Because the Tomb is Empty,
Pastor Adam

Update (3/30/08): A new website has been set up for information about Nicholas Francisco. http://www.findnicholasfrancisco.com/ Please change your links to there for any updates and information. Comments are now closed on this post.

We are deeply saddened about the disappearance of former Mars Hill member, Nicholas Francisco. Nicholas went missing on February 13, 2008 at approximately 6:00 p.m., shortly after telephoning his wife, Christine, to let her know that he was on his way home. He left his place of employment in Lower Queen Anne, and is assumed to have driven his red, 1992 Toyota Paseo, license number 601RHX, south toward the Southcenter/SeaTac area. Unfortunately, that is the last news of Nicholas.

Said Lead Pastor, Jamie Munson,

“Although, the Francisco family recently left Mars Hill Church, as Christians we love them and are profoundly concerned for Nicholas’ safety and the well being of the family.”

Mars Hill members have been involved in organized searches of the Seattle area and have provided support to Christine and the Francisco’s two children. Mars Hill elders and deacons have been notified and all information on Nicholas’ disappearance has been posted on our members’ site. Most importantly, we have been in prayer for Nicholas’ safety, the comfort of his family, the police’s due diligence and a swift resolution to this troubling situation.

Pastor Adam Sinnett, the West Seattle Campus Pastor, has spoken with the Francisco family and friends, who have gathered for prayer and search strategy. Pastor Sinnett reiterated,

“For most of us it’s difficult to imagine how Christine is feeling, alone with two children with another on the way. Please keep them in your prayers during this difficult time. There is much we can do for our brother and sister in Christ by rallying together in prayer for a quick and positive resolution.”

We’re asking the members of Mars Hill Church to continue to pray for the Francisco family. For those of you who are able to help with practical needs, please direct inquiries through Pastor Adam to not overwhelm the family. Additionally, there will be an account set up at Washington Mutual in Christine Francisco’s name for monetary donations. The family asks that you donate to the fund for search efforts and reward monies in lieu of sending meals. As well, if you or members of your family are in need of pastoral assistance or guidance in response to these events, you may contact your campus pastor or Pastor Adam Sinnett at adam@marshillchurch.org or 206.706.6641.

Earlier Pastor Mark Driscoll commented,

“My family and I have been in fervent prayer that (Nicholas) would return home safely and that God would comfort and strengthen (Christine) in this difficult season. I am grateful for the many people at Mars Hill who are praying and encourage them to continue to pray that he would return home safely soon. A husband and daddy are missing, so prayer and loving support are greatly appreciated.”

We are committed to serving this family in its time of dire need. Please continue to watch the members’ site for further information and please do pray for Nicholas’ safe return.

WEST SEATTLE CAMPUS UPDATES
02.20.08 @ 7:19PM: No news today. Reward bumped up to $15k for information leading to his finding.

Also, the following are directions for making donations to the Francisco family:

1. Go to any Washington Mutual Branch and make a donation to the “Nicholas Francisco Family Fund.” Funds will be deposited to a benevolent account and made available to the family.
2. If you are not able to get to a Washington Mutual Bank, you can go to any bank and have them wire money to the family’s fund. Provide your bank with the following information:
• Name of Account: “Nicholas Francisco Family Fund”
• Bank Address: Washington Mutual; 359 Strander Blvd.; Tukwila, WA 98188

02.18.08 @ 2:41PM: There is a search party meeting Jon Holland of the King County Sheriffs office at the Park and Ride at 901 S 348th St, Federal Way tonight at 6:30p. He will provide instructions on how to help with the search. our safety is being considered. Please bring a flashlight if you can.

02.18.08 @ 12:07PM: Search canceled.

02.18.08 @ 12:07PM: CANCELED – CHANGE OF PLANS. MEET AT 2PM TO CONTINUE SEARCH IN THE AREA OF THE HERITAGE CONDO’S WHERE THE CAR WAS FOUND. Meet at rear of parking lot of the nearby COSTCO….35100 Enchanted Parkway South, Federal Way, Washington 98003

02.18.08 @ 11:45AM: Nic’s car was found in Federal Way. 2:00PM search cancelled. More info to follow.

02.18.08 @ 10:12AM: CANCELED – This afternoon there will be another search at 2pm meeting at the Ballard Mars Hill Campus (1401 NW Leary Way, Seattle, WA 98107) at the East entry (family entrance) sweeping the Ballard/Interbay/Lake Union/Ballard Locks/Fremont areas. The plan is to break off into groups to sweep the largest area possible. Flyers will be available, but feel free to print off some and bring some. Tape and staples are helpful as well for posting them on poles. The official site for the search is: http://www.mailpen.net.

