A modern-day Barnabas
The first time I met Pastor Dean Curry for lunch, we shook hands and he said, “Brother, welcome to Tacoma. If they ever start hanging Christians from the gallows in this town, I will be right there alongside you.” I knew instantly we would become friends. But what I didn’t know was that during my first year in Tacoma, Pastor Dean and Life Center would teach me much about Christian unity and love.
Shortly after our lunch meeting, Pastor Dean invited me to visit his church and meet the Life Center staff, where each person on his leadership team shared how they appreciated Mars Hill and they prayed for our church. Within months of my family moving to Tacoma, Pastor Dean hosted a dinner at his house for my wife and me. He introduced us to local Christian leaders in town. That night, we discussed what unity could and should look like between our churches, and then they prayed for my family, for Mars Hill Church, and our city.
Pastor Dean once told me that his mentor asked him how many churches of Jesus Christ were in Pierce County. Pastor Dean guessed hundreds. His mentor said, “There is only one church of Jesus.” In a time when there is a plurality of denominations, theological perspectives and local church expressions, Pastor Dean not only preaches unity in Christ—he lives it out. Again and again, I have personally witnessed him build up other pastors and churches.
Pastor Dean demonstrates the grace of Jesus and loves people with God’s heart. In 12 years of ministry, I have never experienced from another church the love, support, and friendship that Life Center has shown us. They are wonderful brothers and sisters in the faith.
Spaghetti dinner on Saturday, August 24th
Well, once again Pastor Dean and our friends at Life Center are blessing us. In an effort to serve the greater church, they are hosting a spaghetti dinner to help raise funds for Mars Hill Tacoma. The event will be August 24th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Life Center’s central campus (1717 S Union Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405). This will be a casual, open-house style event, so feel free to come for any portion or all of the evening. The meal will consist of a tasty spaghetti main course, garden salad, bread, and a surprise dessert with a suggested donation of $10 per person at the door. That said, if you can’t attend but still want to support our Tacoma church, click here and give.
I’m inviting you to join our friends at Life Center and us in celebrating Jesus and demonstrating Christian unity and love, while supporting the Tacoma building fund. Be sure to RSVP here so Life Center knows how much food to prepare.
