In raising $2 million “over and above” tithes last year, the Mars Hill Church touted that part of the money would go to “The Jesus Festival,” an outdoor celebration slated to begin Aug. 22 at Marymoor Park with bands, kids activities and “amazing gospel preachers.”

“Apparently the money came in, but the festival is off, called off months ago,” the redoubtable Warren Throckmorton, who tracks Mars Hill for the Patheos, reported Tuesday.

“Shouldn’t the people have been consulted?” asked Throckmortion. “They gave toward a festival but didn’t get one.”

In his consulting, however, Mars Hill’s senior pastor Mark Driscoll goes upstairs rather than downstairs. In a pledge to reform his behavior, delivered to his flock in March, Driscoll said: “To be clear, these are decisions I have come to with our Senior Pastor Jesus Christ. I believe this is what He is asking of me, so I want to obey Him.”

In early February, however, Driscoll wrote that plans were well underway to honor the “senior pastor” in word and song:

“Heaven is going to be a party and we need to practice for that party. Over the next few months, you’ll be hearing a lot more about our first ever Jesus Festival, Aug. 22 at Marymoor Park near Seattle. Everyone at Mars Hill churches far and near is invited for this unique opportunity to grow together and evangelize with the surrounding community.”

“We’ve never done anything like this event, but picture a huge outdoor celebration with live bands, food trucks, fun stuff for the kids, open air gospel preaching, baptisms and a summer night filled with the worship of thousands of brothers and sisters praising Jesus together.”

Oh yes, Driscoll added: “Thanks to your generosity as a church, the whole thing will be free.”

The picture will have to be in the mind of Mars Hill churchgoers, for the Jesus Festival disappeared without explanation from the church calendar as “the troubles” began to envelop Driscoll in March.

Just last week, Mars Hill abruptly canceled its Resurgence 2014 conference, set for October, three highly touted days of “Jesus-centered theology” featuring preaching by nationally known evangelists. The official reason: “Unforeseen changes in our speaker lineup and other challenges.”

August has proven the dog days for the Seattle-based mega-church.

Demonstrators appeared outside the Mars Hill Church in Bellevue. Critics in the flock publicized a Driscoll rant, published under a pseudonym, about America becoming a “Pussified Nation.”

The Acts29 “church planting” network, a global organization he co-founded, removed Driscoll and Mars Hill from membership. Its directors wrote a letter urging Driscoll to leave the ministry for a prolonged period and “get help.”

Driscoll has also been booted from high-profile evangelistic events.

He is no longer the closing speaker at the Gateway Church Conference, hosted in October by a Dallas mega-church, and was removed from the program of four “Act Like Men” conferences that put the fires of faith into the male gender.

The appeal for “over and above” money last fall had purposes ranging from “church planting” in India and Ethiopia, to the Jesus Festival, to Driscoll’s confrontation of secularism. It said:

“During these 40 days of prayer and five days of fasting, we are praying for $2 million over and above our donors’ tithes to fund these endeavors in 2014.

“We believe Jesus has given the vision, so we trust that he will graciously provide the means to do it through his people. If the Holy Spirit leads you to give during these focused days of prayer, please visit marshall.com/give.”

Apparently, Driscoll’s upcoming book “The Problem With Christianity” was included in the category of “Our Most Evangelistic Campaign,” which was explained:

“”As the Western World becomes more secularized, the church is becoming more ostracized. Simply put, Christianity is a threat to many of the sacred cows in American culture. Pastor Mark is currently working on a sermon series and book that will tackle many of these issues, including gay marriage, the exclusivity of Jesus, the authority of Jesus, etc.”

The publication of “The Problem With Christianity” was originally slated for spring, put off until fall: Now, reports Throckmorton, Tyndale Press says it is waiting until the “best season.”

Many seasons may go by. The nationwide LifeWay chain of 180 Christian stores removed copies of Driscoll’s previous books from its shelves last week.

One of Driscoll’s many mea culpas was his apology for hiring a consulting firm, and using church funds to create sales of his co-authored book Real Marriage” to get it on the New York Times bestseller list.

The bands play on at Mars Hill, but not at Marymoor Park this weekend.