At Sunrise Church we believe that Christians are called to serve God “out of a heart of gratitude” for what he has done for us in the work of Jesus on the cross. We also believe that God has invited Christians to participate with him in what he is doing to redeem our community, culture and world. We believe that a Christian’s service is our expression of love toward God and an expectation for every maturing Christian. As a result, at Sunrise Church we encourage one another to “get involved” in ministry in a variety of ways, inside the church and out in the community.
The following organizations are groups with whom our members have partnered in order to serve and encourage one another to love God and our neighbor.
Partnering with Providence… Living a life of participation and purpose!
Sunrise Congregational Care
Sunrise Church takes seriously the Biblical mandate to live in community and care for one another’s needs. Those needs may be spiritual, social, physical, financial or emotional. We have a very active corps of deacons and assistant deacons. Our Deacons oversee all of our issues of stewardship and benevolence. Our Assistant Deacons lead ministries that are targeting service toward:
- Our Senior members
- Financial needs of our members – Congregational Care Fund
- Community Outreach – Community Care Fund
- Work Teams – serving inside our family and in our community
ITEM – International Theological Education Ministries, Inc:
Sunrise Church supports a former member and her husband who work with ITEM in Kiev, Ukraine. ITEM is a religious, charitable, educational, non-profit corporation serving in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe. It is tax exempt and donor deductible.
ITEM assists denominations and local churches by offering pastoral training at no cost to nationals.
ITEM sends professors to teach at local institutions at regular intervals to equip pastors, teachers, and laymen and women to accomplish their God-given callings.
Yamhill County Gospel Rescue Mission:
In 2007 the YCGRM received a building and opened for “business.” The YCGRM is a shelter for homeless women and children or homeless single men looking for temporary shelter. The YCGRM ministers to families in transition or people living on the streets who need a warm meal and dry place to sleep. The mission of the YCGRM is “TO PROVIDE FOOD, SHELTER & HOPE FOR THE SOUL THROUGH THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST.” We encourage one another to take seriously Jesus’ message in Matthew 25:35 when he said, “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty…
…and you gave Me something to drink;I was a stranger, and you invited Me in… Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” YCGRM is just one way we encourage one another to fulfill Jesus’ call to serve him as we serve the “least of these.”
Goodsam International:
Sunrise Church supports Goodsam International. Goodsam International is a ministry committed to spreading the Gospel of Christ through its medical, educational, community health and development and other Christian services in TamilNadu State, India.
The Gideons International:
One of our members is actively involved with The Gideons International. The Gideons International is a ministry committed to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ by placing the Bible in the hands of people in every country and culture around the world. If you would like more information on how to get involved with the Giddeons locally please contact John Lautenbach.
Crossroads Bible Institute (CBI):
A couple of our members are involved with Crossroads Bible Institute. CBI is a “unique distance education” program. It is a ministry active in fostering and training disciples who are incarcerated. Volunteers with Crossroads correspond with students who are in prison. They help guide them on their lessons in the scriptures and encourage them through prayer. If you would like more information on how to get involved with CBI please contact John Lautenbach or Loren Willbur.
Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM):
Sunrise Church is a small congregation in a small city in a relatively small state. And yet, through our participation with CRWM we are able to impact the far regions of the world with the Good News about God’s grace through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. For more information about CRWM please visit them on the web at http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwm.cfm.
Christian Reformed Home Missions (CRHM):
How can a small church impact the culture in a large way? CRHM helps the local church address the broader challenges by organizing its work into five areas that relate to this gospel witness: focuses churches on mission, helps plant new churches, assists campus ministries, trains mission leaders, and encourages small groups and prayer. For more information about CRHM please visit them on the web at http://www.crhm.org
Christian Reformed World Relief Committe (CRWRC):
How can Christians at Sunrise Church respond to the needs of people who suffer disaster on the other side of the globe? The CRWRC is a relief, development, and educational ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North America . CRWRC partners with local agencies that understand local needs. Together CRWRC and its partners find ways to provide lasting change for people in more than 30 countries around the world. CRWRC believes that by helping people help themselves the chains of poverty can be stripped away. CRWRC is driven by the call of Micah 6:8b: “…And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” For more information about CRWRC please visit them on the web at http://www.crwrc.org/.
Monthly Ministry Focus for Sunrise Church
To ensure that our service and giving is intentionally dispersed within our congregation, into our community and around the world, we have adopted a Monthly Ministry Calendar. This calendar helps keep our focus from becoming too unbalanced and gives us a lot of exposure to many different ministry and service opportunities.