 8 years old. I remember coming home after another Gospel Hall meeting, I have no idea who was teaching or what he said, I just remember God convicting me and drawing me to Him, I shed a little tear in the meeting but hid it (as you do when your an 8 year old boy). When I got home I should have known better, you can't hide anything from your mum! She asked me why I was crying and at that point I gave my life to Christ. I also remember calling the preacher and telling him I got saved.

​

From there, I was always so exited to tell people about Jesus. I remember telling all my classmates (who most thought I was crazy), and anyone who would listen. I get this from my dad who was well known in the town as a God man, in the church he used to bring so many people, he was dubbed 'Billy the bringer'. When I was 9 my dad was called to a town called Campbelltown to help with a church there (although he was not a 'paid' preacher he often went places to teach and was an elder in the church), there was where I preached the Gospel to an audience for the first time, it was my Primary 7 class. I told the teacher about God and salvation, and she allowed me to share the Gospel with the whole class, and the memory has stayed with me all my life. After a few years there when I was 12 God called my Dad (and family) to move to the south of Ireland to a town called Bandon, to help with a church there.

 

When I hit the teenage years I turned away from God for friendship with the world, this lasted through High school till I left at the age of 16 to become a butcher in the family business, I continued turning away from God more and more. At the age of 18, I left home and moved back to Scotland, where I spend a year in a dark place, which we will not go into here. But through it all I always "defended" God (like he needed my defending) and if people spoke ill of Christians/Christianity I would be the first to speak up and "defend" God, looking back I know I did not do a good job at it, but it comforts me to know I still had faith, and He still had me. There was many things that God used to call me back to Himself. The first was at my lowest point while walking to work, I looked up to God and said "I don't believe in you anymore! If you are real, show me now!" at that moment a dove flew out a tree and landed on the wall right next to me and just looked at me. Being brought up in the church, I knew this was God showing me He was real, the next was a few phone calls from my parents (separately) telling me about a church called Calvary Chapel Cork, which a friends daughter had started going too and they where having a team over to do outreach and we talked about skateboarding demos and stuff that they were going to be doing.

 

About a month later I went back to Ireland on holiday to visit my parents, and as mentioned earlier my dad had a butcher shop, so I got to use the work van for travelling when I was over, on the condition I did the deliveries that needed done. One such delivery was to a resteraunt in Cork City Called 'Bullies'. It was the usual Irish weather, raining then 5 minutes later sunshine, as I was coming out of the service door of Bullies, I met a few people carrying a skateboarding ramp, and from the conversations with my parents a month or so ago I was led to ask if they were with the church that I was told about, and sure enough they were and they were having a skateboarding demo in 5 min just across the road. As I had finished the deliveries I stayed and watched, and was invited to a christian rock/metal concert. It was here that I found God. After the concert the band did a call to repentance, I was too ashamed and to scared to go to the front of the stage so I went to the corner, fell on my knees and cried out to God. I was obviously noticed by someone who was helping and they came over to speak to me, I cannot remember what was said but it was the pivotal turning point in my life, and strangely enough I met an old class mate of mine at the concert too who had been going to the church for a while which was good to have a connection into the people, I remained with the team 3 days (oh how I must have smelt) on the 3rd day, I needed to go home not only to shower and change but so that my dad could get the van back to do the deliveries in it. I was given a CD from one of the team and it had Shawn Grove song on it "Welcome home" (if you have not heard it you should listen too it). This brought me to tears, not just tears, sobbing, howling, from fear of turning away from God again, I got about half way home before I turned around and stayed another night at the teams accommodation before finally returning home.

​

When I got back to my house in Scotland, I found it broken into and all my stuff gone. Again, another God moment, you see my gran had made me take out house insurance about 2 months previous, with this it affirmed my heart that I was leaving Scotland for good and NEVER coming back (Never say Never to God), I went into work the next day and handed in my notice. When I arrived back in Ireland to the parents house, I starting working again for my dad, and going to the Calvary Chapel Cork (CCC), I remained there several years and was shepherded by one of the most amazing and graceful persons I know Andrew Stopyra, from his leadership, guidance, and no short amount of grace I grew in faith, and knowledge of the Word of God. It was strange, I met up with old friends and tried to reconnect but it was different, they were on a different path than me, and these friendships never rekindled, CCC was my home now, my friends were there, my family was there, my life was there. During that time I have met lifelong friends who are dear to my heart (although we have all gone to different places). 

 

As most young men, I was seeking a wife and in 2005 God said go back to Scotland and I will provide for you a wife, as I said earlier I left Scotland for Good and I was NEVER going back there, well, God had other plans. After a year of arguing with God, I finally gave in when visitor came into the church, at the end when we were talking they said, God is telling me to tell you to go back to Scotland and you'll meet your wife. So, with that in October 2006 I made plans and left for Scotland. I arrived in Scotland on a Friday morning beginning of October, and applied for a job early Friday afternoon, I had a phone interview on the Friday evening, and an official interview Saturday, and started on Monday, where true to His Word (as always) I met Margaret my wife to be. She had started only a week before me and was also in the training, we met again on Saturday evening an a church event which both of us were invited to by different people and we recognised each other from work and got chatting. I had a car and I offered to pick for up on the way to work. A few months later we became close and, well the rest is history.

