The Apostle Peter wrote these words: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” (2 Pet. 3:18a). May the Holy Spirit be cultivating much growth in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ in each of us individually, as well as in Mars Hill Church as a whole!
Pastor Sutton in Eastern Washington | Give today
Last week, Pastor Sutton sent out a blog post on marshill.com, as well as a post on The City, inviting you to support the victims of the largest wildfire in Washington State’s history. Mars Hill has created a temporarily restricted fund (Washington State Wildfire Relief Fund) dedicated to helping these victims. Relief efforts include but are not limited to immediate and interim direct relief to victims, their families, and affected churches, as well as long-term rebuilding efforts.
So far, victims of the Carlton Complex Wildfire have received almost $33,000, a portion of which was given by Mars Hill Church. We received a thank you letter from Grace City Church in Wenatchee, which said, “Already, your money has provided fuel to drivers who are delivering generators, breathing machines, and much-needed equipment to relief centers across this region. It has also provided gas cards to victims so that they can continue to run those generators.” Thank you, church family, for serving Jesus by serving these communities.
Pastor Sutton had the opportunity to talk with Pastor Josh McPherson from GCC earlier this week. Check out the video above to see what Jesus is doing there to redeem and rescue and find out how you can help.
Upcoming Changes to the BOAA
Dr. Paul Tripp joined our Board of Advisors and Accountability in November 2013 and has been an immense help to our leaders over the past year. Dr. Tripp has extensive experience in discipleship and biblical counseling. Earlier this month, we made the decision together to open the opportunity for him to work with greater focus on issues directly related to his expertise, namely the continued development of our community and redemption ministries. Because simultaneously being a board member and a consultant does not allow for the required definition of independence, Dr. Tripp graciously submitted his resignation from the BOAA in early June so that he can more extensively serve our church as a consultant. We are excited to continue this work with him, and are thankful for his continued support of Mars Hill Church.
Similarly, Pastor James MacDonald informed the board at the July meeting of his decision to transition from his current role on the board pending his replacement. Pastor James has been a great help in forming the current board’s direction, and we are very grateful for his time and wisdom over the last several years. He said about this transition, “I have great love and affection for Mars Hill Church and I want to make clear this change is not because I am unhappy with Mark’s response to board accountability. On the contrary, I have found him to be exemplary in his current readiness to live under the BOAA oversight. I am not resigning because I doubt Mark’s sincerity in any way. I believe in Mark Driscoll and his heart to leverage difficult lessons in service to Christ and his church in the years ahead. I am excited to continue to support that trajectory as Mark’s friend, as I focus my efforts on Harvest Bible Fellowship.”
Considering these transitions, Pastor Mark shared, “I am thankful for the service of both Paul and James, two men I admire and respect. Their service on our board has been a blessing to me and Mars Hill Church in countless ways. The amount of hours they have given as volunteers is extraordinary, especially in light of their other ministry demands.” Candidates are currently being interviewed to replace these open board positions. They will be submitted before the Full Council of Elders for their approval as soon as possible.
Staff Chapel | Pastor Aaron Gray
During the course of the Best Sermon Ever series, the support staff of Mars Hill is enjoying its own lineup of varied teachers during the weekly Staff Chapel. This week, Pastor Aaron Gray, lead pastor of Mars Hill Shoreline, taught on prayer. He used the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 to exhort the staff to a deeper and richer prayer life.
Pastor Mark’s Apology for Comments From 2000
In response to some 14-year old content being reposted online, Pastor Mark wanted to share the following:
In 2000 we had an unmoderated discussion board on the Mars Hill website. While the discussion board itself was a bad idea, my decision to attack critics who were posting there (I did so by posting under the character ‘William Wallace II’) was an even worse idea—indeed, it was plain wrong. I was wrong to respond to people the way I did, using the language I used, and I am sorry for it and remain embarrassed by it. Consequently, I requested that the site be taken down shortly after it began some 14 years ago. I have not been silent about this matter or the wrongness of my behavior, writing about it in Confessions of a Reformission Rev (2006) as something I regretted and an example of a wrong I had learned from. The content of my postings to that discussion board does not reflect how I feel, or how I would conduct myself today. Over the past 14 years I have changed, and, by God’s grace, hope to continue to change. I also hope people I have offended and disappointed will forgive me.
