We serve a loving and gracious God, who loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sins and rise from the grave, conquering Satan, sin, and death (John 3:16). Though we were headed down a path of death and destruction, those who have faith in Jesus are now redeemed and made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5). In response to this amazing grace and work of redemption, we are sent on mission to glorify God by sharing the hope we have in Jesus with those who don’t yet know him.

In the past year, this has been evident in a variety of ways at the Ballard campus. More and more people have become unsatisfied with simply going to church, and are now striving to grow in their understanding of what it means to be the church—a redeemed community on mission for Jesus. Worship has been more passionate, giving has been more faithful and generous, and repentance has been more consistent. Fewer people are consuming and treating the church like a hotel; instead, more people are contributing and seeing it as their home.

Specifically, we’ve seen nearly 350 people get baptized—100 in the last two months—including several kids, whose parents baptized them after being baptized themselves. Some of these people were baptized immediately after becoming Christians. Others finally wanted to publically profess their faith in Jesus. Many of these folks have had amazing stories of redemption, including one guy who met with Pastor Jamie and heard the gospel through a Muslim translator and trusted the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As is often the case at Mars Hill, we’ve seen over 100 people get married this past year. One couple, who started attending Mars Hill earlier this year, was living together when they first started attending. The gal became a Christian, which initially upset the guy because he thought she would love God more than him. However, soon after that, God saved him, too. They attended a Considering Marriage Seminar together and became convicted about living together, so they separated. They attended the premarital class and counseling sessions and grew tremendously. During their last counseling session, the guy told Pastor Phil that his hope and prayer for her during their marriage was that she would always love God more than him—the one thing he had once feared.

We’ve also witnessed many people, through the power of the Holy Spirit, turn from sin, repent, and be redeemed. Dozens of people have met with a pastor, deacon, or volunteer after a service to confess sin and pray for forgiveness. In some cases, God has convicted people not to have an abortion, not to commit suicide, or not to get a divorce. People have also been miraculously healed of cancer and other diseases. Others have experienced healing from years of physical, emotional, and mental abuse, including rape and molestation.

God’s redemptive work is also happening in community. In the past year, over 150 people have participated in a Redemption Group, in which they’ve learned to apply the gospel to the sins they’ve committed or the ones committed against them. One woman who was in counseling about her severe past abuse had been recommended by her counseling pastor to attend a Redemption Group. Intimidated by the prospect of sharing her story in a group, she quietly avoided the opportunity to sign-up for a group. The following quarter, the pastor encouraged her again, and though still nervous, she decided to take the risk. God met her there in the Redemption Group and she experienced life transformation, made new friendships with understanding women, and even hopes to lead a Redemption Group herself one day.

The vision of planting 100 campuses and 1,000 churches in the next 10 years to see thousands become disciples of Jesus increases the need for more leaders in all areas of ministry. We’ve been blessed to raise up two new pastors—Pastor Joel Brown and Pastor Matt Jensen—at the Ballard campus this year, as well as hundreds of deacons, Community Group and Redemption Group leaders and apprentices. There are currently almost 1300 members at the Ballard campus—350 just from this past year with 375 more in the process. The members of Mars Hill are the core of the church and the goal is to raise up hundreds of more leaders.

The 130 plus Community Groups in the Ballard area have started to own the mission of reaching their neighborhoods. Many groups—like one in Greenlake that cleaned up a park, planted some trees and shrubs, and painted a mural—have used MicroMissions funds to serve their neighborhood. Others have participated in the work that’s already being done in their communities by joining neighborhood councils and associations.

Evidences of God’s grace can also be seen outside of the Ballard area. The increase in generosity at our campus contributed to the launch of the U-District service at the University of Washington’s Kane Hall, which now has close to 400 people who attend. We also sent people to help launch the Federal Way campus, which has already added an additional service. And we continue to have an ongoing relationship with four church plants in Acts 29 Network in the U.S. and Canada and the folks at Vision Nationals in India.

One of the questions we must continue to ask ourselves is if the Ballard campus were to disappear, would anyone miss it? Would anyone care? Have we as a campus created a legacy of loving people the way God loves us—humbly, sacrificially, and faithfully?

The truth is there are literally thousands of people in our area alone who don’t know Jesus. Thankfully, God chooses to use people like us to make himself known and to demonstrate his love and grace. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we’re called to continue worshiping Jesus, giving generously of our time, treasure, and talent, and living on mission to glorify God and love our neighbors, so that more people will know Jesus.

To learn more about the Generous Campaign, visit the Mars Hill Church blog.

Find Pastor Bubba on Facebook and Twitter.

Over the next month, each neighborhood collection of community groups will be gathering together locally to rejoice in what Jesus is doing in our city. If you’re already in community, don’t miss this chance to join with other groups in your area for food and celebration. If you haven’t yet connected in community, take the opportunity to meet others living on mission for Jesus – find a group that meets near you!