02.16.08 @ 9:30PM: For those who would like to to search and distribute fliers, there is a group meeting at 2:00PM tomorrow (Sunday) at the Queen Anne QFC on 1st & Republican – in the parking lot.

Our emotions are a wonderful barometer of our greatest affections, bubbling up from the deepest recesses of our soul. God often allows us to experience frustration, hardship and disappointment – even joy, success and blessing – to bring our sin to light by revealing what’s going on deep inside of us through every day situations and circumstances. We can surrender to the fact that life often sucks and does not go as planned and end in despair, frustration and discouragement. We can work hard to create a managed life that maximizes comfort and a sense of control, fostering self-reliance, independence and ultimately pride. Or, daily fly to Jesus who calls us to not base our worth, happiness, identity, fulfillment, and joy in our circumstances (whether good or bad) but in a person – Jesus Christ. That is what is so amazing about the Gospel, not simply what God has done for us (which is infinitely amazing), but what he gives us – himself – and that’s all we’ll ever need.

Heavenly Father
If I should suffer need, and go unclothed,
And be in poverty,
Make my heart prize thy love,
Know it, be constrained by it,
Though I be denied all blessings.
It is thy mercy to afflict and try me with wants,
For by these trials I see my sins,
And desire severance from them.
Let me willingly accept misery, sorrows,
Temptations,
If I can thereby feel sin as the greatest evil,
And be delivered from it with gratitude to thee,
Acknowledging this as the highest testimony
Of thy love.
When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul
Instead of sin, he became more dear to me
Than sin had formerly been;
His kindly rule replaced sin’s tyranny.
Teach me to believe that if ever I would have any sin
Subdued
I must not only labour to overcome it,
But must invite Christ to abide in the place of it,
And he must become to me more than
Vile lust had been;
That his sweetness, power, life may be there.
Thus I must seek a grace from him contrary to sin,
But must not claim it apart from himself.
When I am afraid of evils to come,
Comfort me by showing me
That in myself I am a dying, condemned wretch,
But in Christ I am reconciled and live;
That in myself I find insufficiency and no rest,
But in Christ there is satisfaction and peace;
That in myself I am feeble and unable to do good,
But in Christ I have ability to do all things.
Though now I have his graces in part,
I shall shortly have them perfectly
In that state where thou wilt show thyself
Fully reconciled,
And alone sufficient, efficient,
Loving me completely,
With sin abolished.
O Lord, hasten that day.

Amen and Amen.

One of the reasons this so stretching for most people – I too had significant doubts when we started our first campus in Shoreline – is that it blows our paradigm for what we consider “church” to be. We don’t have a category in our minds for what preaching via satellite looks like, let alone what it looks like in a fully thriving Jesus-loving church. This is where vision – a picture of what will be through the grace of Jesus – comes in. Video will revolutionize how we think of church. What did people think when they heard about a machine that printed books, no longer requiring scribes to do so manually? Or, a metal box that runs on fuel no longer requiring animals to pull you around? Or, the insane idea of actually flying to the moon? Though video preaching is not on par with these other ground-breaking moments in history, they all have one thing in common – they were all paradigm breakers. One day, and likely very soon, we won’t think twice about watching a sermon over video on Sunday.

I’d like to answer some questions that I am frequently asked…

Q: Why don’t you, as the campus pastor, preach?
A: I will preach 10-12 times a year, teach classes, trainings and seminars as needed. However, believe it or not it takes a lot of time to run a large and growing church. Mars Hill Church is going in a direction that creates for a better division of labor, allowing various men and women to do what they do best according to their God-given gifts and do what they’re called by God to do. For more on this read 1 Cor 12:12-31 and Eph 4:11-16 that speak of the church as a body with various parts functioning together, all of which are important to the health of the entire body, so that the church may “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love”. (Eph 4:15,16) This actually fosters more health in the body and allows the mission of Jesus to move forward more effectively and efficiently, ultimately allowing more people to hear about Jesus.

Q: Doesn’t this encourage the elevation of one man? What happens when Pastor Mark is gone?
A: These two questions are connected as there is concern as to what would happen if, for some reason, Pastor Mark was no longer around. I will respond to each. First, the church is about one man – fully God, fully man – Jesus Christ. Our primary concern must be that Jesus is preached, regardless of who is preaching. If the popularity, controversy or God-given gifts of a particular pastor are used for the spread of the Gospel (i.e. what Jesus has done and is doing), praise God. If for some reason Pastor Mark is no longer able to preach, Mars Hill Church is in the safest and most secure position it has ever been in given that each campus has a lead pastor (i.e. campus pastor), and team of elders, that would be able to fill the pulpit in this unlikely scenario.

