Grace Upon Grace: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Chapel Hill Bible Church

GRACE UPON GRACE

1970-2020

of god’ s provision, pr e se nce , and promises at th e ch ape l h i ll bi ble church

Grace Upon Grace fift y y e ars o f go d’ s prov i s i o n, p re s e n ce , and pro mi s e s at the c hape l hi l l bi bl e church

Table of Contents 05 DED IC ATION 3

06 A LETTER TO THE FAMILY

08 OU R FOU ND ING

12 OU R S TORY

100 VIS ION FOR THE FU TU R E 98 A ND B ENED ICTION

100 AC K NOWL ED G EMENTS 100

The story told in this book has one author: the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Therefore, it is to Him that this book is dedicated.

To Him be all the glory.

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A Letter to the Family After a bit of a delay with the extraordinary year of a pandemic, cultural unrest, financial and vocational upheaval, and even ecological turmoil, let’s celebrate our fiftieth anniversary as a church!

Okay, seriously, let’s celebrate…even amidst all the hardship of this past year! The fact that this book is actually being presented in our fifty-first year because of a delay caused by a once-in-acentury, culture-exploding moment puts us in a context to celebrate our only true hope, namely, God Himself. A season like this puts us squarely in line with how most of the people of God have lived throughout most of history, not least those recorded in the Scriptures. Even though times were hard, God’s people were called to rejoice, and the Jubilee year was a whole year of reminder

J AY T H O M A S Lead Pastor Chapel Hill BIble Church

and promise — that one day soon God was going to set the world to rights! So, this Jubilee year, delayed, hard, and with us still digging out at the time of this book’s publishing, we are going to celebrate because we have God, grace, and glory.

The history of the Chapel Hill Bible Church, the present, and our future are about those three things: God, grace, and glory.

God is the reason for the Chapel Hill Bible Church. Several young people decided that

God’s name needed to be lifted up in Chapel Hill in the early 1970s. So, a prayerful, faithful, and enthusiastic group of young adults, at various places and stages of life, followed God and staked a flag for the gospel of God in this city. The plan was never to build a monument to human effort, planning, creativity, or power, but rather the point of this church would be the Triune God. To that end, the teaching and preaching of God’s word would be a priority, and it was. It is. It will be. In light of God’s word, the gospel would be

As you trace the hand of God upon the Chapel Hill Bible Church...my prayer is that you will delight in God, grace, and glory.

prized, and love would be the main carrier of that message, in word and deed. Chapel Hill Bible Church was planted to be a God-centered church. We celebrate God, therefore, above all in this Jubilee year.

God’s grace is our story. It is our story, and we are going to stick with it! The Bible’s storyline is about one main hero, Jesus, and how God has promised to save through Jesus by grace. Grace means that God saves and works in our lives because of who He is and what He has done.

Grace is our culture and our hope. Even when we don’t live out grace perfectly as a church — and we don’t — guess what? There is grace for our imperfection, and grace enables our conviction, repentance, and growth! Our church was founded upon the notion that God’s grace must be constantly pointed to, for it is so very easy to make Christianity into a religion of works, rather than a relationship based on God’s grace. Our church is made up of sinners, broken people with broken lives, people who cannot save themselves…people who need grace. Let us be thankful that the gospel of grace was, is, and will be a hallmark of our community.

We celebrate God’s grace through the work of Christ on the cross and in his ascended glory this Jubilee year.

When God is made central and His grace is rejoiced in, then one really important thing happens…God gets glory. In some measure this is just another way of saying our desire is to be God-centered but it bears mentioning as a unique trait, too. CHBC is a testament to God’s glory, for, you see, our very Christian lives are living examples that this True and Living God has given grace to the world. We are the results of that grace and of that very real God! And in

We celebrate God, therefore, above all in this Jubilee year. that way, we are containers of that glory, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3-4. There are several key ingredients for a healthy church, but I think there is one main ingredient that holds it all together, and if churches will stick to that one ingredient as best they can, that church will be a place of beauty, goodness, and truth — the glory of God. Churches that aim to glorify God in all they do are situated in a safe place. In a world like ours, this is becoming increasingly tested, and seems

impossible at times. There is so much else clamoring for our attention or at least to be prioritized, even good things. But God’s glory is the ultimate thing. We exist for this glory. So, what are we to do to stay on course? We must trust God. We must preach grace.

We must celebrate God for God’s sake, or put another way, we must stick to the charter — to bring glory to God. So, let us celebrate the glory of God this Jubilee year!

As you trace the hand of God upon the Chapel Hill Bible Church in the pages of this book — through pictures and words — my prayer is that you will delight in God, grace, and glory.

Every person, memory, moment, test, breakthrough, challenge, hope, life, death, and story represented in this humble offering is about those three things. May we move into our next chapter with those three things as our forever anchors. ✺

Jay Thomas

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OUR FOUNDING B y H a nk Le s e s ne

Back in the late 1960s, many evangelical Christians in the Chapel Hill area were attending Blacknall Presbyterian Church and Cresset Baptist Church, both located in Durham. The pastor of Blacknall, Ed Henegar, had “ridden the circuit” in Kentucky before coming to Blacknall.

Several of us asked Ed if he would like to “ride the circuit” again, and he quickly said yes.

landscape architecture from Iowa State, and had been involved in student ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ (now known as Cru). We spent all the money we had as a church to bring him and his wife Ceecy to town for a weekend in June. The evening after his departure, we voted nineteen to zero to call him to join us in ministry.

After several meetings of interested folks, we decided to begin meeting at Gerrard Hall on UNC’s campus on November 1, 1970. The venue was offered to us for $10 per week. Fred Brooks, then chair of the computer science department, worked this out for us. (Later, we also used Phillips Hall for adult Sunday school classes!)

