1. What is a tithe?A tithe means literally “a tenth.” The tithe was 10 percent of whatever was made or produced; it was the first 10 percent and it always belonged to the Lord. (By the way, Jesus reaffirmed the tithe in his own teaching! Matthew 23:23, for those who say that tithing is Old Testament.) Remember, this was […]
Next steps
Thank you, everyone, for your kind and encouraging words to Cyndi and me since my announcement last Sunday of our retirement date. Although this should come as no surprise—I’ve been dropping hints for a while, now!—I realize it raises lots of “what’s next” questions. Let me try and answer a few of them. The next […]
Focus on our future…honor our legacy
At our last Presbytery meeting (the regional gathering of EPC churches), we received training on congregational health. There are several qualities that characterize healthy, growing churches. One was this: healthy churches are focused on the future, not on the past. I understand that. I even agree with it. We can’t live in the past. Our […]
High-powered drinking
(THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, ONE SERVICE only, 10:00 am!) I had a German Shepherd named Caleb and he was hilarious. When I sprayed a stream of water from the garden hose, he hated it! He attacked it, snapped at it, and would leap in the air to “catch it.” Then, he’d walk toward me, trying […]
Good work
A couple of weeks ago, I hired “Dean” to replace the leaking gutters on our home. I assumed he would show up with a team of people to do the job. After all, they roll the gutters in place, seamlessly, a custom-fit for the job. He would need help handling the 60-foot plus length of […]
Looking back, looking ahead, and free pie!
Every once in a while, we have a town hall meeting here at Chapel Hill. This is a chance for us to gather as a church family and talk together about important things. Tuesday, August 8, at 6:00 pm, we’ll have our next gathering of this sort: a State of the Church Dessert. It will begin […]
Finishing Strong
Last week we finished our fiscal year and I wanted to report back to you the results. As you know, mid-year we found ourselves facing a deficit. We were running significantly behind budgeted income and projected a deficit of about $500,000 for the fiscal year. Of course, as every responsible family does, we reined in […]
Fare-thee-well
One of the hard things about pastoring a church for more than 35 years is that you say a LOT of goodbyes, including those to really treasured members of your staff team. Alas, I have another one of those hard goodbyes that I want to share with you. Shannon Rickert, our Senior Director of Care Ministries, Shannon […]
How we’re keeping Chapel Hill safe
Considering the recent tragedy in Nashville, we wanted to reassure you that Chapel Hill Church and Chapel Hill Preschool have been taking significant measures to enhance security since 2017, as directed by the Session. There are too many things to list, but examples include active shooter training for our staff and key volunteers, lock-down systems […]
Your “Holy Week Tour Guide”
I have led a group of pilgrims to the Holy Land 10 different times. My job is to take them to the right places, point them out, read the appropriate passage of scripture…and try to help bring that place and moment alive for them. If it “works,” stories they have known for decades suddenly become […]