Chapelccino

Remembering Katrina, and Lakeshore Baptist Church

2009-09-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Pastor Don Elbourne has posted a video clip, showing what he saw when he returned to his church, Lakeshore Baptist in Mississippi, four years ago today. It was the first time he was able to get there after Hurricane Katrina.

A few weeks after this was filmed, Chapel on the Hill sent a team of men (Pastor Bill Breckenridge, Frank Scerbo, Cliff Cherry, Blaise Wylie, Nate Abrams, Jeff D'Angelo, Mark Schoonfield, and Bill Hodgetts) to work in that devastated place. Two more teams of Chapel men went down in subsequent trips (Pastor Bill, Bill Hodgetts, Frank Scerbo, Pat Arthur, Scott Enchelmaier, Jeff D'Angelo, Blaise Wylie, and Mark Schoonfield, and then Pastor Bill, Pat Arthur, Scott Enchelmaier, Mark Schoonfield, Johnny Fabrazzo, Steve Hangge, Marc DiEdwardo, Stan Zimmerman, and Frank Scerbo). Later Pastor Bill and Donna-Jean went down, and then Chapel sent a team of women (Donna-Jean Breckenridge, Maria Hangge, Bethany Abrams, Elisa Fabrazzo, Arleen Zimmerman, and Debbie Capolino).

We also sent down many shipments of food, clothing, school supplies, Christmas gifts, cooking supplies, and cash, all provided by Chapel on the Hill.

We continue to send our prayers. To see what is happening at Lakeshore now, go to Brother Don's church blog: rebuildlakeshore.com

and pray for Lakeshore Baptist Church, and the people of that community, as they continue to share the Gospel and to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Because eternity matters most

2009-05-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

In our church, we pray for people's needs. Most often, the requests have to do with physical concerns, and that's normal.

But what matters most is the heart, and a person's spiritual life.

This weekend, Chapel on the Hill will lead a youth retreat in the mountains of Pennsylvania. We are thrilled to be able to speak to these young people about their walk with God. Make that their 'run' with God, as we focus together on Hebrews 12:1 & 2, and "Looking Unto Jesus."

We ask you to pray for them, and for us!

Leaders: Pastor Bill and Donna-Jean, Bethany and Nate.
Young People attending:
Alison, Matt, Gretchen, Nathan, Samantha, Timothy, Amanda, Mike, Melissa, Johnny, Delora, Andrew, Elizabeth, Jordan, Lindsey, Peter, Hannah, Daniel, Jessica, Mike, Vietta, Michael, Taylor, PJ, Emily, Jerard, and Erick.

Please pray - because eternity matters most!

"I Will Arise"

2009-04-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

Several of Chapel on the Hill's Cross Culture young people presented "I Will Arise," choreographed and directed by Bethany Abrams.

"Death will have no victory..."

It was an incredible night - we praise God for the Chapel Choir, under the direction of Pastor Anderson, as they sang songs of worship and adoration, and also for the message we heard.

The whole world will sing...

Redemption's Story

2009-04-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 8 p.m. at Chapel on the Hill, the Chapel Choir, Cross Culture Drama Group, and Pastor Paul Anderson will present "Redemption's Story."

Because it matters more than anything...

(Our Easter celebration of the Resurrection will begin at 9:45 a.m. Sunday with Chapelccino, then our Morning Worship at 10:30 a.m.)

In Their Own Words

2008-12-27T16:56:00.001-08:00

The people of Chapel on the Hill have sent in their Notes of Praise, telling what our church means to them.

Here are those notes, in their own words.

Coming to church on Sunday helps me to become a better person all week. It is like medication for the spirit. Stop taking it and you go back to your old ways.

I have enjoyed the opportunity of meeting some great people and appreciate the beautiful music.

I have enjoyed singing in the choir and the fellowship of the other choir members has been a blessing to me.

I like Chapel because I like to Praise God there and Sing!

I’m glad I have a special prayer buddy and I likes Chapelccino!!

We are thankful for our wonderful church family and knowing that we are always there for each other.

For me, Chapel has been a place of complete security as I tread through the totally insane world around me.

Chapel on the Hill gives me a chance to serve the Lord – delivering meals to our Christian family, greeting at the door, fellowshipping with our loving Christian family, learning by the preaching, being encouraged by others while we are having our problems, praying for others, getting to meet missionaries, and seeing my own family grow closer to Christ!

We’re visiting family members in another state right now but, as you can see, "you're always on our mind"!!

We thank everybody for their prayers for the healing of those who had ailments, it is so very thoughtful.

