This week’s blog is by Madison Lian, Chapel Hill’s newest pastoral intern. Hello, Chapel Hill! It is wonderful to finally be here in Gig Harbor! You all know I am new here, so I thought telling you a few things about myself would be fun. I am a Colorado native who loves running, coffee, and dark […]
Beyond these walls, to the ends of the earth…
The story of New Life Homes in Swaziland is captivating. It’s a narrative of orphaned children being placed in loving, stable homes on a beautiful farm in the Swazi countryside where they can go to school, be part of a family, live in a Christian environment, and continue being kids. From the beginning, Chapel Hill […]
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Something Extraordinary from the Ordinary
The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. This might be surprising to any of you who know me well. I am not overly patriotic, and I hate being startled and don’t like loud noises. However, since we moved into our home six years ago, I have grown to love the Fourth of […]
Generation to Generation
This week I have had the privilege of dressing up like a mad scientist, dancing and singing like a little kid, and presenting the good news about Jesus to more than 300 kids attending this year’s Day Camp: Maker Fun Factory. This weekend we’re excited to tell you more about how God has been at […]
What if we hit $6 million?
At our Beyond These Walls town hall meeting a few weeks back, there were a variety of questions. But one stands out. One of our sweet, enthusiastic members asked, “What if we hit $6 million? I think we can!” I remember the chuckles from both members and elders…and pastors, honestly. Well—who’s chuckling now? As we move towards […]
Do you want to know a secret? Do you promise not to tell?
Somehow, those lines from the classic Beatles song were whirling through my head. The secret of how much our congregation has pledged toward our Beyond These Walls initiative will finally…finally!…be revealed this weekend. It’s kind of killing me, honestly! But on Saturday night at 6:30pm (in the sanctuary!) when I open the envelope, we will discover together what that […]
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And the envelope, please…
As a kid, our family opened Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. So perhaps I can blame my parents—I am a victim—for not being very good at waiting for surprises. Frankly, I’m not very good at keeping that kind of secret, either. I love to spread good news! Which is why I told Dawn Davis in […]
I was there when….
If you’ve been around Chapel Hill for a while, you probably have those moments—those shared community moments—that stand out in your memory. You know, the reminiscences that start with the words, “I was there when….” I have a bunch of them. I was there when we baptized my kids. I was there when we ordained […]
$2,640,450 in advance commitments!
If you weren’t able to be with us for worship last week, you missed one of the greatest audible gasps in our worship history as a congregation. When I announced that several dozen of our leading families, from across the financial spectrum, had pledged an astonishing $2,640,450, you almost felt the exhale of air! It was such […]
I Bet YOU’LL Gasp, Too!
We are on the downhill stretch of our “Beyond These Walls” initiative. I wish you could hear the enthusiasm I am hearing about this vision to eliminate our debt, free up $600,000 annually, and begin to invest in beyond these walls ministry as never before. One of our leaders has three men in his LifeGroup […]