The Church of Our Dreams

This post refers to a discussion that we had Sunday the 24th at Boondocker’s Cafe Restaurant.  We asked people to show up and talk about what the “Church of Our Dreams” might look like.  We simply handed out a sheet with a few questions in order to facilitate the discussion.  The questions were simple questions about what your best and worst church experiences have been, how a church has surprised you, the biggest needs in the local communities, how to make a church fun-friendly and meaningful. 

I now think it is funny to remember that my initial worry was that people would not engage with the questions and might not have a lot to say (not because they don’t have a wealth of information and experience, but simply because we all don’t know each other that well yet.)  I was thrilled that the discussion could have lasted for much longer than the amount of time that we had.

Several people who attended asked if I would be willing to condense some of the answers and our response to the discussion.  Let me first warn you that the discussion was so real and rich that it is going to be difficult to translate that into written words.  Let me also say that I can’t capture the excitement and passion on the page the way that it seemed to be coming out in person.  In other words, if you weren’t there, I feel like you missed something really cool.  Let me also say that this is a very condensed version of what was said.  It would take me a week to blog out all of the discussion that took place.  That being said…

These thoughts appear in no particular order of importance.

 

Excitement!

The coolest and happiest and most surprising observation of the night was the excitement and passion that those in attendance seemed to have about what Hillside is going to be.  I really felt like people were thinking to themselves that this is something special and that they are excited about being a part of it.  It never occurred to me, how excited I would be about people who care.  I have heard people tell me in the past that it is the innovators and the early adopters of good ideas that generate the passion that really makes great things happen.  If that is the case, then I believe that we have some great innovative thinkers and some people who are already adopting our original vision for Hillside. 

I will also say, for me, I have been to a lot of different churches over the last few months.  I have seen interesting worship as well as worship that did not move or interest me at all.  I have heard messages that were creative and motivational as well as some that seemed uninspired and boring.  It took me until this morning to understand that this meeting was more “church” to me than any service that I have been to in quite some time.  The reason for this is because it was REAL, Everyone Participated and Shared, It was Interesting and Intriguing, and There Was a Feeling of Excitement.   I didn’t expect to have felt like I was actually in church, but I felt that very strongly. 

 

Transformation!

A constant theme that appeared was that somehow our best church experiences have moved us to be different.  Again and again the thought that whether it is the music, the message or a trip or service experience with the church, the church should Move us and Change us.  The word that kept appearing was REAL.  Somehow, whether or not we knew that we were articulating it, we all seem to want and desire something that is not filtered, dumbed down or dressed up.  There is a lot of pressure in our culture to look our best, act our best and be our best and to hide the imperfections, the doubts, the fear, the pain, the brokenness that we all have.  We are forced to do it at work and at school.  We are told that in order to attract someone of the opposite sex, we need to hide who we really are until we have hooked them and pulled them into commitment. 

After the discussion on Sunday, I feel like there is a hope that Hillside might be a place where we can be REAL.  Maybe this is a place where we don’t have to be guarded and fake because “no one is their Sunday best.” (Quote from Zack).  Maybe this is a place where we don’t have to pretend and we can be seen and accepted as we really are.  Maybe we can stop seeing each other through the lens that our culture tells us to look through and see each other as we really are, as God sees us.

This is how transformation happens.  Where we can see clearly who we really are and move forward together.  No pretending, no posing.  Just real people.  Of course you can see that the bi-product of this type of REAL living would be REAL relationships, REAL transformation, REAL experiences; even in a world of ‘fakeness.’

 

Gifts!

I heard several people voice the thought that everyone has something to give and offer.  Not all of us are going to be playing in the band.  But everyone has a gift and story to share.  I truly want Hillside to be a place where we hear and participate in each others’ stories.  It seems to be a constant theme in the answers to so many of the questions that people need to be valued and feel valued and accepted.  What better way that by being asked to use and share their gifts.

 

Questions!