Services began at 9am. Ed would lead us and then return to Blacknall for his usual service there. After eight weeks, the Orange Presbytery asked Ed to stop “riding the circuit.” Ed reluctantly agreed but continued to be involved with our fellowship.

Over the next six months, various people led our services and we struggled to continue. The

congregation was mainly composed of students from various campus ministries. At a meeting in March, Elaine Eckel encouraged us to seek out a pastor, or else we should go back to our previous churches. After sending out requests, we interviewed a couple from Grace Seminary in Indiana. They were very nice, warm folks, but they had no experience working with students and no way to hold another job. We agreed to not extend an invitation. In May of 1971, a letter from Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) arrived describing five candidates.

DTS was known for its emphasis on teaching, explaining, and applying the word of God. Jim Abrahamson was the first candidate listed.

He was from South Dakota, had a degree in

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Several days later, he accepted the call. He and Ceecy moved to Chapel Hill to begin what would become twenty-eight years of serving with us in the Triangle area. As for finances, we passed around a bucket seeking contributions for Jim’s salary. Blacknall had also pledged to help us with $500 per month for six months. It was enough to get started.

Jim was a wonderful expository teacher of the Bible. He used an overhead projector and his own artistic talent to illustrate what he

taught and apply it to the present time. This, coupled with times of sharing in response to his sermons, the development of small groups for growing in Christ and supporting one another, and working with campus ministries (including Intervarsity, Cru, and the Navigators) led to growth among the entire fellowship of CHBC. Jim did not want to have a second job in addition to pastoring, so Ceecy worked as a bank teller. They found a quiet duplex in Carrboro and worked hard at ministry. Jim often made campus his “office,” spending much time at the Student Center and Woollen Gym. The development of the church constitution took several long nights in an upstairs room at Woollen Gym with the elders and the help of several Bible Church constitutions from Alabama and California.

The most important thing that can be said about the beginnings of CHBC is this: to God be the glory, for He has done great things!

Over the next 10 years, God blessed us tremendously. CHBC has always been about the fellowship of believers. So, I want to highlight some of those people who left marks on our community. Our founding elders included Paul Dunham (a physical education professor), J. Lee Hoffer (a medical student), Wright Doyle (a doctoral student in classics), and Hank Lesesne (a medical resident). Their wives were Sandy Dunham, Paula Hoffer, Dori Doyle, and Jean “Bootsie” Lesesne, respectively.

Ray Stedman’s book Body Life helped us organize and implement small groups.

Mary Francis Boyce blessed us by leading worship early on. Then, Chip and Doris Stam ministered to us. Lawson Wynne and his wife Leone joined us and started several ministries: the prayer chain, the service chain, Merge Group (for soon-to-be-married couples), the Missions Prayer Supper, the Men’s Prayer

Breakfast, and children’s Sunday School. They opened their home for these projects. George and Ann Coxhead joined us and we used their home often for annual meetings, potlucks, and dances. George was an insurance salesman; Ann taught dance and knew many wonderful games.

Fred and Nancy Brooks, members of Orange United Methodist Church, supported us in many ways. Fred arranged for our first meeting venue, Gerrard Hall, and Nancy often played music in our orchestra during celebration times like Easter. Fred and Cherry Parker helped us through their work at UNC Hospitals to start a worship service on the UNC Rehabilitation Unit. Peter and Pam Uhlenberg demonstrated God’s love as they adopted fourteen children after having two biological sons. Most of the employees of the Logos Christian Bookstore attended CHBC, so when customers asked whether they knew of a nearby evangelical church, those employees were able to steer the customers to CHBC! The Hoffers urged us to support missionaries right off the bat, and thus began our love of serving throughout the state and our world. We started by supporting mission agencies, including Trans World Radio and OMF, but when a number of members expressed a desire to serve in missions, we began sending only those we knew well and contributed to a large percentage of their financial support. (What a great journey this has been with short- and long-term missionaries

ever since!) In the mid-1970s, there was an annual “small group Olympics” which pitted small groups together in various outdoor challenges including Bible drills, a three-legged race, and more. We had many fun times like these together.

God blessed us tremendously.

CHBC has always been about the fellowship of believers.

In 1975, we began searching for land on which to build a new church building. We found two and a half acres on Mason Farm Road, which the Episcopal Church owned but had not built on. Through the generosity of the fellowship, we had sufficient funds to buy this land, and we began work on a new building, which opened in 1979.

The most important thing that can be said about the beginnings of CHBC is this: to God be the glory, for He has done great things! May He continue to lead CHBC into the future until our Lord returns. ✺

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OUR STORY B y m at t g ille s kie

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The first page of the 1995 edition of the CHBC members’ handbook highlights Romans 12:4-8.

Inside the handbook is a brief summary of these verses. It reads, “The body of Christ, the church, is a unique organism in that each member is a vital part, necessary to its proper functioning.

Each member has been given particular gifts, abilities, and interests that are to be used in the ministry of the church. You count and are needed.”

In the following pages, you will read about individuals who have publicly contributed to the Chapel Hill Bible Church. You will read about building expansions and the growth of ministries. You will read about community organizations and church plants with origins in our church. You will read, in short, about the institutional development of a local church over its fifty-year history.

Those institutional developments have undeniably shaped the Bible Church in the fifty years since its founding. However, we cannot document in these pages the countless, private acts of love that have defined this fellowship of sinners redeemed by Christ. You will not see the timely words of encouragement spoken by one member to another after a worship service. You will not see the conversation over coffee that resulted in one’s conversion to Christ. You will not see the diligent, secret prayer offered before the break of day for members of this fellowship.

You will not see the acts of service that sustained members of this family through suffering.

