More than a year ago, at the start of the pandemic but before we had been shut down, I stood in front of my staff with what I hoped were words of encouragement. I told them that we were facing an unprecedented and uncertain future; that we had no idea the impact on our congregation. […]
Battleground: Delhi
Before the surge, we thought our battle in Delhi was for basic needs… But COVID taught us that our actual fight is for our dignity of existence and in death. […]
Beyond These Walls
What it is Beyond These Walls was originally the name given to a three-year initiative that sought to eliminate the mortgage on Chapel Hill Church’s physical campus and redeploy debt-service funds into service for God…investing those newly available resources to be a blessing beyond the walls of our church. Now, Beyond These Walls is the […]
A pile of poo…
I’m going to gross some of you out. I grew up on a little alfalfa ranch on the outskirts of Yakima. We had a horse named “Monty.” Monty grazed on that alfalfa and produced piles of reconstituted alfalfa. Those piles dried in the sun and became what we called “road apples.” And one of the […]
Don’t unfriend me!
Word meanings change. A “tool” used to be a shovel or a hammer. Now it means an unintelligent person who doesn’t know he’s being taken advantage of. “Thongs?” That was what we used to call “flip flops.” Now, I would raise an eyebrow if I told someone I wanted to “slip on my thongs.” Some […]
There’s no place like home…in Port Orchard!
Wow, what a wonderful weekend we just had! Our own Gunnar Tesdahl was ordained and installed as the newest Assistant Pastor at Chapel Hill, and it was so great to see so many of you gather in person to support Gunnar in his calling. I know Gunnar, Aimee, and their families appreciated your prayers and […]
How to meet people and beat loneliness
Do you equate loneliness with isolation? In this past year with COVID-19 putting us into various stages of lockdown, solitude has become much more normal and many people have directly blamed the social isolation for their loneliness. But if that were true, wouldn’t people in solitude always be lonely? Yet many of us ALSO seek […]
Launching a new disciple-maker
Could you recite our mission statement? You hear it nearly every week if you worship with us. “Chapel Hill Church exists to Exalt Jesus, Elevate Others and Launch Disciple-makers.” All three verbs – Exalt, Elevate and Launch – have an “upward” trajectory, an homage to our name, Chapel Hill. (And believe me, if we could have […]
Getting back to normal…
Most of you are probably already aware of the incredible staff that works so hard, often in the shadows, to care for, protect and serve the members and friends of this congregation. I’m sure that you have taken the time, as I often do, to thank those team members for their diligent and faithful service […]
Celebrating the moms in our lives
Her name was Gwen. Gwen Bradley. She was born in England but immigrated to the U.S. when she was five. When it came time for university, she opted to go to England to train to be a nanny for royalty at the prestigious Nordland Institute, the first American student to attend there. Upon receiving her […]