Festival of Hope is about stories. It’s about craftsmen, artisans, farmers—people our God created and loves deeply. It’s about the power our purchasing decisions have to employ parents, empower women, and restore dignity to our brothers and sisters around the world. Over the years of hosting Festival of Hope, Chapel Hill people have been able […]
What I Meant to Say Was…
Sorry for the confusion! Last weekend when I challenged all of you to be “guerilla greeters,” it was apparently confusing for some. So, no—I did not mean “gorilla” as in “ape-like” or “simian.” I meant “guerilla” as in stealthy, alert…even a little sneaky. If you missed St. Andrews weekend, you are completely confused by now, […]
St. Andrews, Saints, and Seahawks
The first time I laid eyes on St. Andrews, Scotland, an immediate love affair began. I returned last summer for the umpteenth time…and it never gets old for me. I love the layout of the town, how its two main streets funnel you toward the ancient cathedral, which took 160 years to build! (King Robert […]
What courage!
In this world of 24-hour news cycles and short attention spans, something that happened ten days ago is SUCH old news. But I cannot allow a momentous answer to our prayers and fasting pass without one more comment. A week ago Friday, Pastor Andrew Brunson was in a Turkish court for the fourth time on […]
Our First Seahawk Saturday!
Three years ago we launched a Saturday night worship service called, cleverly, Saturday Night at Chapel Hill! It was a somewhat risky venture because, except for our Catholic friends, no church in the community has been able to sustain a Saturday night service. But we felt it was worth trying for a couple reasons. First, […]
A Worldwide Family Reunion
I come from a very small family. One sister, no aunts, no uncles, no cousins. We could hold our family reunions in a phone booth. (For you millennials who don’t know what a “phone booth” is, Google it.) But when I married Cyndi, I was welcomed into a very large, very scattered and very diverse […]
Worship Has No Language Barrier
As I stood in the back of the room, I became so overwhelmed by the love of God that I couldn’t hold it in. My eyes started to water, and my heart had never felt so full. I was witnessing the power of worship in a way many people would never understand. My students were […]
The Landing at Chapel Hill
Have you heard? There’s no better place to be on Wednesday nights than Chapel Hill! There’s a place for everyone, no matter their age or stage of life. From Alpha, to Extreme and Celebrate Recovery, there’s a lot to do around here, and it’s been great fun to see our Chapel Hill family come together […]
Is There Room for Me?
The last thing you want your church community to ask you to do is to add one more thing onto your calendar. I get it. But do we really want reams of checklists and pages on the calendar without meaningful people in the midst of them? Without noticing how much you’ve grown from one season […]
Welcome Home!
Whether you are a member, a regular, or one of the many, many visitors that joined us this summer, you are warmly invited to “Welcome Home” weekend as we launch our new program year. I will begin a sermon series on Jonah titled “Reckless Love.” Our choir will be back for the 9:00 am service. […]