Our church is more than a set of programs or paid staff. It is the assembly of those whom the Father has graciously called to Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. Its ministry is the fruit of our redemption in Christ expressed in a shared life of love. The staff members, buildings, programs, and community services are

important and worthy of recognition. But they are merely public expressions of the love that this fellowship has for one another.

I regret that these pages fail to chronicle every ministry, every member, every missionary, and every act of love that have defined the Chapel Hill Bible Church over its fifty-year history. Both the limits of space in this volume and my own awareness preclude recognition of these worthy people and their faithful service. So, I humbly ask that as you read, you would remember these words from the 1995 CHBC members’ handbook: “the history of the Bible Church cannot be captured by numbers or property...

Its history is in its people.” And its people are in Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit in accordance with the Father’s will. Ultimately, therefore, everything in this volume is offered for the glory of our great God and Savior. I pray that as you read, you will rejoice in God’s grace to this fellowship. ✺

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01 NOVEMBER 1970

Our First Sunday Morning Gathering

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After meeting in Paul and Sandra Dunham’s home since October 10, 1970, the small congregation that would become CHBC requested to meet in Gerrard Hall on UNC’s campus. Their request was granted, and they held their first service there on November 1, 1970. Ed Henegar, pastor of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, NC, preached. There were fifty-four people in attendance.

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1 8 J U LY 1 9 7 1

Jim Abrahamson, Our First Teaching Pastor Not long after the church’s first meetings,

to lead the service each week. The

Ed Henegar was no longer able to preach

church chose to call a pastor. J. Lee

regularly. Our fledgling congregation

Hoffer conducted the search. Dallas

was left with a few options. They could

Theological Seminary notified him of

disband; they could dissociate into small

Jim and Ceecy Abrahamson.

group Bible studies; they could call a pastor; or they could continue meeting as

Jim and Ceecy traveled to Chapel

they had been — calling a different man

Hill in June to visit the church. Jim

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Jim faithfully led CHBC as the Teaching Pastor for over twentyfive years.

candidated for the office of pastor on Sunday, June 7, 1971. He preached a sermon on the subject of trials in the Christian life and taught a Sunday school class on how to determine God’s will. The

search committee met after he and Ceecy’s visit and voted unanimously to call him as their pastor. Jim and Ceecy accepted, and Jim preached his first sermon July 18, 1971.

It was entitled, “What Is This Thing Called Love?” from John 13.

Jim faithfully led CHBC as the Teaching Pastor for over twenty-five years. Using his trademark overhead transparencies, he exposited God’s word for the edification of the body and for God’s glory. Through his work as pastor and fidelity to Scripture, God grew the Bible Church fellowship from a small gathering to an established gospel-preaching church with a lay-centered ministry eager to serve its community. Jim and Ceecy’s ministry was and is a gift from God to our fellowship.

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30 JANUARY 1972

Joining God’s Mission “These goals may sound ambitious for a

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committed to join God on His mission to the

group not large in number, but our God is

Triangle and the world. The fellowship shared

not small.” Thus wrote Jim Abrahamson

Jim’s trust. To further God’s mission, the

in CHBC’s 1971 annual report after

church convened its first annual meeting on

laying out ambitious goals for the small

January 30, 1972. We adopted a governance

church’s gospel witness to the Chapel Hill

structure, appointed elders (Hank Lesesne,

community. His comment displayed his

J. Lee Hoffer, and Gerald Stone — Dan Garvin

trust in God’s promises, not to the Chapel

and Paul Dunham had also served on the

Hill Bible Church as an institution — God

Acting Board), and contributed funds for

can use any instrument He chooses — but

missions. All the while, our God, who “is not

to the fellowship of God’s people who had

small,” was at work.

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Serving the Campus

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21 JANUARY 1973

Our Early Growth Our second annual congregational meeting took place on January 21, 1973. In the previous twelve months, our fellowship had grown from 130 attendees to 300. The rapid growth would continue in the following years — there were over 400 names in our directory by 1975. In order to keep pace with the growing fellowship, CHBC as an institution had to develop. On January 20, 1974, our first

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deacons were nominated and confirmed: Doug Johnston, Malcolm MacGregor, Dick Wilson, and Lawson Wynne. Various committees ensured that members were cared for and were caring for others.

In addition to these steps of growth, our fellowship felt led to expand its ministry to the wider Chapel Hill community. Up to this point, the majority of the fellowship were college students. To expand the scope of our ministry, however, we needed a suitable building, especially one that could accommodate children’s Sunday school classes. So, we began to pray and to fundraise.

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FALL 1974

Small Groups In a large church, it is necessary to “shrink the church,” so to

and the surrounding community as God called them to do so.

speak — to ensure that every member has meaningful friendships

In fact, small groups were so pivotal in equipping members for

within the congregation. From our earliest days, small groups

ministry that the elders could write in March of 1977 that “the

(now called life groups) have been used to achieve this end. By

small groups within the church structure form the core of our

October of 1974, ninety members of our congregation were

ministering body.”

involved in eleven small groups. Initially, the book Body Life by Ray Stedman shaped CHBC’s practice of small group meetings.

This dual emphasis remains a value of life groups at CHBC

This book commended small groups as a means to promote

today. To be sure, these groups are intended for the edification of

Christian friendship within the church and also to energize the

members of the body and the establishment of robust Christian

mission of the church to its surrounding community. In smaller

fellowship, but they are also meant to unleash members’ unique

groups, members could band together to serve the church body

gifts for the good of our community.

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SAU D I ARABIA

T A I WA N

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JANUARY 1977

Our Sending and Support of Missionaries

COLOMBIA 27

Although our church was composed

church grew, so did its desire to support

mostly of students early on, we prioritized

foreign missionaries. This was reflected

giving to missions endeavors. From the

in the missions budget, which grew from

outset, these included campus ministry

$2,400 in 1972 to $15,000 in 1977. At this

workers and organizations involved in

point, we were sending and supporting

international missions. But gradually,

missionaries from our own congregation

members of our fellowship sensed calls

to England, Singapore, Indonesia, Papua

to full-time missionary work. As the

New Guinea, Brazil, and elsewhere.

