“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” — Galatians 6:10
Dear Mars Hill Church,
I am writing this letter to you while flying home from a whirlwind tour of Haiti. This Sunday across all our campuses we will be taking a break from the Luke series. In its place we will have a special presentation on the results of my recent trip to Haiti including footage and images to give you a sense of the devastation we experienced and how our response is an extension of the mission of Mars Hill. Be prepared for intense, emotional and graphic content especially if you normally have children in service. For this reason, my oldest children (ages 12 and 10) will be in the service. My two youngest children (4 and 6) will not be. I am still prayerfully considering with my wife Grace what is appropriate for our middle son (age 8). Each parent must make this decision for their own child and we trust them to prayerfully do what is best for their child(ren). We will be providing additional childcare for children over 10 at our campuses, which will be explained on Sunday by your campus pastor.
On Sunday I am inviting you to participate in the first special offering we have ever taken at Mars Hill Church. I am asking you to give over and above your regular giving to support www.ChurchesHelpingChurches.com. This is a new ministry I am helping to launch with my friend, Pastor James MacDonald. Our mission is to help rebuild destroyed churches in Haiti, and help plant new churches in Haiti.
The devastation there is more horrendous than you can possibly imagine. Within the first few hours on the ground to research the state of the church, we saw multiple collapsed churches with members’ decomposed bodies trapped inside; we saw multiple churches with the decomposed bodies of church members baking in the sun on the sidewalk outside of what used to be the church entrance; we saw a teenage boy shot in the head just feet away from a Christian seminary that was housing 5,000 refugees, most of whom were children; and we watched a twenty-four-year-old Christian man pull the body of his twenty-six-year-old brother, a worship leader, from the rubble.
We made great contacts on the front lines in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and invite you to send support to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. We will take our offering separately from our normal offering, so come ready to give twice, or give online at www.marshillchurch.org/give and select “Haiti” from the fund menu. www.ChurchesHelpingChurches.com.
Furthermore, in the coming year I will put out an invitation for the members of Mars Hill Church to do short-term mission trips to help rebuild churches in Haiti. So please come this Sunday to not only hear about how all of this is an extension of our mission at Mars Hill to be a group of disciples who make disciples and churches who plant churches – – but come to hear how you can be a part of it.
For Jesus’ Fame,
Pastor Mark Driscoll