Q: Will people be willing to sit through an hour long sermon over video?
A: Simply, yes. The average American watches over four hours of television every day, and with the advent and popularity of Internet video technology (e.g. YouTube, Google Video, etc) the trend is not likely to slow down any time soon. It is important to point something out here – everything preaches. Everything. Though video preaching within the church is a relatively new phenomenon, it has been in use much longer in secular America. The evening news, weekly sitcoms, reality tv, late night comedy, and movies at your local cinema all preach a particular worldview, philosophy of life, ideology, or belief system. In this sense, many are already taking in hours of preaching on a daily basis often without even knowing it.

Q: Will folks that I invite to church accept video preaching or should I just bring them to Ballard?
A: Your friends and family will accept what you accept. It is a shift in thinking for all of us, so there will be an adjustment required. However, in my experience, it takes a relatively short amount of time to forget about the video aspect and begin thinking about the content of the message being conveyed. If you are not sold on video, or speak awkwardly of it, those you invite will feel the same way. If you are on board with what we’re doing, where we’re going and speak of it positively to those you invite they will likely give it a shot. Mars Hill Church is one church with many locations. The purpose of our many locations is to give us the ability to contextualize what we do to the specific culture of the particular areas that we are in. Doesn’t it make sense to invite folks from your community (friends, family, neighbors, etc) to the church in your community? We see this in Act 1:8 where Jesus tells his disciples before his ascension, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” In other words, mission begins at home and moves out from there. As a church we are moving into a new season and we invite you to join us as we participate in Jesus’ unfolding story of redemption, beginning here in West Seattle.

Other questions? Post a comment below or email: westseattleblog(at)marshillchurch(dot)org

Once again we are on the verge of stepping into another year and re-launching the West Seattle campus. By God’s grace we have a beautiful building, a strong leadership core, a committed body, and a vision to see the Gospel take root in Seattle, starting here at home. Beginning on Sunday, October 7th, we are moving to two services (9:00 and 11:15AM) in order to open up more seats for others to hear about Jesus and are transitioning from live to video preaching. Additionally, we’re re-launching the West Seattle blog (http://voxpopnetwork.org/westseattle), multiplying community groups, retooling the bookstore, rethinking how to engage and serve the city, establishing tentative plans to remodel the other half of the building, and developing relevant classes and training events for the year ahead. To top it off, you have a new Campus Pastor who is just getting settled in. Needless to say, there is a lot happening.

In light of all this, it’s about time we throw a party. Therefore, this Wednesday, September 26th, 7:00-8:30, we are hosting the first annual West Seattle Fall Kick-Off and Re-Launch Party. Everyone that feels called to follow Jesus and participate in his mission as a part of the covenant community we know as Mars Hill West Seattle is invited. We will celebrate what Jesus has done, is doing and is planning on carrying out through us into the coming year. Staff and leaders will be on hand to answer questions and communicate the vision of the campus. There will also be opportunities to sign-up to serve. Ultimately, it will be a time of worship, prayer, vision-casting, Q&A, good food, and fellowship that will serve as a rallying point as we quickly approach our October 7th fall launch.

Some important dates to keep in mind as we jump into the fall:
o Wednesday, September 26th, 7:00-9:00PM: Fall Kick-Off & Re-Launch Party
o Sunday, October 7th: Two services, 9:00AM & 11:15AM
o Wednesday, October 10th, 7:00-8:30PM: Gospel Class, Capstone, Kid’s Kore begin

Luke abruptly concludes the book of Acts, which describes the beginning of the Christian church, with, “[Paul] lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” Theologians and commentators have long debated why Luke chose to end on such an abrupt note. Most think he did so because he wanted to convey that the book of Acts may come to an end, but the larger story of Jesus building his church hasn’t. I believe they are right. The story continues today. We, and our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, are writing the next chapter. Jesus is calling all of us to take part in his unfolding story here in Seattle and I hope you will become a part of it. I look forward to seeing you on the 26th.

Because the Tomb is Empty,
Pastor Adam Sinnett
Mars Hill Church | West Seattle Campus

Yesterday, we found ourselves pulling up to Alki on Friday (9/14) looking for a parking spot, yet being torn – to park on Alki or not to park on Alki? Where is my heart at? Has the Gospel taken root in my heart in such a way that it influences all that I do, including how I drive and where I park? For the full story, check out yesterday’s post here. If you took road 1-4, proceed to ending A. If you took road 5, proceed to ending B.

