With the day that was two years in the making coming to a close, Downtown Bellevue is not the same as it was yesterday. The past week was filled with a whirlwind of permitting, final inspections, and move-in details. God has proven himself to be good over and over again—one of the most visible ways being that our final city inspection was performed by a former Mars Hill Church Olympia member. It was favor with the city in a very real and powerful way. Today, coffee shops opened early in anticipation of the rush that was expected, restaurants adjusted their staffing, and local city officials attended our soft launch services with our core congregation.

Downtown Bellevue donations for the Salvation Army food drive

After two years of praying, planning, and many times even pleading for a new home, about 1,300 adults and 350 kids came together at the new Mars Hill Church Downtown Bellevue to celebrate and remember Jesus Christ. It was only our soft launch, but we were maxing out Kids’ Ministry rooms and filling our balcony.

We asked Nick Lathe, our worship director, about why he’s excited for the new building: "The effect of having permanent location for our bands is unmistakable, as it gives us a place to rehearse and hone our music with creativity, instead of spending hours with setup and teardown," he said. "It will be exciting to see bands express more creativity, see more bands form, and to have a much larger space in which to see the people of God worship Jesus every week."

It’s the days like this that we will remember forever. Not because of a beautiful new building, but because when God’s people gather, lives are changed, marriages are reconciled, and hearts are made new.

As Pastor Thomas said today, "Mars HIll Downtown Bellevue isn’t about a big building—we’re about community. The Community Groups at our church are caring for one another, speaking the gospel into one another’s lives, and ultimately are very much the hinge point on which everything at Mars Hill Church thrives. As we move forward, we’re praying for our community in the city of Bellevue to be deeply impacted by the Community Groups of Mars Hill Downtown Bellevue."

Ultimately, what changed the Eastside today is not a new building, or a new address. What changed Downtown Bellevue, just as is true with every other city in the world, is the gospel of Jesus. And that is good news worth sharing. What does "soft launch" mean? In this case, it means that today there were special inaugural services for the Mars Hill Downtown Bellevue's core congregation. Next Sunday, October 30, however, will be the big Grand Opening, where everybody is invited. Pastor Mark will be joining us to preach live all day and we’ll be doing baptisms. RSVP on Facebook here. Jason Skelton is the executive deacon at the Downtown Bellevue church.