Dear family,
Psalm 130:5–7 says, "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope...O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption." Our hope is only in Christ Jesus, the Word himself. We have hope because he is faithful to redeem all things for his glory. May Jesus allow your hurts, mistakes, sins, and circumstances to see plentiful redemption...
Baptisms Last Sunday | Spokane
Last Sunday morning, Mars Hill Spokane met to worship Jesus and study God's Word in 1 John along with all of the Mars Hill churches. They celebrated God's grace among them as three people chose to publicly confess Jesus through baptism. Jesus is doing amazing things in Spokane and we are excited about their upcoming launch!
Update from the BOAA
Dear Mars Hill,
Earlier this month Pastor Sutton Turner informed our board of his intention to resign from his current staff and elder position. His personal decision is a sober acknowledgement that it would not be financially feasible for him to stay on staff as the church rightsizes itself, and secondly, not emotionally prudent to subject his family to what has been an ongoing season of personal attacks. We want to be clear: there are no disqualifying factors related to his decision.
Sutton put it this way: “Since 2007, Pastor Mark has impacted my life in a significant way. I am thankful to call him my brother, my pastor, and my friend. When I came to Mars Hill in 2011, my plan was to be here for a year, get theologically trained, and focus on the adoption of my son before entering back into the business world. Three and a half years later, I have been able to serve a church that I love as a staff member, but it is now time that I transition off of staff and return to the business world.”
We believe one of the greatest legacies Sutton has established at Mars Hill is a passion for international church planting. He has lit a powerful fire for this at Mars Hill that will last, for what I hope, will be generations. Sutton's tireless work in this area will have an eternal impact on hundreds of people who he may never meet, but one day in heaven will get to share the part he played in their story.
We, as a board, are very thankful and grateful for Sutton’s gifting, expertise, and commitment in leading and guiding our church operations in the role of executive pastor and executive elder. We fully support his decision and will as a board be assisting the staff leadership teams in the transition of day-to-day responsibilities with Sutton through September 30th. Please join me in praying for the Turners as they seek direction and the next assignment that God has for them.
Michael Van Skaik
Chairman, Board of Advisors and Accountability
Prayer and Worship Night | Ballard
Mars Hill Ballard held a Prayer and Worship Night on Wednesday for their church family. There were about 40 people there and it was a great night! Pastor Scott Harris had this to say about the evening:
The night of Prayer and Worship was super encouraging as we spent time in God's presence together. We worshiped the Lord through song and then spent time praying the Scriptures together. We thanked God for who he is and the incredible ways he works in our lives and the church. We also spent time praying for healing in all areas including physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. This was followed by prayer for the joining of Downtown, U-District, and Ballard locations, the lost in our city, and for our leaders. One person told me that he felt like we had approached the throne of God and that he showered down his blessings on us. As we spend time in the presence of God, our hearts are transformed to be more like him. As always, God was faithful to us by showing us more of himself.
Staff Chapel
Pastor Dave Bruskas continued his series on the book of Colossians on Wednesday. He taught from Col. 1:24–2:5 exhorting the staff to pursue growth in maturity, charity, and unity.
Staff member Justin Dean (right) celebrated his birthday this week.
Pastor Dave Bruskas really enjoys getting the chance to share Scripture and lunch with the staff weekly.
Nate Garvey, Worship Director at Mars Hill West Seattle, led the staff in worship through song.
Interest Meeting | Short-Term Mission Trips to Ethiopia
Mars Hill will be hosting several short-term mission trips to Ethiopia in 2015.
We are so excited to host these trips in partnership with our friends at New Covenant Foundation. Several lead pastors went earlier this year to be trained and equipped to lead you this upcoming year.
In order to better inform you of the details of these trips to Ethiopia, we have organized a formal interest meeting for those in the Puget Sound area.**
Here are the details:
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What: Ethiopia Short-Term Mission Trips Interest Meeting
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Who: anyone interested in serving our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia on a short-term mission trip
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Why: to inform you of pertinent details regarding the upcoming trips
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Where: Mars Hill Bellevue (the Danz Building), 620 106th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98004
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When: Monday, September 29, 2014 at 7–9pm
We look forward to seeing you! You bring your excitement for the mission field and we’ll bring the coffee!
**If you do not live in the Seattle area but would still like to receive the information that will be given during this meeting, please click the second option on the form: "I will not be attending, but I would like more information."
We are so encouraged by your overwhelming support and requests to know how you can pray for our church. Here are some ways that you can be praying for Mars Hill:
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For Pastor Mark, Grace, and the kids. Pray for protection, safety, peace, and security. Pray that they would embrace the sovereignty of God during this difficult season.
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For your lead pastors, executive pastors, and local church pastors. That they would be empowered to faithfully and prayerfully care for you, the people of Mars Hill.
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For our current financial crisis. Pray that our members and attenders would be faithful and obedient in their giving and stewardship. Pray also that we would be wise in all financial decisions.
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For those who are hurt and confused. Pray that they would seek the Lord and also seek help from pastors and their community of believers.
- For the Board of Elders. Pray that they would have wisdom and clarity as they continue the investigation. Pray for strength and perseverance.
Tacoma: One of the volunteers put out little baskets with each of the Tacoma staff members' names on them. She had pens and paper and asked people to write notes of encouragement for the staff. Each staff member received tons of wonderful notes of encouragement. It was very cool. This is a great story because it demonstrates the culture of love at Mars Hill Tacoma. The Tacoma people are amazing and are growing in love.
Shoreline: Before the 5pm service, Pastor Aaron Gray noticed a young woman sitting in the lobby charging her phone. He had not seen her at Shoreline before, so he went up and introduced himself. He asked her, "What brought you to our church today?" She responded, "I don't know Jesus at all, I don't even know who he is. But one of my friends said I need to meet him to help give my life direction." Pastor Aaron told her that he was about to preach and talk about Jesus a lot and that they should talk when he was done. He wasn't able to connect with her afterwards, but please pray that Jesus will reveal himself to her.
Olympia: A new couple attended a service on Sunday who had been attending Mars Hill Portland for four weeks and recently moved up to Olympia. They attended their first service on Sunday, joined the membership class, and were connected to a Community Group.
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