Chapel on the Hill is a warm, welcoming family of committed believers. The Ladies Fellowship reaches out to so many needy people with the love of Jesus. The Sharon Bible study means a great deal to me.

Worship and prayer for one another are important at Chapel on the Hill. I felt so covered in prayer when having surgery several years ago and when my mother passed away last summer. So many wonderful things take place at Chapel on the Hill.

Pastor Paul Anderson always brings me back to the Word......for this, I am most grateful and "well with my soul". I praise the Lord for bringing me to Chapel on the Hill.

Chapel on the Hill provides our family a place where the Word of God still remains the main source for guidance and where friends are considered family.

The body of Christ as Chapel teaches me how to seek God daily in our life. Our Pastor seeks the word of God right from the Bible and helps us to use the Scriptures in our walk. Chapel is a very special church and I am very grateful to have it.

I am grateful to have Chapel on the Hill as a home church where the preaching is great and the people are warm and caring.

God has used our Bible preaching pastors at Chapel on the Hill to bring me to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has also used Chapel to give me a faithful praying church family, and Chapel is where I met my Faith Family Child whom I pray for and who gives some of the best hugs around!

I love going to the Chapel. We have been going there since 1977, when we joined the church. It is a safe haven for me. Whenever I need some support and some prayer help I go to my church family.

I thank God for the sound preaching of the WORD, the strong mission ministry both local and around the world, and the prayer life of the church.

There is a great compassion and sensitivity to the trodden, forgotten, and poor, both within the church and in faraway countries. Above all I appreciate the consistent lifestyle of the pastoral leadership and their families, a generous and loving church body, and the multiple opportunities to be of service all for the glory of God .

Chapel on the Hill has changed my life on so many levels that I don't even know where to begin. My fellowship with the Lord has never been stronger. My clarity of what God expects of me is clear now and I have made many new friends that I cherish.

We have personally witnessed the power of prayer, and the fellowship of a church family.

When in a time of facing a crisis or need, that is when you see God’s blessings flow through this church. It's the power of prayer from the people of Chapel on the Hill that has helped us through this past year.

Thank you to Chapel On The Hill for the biblical teaching, the faithful prayer support, and the faith in action shown by those who have helped my wife. A true “family of God”!

I thank God for Chapel on the Hill. I've learned so much from Pastor's teachings and to be in a church where we all have our ups and downs, but to know that we can pray for one another and be there for one another in our family of God means so much.

I thank God we have a teaching pastor who teaches us from the word of God, helping us to see in scripture the love that God has bestowed on us that we are called the "children of God".

I could go on and on about how much Chapel means to me, but what I would truly like to convey is that the powerful, insightful expositions of God's word each week have deepened and strengthened my spiritual roots and drawn me closer to my Saviour each new day.

Pure Joy, Peace. Awe, His Presence amongst His people who show their pure love for their Church Family and genuine prayerful concern for others is what Chapel means to me.

Through rough times, Chapel was always there to offer nothing but genuine love and prayer. I've learned though Chapel that God would see me though all of life's obstacles.

Chapel on the Hill has answered the question for me, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" Yes, He certainly can, and has - for many years. A table where one can be fed and nourished by the faithful preaching and teaching from the Word of God, not fast food, but the kind of spiritual diet that helps you grow and develop into a mature believer. I thank God for this banquet hall where I have never gone away hungry or become malnourished, enabling me to walk each day in His strength and by His grace.

Chapel on the Hill is where unconditional love is shared by those with whom I will spend eternity together with Jesus! Chapel is HOME!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T23:28:00.000-08:00

...from Chapel on the Hill.

Missions Weekend

2008-11-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

It's an exciting weekend at Chapel on the Hill. We are having our Missions Conference - and launching a new ministry called "CUPbearers."

Also, Pastor Anderson has just published his book, "Habitations of Cruelty," chronicling the plight of children in places like Cambodia, Uganda, and Peru, and challenging readers to do something to make a difference in the world.

Check back here soon - we'll have it all for you to see!

Prime Timers!

2008-10-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

At Chapel on the Hill, we have a great deal of emphasis on young people. We have Cross Culture, KidzAction, IGNITE!, V-Clubs, and Salt and Light Club. Not to be outdone, another group has formed: the Prime Timers. Their demographic is a bit older, but just as joyful and enthused.

This past week, Prime Timers met to pray,

eat,

write letters of support to soldiers,

pack up gifts to our military,

focus on the Word,

and just have a great night together.

What a night!

2008-07-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

On my other blog, I write about our V-Club Banquet. Check it out - there are pictures here, too - it was a night to remember! Click here for the link.