I was excited to see this come up in the conversation in a couple of different ways.  If the church values being REAL than the church should allow questions.  The church shouldn’t simply allow them, but should reach out for questions.  Steve made a comment about how “no one should be kicked out of church for asking questions.”   There should be a place and a time to ask:  What happened to the dinosaurs in the Bible?  Did Noah’s Ark really happen?  Why does my science teacher give me a story that seems incompatible with the creation story in Genesis?  Why should the rules from a book thousands of years old affect my daily life? 

There are NO easy answers to those questions.  But so many Christians seem to make it sound like having questions and doubts shows a lack of faith.  Church is not a place where anyone should leave their brain at the door when they enter. 

Roger made the clear point that if you want to invite people who might be skeptical, “in needs to be a place that is relevant to their life.”  Allowing questions and real responses seems to help that move toward relevance.

 

The Worst Church Experience

When we asked what the worst experience that you have had attending a church were, we heard heart-breaking stories.  The more involved and devoted to a church you are, the more you can be hurt by others in the church.  Many people choose to keep the church at a distance because of the pain that has been inflicted to them at a church in their past.  The answers to this question really seemed to validate what I have written above.  Fakeness, falseness, judgment and legalism seem to have hurt so many of us.  It seems like most of us have stories of being misunderstood and judged.  The group with Kim, Melissa, Ryan, Deborah and Rhondah shared how hurtful churches can be when they shun a divorced person.  Who needs a church more than a person who has gone through the pain, loneliness and heartbreak of divorce?  A Church should NEED these people, not shun them. 

Kris took it a step further by talking about how a church who equips people to comfort, invite and welcome those who are dealing with the issues of divorce and domestic abuse.  What an awesome challenge!

After reading and hearing the responses to this particular question, I am particularly personally challenged.  The ego of a pastor who has judged, discounted the pain of others, separated themselves from the congregation seems to be a constant in the stories that were told on Sunday.  I really want to know everyone’s name and story.  I am challenged to always challenge my own humility.  It seems like a very common trap for pastors.  hmmmm

 

Fun!

I love everyone’s smiles and excitement about our desire to be a fun church.  More than any one suggestion, I think that Kim and Brandon and I are all excited by the desire and life that people seem to show when we talk about having fun together. 

Several people stated that coming to a church that serves you with good coffee, and good music and humor is fun.  I totally agree. Also, though nobody mentioned it out loud to me, two different groups wrote the word “chocolate” in or near their answer here.  I see what you are getting at here.  Chocolate=Fun.  Cool.  Also fun… BBQ.  I am in a shish-kabob mood.  Let’s do it!

 

 

How I Conclude what I have Heard and Read in the Reponses.

The overwhelming themes that came from the discussion were: 

• the overwhelming need of the communities that surround us (financial, family, pain, divorce, loss, loneliness)
• the need for places that will accept, love and care for people with these needs without judgment,
• the need for a place that will allow questions and allow REAL sharing and discussion
• the need for a place where people will connect with each other in a REAL and Fun way
• the need for a place that will train people to respond to need in a valuable way.
• the need for a place that values people and their gifts
• the need for a place where people can share their lives

Again.  The discussion was not only fun and interesting, but challenging and informing as well.  These are just ‘jumping-off’ points.  But they are valuable and heartfelt.  I am so excited to be a part of a group that so passionately voices these needs and desires.

 

Unexpected Blessings

Just FYI, every friend of ours who has planted a church has given us a few pieces of information and advice that are similar. 

• It will be difficult
• It will be the best time of your life
• It will stress you out
• You will find MANY unexpected blessings
• God will meet your needs to the exact dollar at times.
• God will make you wait on Him.
• It’s God’s church not yours.

Soooo, all are right or are proving to be right. But this last couple of  weeks has been really special for me.