[Ending A]
You find yourself cruising Alki as you determine what the best course of action will be. “Do I park here,” you ask yourself, “agh, I don’t know. I’m late, I’m lazy, no one knows me here, I’m really important, and I have a secret spot that is out of the way”, you think to yourself. Suddenly a spot opens up across from the Alki Bakery. “God must want me to park here”, you think, “wait, maybe Jesus is testing me. If I don’t take it, someone else will.” You pull in and park. You’re feeling pretty good about yourself. You and your buddies are sporting your Mars Hill Church t-shirts. Suddenly a gigantic bolt of lightening comes out of the clear blue sky and fries your car, melting the windows and doors shut. You can’t get out. Meanwhile, the Mars Hill shuttle bus pulls up and unloads. Everyone looks at you and your friends, wondering “why did they park there?” At the same time, all of the other folks who are just hanging out on Alki see you inside your car and think, “I thought Mars Hill was about loving the city, and here are these yahoo’s parking on Alki. Jesus save us from your followers.” You suddenly realize you made a wrong decision and have taken a spot that someone who does not yet know Jesus could have parked in. The story ends with you stuck in the car with your smelly buddies.

[Ending B]
You find yourself cruising Alki as you determine what the best course of action will be. “Do I park here,” you ask yourself, “agh, I don’t know”. Suddenly a spot opens up across from the Alki Bakery. “God must want me to park here”, you think. “If I don’t take it, someone else will. Actually, that’s OK. I’d prefer someone who doesn’t know Jesus take it.” You circle back around, drive up to West Seattle high school, park and hop on the bus just as it is leaving. You see many of your friends and make new ones on the bus. The trip is quick and you realize you’re stress free because you don’t have to worry about parking on Alki and you have a clean conscience. You hop out of the bus and immediately see a car full of guys. Oddly, the car is partially melted with its doors and windows sealed as though with a welding torch. They sit still as if they hope no one sees them, but its hard not to notice a car with foggy windows full of guys wearing Mars Hill t-shirts. “I’m sure they can take care of themselves. Either they decided not to love their neighbors or are some sort of modern art”, you think and excitedly head to the beach where the baptism event is about to start.

Note: Mars Hill Church is having an all-campus baptism event on Friday, September 14th on Alki Beach. The event begins at 6:30PM. Parking and shuttle buses are available from West Seattle High School in the Admiral District. Shuttle buses will run from 5:00PM to 9:00PM. We ask that you carpool, arrive early, bring a picnic and plan to take the shuttle out of love for this community. See you there!

Imagine (I’d ask you to close your eyes, but.well, you get it.) this Friday, Alki Beach, 6:30 PM, the sun is on its way down, the stage is set-up, tunes are spinning, the ocean breeze is strong, 100’s of folks from Mars Hill Church, 100’s of folks not from Mars Hill Church, 100+ folks getting baptized.and you pull up looking for a parking spot. You think to yourself, “What do you do? What do you do?” and are quickly reminded of Keanu Reeves.dang it.you try to remove that thought. It is quickly replaced with something you heard about parking and shuttles being available to and from the West Seattle High School parking lot. You’re stuck. You know that loving the people of West Seattle would include parking and riding the bus. You know that the goal of the Alki Baptism event is to point to Jesus and not a parking problem, but you’re torn. In the spirit of Choose Your Own Adventure, let’s have a conversation with your inner voice.

Road #1: You say, “I’m really late to this event, my friends are waiting for me and I don’t live in West Seattle so I have a good reason and ultimately I won’t see anyone I know.”
Please go to “Ending A”

Road #2: You say, “I actually don’t really care about where I park because, well, I’m lazy. On top of that, where did the rest of these people park? I’m going to take a nap now.”
Please go to “Ending A”

Road #3: You say, “I’m a very special person with special circumstances. I have many leather bound books and a full refrigerator with things you couldn’t afford. Believe me, everyone will understand.”
Please go to “Ending A”

Road #4: You say, “I understand, but I scoped the place out and found a super secret spot that is waaaaay out of everyone’s way. No one will even know.”
Please go to “Ending A”

Road #5: You say, “Honestly, I really want to park on Alki, but I want to love and serve the community of West Seattle as I have been loved and served by Jesus Christ. It’s not a matter of how I feel, praise God that Jesus didn’t make decisions that way. I am called to go out of my way for others because Jesus went out of his way for me.”
Please go to “Ending B”

What will it be? Ending A or B? Find out Here