The time of singing has come

2008-04-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

Solomon wrote these beautiful words:

For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth,
The time of singing has come.

We've had so very many things to sing about at Chapel lately. We've been especially grateful for the new little lives in our church family.

Nicolette was born on St. Patrick's Day,

and had her church debut on April 6th. Congratulations to Johnny and Elisa, and big brothers Johnny and Anthony - we're so happy for all of you!

And then there's Grace.

We knew ahead of time that her life would be marked by struggle - but that she would also be safely guarded by her Heavenly Father. She was born on January 30th - and she has already had 13 surgical procedures. She is a witness to God's faithfulness, and to answered prayer.

When she came into church for the first time last Sunday,

she caused quite a stir.

Pastor is here with Dennis, Dina, Baby Grace, and big sister Jessica, to sing the song we sing each Sunday, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God."

We thank the Lord that Baby Nicolette and Baby Grace are a part of this Family of God.

Welcome spring

2008-04-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

A Chapel Christmas

2007-12-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a feast - a Christmas feast, at Chapel on the Hill. We've had music, drama, art, film, messages, and food - to say nothing of fellowship, love, and joy.

Our Christmas Celebration began with a musical program on December 14th. After a time of preparation and rehearsal, everything was made ready

for a beautiful evening.

Pastor Anderson led the 30-voice choir in majestic anthems of praise to God,

of rejoicing in the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection.

The candlelit service

also included drama, with a focus on the writings of the Old Testament prophets,

Micah and

Isaiah, and the writer John,

whose Holy-Spirit-inspired theme of "the Word became flesh" echoed in song throughout the sanctuary.

We included Mary and Joseph, and a wonderful duet

of "My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation."

And then it was time for the kids with Pastor Bill, as they rushed in,

carrying over a hundred shoebox gifts, in a re-creation of our yearly participation in Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child.

Pastor Bill spoke for a few minutes about the vision Pastor Anderson has shared for a "CUPBearers" ministry (supporting ministries that seek to reach the enslaved girls of Cambodia, the child soldiers of Uganda, and the street boys of Peru). It's an intense message for Christmas - and when we watched a short movie showing these little boys, drug-addicted and abandoned, living on the streets of Lima, our festive mood darkened. But when we showed the sequel - what Shama House is doing to rescue, rehabilite and (by God's grace) redeem these young souls - the true spirit of Christmas permeated.

Pastor preached of hope - of the importance of getting what's important at this Christmas time, the message of Emmanuel: "God with us."

Afterwards, several of Chapel's people saw a need for one of their Pastors, and met it - in an extraordinary way.

On Friday night the 21st, Chapel opened its first Christmas Art Gallery. What an array of God-given talent, in drawings,

many paintings,
(below by 16 year old Katelynn DeMeo)

sculpture (by 14 year old Nathan Breckenridge),

quilts,

woodcarvings (done by 15 year old Matt Kenny),

origami,

and wordcraft.

The participants enjoyed the Art Gallery

as much as the onlookers.

Afterwards, we had a great Movie Night, watching "The Nativity Story" and eating popcorn.

"Christmas Sunday" brought more preaching of the Word by Pastor,

more singing (from Pastor and Lois doing "The Family of God"

to the choir's concluding "Hallelujah Chorus")

and then a real feast: a Christmas spread like no other.

The church gave gifts to their Pastors - generous, love-blessed gifts. We ate, we laughed, we sang - again (this time

with the Salt and Light Band)

and we had a very special event:

we watched Bethany and Alison

and the Spirit Wars kids

perform a powerful mime to David Phelps' "End of the Beginning."

It was the dessert to the season for us.

A Chapel Christmas.

A body of believers, celebrating the Savior who came to be one of us, so He could die for all of us. We are rejoicing. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Christmas in the air

2007-12-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

The snow fell this past Sunday, and that means Christmas can't be far behind.

Saturday was spent decorating the sanctuary,

working together on props,

and deciding where everything should go.

There was time for conversation,

some rehearsing,

and just hanging out at church.

Saturday night was Cross Culture - which means

games,

fun,

laughter,

and giving thanks.

And of course there was lots of food - both for body

and soul.

Next morning the snow came,

and so did new members to our fellowship.

Monday was a night for more practice - both for the choir

and for the kids

There's excitement in the air - as we anticipate the Salt and Light Showcase this Friday night, Chapelccino and our Worship Service this Sunday, our Christmas Celebration on the 14th, our Art Gallery and Movie Night "The Nativity Story" on the 21st, and our Worship and Lunch-time Dinner on the 23rd.