COLOMBIA MIDDLE EAST

WEST GERMANY

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09 OCTOBER 1977

Baptisms

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“A picnic and baptismal service are planned for the afternoon of October 9, tentatively scheduled for Clearwater Lake.” That sentence is from the October 1977 edition of the Shepherd’s Crook and undoubtedly sounds strange to those who have only known the building on Erwin Road. Yet, in the days when we had no permanent meeting place, and even when we simply did not have a baptistry, we would gather for picnic and baptism services at either Clearwater Lake or Jordan Lake. Regardless of where baptism was administered – in a lake or on the stage – the practice of this ordinance signifies the presence and grace of God to call people to Himself through the ministry of CHBC’s pastors and members.

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01 SEPTEMBER 1978

Chip and Doris Stam Through much of the 1970s, Chip and Doris Stam were regularly

Bach cantatas, the St. Louis Jesuits, and contemporary worship

leading worship on Sunday mornings in a volunteer capacity. CHBC

music into the Sunday morning repertoire. His kindness, energy,

recognized that Chip needed to be free of other responsibilities in

thoughtfulness, and creativity blessed many. He led worship, and

order to adequately focus on his ministry, so he was hired as part-

led the church as an elder, for another ten years before returning to

time Worship Minister, starting on September 1, 1978. In 1981, he

academia. But Chip never lost his pastoral heart. We are indebted

left for a post at the University of Notre Dame, but returned to CHBC

even today to his and Doris’ godly example, fidelity to the gospel,

in 1991 as Pastor of Music and Worship. Chip weaved old hymns,

and ministry.

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04 NOVEMBER 1979

Our First Building During the decade of the

fundraising for a building and

1970s, we grew from a fledgling

planning for its construction

gathering of believers with an

lasted almost to the end of the

uncertain future to a vibrant

1970s. In March of 1975, we

and growing fellowship that

acquired property on which

was preaching God’s word,

to build. By 1978, we were a

ministering to one another,

community numbering over

spurring one another on to love

seven hundred. That same

and good works in the Chapel

year, on May 29, we had a

Hill community, and sending

groundbreaking ceremony for a

missionaries abroad. The need

new meeting space on Mason

for a permanent meeting place

Farm Road. The first service at

was recognized earlier in the

this location was conducted on

decade, but the process of

November 4, 1979.

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FELLOWSHIP, CONT’D.

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1 3 J U LY 1 9 8 0

Those who are looking for Randy on a Sunday morning

Randy and Kathy Russell

know exactly where to find him: at the pillar in the church lobby. At the pillar, each Sunday — Randy is dependable.

This quality characterized Randy’s entire ministry — he had served CHBC for almost forty years by the time he retired in 2017. As Pastor of Ministries (among other titles) he handled pastoral care, counseling, and community formation.

“My forte is relationships,” he says. Through his dependability — among other virtues — Randy cultivated many friendships. For Randy, such friendships are the essence of discipleship, for “discipleship isn’t merely content; discipleship is relationship,” as he says. In all of his friendships, he holds out the good news of Jesus Christ.

In the January 31, 1982 edition of Shepherd’s Crook (CHBC’s monthly newsletter), Randy reflected on his and Kathy’s first year in ministry at CHBC. He thanked our fellowship for their welcome: “I hope our years here will

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...the history of our fellowship is undoubtedly marked by Randy and Kathy’s influence.

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give us time to return the hospitality extended to us.” Little did he know that for the next thirtyfive years (and more!), his and Kathy’s life together would be one of continuous hospitality in

the form of welcoming, caring for, and loving countless members of CHBC’s fellowship and reaching out to the Chapel Hill and Durham communities.

Randy’s and Kathy’s impact on the Bible Church and the local community is hard to quantify and certainly cannot be fully expressed in these pages. Yet the history of our fellowship is marked by their influence.

These pages bear the marks of their ministry. We celebrated their faithful ministry in 2017 with a gathering to recognize Randy's retirement and honor Randy's and Kathy's many years of service to our fellowship.

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22 APRIL 1982

Pregnancy Support Services The spring of 1981 was filled with prayer. Christians from a variety of churches in Chapel Hill met at the Bible Church to pray and discern their role in caring for pregnant women who were considering abortion. After much discernment, Pregnancy Support Services (PSS) was started, and our fellowship was intimately involved in its inception. Today, PSS serves women facing unplanned pregnancies in Durham, Chapel Hill, and surrounding communities. They are able to provide many essential services, including counseling, financial and material support, and education — all for free.

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NOVEMBER 1982

CHBC’s programs, pastors, and

all hours of day and night, and diligently

The Prayer Chain

membership were and are supported

petitioned the throne of grace. They

by the prayers of the church. One

described themselves as taking “an avid

ministry in particular is foundational

interest in helping meet the needs of

for this effort to pray: the Prayer Chain.

others by faithful prayer.” Not only this,

In November of 1982, the Prayer Chain

but they expected answers. They regularly

was reorganized, but it had been active

reported God’s answers to prayer to the

since the mid-1970s. Faithful, praying

congregation. These men and women

members collected the fellowship’s

were cornerstones of the ministry done by

prayer requests, offered themselves at

and through CHBC.

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Discovery Women’s Bible Study

Commemorating over thirty years of the Discovery Women’s Bible Study at CHBC and a new era of ministry, Erin Bethany wrote the following: “Discovery’s impact cannot be overstated as the legacy of this faithful ministry is written all through our church’s DNA and heart for the community, particularly the spiritual life and flourishing of the women here. The leaders and members of Discovery set the stage and the heart of women’s discipleship and ministry in our CHBC community long before ‘Women’s Ministry’ was established as a formalized ministry focus.”