Upcoming multi-group gatherings:

GREENLAKE / PHINNEY / WALLINGFORD / FREMONT
Monday, November 9th 6:30pm
Emmanuel Bible Church, 503 North 50th St

GREENWOOD / CROWN HILL / NORTHGATE / HALLER LAKE
Friday, November 13th 7pm
Crown Hill Center, 9250 14th Ave NW

BALLARD
Monday, November 23rd 6:30pm
Leif Erikson Hall, 2245 NW 57th St

MAGNOLIA
Tuesday, November 24th 7pm
Magnolia Community Center, 2550 34th Ave W

QUEEN ANNE
Saturday, December 12th 5pm
Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 1st Ave W

Every Monday afternoon, the Ballard campus staff and I get together for a brown bag lunch and a great discussion on what Jesus is doing in our church and in our lives. We share evidences of God’s grace that we saw the previous Sunday. We talk about the scripture that was preached and how it impacted us personally and in ministry. And we tell stories of how God used His word to transform lives.

This week, the main topic of conversation was the difference between Christians consuming the gospel of Jesus versus being consumed by Jesus. The difference is staggering.

In the book How People Change, authors Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp talk about how a Christian can know the gospel of Jesus and still not know it. They call this the gospel gap. It is the gap between knowing the truth and living the truth. Often this gospel gap happens between the head and heart. You can know the truth in your mind and yet still have a disconnect in your heart.

So what are these subtle differences? Here are a few we talked about…

Intellectualism. A person can know a lot about God intellectually without actually knowing Him or having a relationship with Him through Jesus. In this case, I am merely a consumer of the knowledge of God; I am not transformed (or consumed) by the truth. In this case, a person might be a Christian, but they are not experiencing the fullness of the Christian life.

Seeking grace without repentance. In His wisdom, God gives people godly grief, which leads to repentance. Repentance is turning away from sin and toward Jesus. Godly grief moves a person toward having a personal relationship with Jesus and experiencing heart transformation. Worldly grief, which is not godly grief, seeks to end guilt with shallow apologies in hopes of finding a shortcut grace with no true heart change. This is a way to consume grace without being consumed by the Giver of grace, who is Jesus.

Self-centeredness. How can the gospel benefit me? This worldview starts with who I am instead of who Jesus is. It is first and foremost about how the gospel can benefit me, versus how it brings glory to God. How can I consume this gospel without it taking me out of my comfort zone and calling me to die to myself?

The list goes on and on – we Christians are masters at trying to fit God into our lives on our own terms rather than seeing ourselves in light of the person and work of Christ Jesus. So, bottom line…are you consumed by Jesus through his transforming work on the cross & his magnificent resurrection from death? Or are you merely a consumer of his story?

It’s my prayer that each of us would be constantly consumed and renewed by Christ Jesus himself, with more concern for his glory than that of our own. In order for this to happen we need to stop focusing so much on ourselves and start focusing more on treasuring Jesus and being grateful for the great gift that He is.

So we loaded up the ol’ Mars Hill shuttle bus and headed to Edmonds for an afternoon of WhirlyBall. “What’s WhirlyBall?” you ask. Well, it’s “the world’s only totally mechanized team sport,” which combines basketball, hockey, and jai-alai with the reckless abandon of bumper cars. In short, WhirlyBall equals wackiness.

Two teams of five maneuver around the court with a jai-alai style plastic scoop in one hand and a steering crank in the other. The object is to toss a softball-sized whiffle ball into a fifteen-inch hole cut out of a nine to ten foot high backboard. Behind the hole is a buzzer which notifies the referee when a score is made. The referee sits in an elevated booth above the court and gives the play-by-play, while keeping score and assessing any penalties.

We were able to play about a dozen fifteen-minute games. As the afternoon progressed, we each honed our skills and strategies (and even broke a sweat). Highlights included a five-point half court shot from Pastor Mike Wilkerson, a collision in the corner that sent Brandon Anderson’s car airborne, and the no-nonsense defense of Danielle Montemayor.

To make things even more interesting, at the end of the day, we also gave awards for best WhirlyBall uniform, as voted on by the players not in uniform. Kyle Firstenberg (far right), Haden Sutton (second from left), and Cliff Ellis (center) took the top three spots—quite the honor, as you can see.

We recapped the day on our ride home and even started throwing out ideas for our next staff outing. Paintball perhaps?


I appreciate the Ballard staff, the work they do, and the way God is working in and through them. But I also enjoy the times we’re able to let loose and have some fun. Praise God for friendships, laughter, and well…WhirlyBall.

Bubba Jennings
Ballard Campus Pastor

God cares a great deal about the families and kids in Seattle. We know this because God reveals Himself as a loving Father who is on a mission to save and redeem his lost, rebellious children (Matthew 5:44-45; 6:26; 7:11; Col. 1:13-15; 1 John 4:10-11). In fact, the whole idea of “family” was created and established by God (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-24). It is God who gives children to parents as a blessing (Psalms 127:3-5). And, it is God who provides parents with wisdom and instructions on how to raise their children in a loving way (Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Ephesians 6:1-4).