There's a lot ahead - and in the words of the choir, "Christ is born - sing Alleluia!"

Picture of Praise

2007-11-23T07:21:00.001-08:00

The news is full of stories of those who got up early on Black Friday, to beat the crowds and get the deals. But the news at Chapel was of those who got up early on Thanksgiving Day in order to praise God for His mercy and blessings to us.

With coffee and cider, pastries and oranges, we met for just an hour - but there was no lag, no break in the testimonies. One after another stood, some who have done it year after year, others who for the first time publicly gave praise to God.

There were those who recounted God's faithfulness this past year - whether in miracle pregnancies, surgical recoveries, or mercies following a terrible theft. Others stood to speak of God's care for them in the little, daily provisions of life. Some said they had given up on church - until they came to Chapel, and experienced "authentic Christianity" in the lives of true brothers and sisters in Christ. There were testimonies of gratitude to God for the outpouring of Christian love in our church toward their spouses, their children, their families. And there were those who said it simply for everyone, "I want to say thank you for Jesus Christ."

There are many good ways to celebrate and enjoy Thanksgiving. Those who came out Thursday morning to be with the family of God all believe they had found the best way.

"Suffer the little children..."

2007-11-06T16:36:00.001-08:00

Jesus made it clear that He loved children, and wanted them to be able to approach Him and learn of Him. And so at Chapel on the Hill, we want to be like Him in that way.

Recently we renewed our long-standing prayer program entitled "Faith Family." The idea of our Faith Family is for adults in church to volunteer to pray daily for one of the children of our church. We match up Faith Family prayer partners, and it's exciting to see young people seeking out their "Faith Family" and to greet them each week.

As each adult committed before the Lord to pray daily for one special child, we trusted God to continue to guard, protect, and 'grow' them in Him.

This Sunday at Chapel, we'll extend that concern beyond our walls. It's "Shoebox Sunday," the day we bring in shoeboxes we've filled with gifts for boys and girls around the world, for Operation Christmas Child. This ministry of Samaritan's Purse shares God's love this way around the globe. Last year, 7.6 million shoeboxes were collected and distributed in many different countries. One of those countries was Zimbabwe.

Johnny, a seventh grader at Chapel, received a letter from the boy who received his gift box.

The letter read,

"Hi John. My name is Kida. I am 11 years old. I like to play hockey, cricket and rugby. I am in sixth grade. I really enjoyed the things in the box. I was born on the 25th of September 1995...I also enjoy reading books. Thank you. Please write back and we can be friends or pen pals."

As we send out these boxes, we pray for those who receive them - that they will be introduced to the love of Christ, and that many will come to know Him through the follow-up discipleship program.

This past weekend was the Missions Conference at Chapel. We sat and ate together, listened to presentations from some of our missionary family, and prayed over what we could give in this coming year to support our missionaries and missionary endeavors.

Our focus was on Dick and Kathy Page's ministry to orphans and needy children in Russia (the Pages are seen here speaking to some of the kids at Chapel),

David Virkler's evangelism ministry, the Camp Elim ministry in Haiti, a ministry to People With AIDS in Greenwich Village, Bible translation work in the Philippines, a church plant in the Yukon Territory, ministry to those displaced in the Sudan, and more...

And God is calling us to go even beyond this - especially for the lost children of the world. Pastor Anderson's heart has been moved to action, as he's learned of children in some of the darkest places of the earth. He is writing a book, "Habitations of Cruelty," about young girls trapped in sexual slavery in Cambodia, young boys turned into murderers as child soldiers in Uganda, and children living in the streets in Peru.

Pastor's message from Sunday is here, on Oneplace. His passion is to see these forgotten, invisible children reached with the transforming, rehabilitating power of the Holy Spirit. We look forward as a church family to doing all we can to share the love of Jesus Christ to these young ones trapped in these "Habitations of Cruelty."

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. We want to be part of seeing that happen, by asking God to use us however He can - through praying for our own children at Chapel, through sending out a simple shoebox gift somewhere in the world, and through setting up a ministry of financial and prayer support for those who are fearlessly and faithfully working in these dark places.

Jesus laid His hands on those little children, way back in Bible times. And He's still doing it today. We want to be His vehicles, His vessels...His hands, for the children's sake.

Chapel Summers

2007-07-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

Summertime...and the livin' is - exciting!

Some of Chapel on the Hill's regular programs go on hiatus over the summer - but others kick into high gear.

Chapel's youth group, Cross Culture, had their infamous "Lock-In" - yes, most of the kids stayed up all night! It started out with one of Mr. Mark's legendary tail-gate picnics (the tail gate that's been everywhere from Mississippi to Autumn Blaze...)