​

Throughout our marriage God has been faithful to us even hard times, the harder times, and the amazing times. But those stories are for another day. The important thing, God is the glue of our family, the roots of our lives and the provision in everything we do.

We were going to a calvary chapel in Stirling for a while and it was here I was introduced to pastoring. The current pastor Stewart Gillespie Invited me to the Calvary pastors conference in York. Now unknown to me he saw God’s leading on my life, and spoke with other pastors there about this, but not to me. This is one of those decisions you need to come to the realisation on your own, I went down to the conference several years with Stewart until like a lot of churches it closed down. We attended the Albert Gospel hall in Grangemouth for a few months after that where my parents, brother and family, and several of my relatives went, and although welcoming and a great church, God did not have us settle there. After Church one Sunday morning we were driving to Stirling for some shopping. Margaret and I were discussing what we should do about church as we did not feel this was where God wanted us to be, with that we looked up the nearest Calvary Chapel and that was in Edinburgh, the service started in about 2 hours, so we turned around and drove through.

   As we walked through the door we immediately knew this was where God wanted us to be, first we knew the pastor and family from the Pastors conference, but it was more than just that, it was a God moment, where you felt peace, felt at home. As we walked in I remember Margaret and I looking at each other and we gave each other that husband and wife glace that said “yes, this is it.” From this point, God used Dan and Pat Starling in our lives in a mighty way, and those stories for another time mentioned above had really took there tole on our marriage and we were at breaking point. Though years of patience, grace and counselling God used Dan & Pat to restore our marriage.

From this point on God started pressing on me to give up the family business and start a church. When I approached Dan to speak to him about it, he said “It’s about time.” You see Dan was one of the pastors that Stewart spoke to at the conference about my calling, how God’s marvellous plan works. From there Dan started mentoring me on how to prepare sermons and teach the bible, and Pat started mentoring Margaret. We grew in both faith and knowledge.

It was at this point that Dan & Angela Loaiza came into our lives. Dan & Angela were called over to start/restart the Calvary Chapel in Stirling, and as we were a part of the original (Calvary 1.0) Dan reached out to us, and we went for a meal and began a friendship. Now the event timeline is a bit hazy for me but over the course of a few years God changed a lot of circumstances. I left the family business to plant a church, Calvary Edinburgh closed down and Calvary Stirling (Calvary 2.0) opened, Margaret went to collage to do Make-up Artistry and Beauty therapy, and this is one of the main factors that God used to lead us to where we are today.

After Margaret finished Collage she started working as a beauty therapist, and was soon offered a job at the Crieff hydro, this was an hours drive away from Bo’ness where we were staying at the time. I had suggested about moving to Crieff and planting a church there which Margaret was not for having. Leaving it in God’s hands I continued to look after the kids and serve in the churches (Stirling and Edinburgh). While on holiday with my best friend Keith, an opportunity arose for to move to Crieff, but I did not mention it to Margaret as I did not want to put pressure on, or influence her decision. But as God always does, I came home from the holiday and Margaret says to me, "I think we should move to Crieff". With this and other God confirmations (and no lack of Satan attacks) in December 2019 we moved to Crieff to plant a church.

Let’s just say that did not go to plan (well my plan). We all know what happened next COVID!. Over the next few years, the world stopped. As my brother and dad had a butchers it was a keyworker and I went back to work while Margret homeschooled. But out of this God opened a community hub called Crieff Connexions. I first volunteered there then was employed, and it was at this point God showed me the people He was going to bring to the church. The starting point was Christmas 21’ God put it on our heart to open the house for Christmas dinner for those who were going to be alone over Christmas, we had about 20 people come that year, and out of that the home church The Crossing Crieff was born.

Over the next year, people gave there lives to Christ, were baptised and have been coming along. Don’t get me wrong it has been a rocky road. Even with the wonderful training and guidance from Dan S. & Dan L. I was still not a good preacher and as I tried different methods and stumbled my way through messages, numbers decreased and we were left with just a few people. but God in His faithfulness has preserved us, and in January 23’ I was ordained as a Pastor at Calvary Chapel Stirling (Now The Crossing Stirling). I would like to say number have picked up but they haven’t, but the change in my life and those we are ministering too is nothing short of amazing, and I wouldn’t change it.

Margaret does an awesome job at teaching the kids, and is learning the guitar for worship and leading us in worship on the Wednesday night bible study, though all this I would not have got very far without her. She works tirelessly, preparing food, kids messages, worship to name some of the things she does to hold it together.

So that’s our story told from my side, and as I reflect of the events of my life, our lives, I think on the words of Job (not that my trials were anything like his).

If I go east, He is not there,

and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him.

When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him;

when He turns south, I cannot find Him.

Yet He knows the way I have taken;

when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.

Job 23:8-10