Best Sermon Ever
Our annual Best Sermon Ever series is in full swing, with Tope Koleoso slotted to speak in each of our local churches next Sunday. He was born in Nigeria and has been at Jubilee Church in London for 19 years, 10 of which he served as the lead pastor. Before moving to London, he showed the Jesus Film and preached the gospel in rural African villages.
After Tope, we still have two more speakers to look forward to in this series:
- Dr. Jack Graham is lead pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the largest churches in the United States. Through his church, he also broadcasts a radio program with an audience that spans the globe across more than 78 countries.
- Dr. Larry Osborne joined us for the Best Sermon Ever series last summer. He is the lead pastor of North Coast Church in Vista, California, and helped pioneer the multi-site church movement.
Back-to-School Drive
Paul tells the Colossians to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time” (4:5). The current “time” is back-to-school season and we want to use that as an opportunity to love our communities well. Our Back-to-School Drive began at the end of last month and will continue until August 17th. Please bring school supplies to your church on Sunday to bless a school in your community. You can read more details here.
Sponsor a Student for Camp Today
RED junior high summer camp is already underway, but there’s still time to help send a high schooler to camp. Each year, hundreds of students have the opportunity to hear about Jesus, meet new friends, and make some of the best memories of their lives. Some of these students come from families that can’t afford the cost of summer camp, so we invite you to change a student’s life by sponsoring them. Follow this link to find out more, and check out this video to get an idea of what our students will experience this summer:
Short-Term Mission Trips to Ethiopia
If you are interested in going to Ethiopia with Mars Hill in 2015, we need to hear from you soon. Fill out this form to stay updated on this exciting opportunity.
Mars Hill Schools | Application Deadline
Mars Hill Schools launches next month and we are excited to host many of our members and regular attenders who have wanted higher education in Biblical studies. If that’s you, you need to apply now. The application deadline for Corban University is August 15. You can go here to find out more and apply online.
Important dates
- Aug 4–6: RED Junior High Summer Camp at Great Wolf Lodge. Pray for our students!
- Aug 15: Corban University Application Deadline
- Aug 26–29: RED Senior High Summer Camp at Washington Family Ranch (Register here.)
- Aug 24–Aug 31: Special Sunday
- Aug 31–Sept 7: 1 John: Love One Another series launch
- Sept 11: Vision Breakfast
- Oct 28–29: Resurgence Conference 2014
- Dec 24: Christmas Eve
By Pastor Mark Driscoll
By Mars Hill Church
By Pastor Mark Driscoll
Rainier Valley: Hope, one of the faithful members of Mars Hill Rainier Valley, brought her neighbor, Tiffany, to church. Tiffany immigrated from the Philippines to the United States about a year ago. She had been attending a Latter-day Saints (Mormon) church, but she knew something wasn’t right about it. She told Hope that she wanted to try going to a “real Christian church.” God saved her on Sunday while watching the sermon. Please pray for her new walk with Jesus.
Bellevue: A couple of volunteers had very long conversation about Jesus with a gentleman who had moved there from India just two months ago. He was downtown on Sunday because of the Bellevue Arts Fair and he wandered by the table of free water and Bibles, a simple outreach to the Arts Fair patrons. He knew almost nothing about Christianity and had never heard the gospel. He took a Bible and was invited to come back. Please pray that the Holy Spirit continues to draw him to Jesus and that he would be saved.
Shoreline: This past week, eight men accepted the opportunity to join Aspire, a year-long training program for men who feel called to eldership. It is encouraging to see men desire to step up into what they sense God calling them to: to serve the church, lead the flock, and build the body up in love.