The highlight of the night (and that's saying a lot) was Star 99.1's Radio Personality David A. Dein.

David shared with the kids how he got into radio - and what Jesus Christ means to him. His humor, honesty and encouragement were used by God to touch our kids' hearts.

The give-aways were a hit, too!

And what's a Lock-In without going out? We headed over to Boonton for some Midnight Bowling:

laser lights, mirror balls, music, the works.

Then it was on back to church for a snowball fight.

(Snow? in summer? Leave it to Bethany and Nate to come up with this. The snowballs were knee-hi's filled with flour, and tied. And yes, they cleaned it up.)

* * * * * * *

The Ladies Fellowship had their annual Banquet,

with a veritable feast of culinary and baked delights

and an evening of song and message that thrilled and inspired everyone who came.

* * * * * * *

Chapelccino is a monthly celebration at Chapel -

and for Father's Day, the women decided to honor the men with a fabulous spread. They cooked up all the guys' favorites -

French toast, SPAM, made-from-scratch fried doughnuts, and even fruit smoothies, for good measure.

* * * * * * *

Our start-of-summer church picnic was held on the church grounds,

with lots

and lots of food

in sunshiny abundance, and fellowship

from grown-ups

to kids

to the littlest ones...

* * * * * * * *

The newest addition to the Chapel calendar has been our Friday Nights at the Movies. We've had the popcorn machine popping as we've split our sides over Thou Shalt Laugh, and cheered and cried our way through Facing the Giants. This week, we'll travel back in time with Queen Esther in One Night With The King. And in August and September, we'll see the work of Michael Landon, Jr., in Love Comes Softly, sequel Love's Enduring Promise, and the fresh-from-the-theaters and not-to-be-missed powerful adaptation of Francine Rivers' novel The Last Sin-Eater.

* * * * * * * *

Our most important program is on Sunday morning - when we worship together,

sing praises to God,

read His Word

and study it together.

And our Pastor's messages can be heard even if you're not able to join us each Sunday!

Just go on over to Oneplace.com and listen here - our URL is www.oneplace.com/ministries/Chapel_On_The_Hill.

It's summertime at Chapel on the Hill - and the livin' is better than ever!

Thank you, Lord, for Ruth Graham

2007-06-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

For Donna-Jean's memorial on the life and ministry of Ruth Bell Graham, click here.

Praying for Virginia Tech

2007-04-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

Pastor has written to campus missionaries Charles and Susan Pugh at Virginia Tech (we learned of them through Chapel missionaries David and Marilyn Clark who will join them in that ministry on May 1st) and learned of how we can pray specifically. That prayer list is on my blog here - check it out. Also, thanks to Christian radio personality Cindy Swanson
here are some other important links - Campus Crusade's Virginia Tech page (with personal stories of VT students), and Campus Crusade's Call to Prayer.

Chapel on the Hill joins the church worldwide in praying, today and in the days to come, for the families of those killed, those still recovering in the hospital, those survivors who witnessed unspeakable horrors, and those involved in counseling and comforting, in the name of Jesus.

Contemplation on Calvary

2007-03-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

Good Friday - April 6th, 8:00 p.m.

Through Christ's death on the cross, we have been redeemed. Each year, we reflect on that historic incident. Through the ministry of the Chapel Concert Choir and dramatic presentations, we will be drawn back to that memorable moment. The theme of the evening's message from our pastor will be "Cross Purposes."

Easter Sunday - April 8th, 10:30 a.m.

Dramatic anthems will be heard throughout the auditorium. Music that has blessed the hearts of God's people down through the years will be presented by the Chapel Concert Choir. We will also present more contemporary selections that will uplift your spirit and remind you of the significance of the resurrection in today's world. Our pastor's timely message will be on "The Relevance of the Resurrection in this 21st Century."

For more information on Chapel on the Hill, including directions, go to www.chapelonthehill.org.

More Blessed to Give

2007-03-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

We do what we do for the Lord, leaving the results with Him. But sometimes we get to see how our God-directed efforts have blessed others.

This fall, women of all ages from Chapel on the Hill made and sent nearly 500 total hand-knit and crocheted scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, and slippers to Soar International for its annual Stuff-A-Stocking ministry to needy children in orphanages in Russia.

What a blessing to see the pictures of those children opening up the stockings and wearing the gifts we sent them.

