What is your role at MHC?

Mainly marriage related ministry, including pre-marriage, but also helping singles sort out life issues.

Tell us about your family:

Married Julia 9/3/71. We had 2 sons the usual way, then adopted a beautiful baby girl from Korea in 1982. We have 4 grandsons and 5 granddaughters. I have one remaining sibling, a sister who lives in Alaska.

When did Jesus change your life?

About age 10-12, door to door evangelists got me…

How has your life changed since meeting Jesus?

Slowly…

Tell us how you came to be at Mars Hill, as a visitor, member, and elder:

My life between 1999 and 2003 was a dark tunnel, as a series of events shook me up pretty well. I lost my parents and my older sister, the company I worked for (Alaska Airlines) lost an airplane, and 9/11 changed the world. I became very cynical about church and checked out after 28 years. First came to MH in late 2003, and went through the membership process a few years later. I retired in 2005, and felt God was calling us to leadership. I started the eldership process in 2006, finished in 2008.

What is your biggest challenge in this ministry?

People who don’t know who they are after the cross.

What is your greatest joy while serving in this ministry?

Seeing lives changed by the Gospel.

Please share a favorite quotation:

The orgasm has replaced the cross as the focus of longing and fulfillment. –Muggeridge

What books have fueled your thinking or challenged you in the last few years?

• Desiring God by John Piper
• Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
• Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharius

What’s your favorite/preferred genre of music?

Still like U2, Hornsby

What’s your favorite Seattle-area eatery?

Palisade

What’s your favorite scripture? Why?

The narrative of David in 2 Sam 11 and 12, as it reveals the capacity and propensity we all have to sin.

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Check out Pastor Bill’s blog posts here and his original “Meet A Pastor” blog from June ‘08.