Views from The Ridge 08.21.2024
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week
(POSTPONED) Saturday, August 24 Please join us in celebrating Noëlle Lowry and the arrival of a baby boy this fall.
Sunday, August 25
9am Worship in the Sanctuary (Scott Heare preaching: John 6:56-69)
10am Q&A with Scott Heare in the Fellowship Hall
11am Worship in the Chapel (Scott Heare preaching: John 6:56-69)
Sunday, August 25, 12:15pm Preaching Minister Scott Heare Welcome Luncheon
Sunday, August 25, 1:00-1:30 Parent Meeting for Grades PreK-6th Grade
Upcoming
PLEASE NOTE Women’s Wednesday Fellowship will NOT meet in August
Monday, September 2 Campus closed
Wednesday, September 4, 12-1PM Monthly Men’s Assembly in the Fellowship Hall
Around Our Community
CAM (Christian Assistance Ministry) is currently in need of the following:
Men’s tennis shoes/athletic shoes (all sizes)
Men’s jeans
Men’s shirts
Women’s tennis shoes/athletic shoes (all sizes)
Men’s belts
Travel-size deodorant
Bibles in English.
Please deposit items in the CAM box in the Fellowship Hall.
Change Vs Hope
Dick Ihfe, Trustee, Sunset Ridge Church
One Saturday morning in late spring, I was sitting and having coffee with Mae at the coffee trailer. It was a beautiful sunny morning and the temperature was mild. We were chatting and admiring the beauty of Charis Park despite its undergoing construction. “What a change,” I said as I reminisced what that old parking lot used to look like when Janet and I first came to Sunset Ridge. I mentioned to Mae the various stages of change that property had gone through in the last 50 years. “For many years it just sat there and really did nothing for the neighborhood community around us. Kinda like the church,” I giggled ironically. “We took really good care of ourselves but not much thought was given to benefitting the surrounding neighborhood.” “What a difference this park will make,” I said. “Yes, it will,” Mae replied.
In the days that followed, I reflected on our discussion and realized that there is a relationship between change and hope. On one hand change can trigger fear which will stifle and impede hope. In my experience I found that those of us who are a little longer in the tooth tend to be satisfied and comfortable with the status quo and are likely to resist change. We have “put in our time” so to speak and now look to the younger folks to pick up the mantle and carry on. On the other hand, the younger folks have always struck me as receptive to change and many times embrace change as welcome. I would argue we should expect Millennials, Gen Xers and Gen Zers to change things when it comes to church. I know my generation did with the move to expanding the role of women in the leadership and public worship of the church. Although change is uncomfortable in all organizations, it is a natural and healthy response to a church seeking to grow and sustain herself. Certainly change needs to be orderly and made with a clear vision in mind of where it will lead. As our preacher Scott Heare said this week, Jesus will break through the frameworks that have constrained our lives, and the life of our church. Most would agree that not all change is good, but when it is necessary, as Sunset Ridge determined in the fall of 2020, with our Vision Team Report, it was the job of leadership to pass the baton to the next generation of leaders. We did so trusting they would benefit from what we had learned and passed on to them. Our present challenge is to allow this new generation of leaders to re-fashion, adapt and reach out to their own generation and the generations to follow. The challenge for us is to realize and accept that they will not implement change as we would. And they should not! The framework God is using with them is different from ours, as ours was different from the generations before us.
In closing, I would say that the “proof is in the pudding” and when I look at Charis Park I can truly say that “change” has birthed great hope at Sunset Ridge and I look forward to what is coming next. Sunset Ridge has nurtured and grown a new generation of vibrant, smart, and beautiful young church leaders. We need to support them in every way we can. Praise God, for His love and care for us endures forever.
Prayers & Praises
Meta Mancinelli Is scheduled for knee replacement surgery today.
We rejoice with Noëlle Lowry & Scott Adams on the early arrival of their son, Sebastian (Bass) James, on August 20th. Congratulations also to grandparents Kelly & Gregg Alba and great-grandmother Kathy Derickson, as well as the entire Lowry and Adams families.