Kathy Russell and other faithful sisters were instrumental in Discovery’s genesis and fruitful ministry. The women of the church gathered weekly to “sing, study, pray, and proclaim Christ together,” all to “edify and exhort one another” (in Erin’s words). Discovery served as a model to the whole church of Christian fellowship in which members grew in love for one another and for Christ.

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NOVEMBER 1988

Our Ministry to Kids and Families CHBC prioritized ministry to children from its inception, even

been far more than Sunday morning child care. In fact, our fellowship

when that meant meeting for Sunday school in the Uhlenberg

has always viewed ministry to children as a central aspect of the

family’s basement! But the Mason Farm Road building — and each

church’s and parents’ vocation. As the old adage goes, “It takes a

subsequent building and building expansion — afforded space for an

village” to raise children. How much more, then, does it take a church

on-site kids ministry. Throughout CHBC’s history, kids ministry has

to raise children in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus?

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DECEMBER 1988

Growing Into (And Out Of) Our Building Come 1983, just a few years after moving

UNC’s married student housing for Sunday

The real story here, however, is not the

into the Mason Farm Road location, our

school classes. By 1986, discussions

expansion of a building. It is the effort

building was feeling cramped again. We

were underway about whether to expand

required on the part of the fellowship

rejoiced in our growing congregation, yet

the facilities built just seven years prior.

to know one another and be known by

our pastors especially felt the challenges

The plan to expand was confirmed at the

one another. In 1984, Jim Abrahamson

that come with a growing body and

beginning of 1987, and in 1988 the addition

wrote “We face some difficult decisions...

inadequate facilities. In 1984, a third

was completed. It afforded more room

concerning the restructuring of our

congregation was added to accommodate

for children’s Sunday school and adult

ministry to facilitate your more active

the burgeoning attendance. We used

education — both sorely needed.

involvement in leadership, worship, and

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other ministries. We all want the intimacy of a congregation of 200 people with the staff, budget, and facilities of a congregation of 1,000.” A few years later, elder Steve Kurtz asked the congregation, “Are you a close friend of anyone else and, through that friendship, able to help them grow through discussion and reflection about what’s going on in their life?...

Reading the Bible and discussing what it means for your life with a close friend is a tremendous means of growth. How often do you do this when you’re with friends?”

These exhortations reflect the growing pains of our fellowship at this period. But despite these, we remained unified. Our pastors in their reflections frequently extolled our love and care for one another.

The mind of Christ amongst our fellowship helped us to weather the growing pains of this period.

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JANUARY 1989

Our Sponsorship of a Counseling Ministry After his 1988 sabbatical, Randy Russell recommended to the congregation that “the church search out and help underwrite a Christian counselor with a PhD who would locate in Chapel Hill and work with several churches to meet our psycho-spiritual needs.” Randy knew that there were “many in our church and the area who would benefit from extended counseling,” by which he meant “integrating one’s own life and faith with the hope of the good news.” Randy’s desire, affirmed by the entire congregation, was to bring the hope of Christ to the hearts of hurting people. After four years and significant investment, the Center for Psychological and Family Services, directed by Dr. Steve Bennett, was formed. To this day, it serves those inside and outside the church in the Chapel Hill area.

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DECEMBER 1990

The CrossCultural Committee

Formerly known as the Missions Committee, the Cross-Cultural Committee (CCC) was reorganized and reenergized in 1990. Built on a long history of missional investment at CHBC, the CCC ministered to people from different nations in the Chapel Hill community, educated the fellowship on the worldwide Christian movement, and supported career and short-term missionaries. In 1991, for instance, the CCC led CHBC to support missionary activity in North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Even in Chapel Hill the fellowship was engaged in ministry to the nations that had come to us. The CCC represents a development of our long tradition of supporting missionaries, dating all the way back to our first annual meeting.

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SUMMER 1992

Raspberry Ridge String Music Camp Raspberry Ridge String Music Camp began in the summer of 1992.

lunch, Bible, snack, and free time soccer games. Jane taught tennis

It was conceived by Mary Frances Boyce and Nancy Brooks — both

and hosted the camp, devoting months of each year to preparation

violin teachers — as well as Chip, Doris, and Jane Stam. Jane’s

for camp. Mary Fran and Nancy advertised to hundreds of students

property, complete with a soccer field, basketball court, barn, and

and organized the repertoire.” Though it has taken many forms

tennis court, was the optimal location. Doris remembers, “Chip was

over the years, Raspberry Ridge continues to operate, ministering

the magnetic person to take the lead. Chip led the orchestra and

the gospel to many through music and friendship.

choir, taught tennis and some small music ensembles, commanded

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10 DECEMBER 2000

Mark and Libby Acuff

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2002

After Jim’s departure as Teaching Pastor, our fellowship welcomed Mark Acuff as its Pastor for Teaching and Community Outreach, his wife Libby as his partner in ministry, and his family. He preached his first sermon on December 10, 2000. Both parts of his title — “Teaching” and “Community Outreach” — are crucial for describing his ministry. First, teaching: according to 59

Mark’s personal statement (submitted to the church in 1999), he knew that he had “the most powerful, life-changing message imaginable” to deliver — the gospel of Jesus

Early in Mark’s ministry, our fellowship

accented the mission of the church fellowship

Christ. Yet at the same time, he knew that

experienced growing pains. We were

to the surrounding communities of Chapel Hill,

when the church becomes “self-absorbed,”

under financial strain due to the ongoing

Durham, and elsewhere. In the spirit of this new

this message could become “absolutely

construction of a new building. Our

vision, Mark embodied the hospitality of Christ.

irrelevant” to those who most need to hear

community was jarred by the sudden and

it. So, he emphasized community outreach,

unexpected change in leadership. But

Through most of the first decade of the 2000s,

seeking to build a church that would have

Mark helped lead us through a tumultuous

Mark led our church to regain its passion and

start to the new millennium. Under his

energy for reaching out to and serving college

merely on those who came through its

leadership, we adopted a vision that would

students, young adults and families, and others

doors on Sunday mornings.

guide us for the next ten years. This vision

in our community.