Soar International reports that they were able to deliver over 2400 of these stockings (each filled with hygiene items, toys, school supplies, warm clothing, and a Bible). They said they "traveled by bus and train (and even by snow machine in eastern Russia!) to more than 25 different sites in central, northwest and eastern Russia." In some areas SOAR team members even added a clown costume, just for fun.

Pray for the churches and pastors in Russia who worked alongside SOAR and will continue ministering to these children. And pray, too, for the coming Easter Baskets of Hope (go to SOAR for more info) which will be going to Russia April 14-21st. And pray for the children of Russia to know the love of Jesus.

Foundational Work

2007-03-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Back in November, a team of nine men from Chapel on the Hill set off for another missions relief trip to the still devastated-after-Katrina-but-rebuilding Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Pastor Bill Breckenridge, Pat Arthur, Marc DiEdwardo, Scott Enchelmaier, Johnny Fabrazzo, Steve Hangge, Frank Scerbo, Mark Schoonfield, and Stan Zimmerman went to Lakeshore Baptist Church and this time they were able to begin building a home.

"Ms. Peewee" has been living in a FEMA trailer since Katrina hit, over a year ago.

Our men started to work,

to dig, put in cement blocks,

and mix and pour concrete.

They laid the foundation for a new home for her.

By the time they were done, the cement block foundation (with a little memorial "Chapel On The Hill" graffiti) was all in place.

The men prayed with Ms. Peewee, asking God's blessing on her and on the future He has for her in her coming new home.

The guys were also able to work on James' house - putting up drywall and spackling.

It was hard for them to leave - they wanted to continue, but time was up for this trip.

Now that they've been home for awhile, they've learned that other teams have come in and were able to build on their work. Another team came to put up the walls

and still more teams came to continue building this much-needed house.

As we look back on the several Chapel-sponsored trips to Mississippi and the Gulf Coast (Pastor Bill to Louisiana with Samaritan's Purse just a few weeks after Katrina hit, the first men's team in October of 2005, the second men's team in January of 2006, Pastor Bill and Donna-Jean's trip in March of 2006, the women's team in April of 2006, and now this trip), we thank God for the small part we had in helping those whose lives were so rearranged by this disaster. We pray that the foundation of their future is laid by putting all their hope and trust in Jesus Christ. We will not forget them.

(click on any picture to enlarge)

What's Happening at Chapel on the Hill

2007-02-14T19:20:00.000-08:00

God's at work - in our church, in our lives, in our hearts!

"New Beginnings" - Chapel's evening Bible study for women - started last week, and on the first and third Wednesday of each month, Pastor's wives Lois Anderson and Donna-Jean Breckenridge (yours truly) will be teaching on the Women of the Bible.

Our first session was to a packed house (Maria's, that is), where we studied Priscilla, her busy, stressful life, and her passion for making God's Word a priority. "That I may know Him" (Philippians 3:10) is our goal - so we each took the name of another woman there that night, and promised to pray for her each day, that she would draw closer to God and walk with Him more accurately and effectively. Our next study - February 21st - will be on Hannah, and what we can learn from her about prayer.

Not to be outdone, our men met together for a fabulous breakfast - with Lou and Joe and Scott cooking, it had to be great! Along with the great food, they had a time of study and planning - they are truly "Ironmen" (each praying for the other, Proverbs 27:17), "Minutemen" (ready to help, serve, and even go at a moment's notice...whether in Mississippi for Katrina relief or in our own building, with the reflooring they finished last week, or in helping one another), and "Workmen" (II Timothy 2:15 - workmen who don't need to be ashamed because they are rightly dividing the Word of truth). They're putting together ideas for their next way to 'bless' Chapel in a big way, and we're excited about it! (Ask one of them...)

Cross Culture continues to grow in numbers and enthusiasm.

We pray for the youth of our church, and we're grateful to Bethany and Nate and their continued desire to lead, befriend, and disciple them...

...even when they act a little zany.

Our "Friday Night Family Place to be" is Salt and Light Club. Officially for preschool through 6th grade, it's become The Place for anyone and everyone who loves the band, loves the kids, loves the study and movie devo time, loves the fun....

...and loves the Lord.

V-Clubs! That's Valor Club for boys, Virtue Club for girls. It's a complicated time to figure out who you are as a young man or young woman in today's world - and we want our Christian kids to know God's Word in this, and the support of their church family. So what times we've planned for them! The first night was memorable - the boys are still talking about it (ask one of them!) and the girls, too (read a bit about it here, at the end of the article). We'll meet again next week.

