SavvIt was a very unusual Sunday morning for Cyndi and me. We were staying with a pastor friend in a Brooklyn brownstone that looked like it came right out of the Cosby show. Parking is a nightmare so everyone walks everywhere, including to church. We set out on Sunday morning for the ten block march […]
We are hiring the Hackmans… again!
Two years ago the Session, after a nationwide search, hired Larry and Megan Hackman as Assistant Pastors for Chapel Hill. They represented all kinds of “firsts” for us: the first graduates from Gordon Conwell Seminary, the first woman pastor on our staff, our first clergy couple and, in fact, the first clergy couple in the […]
Evening Worship at Chapel Hill
If you didn’t hear my sermon last Sunday, I urge you to do so. It sets the stage for all we are going to be doing in the weeks, months and even years to come. (Sermon) In sum, I spoke of my deepening sense of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus…and invited you […]
I Was Surprised
It was wonderful…and very surprising…sabbatical this summer. As I stood on my very first Paris Metro ride, heading for our hotel, I noticed a woman looking intently at me and then nodding her head toward the man next to me. I suddenly realized that he was trying to pick my pocket and she was warning […]
New Pastor!
As you know, we have been prayerfully seeking the person who will fill the role of Pastor for Renewal at Chapel Hill. Our Pastor’s Nominating Committee (PNC) has dedicated months of searching and praying that God would lead us to the right person. I am pleased to announce that the PNC completed its search and […]
Just to clarify…
You may have heard about a recent ruling by the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) on gay marriage. Chapel Hill is a church in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) denomination, not the PCUSA. The EPC, and by extension Chapel Hill, has not changed their position on marriage and continues to affirm traditional marriage between a man […]
EPC General Assembly
Greetings from Knoxville: It is early morning and I am writing this as I prepare to leave for the opening of our first morning of business at the 34th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, our annual “family reunion.” I ate lunch and caught up with Jeremy Vaccaro yesterday. I chatted with Moderator Bill […]
Wear RED this Sunday to Celebrate Pentecost!
Pentecost is a strange church holiday. Christmas we get. The baby Jesus, born in a manger, visited by shepherds and wise guys. Easter we get. The crucified Jesus raised from the dead. But Pentecost… a little strange. Acts 2 tells the story. The Jesus-Followers were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem (maybe the same […]
Read More… from Wear RED this Sunday to Celebrate Pentecost!
Shoveling Manure Against the Tide
Recently I wrote here about a resolution adopted by the Peninsula School District Board urging the Gig Harbor City Council to limit or restrict entirely retail marijuana outlets in the city of Gig Harbor. Because marijuana use among minors is higher than average in our area and because of the proven damaging effects of marijuana […]
Marijuana in Gig Harbor
We are all aware of the recent decision of our state to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. It would not surprise you to hear that I think this is a foolish and destructive decision. And I suspect that the early, frightening reports coming out of Colorado of the damaging effects of easily-available marijuana are only the […]