Views from The Ridge 5.27.26
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week’s Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20
Watch previous sermons here.
Wednesdays
Join us Wednesday evenings for High School Formation Time from 6:00 - 7:30 PM in Room 220. Open to all students in grades 9 - 12, this weekly gathering includes food, fun, and meaningful group discussions as we grow together in faith and community. Contact Den to join the group.
Sundays
Worship
9 AM, Chapel, Acapella
11 AM, Sanctuary, Instrumental
10:15 AM, Bible Class & Discipleship for All Ages
Fellowship Hall
Between the Words: A gathering between our community’s two worship times where we unfold the facets of weekly Scripture together. Each week stands on its own; come as you’re able. Adults and teens welcome.
BEMA Podcast Discussion group
Room 220
BOYS 5th - 7th Grade, Formation Study w/ Bryan Wolfe
GIRLS 5th - 7th Grade, Formation Study w/ Den Slater
Roots: The children’s ministry will move to the sanctuary to share in our worship for 5th Sunday! The nursery will remain open, and we will still offer a class for children in Pre-K and Kindergarten.
Room 102, PreK - Kindergarten
Sunday Setlists
What if worship started before Sunday morning? Listening to these songs during the week can help build familiarity and allow the words to begin forming our hearts before we sing them together.
This Week’s Setlist
All 2026 Songs
Community Connections
Children’s Church Service This Summer
With the 2026 school year ending, we are excited to share our upcoming summer plans! Starting on June 7th we will be implementing a new routine where all Roots classrooms from PreK through 4th grade gather in the Chapel for a combined Children’s Church Service. We plan to try out this group format through the end of July.
The nursery will remain unchanged, with care from 9 AM - 12:30 PM.
Upcoming Community Events
Every Saturday, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Saturday, May 30, 8 AM - 1 PM, One Another Coffee & Nuevos Vecinos Thrift Pop-up, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, May 31, 5th Sunday, Kids in 11AM Worship Service
Sunday, June 7, Children’s Church Service, Sundays through July 27th
Friday, June 19, Juneteenth, Office Closed
Sunday, June 21, Father’s Day
Saturday, June 27, 11 AM - 1 PM, Flower Power Watercolor Wellness Workshop, The Art Room | Cost: $15, Supplies Included, Limited to 8 participants
Friday, July 3, Office Closed in Observance of Independence Day
July 7 - 10, 9 AM - 12 PM, VBS Kinder - 5th, “Growing with God and Caring for Creation”
Beyond Sunday
Shaping the Future Together
Taylor Bates, Deputy Director, Sunset Ridge Church & Collective
Two weeks ago, we celebrated the 77th anniversary of Sunset Ridge Church together. As I looked around the sanctuary that morning, I was struck by the observation that for so many of us, this church feels relatively new.
Many people in our congregation have found their way here within the last few years. Some came looking for authentic community. Some arrived searching for healing. Some were invited by a friend. Some wandered in because they were curious about the little church on the ridge that transformed a parking lot into a neighborhood park.
And because of that, it felt important to pause on our anniversary and remember the larger story we are now all a part of.
This community is especially dear to me because I grew up here. I’ve been connected to Sunset Ridge since I was six years old. My family came in the 1990s because some people from this church invited us. And ultimately, we stayed because of the warmth of this community—because people made us feel welcomed, known, and like we belonged.
As I reflected on our history, I kept thinking about the threads that have carried this community through the decades.
One of those threads is belonging.
There has long been a spirit of authenticity and belonging here that people seem to recognize almost immediately when they walk through the doors. Over the years, I have heard countless people say some version of the same thing: “There was just something about this place.” And now, many of you are the people extending that welcome to others.
Another thread is healing.
For those who may not know, our chapel was originally built in 1931 as part of a tuberculosis hospital that once occupied this property where the neighboring Tanglewood apartments are currently located. The chapel served as an ecumenical place of prayer and healing for patients during incredibly difficult seasons of life. The hospital was eventually razed, but the chapel remained. Eventually, a small church plant purchased the building, and that community became what we now know as Sunset Ridge Church.
I often think about how fitting that history feels. Because even now, people continue to come here carrying grief, pain, exhaustion, loneliness, and uncertainty. I know that was true for me. What brought me back to this church as an adult was loss and heartbreak. And this community showed up for me in a season when I desperately needed healing. I know many of you could tell similar stories.
Another thread woven through this place is creativity.
Growing up here, I remember singers, artists, musicians, writers, gardeners, teachers, and makers who helped shape the culture of this community. Creativity was never treated as separate from faith. It was part of how people expressed care, beauty, hospitality, and hope.
And from my vantage point, creativity may be one of the reasons Sunset Ridge is flourishing today.
Nearly a decade ago, this church came very close to closing. Attendance had dwindled dramatically, and leadership was faced with difficult decisions about the future. One option was to sell the property and let the church’s story come to an end.
Instead, leaders here chose openness and embraced a need for radical change. They chose to experiment and reimagine how a church can matter for its neighborhood.
That willingness to embrace change led to many of the things that now define this season of Sunset Ridge: Charis Park, Sprouts School, One Another Coffee, coworking spaces, gardens, art, missional partnerships, and the broader work of the Sunset Ridge Collective.
There was a question people asked during that season of transition: “If this church closed, would our neighbors care?”
At the time, the answer may have been uncertain.
Today, I wholeheartedly believe the answer is yes.
But perhaps the most important thing to remember on an anniversary is this: the story is not finished.
The church should be living and growing and, as Pastor Scott has said, should be “the most fertile ground for change.” The threads remain, but each generation weaves them forward in new ways. My hope is that decades from now, this place will look radically different again while still carrying the same spirit of belonging, healing, creativity, and openness to what God is doing next.
And now, all of us—whether we arrived 50 years ago or 5 months ago—are part of shaping that future together.
Prayers of the People
Janie Corona, Theresa Whigham’s sister, is hospitalized undergoing testing for cancer.
