Fire at Chapel Hill
I was pounding away on my Jubilee Sunday sermon when I received the following text from Pastor Megan: “There’s a fire in Memorial Chapel.”
As you might imagine, that got my attention! I hustled over to find eight fire rigs surrounding that end of the church, hooked up to hydrants, fire fighters on the roof checking for hot spots and our staff and guests huddled outside at the other end of the building. Good news is, it happened on a Thursday, not a Friday when the church is closed; our great staff discovered it early and called it in. With the exception of a little chainsaw work on a hall ceiling—it looks good with a skylight, actually—and some sheet rock that was pulled down, the building still stands!
Imagine the irony of writing a sermon about our fifty-year legacy, only to receive the news that left me wondering if our beloved Memorial Chapel had gone up in flames! My mind was quite full as I drove very carefully—always under the speed limit, of course—to our church campus. I’m glad our buildings are fine. But it DID get me thinking a lot about what our legacy really is…and what it will be fifty years from now.
This Jubilee Sunday at 10:00 (one service only) will be one of the greatest celebrations we’ve ever shared…and it will be a perfect opportunity for me to share some of those thoughts with you. The Gig Harbor City Council has declared November 17 to be “Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church Day.” (Click HERE read the resolution.) This will be a moment of our lifetime. Please…don’t miss it! Come early, park off-site, and be ready to party!
Also, please remember our Jubilee Debt Retirement initiative. We will receive a special offering, announcing the results at 12:10 at our after-party. Remember, this is an above-and-beyond gift. Every dime will go towards retiring debt. Will you prayerfully consider making a special gift to free up Chapel Hill to serve even more?
Jubilee Sunday! It will be a service to remember. I can’t wait to celebrate it with you. See you at 10:00!
Pastor Mark
P.S. There are creative ways to give to our Debt Retirement initiative as well. If you have appreciated assets like stocks, there may be significant tax advantages to transferring them directly to Chapel Hill instead of selling them yourself. Also, if you have an IRA account and are age 70-1/2 or older, you can make donations to Chapel Hill directly from your IRA and usually avoid paying any taxes on the donation which would otherwise be a taxable distribution from your IRA. (If you think either of these ideas might apply to you, please consult with your tax adviser before making the donations as tax rules are complicated.) Please contact Dawn Davis at 253.853.0230 if you have further questions about these options.