"an apostolic impact on its community," not

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0 1 J U LY 2 0 0 1

Nat and Rachel Stine

2002

2004

Nat became CHBC’s Minister of Worship and Music in July of 2001. When he and his wife Rachel arrived, we were in the midst of a strange season. We were moving into a new building, going through a major leadership transition, and preparing for the start of the fall semester. Nat took all of this in stride, bringing his exceptional musical and leadership gifts to bear on Sunday morning worship. His wife, Rachel, contributed to this process, discerning along with Nat that God was calling them to the Bible Church and serving as a partner in ministry with Nat. Over sixteen years of ministry at CHBC, the Stines were a gift from God to our fellowship. Many will remember Nat’s parody compositions performed at the start of each school year. But in addition to this, Nat was exceptionally talented, a gifted leader of worship, and full of kindness. The Stines’ impact on our fellowship cannot be overstated.

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05 AUGUST 2001

Our New Building at Erwin Road

On August 5, 2001, our fellowship worshipped together for the first time at 260 Erwin Road. This was made possible by over a decade of diligent work by the building committee, which included Ralph Mason, Randy Russell, T. J. Land, Emily Williams, Margaret Faircloth, and Roger Van Dyke, and the abundant generosity of our fellowship. After purchasing the land on which the new meeting place would be built in 1992, the committee worked with the congregation and prospective builders to tailor the new building to the needs, vision, and hopes of the congregation. Construction did not begin until 2000, after many years of designing the building and financial planning.

From the outset, the purpose of the building was to further God’s glory. This would come, we prayed, through the use of the building as a gathering place for the edification of God’s people and also as a means of serving others. Upon the building’s completion, it was set apart for God’s glory by formal dedication. In the two decades since, we pray that it has in fact been an instrument in God’s hands for His glory, and we thank those who gave sacrificially of their time and money toward its completion.

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2001

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JUNE 2002

Our Partnerships for the Gospel in Kenya

opportunities to women and children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Beacon has served the Ongata Rongai area (about ten miles southwest of Nairobi) since its inception, and they have recently expanded to Kibera (one of the largest

Since the 1990s, CHBC has maintained robust partnerships for the gospel in Kenya. Owing

slums in the world) and other communities

to the leadership and initiative of Jim Thomas, among others, we have worked with

around Nairobi.

and supported Nairobi Chapel, Mavuno Church, and various church plants from these congregations. Kyama Mugambi, who had previously served as a pastor at Nairobi Chapel

For almost twenty years, the Bible Church

and Mavuno Church, served our church as Young Adult Pastor in 2004 and 2005.

has regularly sent summer mission teams to help with the work in Kenya. Most

Through our partnership with these churches and people like Pastor Kyama, we became

recently, Laura McPherson and Ashley

involved with Beacon of Hope at its founding in June of 2002. Jane Wathome started

Yoakum have been instrumental in making

the organization to provide medical care, vocational training, primary education, and job

these trips a success.

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2004

Korean Fellowship

The Korean Fellowship was organized in 2004 by Young and Sarah Whang, Hyunsook Chin, and Jun Bok Park. The fellowship gathered and held Bible studies every two weeks. Because of their proximity to several universities, they welcomed many visiting Korean scholars, students, and their families. Many came to know the Lord through this fellowship and were baptized. In fact, Hyunsook Chin and Jun Bok Park, two of the original members, were baptized through their involvement in the fellowship. These two currently lead the Korean Fellowship.

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OCTOBER 2007

Our Ministry to Youth

emphasis on missions and community engagement, Tim especially emphasized the involvement of young people in missions, leading overseas short-term trips and local service efforts. Roddy took over

During the fall of 2007, Roddy Dinsmore joined CHBC’s staff as

the youth ministry in October 2007, rebranding it “Fusion.” Roddy’s

Youth Minister. But he was by no means the first. Our fellowship,

energy and friendliness combined to create an inviting atmosphere

sensing a need to shepherd middle and high school students,

for young people in which they could grow in their knowledge and

formed a youth ministry in May of 1978. That ministry was led by

love of the Lord. When he and his wife Katie left to plant a church

various volunteers, including Randy Stice, John Pruett, Don and

in Berlin (eventually returning so that Roddy could take his current

Cindy Lewis, and Chip and Doris Stam. In the years since, the youth

post as Missions Pastor), Malcolm and Kelly Pettigrew were called to

group has taken various forms under various leaders. Through the

serve CHBC’s youth. Over the next decade, The Yard flourished under

1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, the youth ministry was led by Bill

Malcolm’s leadership. The Lord blessed Malcolm’s emphasis on

van Bark, Tim Conder, and Carlye Daugird. Following Mark Acuff’s

biblical teaching and relational ministry with much fruit.