As a background, you should know that it was a frustrating and stressful time.  People who we hoped would be involved were bowing out.  People who we thought might financially contribute to our church backed down.  A large church that we have a long relationship with that had made many statements about supporting us in the past, decided to stop supporting as many church plants and let us know that they “might” be able to give a “one time” gift, but basically not to expect much, if anything.

This was a real bummer to us.  Me especially.  It hurt. 

As I was frustrated with this decision and situation, look what happened.

A young, unemployed friend that I had met only a couple of times in the area who wants to be on our launch team, called me to ask specifically if he could meet up so that he could give his first tithe to us.  A few friends and family, a couple of whom we haven’t seen or talked to in years came through with thousands of dollars.  A young couple decided to support Brandon’s salary fund in a large way.  A small church plant where the pastors are pulling a very meager salary let us know that they took a collection for us. A church planter across the country shot a gift into our paypal account when he got our support letter. 

Let me tell you what I am learning and starting to believe based on these recent blessings and unselfish, cheerful giving and generosity.  It’s a lesson that is one of those, “let those who have ears to hear it” messages where you don’t get it until God gives you the situation and perception that allows you to truly hear and echo of what He hears and see a sliver of what He sees.  It’s a kingdom perspective that I have never had the privilege to see until now.  It’s based on what the Bible clues us in on when Mark and Luke talk about Jesus’s flip’d Kingdom, and the economy of widows and mites. 

I truly and honestly believe that the gifts and generosity that we are seeing will be more of a blessing to Hillside Church, the people of our community, and the Kingdom, even though it may be a lower dollar amount, than the thousands of dollars that the large church could have given.  Somehow, in yet to be uncovered ways, these gifts will impact lives because of the heart and graciousness of the people who have given them.  Though the dollar amount is less, the blessing will be larger.  Though it won’t buy as many things, it will go further.

I have never seen things in this way before, but these gifts, some large and some small, are investments in the lives of others.  They are far more sacred to us, and I believe to God because of where they are from, and what they will be used for.

Because of this, our commitment at Hillside is even stronger than before.  We will use these gifts to see changed lives.  We will account and answer for every dollar spent.  We will see our jobs as Pastors here as a sacred post provided by the most kind and generous friends and family that anyone could ask for. 

I hope that for those of you who might read this.  It might inspire you to consider what your gift might mean to the Kingdom, to the community and to Hillside Church.  We still have a great need, and a wide open mission field.  If you wish to make a gift to our seedling of a Church, please feel free to do so:

You can give through paypal by entering our email address giving@thehillsidechurch.com as the recipient, or by mailing a gift directly to us at:

Hillside Church, 6529 36th St NE. Marysville WA 98270.

Call anytime if you need more information on how we handle gifts and finances.  425-835-3523

Needs List

Several of you have asked us what our needs are and if there is anything you can help with.  Here is a quick list of some of our current needs as we prepare to launch Hillside Church.

 

Thank you so much for being interested in our needs. In order for Hillside Church to get off to a successful launch, we will need to have the following things in place. (Actually, there are hundreds of other things that we will need, these are some of the larger, big ticket items that we will need to acquire early on that we are asking supportive friends, family and churches to help provide.) Several of the needs like Printer Ink and Paper are obviously constant needs.

Needs

A New Desktop Computer with a Large Hard-drive to be our “Homebase Church Computer” that can hold all publishing, video and graphics stuff.

A place to store the church trailer (nearby)

A person or vehicle to tow the church trailer on a weekly basis.