SHARON (weekday women's Bible study), Ladies Fellowship, Children's Bible Hour, Chapelccino,

Connections Bible Study (where we take time as a church family to dig deeper and pray more specifically for our church family, our missionary family, our community, our world), our Sunday morning time of worship and praise led by Paul (this week we'll join hundreds of churches across America and around the world in singing "Amazing Grace" in recognition of the 200th anniversary of Christian leader William Wilberforce's fight to end the slave trade...join us in this!), our choir's lifting up of the name of Jesus in song -

and some very wonderful news:

Chapel on the Hill is heading over to Oneplace.com! If you're new to Oneplace, it's the "leading provider of Christian audio content on the Internet" (a great place to go, you can listen to everyone there!) - and very soon, Chapel's weekly messages will be heard there, too (we'll announce it here as soon as we're 'up and running'). We hope to start with Pastor Anderson's message series on the Song of Solomon. It's worth waiting for!

God is so good to us.

Christmas Expectation

2006-12-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

That was the title for this Sunday's morning worship and celebration time: Christmas Expectation, for Christmas was just a week away.

Christmas is coming - are you ready? No, not are all your gifts bought and wrapped - but are you ready for the blessings God has for you this Christmas season?

And once again, our sanctuary was filled with song - "Canticle of Joy" (for each of these music links, scroll down the linked page to Audio Previews and click on 'full-length' to hear the song), "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne",

and "Bethlehem Joy" ("Good news! Great joy! Mary's had a baby boy...").

Some of the Chapel kids and teens came to the front with me

and after seeing how they used to trim trees in the 'days gone by' (Pastor Bill's childhood Christmas home movie!)

we made our own version of a "Crismon Tree" - apparently it's the 50th anniversary of this tradition, but our first time at it, and so we had made "crismons" (Christ monograms - gold and white handmade ornaments that depict names of Christ or aspects of His life and power). Different women and girls in the church made each of ours in counted cross stitch

(there were no pattern books I could find anywhere - so I 'clicked to enlarge' the crismons shown here and figured out the patterns from looking at the pictures.)

The Chapel kids hung the crismon ornaments on two of the trees and added candy canes as well, to remind us of the shepherds who were the first to worship Christ.

Paul D'Angelo and the choir sang the moving song "Who Is This King?" -

Who is this King
That sets the captives free?
Who is this King
Who makes the leper clean?
Who is this King
who has the power
to forgive the darkest sin?
Jesus is His name...

as our hearts were softened to hear the Word of God preached with power and the anointing of God.

Our messages are rich - there is no other word for them. We have heard about the tetragrammaton - the holy name of God, and the hypostatic union - the complete divinity and humanity of Christ in which He retained all of His divine nature but humbled Himself and became poor (not royal, not even middle class, but poor), for us...totally human yet still totally God -

and Pastor presented these truths in such a way that young and old, visitor and Chapel family member, could thrill to them as much as to the music and the setting.

And when the service was over, we feasted!

Instead of our usual 'potluck,' we had a first-time Christmas Family Dinner catered by Eight Hills in nearby Verona. One hundred and fifty of us gathered downstairs for chicken savoy, roast beef, meatballs, penne vodka, salad, fruit and cheese platters and more. A banquet worthy of the occasion...

Chapel people brought desserts (what a spread that was!)

and we even had a special treat -

the cotton candy machine we had used that Friday for our Salt and Light Night at the Movies (we showed the kids "Best Christmas Pageant Ever" to cotton candy and popcorn)

- and everyone got into the act.

What fun we had...

Pastor and Lois, still romancing after fifty years of marriage...

Then it was time for the Salt and Light Band -

and Steve Kropa, Mark Schoonfield,

Matt Kenny and Pastor Bill played, while Bethany Abrams and the kids got us all singing.

* * * * * *

And it's not over yet. Each Monday night, the Chapel Choir has been rehearsing for these December Sunday Celebrations.

It's a lot of work, as Pastor, the sound guys, and the choir work together to prepare for these presentations. But something happens in these rehearsals. God meets in extraordinary ways. When the choir sang their songs for this Sunday, Marilyn Schmidt sang "Birthday of a King,"

and Stan Zimmerman and Paul D'Angelo practiced their powerful "My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation,"

the presence of the Lord was in that place. We could scarcely speak, we were so aware of Him.

This Sunday is something to look forward to - we can't wait to receive the blessing God wants to give us, and we can't wait to tell the story we must share.

Chapel on the Hill is located at 560 Ridge Road (across from the reservoir) in Cedar Grove, New Jersey - and our Sunday morning celebration will be at 10:30 a.m.

