This is the seventh in a series of posts by the Mars Hill campus pastors looking at how God has moved across Mars Hill Church during 2009. Pastor Dave Bruskas is the campus pastor from the Albuquerque campus. We began our year as City on a Hill Church with big dreams and bold prayers; no one could have guessed that in a few short months we would be united with 8,000 brothers and sisters in the Pacific Northwest through a big family called Mars Hill Church. What a difference a year makes! And, it has been a bountiful year full of grace, both big and small.  Allow me to highlight two:

Those Who Stayed

Over the years I have watched followers of Jesus switch churches over trivial issues such as music styles, paint schemes, service times, and even preferred bible translations. In a culture where people switch churches like profile pictures on Facebook, the overwhelming majority of City on a Hill members stayed together and made the transition to Mars Hill Church. For those who didn’t switch churches this time, the church switched on them. They stayed, joined the mission, worshipped, served, and gave. New communities with both new and old leaders were created by including new people. Their reward is and will be Jesus, His glory, and the impact His kingdom brings through their commitment.

Those Who Came

We have had a 46% increase in people joining us weekly for public worship during the first five months as Mars Hill Church Albuquerque. This past weekend alone, we entertained families from Houston, Texas and Wichita, Kansas who may relocate to join us on mission. One couple from Arizona has even bought a downtown condominium as an act of faith and will be with us as our newest members soon. There have been 70 people baptized this year and we are praying for 100 before the calendar reads 2010. Each and every week we are seeing first-time guests join community groups and watching lives transform. Men, women, youth and children are turning from sin and trusting Jesus. Momentum is building as we work to spread the gospel through campus expansion and church planting in our city, state, region, and around the world. Our countless evidences of grace originate from the same place - Jesus! He gets the glory He deserves and we get the joy we desire (Ephesians 3:20-21). What a year it has been! I can’t even begin to guess what 2010 will bring.