Likewise, part of our mission and one of our deep desires as a church is to see the families in our city meet Jesus and experience peace with God. Because of this, we partner with local organizations such as the Ballard Boys and Girls Club in order to build relationships with local families. As well, community groups are encouraged to love and serve families in their neighborhoods who are in need of help. And every year at this time we throw a huge free party with the intention of reaching out and inviting our neighbors to enjoy a safe and fun place to celebrate with us.

On Friday, October 30th from 5:00 to 9:00pm, bring your family and friends to the Ballard campus for our third annual Fall Family Festival. During this time, the entire building will be transformed into a huge party geared toward families. We’ll have carnival games for all ages, Rock Band/Wii, bounce houses, a giant cardboard maze, refreshments, candy, and most importantly, a great chance to connect with other parents and kids in the Ballard neighborhood. I look forward to seeing you there!

When I got down to the family foyer, there was a young dude, in his early 20’s, standing at the door. I opened the door and he quickly blurted out, “I know you guys are probably closed, but I really need someone to pray with me.” I let him in and we sat down to talk.

When I asked him what was going on, he started telling me that he had just broken up with his girlfriend and needed prayer. As I dug a bit deeper, he revealed he’d been struggling with drug abuse and had just been floating through life with no real stability or direction.

It was clear to me that he had built himself up as his own god. When I told him this, he didn’t object, so I asked, “Are you a good god?” He slowly shook his head and I said, “That’s right, you’re a horrible god.”

I asked him if he was a Christian and he said he was. I told him if he really was a Christian, it was time to man up and start acting like it. At that point, he asked, “What does it mean to be a Christian man?” We talked about how being a man of Jesus means taking responsibility for your life by being humble, repenting of sin and honoring Jesus as God, instead of trying to be your own god.

Afterward, I realized that the guy I had been talking to was just like me many years ago before I met Jesus and he changed my heart. I can remember sitting on the porch one summer day (I grew up in Oklahoma–that’s what we did) and thinking to myself, “What does it mean to be a man?” I had no idea or reference of biblical manhood and at that time, no one in my life to teach me.

Fortunately, Jesus pursued me and changed my heart, and today I’m grateful for what he has done in my life. He saved me, a sinner, and redeemed my past. I’ve since been blessed to have godly men in my life who have helped me understand that being a man is rooted in knowing the creator God and experiencing life transformation that is only possible in Jesus Christ. Now I’m stoked to be able to help other young men learn and experience that same thing.

If you want to know more about what it means to be a Christian man, check out Mars Hill Resources for Men from the Mars Hill Blog or watch Pastor Mark’s sermon, Marriage and Men (below).

One great way to get involved in what Jesus is doing among the student community in our area is the College Advance coming up October 30-November 1 with Pastors Matt Jensen and Bill Clem and the Mars Hill | U-District band. Whether you’re are a student trying to figure out who Jesus really is or a Christian wanting to get plugged into community, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to grow in faith, make friends, and get connected with over 200 fellow college students from across Seattle.

Dustin Shatto, a UW student who attended last year recalls: “I’d been to a lot of retreats in my life, but all they ever did was give me a momentary ‘spiritual high.’ At the College Advance, not only did I make new friends and have a great time, I grew in my relationship with Jesus in a real, life changing way.”

Still not convinced? Watch what Mars Hill intern Alex Berg has to say about her experience last year:

First 175 to sign up are $79 and then the cost goes up to $99. Space is limited, so sign up soon at udistrict.marshillchurch.org.

Last Sunday was a great celebration at the Ballard campus! Twenty four people of all ages publicly declared their faith in Jesus by being baptized. It was exciting to see God move all day – people became Christians, dads got to baptize their kids and God saved marriages. Today we baptized 35 people, which we’ll be posting more about this this week, so stay tuned! 

First, there’s “At the Feet of the Father: 8 Weeks of Seeking the Will of God through Prayer and Worship.” The Bible is abundantly clear that there is only one true God who reveals himself as Father, Son and Spirit (Jer. 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thess. 1:9; John 1:1–4, 2 Cor. 3:16–18), and this will be a time of learning from Jesus how to approach God in prayer and worship. Join us for a night of worship and prayer as we seek to honor Jesus by praying like him (Matt. 6:9-15) and living out his word together.

Redemption Night is also starting back up! The main teaching session (open to everyone) will offer curriculum based in Exodus and will follow the Israelites’ journey from slavery to freedom. Breakout sessions include the Group Track (intense small groups that dig deep into difficult areas of life; participation in these groups requires advance registration) and the Training Track (for volunteer counselors in training and existing ministry leaders). For more information, e-mail redemption@marshillchurch.org.

Proxy, the junior high and high school (ages 10-18) student ministry, will also be meeting with the goal of reaching students, connecting them in community, teaching them the truth of the Bible (going through Colossians this quarter!) and equipping them to live for Jesus.  Contact ballardproxy@marshillchurch.org for more information.
Kids (5 months-10 years) are invited to attend Children’s Ministry at this time! They’ll play games, participate in musical worship, and enjoy teaching and small group discussion as they work through the book of Colossians.

Whatever your age or season in life, I hope to see you on Wednesday nights this fall as at the Ballard campus as we worship Jesus together in community.