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2017

2018

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06 FEBRUARY 2011

Jay and Rebecca Thomas

2017

2018

After Mark Acuff’s departure in the late

evident from the start of his ministry to

2000s, our fellowship did not have a

CHBC. Jay’s preaching style resembles

dedicated Teaching Pastor for a couple

Hughes’ (and Jim Abrahamson’s) in that

of years. Finally, in 2011, we called Jay

it is expositional – it takes the meaning

Thomas to become our first Lead Pastor.

of the biblical text as the main point of

He preached his first sermon on February

the sermon. Furthermore, Jay practices

6, 2011. In the introduction of that sermon,

consecutive exposition – he refuses to skip

Jay told us that long before he had been

texts. The result of these commitments is

called to the Bible Church, he and Rebecca

a steady diet of exposition for the spiritual

were praying for us – or, they were praying

nourishment of our fellowship.

for the church to which Jay would one day be called. When he was invited to

During the past decade of faithful

become CHBC’s Lead Pastor, the specifics

ministry, Jay has led our Revive campaign,

of that call were revealed, but Jay and

which sought spiritual renewal and the

Rebecca had already loved our church

construction of an addition to our Erwin

for many years.

Road building. Jay has also overseen the development of our vision and emphases.

Jay’s first season of ministry was spent

He has led us through the ongoing

at College Church in Wheaton, where

Covid-19 pandemic. Most of all, Jay

he learned under the preaching and

continues to preach the word of God,

mentorship of Kent Hughes, the renowned

the very thing he promised to do in his

expositor. Hughes’ influence on Jay was

first sermon.

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J U LY 2 0 1 2

Our Ministry to College Students

2018

Although CHBC has only recently chosen to hire full-time ministers exclusively devoted to shepherding college students, college ministry has always been a staple of our church.

From our earliest days, we were embedded in the university environment: Jim Abrahamson’s “office” was UNC’s campus; some of the pivotal early decisions were made by the church leadership in Woollen Gym; the body of the church was composed mostly of college students. In Jim’s words, CHBC was the common “watering hole” for UNC students who took part in various campus ministries. Although the students worshipped separately on campus, they were united by the local church.

In the mid-2000s we hired Scott Vermillion to shepherd college students. Scott replaced Tim Conder, who had previously pastored college students among other demographic groups.

Roddy Dinsmore served college students after Scott until Kyle McManamy was hired in July of 2012. Under his leadership, College Collective – the ministry’s new moniker – grew to over one hundred students. When Kyle left in 2018, Mark Hampton was hired and continues to serve faithfully, shepherding the roughly 150 college students who belong to our body.

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The Chinese Fellowship of CHBC As early as the 1970s a group of Chinese-speaking university students and young professionals in and around Research Triangle Park started to meet on UNC’s campus for Christian fellowship, including Bible study. In the 1980s they began to meet in the Bible Church’s building on Mason Farm Road. In 1990, the group was officially registered as Chapel Hill Chinese Christian Fellowship (CHCCF). Although CHCCF was an independent organization, many of its members were also members or regular attenders of CHBC. When the church moved to the Erwin Road location in 2001, CHCCF also moved along with CHBC. In 2016, CHCCF officially became part of CHBC, and is known today as the Chinese Fellowship of CHBC. This fellowship exists to spread the gospel in Chapel Hill and its vicinity so that more people can enter God's Kingdom and become His children.

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Despite the language barrier between these two congregations, we pray that, in time, our Lord’s prayer, “that they may be one,” would be fulfilled in our midst.

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AUGUST 2016

CHBC en Español

2017

2018

Although our fellowship has ministered to our Spanish-speaking neighbors for some time, the arrival of Gaby and Katie Correa as Global Outreach missionaries in August of 2016 marked a significant turning point in that ministry. Gaby transitioned from missionary work to employment by CHBC in 2020. He preaches weekly, shepherds those members of our fellowship who speak Spanish, and enables our pastors to attend to the spiritual and material needs of those among us who speak Spanish. The construction of the new building has afforded CHBC en Español a spacious meeting place, the chapel, which has in turn enabled more interaction between our English- and Spanish-speaking members. Despite the language barrier between these two congregations, we pray that, in time, our Lord’s prayer, “that they may be one,” would be fulfilled in our midst.

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AUGUST 2016

The CHBC Internship Program While our church hired interns to be involved in various ministries in the past, Kyle McManamy started a formal internship program for college-aged students in 2016.

Students were placed in various ministries throughout the church — worship, missions, kids, youth, college, and more — to serve and learn about the operations of the church. The internship program is an extension of the church’s ministry to college-aged students, and many students have been formed and given opportunities to serve through it.

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trianglefellows.org

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FALL 2016

Triangle Fellows 83

Sensing a need for discipleship that addressed Christians’ vocations, Kyle McManamy started Triangle Fellows in 2016 to help Christians in Chapel Hill and Durham integrate their faith with their life at work. The program grew from a single cohort of around ten participants to two cohorts of roughly fifteen each in the span of a few years. In the spring of 2021, Triangle Fellows became an independent non-profit organization led by John Worsham, an alumnus of the program with significant experience in faith and work ministry.

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Vacation Bible School and KidsFest

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2018

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09 FEBRUARY 2018

Night to Shine and Our Ministry to Those with Special Needs On February 9, 2018, CHBC hosted the Night to Shine prom in partnership with the Tim Tebow Foundation. This event celebrates teens and adults with special needs. Yet this event, which has taken various forms in the years since, was part of a larger vision spearheaded by Ashley Gyori, CHBC’s Special Needs Director. Ashley and a team of CHBC members work weekly to welcome children and adults with special needs to worship at CHBC.

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16 DECEMBER 2018

Revive and our Building Expansion

During the mid-2010s, our fellowship discerned a call to expand our facilities for the sake of furthering our ministry and mission, both to our own body and to our community. Thus, our Revive season began. The primary purpose of this season was spiritual revival. No human being can produce such revival on his or her own, so we sought the Lord. We returned to Christ, immersed ourselves in the word of God, petitioned the throne of grace in prayer, rejoiced in our common salvation and our unity as God’s people, and renewed our commitment to mission for the sake of our neighbors and ultimately God’s glory.