A Continuing Celebration

2006-12-13T06:15:00.000-08:00

Chapel on the Hill is continuing its week-by-week celebration of the Incarnation of Christ with song, drama, message, and food. On Sunday, the foyer was filled with the camaraderie of fellowship

as we ate together in our monthly "Chapelccino" coffee time (Sandra, Maria, and Dina),

and heard the strains of Christmas carols sung by Stan and Michael, with Phyllis accompanying.

When the service began, the 27-voice choir sang words that have lingered with us throughout the week:

Just to think such royalty would come the way He came,
In a dusty little town.
Born in such humility upon a bed of hay,
Certainly He laid His glory down.
Who would think this little child would be the promised One?
Certainly this was no birth place for the Son of God!
Isn’t it amazing the way He came? No crown, no throne, no big parade?
There were no fanfares played, no jubilant display.
Isn’t it amazing how He came?

Mark, David, and Nate dramatized the prophets Isaiah and Micah and the apostle John,

as they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write, and the choir sang "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us."

Pastor's message followed the lyrics he led the choir in singing:

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God on high
Would drain the ocean dry,
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky."

He spoke on the "river of reconciliation" that flows from the Old Testament books straight through the Gospels, and how Christmas has always been in the heart of God.

It's in our hearts now, too - and we look forward to this Sunday, to another Christmas Celebration, as we gather the children of Chapel in decorating a "Crismon Tree," sing the praises of our newborn King, and then have a Christmas Dinner together.

A Celebration

2006-12-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

At Chapel on the Hill, we have had a Christmas Eve service for many, many years. It's always been a spectacular night - with us attempting to offer our very best as gifts to the Lord in music, drama, beauty, and Christmas joy.

In the last year or two, though, we've had a harder time reaching the people we want to, due mainly to the hour. Christmas Eve around here has become a time for families to stay home. What we have is a message we want to share, not just keep to our selves. So - we adjust.

We've been planning for this for months. It usually begins some gloriously sunny summer afternoon at the family cottage on Lake Ontario - when the Pastor starts in with, "This is what I've been thinking about for Christmas," - and come fall, the choir begins their work of learning songs week after week.

The result is that this year, in lieu of one Christmas Eve night service, we will celebrate Christmas for all five Sunday mornings in December. To make it look like that special evening program, we've re-done the sanctuary to look like night-time - blocking the windows and creating the ambiance of that special night.

All day this past Saturday, we decorated. Many, many of our Chapel people were there. It was a busy place - with ladders, saws, strings of lights, wreaths, new ideas, and an ever-present pot of coffee brewing...

By afternoon, the effect was dazzling. There was Christmas in the air, as it was already in our hearts. But one moment stood out.

While some were covering windows to keep out the brightness, others wrapping strands of lights around the trees, and still others figuring out where to hang wreaths and other decorations, another family walked in to help.

Mark, Lenka, and twelve-year-old Elizabeth stood in the foyer, and as word spread that they'd arrived, one by one the workers went to them - to hug them in that strong embrace that often says more than any words can express.

Late the night before, after our Friday night Salt and Light Club where Mark played his guitar and sang, he received a phone call saying that his brother Drew, who lived a distance away, had died suddenly, leaving behind a wife and three young children. It was shocking news, and very hard to absorb. We had heard of it just that morning, and had been telling each one as they arrived.

Mark later said it made sense to not just sit home that day - that they wanted to be with their church family. And so, we all worked together - sometimes through tears, but always with love and understanding.

On Sunday morning, Mark, Lenka, Elizabeth, Mark's dad and his other brother David sat down front in church. Often there were tears - and not just when news of their loved one's death was announced at a point in the service. But they were there - with family, the family of God, receiving their support and prayers, and also demonstrating to them something Mark and Lenka had learned exactly four years before with the shocking stillbirth of their baby daughter Anna - that God is with us in our grief, and will be with us no matter what.

God with us. Sounds like Christmas.

Jesus Christ - the eternal second Person of the Godhead, as the Bible teaches - came to earth as a tiny human baby, so we could see and know - and be redeemed by - God.

He came to save us from our sins, yes. And He came to conquer death - the very death that steals families of fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers.

Drew is with God - but God is with us. And that in essence is the Christmas message - that Jesus came so we could know God, and be with Him forever. Not even death can destroy that truth.

Tomorrow, one family will say goodbye to a dearly loved member. It seems an added grief to have to do that in the midst of poinsettias and little twinkling white lights. And yet - Christmas is the reminder that Jesus came, He wants to come into our hearts and lives, and He is coming again.

It's a message we will celebrate, we will share, in joy and in sadness, for all the Sundays of December, and every day of our lives.