I am sure with everything that is happening, whether we see it or not, that the foundations are shaking for many current members. I know that many of us have friends and family members that still attend Mars Hill. Please join me in praying specifically for the members and staff this week.
Here are specific ways we are praying, (from our Pray Page):
For Us:
For Us:
- That God would give us wisdom and discernment in administrating this blog
- That our hearts would stay humble and our intentions pure
- That God would help us to forgive the CG leader, pastor, and friends who hurt us and have shunned us.
- That He would bring closure where possible and healing where necessary.
- Protection
For Others:
- That they would find the truth that sets them free
- That they would find healing and comfort in Christ and a healthy place to worship
- For those who are starting to have red flags but have not begun their exodus, that the Holy Spirit would guide them in all truth and give them wisdom
- For the families who have been harmed because a loved one has cut them off since joining Mars Hill
For Mark Driscoll & Mars Hill:
- That Mark would come to truly experience what GRACE means and be set free from the law.
- That he would repent and take responsibility for his twisting of the Word and for the abuses that happen under his leadership.
- That people who have been deceived for years would begin to see the problems with Mars Hill's structure and find their way out.
- For those who have not yet signed the "Membership Covenant"...that they would prayerfully search the Word and discern for themselves what is biblical.
- That members would come to know the GRACE, LOVE, MERCY and kindness of God.
My husband and I have a daughter who has bought into the Mark's Hill...uh, I mean, Mars Hill mantra. Quit college like they told her to, married who they told her to, sacrificed friends and family who have disagreed with the counsel, etc. We are a God-fearing family who would do anything to help her see the folly of Mars Hill. We agree with and will pray for her as well as other Mars Hillians as noted on today's blog. Does anyone have advice on anything else we can do without alienating our relationship with her?
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
DeleteFirst let me say that I am so sorry you are going through this. The shame in this situation as a good friend has pointed out, is that Mark/Mars Hill leads members into spiritual pride, and a belief that their way of believing, interpreting scripture, etc. is THE right way. It makes it very difficult to get someone who is immersed in the culture to listen. But it is NOT hopeless!
If you can email me at freefrommarshill@gmail.com, I can give you the information of a counselor who has offered to work with us. She is mentioned in this post: http://marshillrefuge.blogspot.com/2012/03/exciting-opportunity.html
As for my personal advice, I would not do anything that would cause her to cut you off at this point. Has she seen any of the stories of spiritual abuse? How about the Petry's blog? Is there any way to bring them to her attention without alienating her? We would love to commit to praying for her specifically, so if you can email me a first name (it can be an alias, God knows who she is) we would love to come along side you.
Thank you for caring. Her name is Sally. I will email you Sophia.
DeleteThanks again.
http://www.elizabethesther.com/2012/03/what-to-do-if-your-child-gets-sucked-into-a-cult.html
DeleteThis is a helpful blog post on this topic.
~s
I am so sorry to hear that anonymous. I will be praying for you as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sophia that it could be a good idea to bring her attention to these things and encourage her to do what she feels is best with the information. From what we have seen with Mars Hill they will be telling her exactly how to live her life. mMy hope is that she will know of your concern, and it can shed some light on things she sees while she is there. I had friends who did this with me while I was attending Mars Hill and it definitely helped me to get out of there sooner.
Obviously you know your daughter best though, and this might not work for her. I hope this is resolved for you both soon!
this is a great list. i would only add prayer for grace driscoll. my heart is really going out to her in all this. she has certainly been a victim and maybe also a victimizer. may the light of Jesus shine all around her that she would see truth and grace in the face of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the comment, I thought I knew exactly who anonymous was talking about. But now I am wondering if this is how Mars Hill works, as I also know of a young woman who ended up quitting college, marrying someone involved with the church, and they are now very involved within the church. There were even people "standing guard" who were not going to allow her parents to come to the wedding (pictures where passed around). Kind of strange mantra for a church that wants to grow--assuming with the young couple's potential family to be--only to alienate family. Sounds like a cult to me. Cutting off family, college, old friends.
ReplyDelete