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Secondary to our desire for spiritual renewal was the physical

youth, college students, and our Spanish-

gift of an expansion to our Erwin Road facilities. Hundreds of

speaking members. It also allowed for

members of our fellowship gave sacrificially and generously to

a fuller use of our kids ministry space.

the cause of expanding our facilities. The building committee —

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which

consisting of Eric McKiddie, Jean Siler, Sonya Hove, Julie Spencer,

prevented us from meeting and reduced

Mike Hining, Emily Williams, T. J. Land, and Dwight Thomas —

the use of the entire building, the new

worked tirelessly to initiate and oversee the project as liaisons

space has allowed for much fellowship

between the congregation and the builders. Construction began,

between the various parts of our

and on December 16, 2018, we were able to move into our new

congregation.

building. This allowed for the expansion of our ministries to

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J U LY 2 0 1 9

The Well and Ministry to Women

After CHBC’s long and robust history of women’s ministry, especially through efforts such as the Discovery Women’s Bible Study, Erin Bethany was promoted to the position of Women’s Minister in July of 2019.

While she had previously served as Women’s Director, and Kelly Pettigrew as Interim Women’s Director before her, her ability to focus exclusively on ministry to women was a boon to our church. The Well, a women’s Bible study and mentorship program, began in 2017 and has continued to meet throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, blessing many women through the faithful teaching of God’s word and meaningful Christian fellowship.

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01 NOVEMBER 2019

H3 Conference

We held the inaugural Head, Heart, and Hands Conference — better known as H3 — on November 1 and 2, 2019. The conference was initiated by Matt Smith, our pastor for discipleship, as a means to engage the whole person (head, heart, and hands) and the whole church community with the truth of the gospel and its practical entailments. The first conference featured Drs. Duane Litfin and Bill Mounce and focused on “speaking the truth in love.” The second annual conference was held on October 9 and 10, 2020 and addressed our church’s pursuit of multi-ethnic unity. Isaac Adams and Ray Chang spoke. Antoine Bradford led us in singing. We pray for God’s help as we seek to speak the truth in love with one another and continue to pursue ethnic unity.

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2021

15 MARCH 2020

COVID-19 Season The beginning of 2020 was an exciting

Thirteen online services later, we were

church parking lot. Fellowship could not

season in our church’s life. But our

able to return to indoor, socially distanced,

continue unchanged, but it could continue,

momentum came to a halt on March 10

in-person gatherings. We rejoiced in God’s

and the hard work of many church

when a state of emergency was declared

providence for making such gatherings

members made such fellowship possible.

in response to the novel coronavirus

possible. But we mourned the loss of

But it was also the case that many were

spreading around North Carolina. By March

unhindered fellowship with one another.

not able to participate in the life of our church as they did prior to the pandemic.

14, large gatherings were prohibited. So, on March 15, we conducted an exclusively

Life groups and the ministries of the church

We mourned, and still mourn, this fact. At

online church service. Hoping that the

got creative. While they could not meet

the time of this writing, we continue to pray

threat of the virus would pass in a matter

indoors, they met on Zoom, in driveways

for the day when we will be able to gather

of weeks, we continued to meet online.

and on back porches, and even in the

again without fear of disease.

We rejoiced in God’s providence for making such gatherings possible.

But we mourned the loss of unhindered fellowship with one another.

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vision for the future and benediction

by Jay Thomas

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

I hope this beautiful little book encourages you by means of the stories and pictures of God’s supreme grace in and through the Chapel Hill Bible Church. I also hope it makes you full of gospel expectancy that the God of all grace is going to keep pouring out His grace until His Son comes again. In the meantime, we will keep striving by that grace; we will keep proclaiming Christ from the Scriptures; we will keep loving each other; we will serve our community; we will partner with global missions partners; we will submit to the Holy Spirit as He conforms our character to Christ; and we will pursue the ultimate thing God has set the Chapel Hill Bible Church aside to do — we will bring glory to the name of God. Go in grace! Go for the glory of God! ✺

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acknowledgements

A book like this is not hastily thrown together. This is the product of the combined effort of many brothers and sisters. Many CHBC members contributed testimonies, photographs, bulletins, issues of Shepherd’s Crook, membership directories, and more, without which CHBC’s story could not be told. If you contributed in this way, thank you. We are indebted to your generosity — and your foresight to save newsletters from 1977!

The CHBC Ministry Operations Team (and one pastor’s daughter) digitized hundreds of physical records and photos. Adam Enggasser, Amy Andres, Crissie Cabrera, Ellie Thomas, Liz Graham, Julianna Campbell, Rachel Alcorn, and Sean Stickel gave up their valuable time to organize and digitize our records. Also, Dillan Gomez provided valuable help, encouragement, and creativity in the early stages of this project.

Many editors of this volume clarified historical points, corrected errors, and polished the writing. Donna and Gary Gilleskie both looked over portions of the writing.

Jim Abrahamson, Randy Russell, and Hank Lesesne set the historical presentation straight. Emily Williams is responsible for whatever cogency this story has.

This book would not exist were it not for the support, encouragement, and grace of the Jubilee Committee,

including Layla Dowdy, Matt Smith, Jenn Thomason, Roger and Carole Van Dyke, and Emily Williams, who gave much of their time and energy not only to this book, but to the entire effort to recognize and celebrate CHBC’s fiftieth anniversary. They offered encouragement and extended grace when obstacles arose.

Over the course of the production of this book, Colin Rowley has proven that he is a superhuman. Colin manages to combine a project manager’s desire for excellence with a pastor’s care and love. His oversight was indispensable to the completion of this book.

More than anyone, this book exists because of Matt Gilleskie's many hundreds of hours of managing, organizing, and writing. Without his fantastic skill, Grace Upon Grace would not be more than a five-page brochure (one page per decade).

To God be all glory.