Mars Hill Church

My job requires me to travel a lot.  As cool as that sounds, it’s not always so great.  You see, I’ve got a great church back home and amazing Christians friends that I miss when I’m away.  The lack of Christian accountability and fellowship can be hard to handle.  In fact, my travels are sometimes a detriment to my walk with God.  Just being honest….

My job recently had me in the beautiful city of Seattle, Washington.  Seattle was amazing… especially the weather!  In my spare time, I loved walking around the city.  I visited Pike’s Market and went to the top of the Space Needle.  I went to the Science Fiction Museum and even took one of those “Ride the Duck” city tours!  Yeah, I was having a blast.

But despite all of the fun that I was having, I was still a little discouraged.  Things that I’d seen in the city and situations going on at work really made me thirst for some Christian fellowship.  So, I got on Google and did a search for churches in the Seattle area.  My search led me to the website of Mars Hill Church.  The website made me think that this was a church that I might enjoy…plus, there was a location within walking distance of the hotel.  So, on Sunday, I went.

Mars Hill Church Downtown Campus

After a short bus ride and quick walk, I arrived at the Downtown Campus of Mars Hill Church.  It was a nice looking building but not extremely big.  You see, Mars Hill Church has a large membership…around 10,000 I think.  But instead of one enormous building, there are “campuses” in Seattle and the surrounding cities (plus one in New Mexico).  As I walked in, I was greeted and handed a Weekly Schedule.  To the right was an area that served water, tea, and coffee…which you could drink in the sanctuary during church (because of it’s concrete floors) or on the couch in the social area.  With coffee in hand, I was greeted by Trevor, one of the church leaders.  We talked for a while about how I found out about Mars Hill and where I was from…really nice guy.  I took my seat and the service began.

A band by the name of Ghost Ship leads Praise and Worship.  I REALLY enjoyed Ghost Ship.  Cam, the lead singer, and the band have a great, contemporary sound.  You can listen to Ghost Ship and other bands on the Mars Hill website.  After worship, a huge screen falls from the ceiling and the sermon begins.  Todays message is by Pastor Mark Dricoll, one of the pastors of Mars Hill Church.  Because Mars Hill is split up into campuses, each campus has a Campus Pastor and campus Deacons.  Sometimes the Campus Pastor does the sermon and sometimes Pastor Mark does via satellite/video.  The sermon was fantastic (I’ve got the notes to prove it).

The Campus Pastor of Mars Hill Downtown is Tim Gaydos.  Pastor Tim is an incredible guy with a heart for ministry.  It was a privilege to be taught by him on the last two Sundays that I attended.

After that first Sunday at Mars Hill Downtown, I was hooked!  I loved the teaching, the atmosphere, and the fellowship….and I did a LOT more  fellowshipping in the following days!  On that Wednesday, I walked back up to the church for a Q&A service.  Pastor Mark and Pastor Tim answered questions from the congregation submitted via text message.  The next Sunday after church, I was invited to watch the 4th of July fireworks show over the lake (which is a huge deal in Seattle).  I hitched a ride with my two new friends, Blake and Tojo, and ended up in the backyard of a beautiful house overlooking the lake.  The fireworks were spectacular…but the great conversations and new friends that I’d made are what I remember the most.  I spent time talking with Luis and Marie, a great couple that I’d met at church and probably the nicest people on the planet.  I met Rachel and Seba (short for Sebastian) there, a young married couple that I really enjoyed spending time with.

Later that week, I went with Mars Hill Downtown to see the Mariners play (my first major league baseball game)!  The game was a lot of fun and I met more great people.  Luis and Marie were there along with my new friends, Tinamarie and Jennifer.  I also met Rick and Cheri, who lead the community group that Luis and Marie attend.

Community Groups

Community is important.  As followers of Christ, we are not called into isolation, but into community with Jesus and with other believers.  At Mars Hill Church, people are encouraged to join ”community groups.”  These groups (10 – 20 people) meet weekly in houses, apartments, coffee shops, etc.  They discuss the sermon from that Sunday, share what’s going on in their personal lives, pray for one another, and basically just live life together.  I believe that the bulk of the life-changing minstry that takes place at Mars Hill Church happens in these community groups.

I was able to attend a community group before leaving Seattle.  This particular group met at the apartment of  Luis and Marie and was lead by Rick and Cheri.  It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.

Mars Hill Church

Mars Hill Church is all about Jesus.  And God is doing some incredible things in the city of Seattle through this church.  Hundreds of new Christians are being baptized there every year.  Through the Acts 29 Network, they have planted almost 300 churches in the US and in other countries.  Mars Hill Church has an extensive media library available on their website where you can access free sermon series and music.  They even have an Iphone app that allows you to enjoy their media on your phone.  Mars Hill also has an online social network called “The City.”  This network is used to keep members connected and informed.

I was at Mars Hill Church for three weeks.  In that short time (through the Word that was preached, the friends that  I made, and the community that I was a part of) my walk with Christ was strengthen and refreshed.  I am thankful for the time that God gave me to fellowship there.  If you are in the Seattle area and are looking for a local church, you should definitely check out Mars Hill!

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