 

Church Supply Needs

Pens with Church Name/Address

 

Sound and Video System

Amplification for a Sound System

Wireless Microphones

32 Channel Mixer

Video Projector

 

Office Supply

Printer Ink for HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless

Printer/Copier Paper

Stamps/Postage

 

People Needs

Volunteers for Childrens Ministry

Photography and Video Help

Places to print mailers, signs, bulletins for a discount

Artists

Musicians (rock, bluegrass, strings etc)

A Screen Printer (that can print large signs, t-shirts etc)

 

Mike and Kim Family Needs

Financial support for Kim's Salary

A car (just a “get around town” type of beater)

Dental Costs

Eye Care Costs (glasses and contacts for the family)

 

Brandon Needs

Financial Support for Brandon's Salary

A Reliable Car

Meeting Coming up in January

Sunday, January 10th at 6pm, we will be having our first Launch Team Informational Meeting.  We want everyone to know that they are invited to show up and hang out with us.  We’ll eat dinner together and then have a short, NO PRESSURE presentation on the values and vision of Hillside Church.  It will be fun, informal, and hopefully extremely informational.

We will have child care for the kiddos and will feed the whole family.

The meeting is at 6529 36th St NE in  Marysville. If you’d like to be there, RSVP by emailing mike@thehillsidechurch.com or call us at 425-835-3523

If This is Your First Time Checking Out TheHillsideChurch.Com

If this is your first time checkino out our site, here is some quick info:

We will soon have a fully functional site up and running where you can view our progress and find more ways to get involved and stay informed.  

For the short term however, this site will be the place to look for updates on what we are doing and how things are coming with HillSide Church here in Snohomish County. 

If you would like more information on Joining Our Launch Team, or Contributing Financially, please click on the links at the top of the page.

Thanks for checking in.  If you have any questions please shoot an email to mike@thehillsidechurch.com

Why “Hillside Church?”

A lot of people have asked us why we like the name “Hillside Church.”  A great question with a fun answer…

 

When Jesus gave the sermon that ended up being possibly the most important and revolutionary teaching in history called “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew Chapters 5-7, He went up on the hillside and taught His disciples and the crowd.  Because Jesus had already been healing and teaching He was getting a reputation.  Due to what people were already hearing about him, the crowd that was following were not only His disciples, there were:

People who were sick who heard that Jesus was a healer.

People who had been dismissed by religious teachers in the past.

People who, because of their past, were told they would never find favor with God.

People who had big moral, religious and philosophical questions.

People who were skeptical of Jesus.

People who were dying to prove Him wrong.

Perhaps the words “sermon on the mount” sound too serene, and perhaps because some of these teachings have been repeated in ways in which we forget their original context, we fail too often to remember that these words of Jesus were a revolution that gave hope to people who had been told that God would never have interest in them.  This ragamuffin group on this hillside were hearing for the first time that God loved and wanted to bless them as much as those religious people, who Jesus pointed out, weren’t so perfect anyway.  They were told that even though the religious elite were judgmental, that they were called to love even their enemies!  They were told that even though they had imperfections that they were allowed to have a conversation with God through prayer.  They were told that though they were poor on earth, they might have riches in heaven.

This teaching was groundbreaking, revolutionary, it was bold and stood in the face of authority.  These were the same teachings that made people so angry at Him that they would eventually kill Him. 

When Jesus gave these teachings, it was a gift, and the people sitting on the Hillside that day were surprised by the gift and surprised by God. 

I am very confident that was have much in common with those people who sat on that hillside that day.  Some of us need the healing, physically, emotionally, mentally, in our lives, relationships, marriages, families.  Some of us have been convinced that because of something in our background, we are not good enough to have anything to do with God.  Some of us have some pretty big questions that keep us from believing that these teachings can be real, questions about the state of the world or the truth of scripture or the existence of God.  Some of us have been made to feel like second class citizens because of our race, gender, sexuality, disability, or religious past. 

I truly believe that if we put ourselves on that Hillside, God will surprise us too. 

That’s why we will be Hillside Church.  So that we can experience the Surprise; and so that Every Person in Marysville/Lake Stevens will experience that surprise  communicated to them through our Actions and not just words.

On Purpose: What Kind of Church Will We Be? Part 1

I’ve been neglecting writing this blog post for a while because I feel like it is going to be a sixty page document, both because of the gravity of the subject and because I can’t write anything without being somewhat unnecessarily wordy. So I am just going to take it one chunk at a time. 

