Miscellany…
Miscellany is a collection of various matters. This E-Bulletin is a miscellany… and they are all important!
Josh McDowell was influential in my young life. As a college student, I devoured his book, “Evidence That Demands a Verdict,” equipping myself to better defend the reliability and the authority of the Bible. And his small book, “More Than a Carpenter” was so effective in explaining who Jesus was and what he did, that I bought a box of them and gave them away to new or non-believers. I have another boxful in my office cupboard. Josh is a big name in Christian apologetics… so the fact that he will be preaching here at Chapel Hill on March 23rd is a big deal!
But Josh is not coming to Chapel Hill to do apologetics. In recent years, God has stirred something new in his heart: the desire to equip people to deal with one of the most destructive and pervasive blights on our modern culture: pornography. Sunday morning March 23rd, Josh will share his testimony with us (he won’t be speaking on the issue of pornography, but it will be powerful; I promise!) Then that night at 6:30pm, he will address the issue that has enslaved millions…and whose impact is growing exponentially because of the internet.
Statistically, 50% of the men in the American church are involved with porn in a relationally-impairing way! And the fastest growing area of pornography use is among women! Thanks to smart phones, you can be sure that your children and teens have already accessed porn, intentionally or not. This is not an ostrich moment…it is the time to get our heads out of the sand, find out what is really going on out there and what we can do to protect our families. Men, I am especially calling upon you to join me in bringing your families to this event. Everyone is welcome; the evening will be divided into age-appropriate activities for middle school, high school and adults. Childcare will be provided for ages 3 months through 5th grade. To sign up for childcare, please call Kim Hagey at 253-853-0219 or email her. I’ll see you there!
Second, this Sunday is Chapel Hill Day at the Harbor History Museum. You’ll remember I wrote recently on the new display on religion in the history of Gig Harbor. The Presbyterians have played a prominent role in that history. I have seen the exhibit and it is well worth your time…and this Sunday, it is FREE! That’s right; just tell them you are from Chapel Hill and it won’t cost you a dime! I urge you to take a peek into our past.
Third, a congregational meeting will be held Sunday, March 30th after first service for the purpose of bylaw revisions. A copy of those amendments is available at the receptionist desk or at the Connect Center after each service.
Finally, I have been asked many times when I will lead the next trip to the Holy Land. The answer is next January 26th-February 5th. The price will be $3,995 per person. This will be my tenth trip and I will take you to my favorite spots including Caesarea Philippi, the Sea of Galilee (our hotel sits on the water), Mt. Tabor, Masada, Gethsemane, Hezekiah’s Tunnel (yes, we will walk through it!), Bethlehem and, of course, Jerusalem where we will take a sunrise walk to the empty tomb of Jesus. You will never read the Bible the same way again, I promise! If you are interested, e-mail or call Kathy Berry at 853-0210. Information night for this trip of a lifetime will be April 6th at 6:00pm in the Prayer Chapel.
Pastor Mark