Here is a disclaimer… These posts are not here to limit us and put us in a box.  These thoughts on our future, these are not the final doctrinal statements of our church.  These are glimpses into what we are doing and why we are doing it.

I am going to start a bit by looking at our Purpose. 

From John Chapter 17

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
    "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

If you have time, go check out this scripture in context.  In these chapters of John, Jesus is pouring out His passion for His disciples and the people that they will minister to.  I consider much of what He says to be prophecy for these friends and followers, and much of what He is saying is giving them a focus and a feel, a purpose and reason for what they are to do after He is gone; and a bit of prophecy about how He will continue to be present with them through the Holy Spirit. 

In Jesus’ prayer here and through the entire chapter 17 His words clearly are passionate about people “knowing” God.  It’s clear that this knowing is not just a knowledge but a relationship.  It’s also clear that this relationship is God’s purpose for us.  This is truly the start toward the fulfillment of what God wants us to be, of the purpose for which we are created. 

As a church, we can not be God.  We can not be the relationship.  So what can we do?  What are we called to be?

Later in John 17, Jesus is praying for His disciples, He prays: ^{17Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.}

^{I believe that Jesus wants His disciples to be carriers of the truth.  There are many interpretations for what this means.  Does it mean that we will find everything that is untrue and refute it?  Does it mean that we will shout our truth louder than the lies are being broadcast?  Does it mean that we will make truth look more appealing than the lies by packaging it and marketing it better?  Does it mean that our church will be a shelter away from the rest of the world where no lies can break in?} 

^{I’m not sure that any of those answers encapsule what I believe what we should be and what God is calling us to be.  I believe that God is calling us to live by His truth, the truth found in scripture, in the middle of this world which is full of many lies.  One of my favorite songs about this is by Ken Medema who calls it: “a call to live like fools, by another set of rules.”  Certainly we will look as fools to some, but we will be living by the way that God says is true.  Like Jesus says earlier in chapter 17: 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.}

^{This is not to say that our goal is to be hated, and I don’t believe that Jesus is saying that everyone in the world will hate His followers.  What I believe that He is saying is that with the way the world is set up, if we live by “the word” we will not have the rewards of “the world.”  The world is not limited to just people, but also to the systems of the world.  Living by the “way of the world” will get us the rewards of “the world” and living by the “way of the word” will forsake those rewards.  There will be another reward for those who live by this way.  We don’t know all of what it will be, we won’t experience all of it in this life.  However, I do believe that we will experience the reward of purpose, passion, meaning and mission.  Which are all HUGE missing pieces in the lives of those who live by the “way of the world.”  They are the missing pieces that cause so many to feel that they never have enough pleasure, possessions or popularity to be satisfied.} 

^{It will be our purpose and passion as a church to bring people from our community into this relationship with our creator, with our savior.  It will be our hunger and mission to share this truth with people.} 

^{Simply put the truth that we will be desperate for people to hear is a truth that most are unaware of:  God created You.  God knows You better than you know yourself.  God loves you anyway.  God loves you so much and desires a relationship with you so desperately that He became one of us and allowed Himself to be murdered in the most gruesome way by us.  He did this not only to show His power over death, but to communicate love to us, through the ultimate sacrifice.  If we believe that God is an all powerful God, we believe that He could have created a universe where we don’t have free choice, or a universe where He could have forgiven us and called us to be in a relationship by a snap of His fingers.  But the truth is that God loves us so much that He gave us free will to choose Him or to choose not to.  He desperately wants us to choose a relationship with Him and He shows this to us through the way that communicated the highest level of love and sacrifice from Him.}

^{That’s the Truth that we will be passionate about communicating.  Our Passion to communicate this needs to be the hallmark of our church.  It is my desire that the Ethos of Hillside Church forms from our desire to welcome as many as we can into this relationship.}