Views from The Ridge 1.28.26
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
Worship
Sunday
9 AM, Chapel, Acapella
11 AM, Sanctuary, Instrumental
Sunday, Special Prayer Service, Chapel, 5:30 PM
In a time marked by pain, unrest, and weariness across our country, we will gather this Sunday in the chapel at 5:30pm for prayer. We come not only with concern, but with a desire to be shaped by God into people who love, bear witness, and care well for others. This will be a quiet space for prayer and reflection. All are welcome.
This Sunday’s Scripture: Matthew 4:18–22
Discipleship
Sundays, 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. Join us from 10:15 - 10:45 each Sunday in the Fellowship Hall. Each week stands on its own; come as you’re able. Adults and teens welcome.
Chapel Classroom
Preparing for Rest: A free, optional pre-retreat class exploring different kinds of rest, connected to our upcoming women’s retreat. No registration required. Sundays through February 15. You’re welcome to attend the class, the retreat, or both.
Room 220
BOYS 5th - 7th Grade, Formation Study w/ Bryan Wolfe
GIRLS 5th - 7th Grade, Formation Study w/ Den Slater
Roots: Children’s Discipleship through Godly Play
Bible Story Focus this Week: When God Calls, We Respond
Key Verse: Acts 16:15/Matthew 4:19
Room 102, PreK - Kindergarten
Room 122, 1st - 2nd Grade
Room 209, 3rd - 4th Grade
Wednesdays, 5:15 - 5:45 PM, High School Girls’ Sermon Study Group, Room 220, Contact Den to join this group, open to 9th-12th Grade
Wednesdays, 6 PM - 7:30 PM, High School Formation, Room 220, Contact Den to join this group, open to 9th-12th Grade
Wednesdays, 6 PM - 8 PM, Adult Bible Study, Fellowship Hall
You’re invited to Wednesday Nights at Sunset Ridge Church. We share a catered supper together at 6:00 PM, followed by children’s programming and a communal Scripture study for adults at 6:30 PM. Our evening concludes by 8:00 PM. Come and be part of our midweek rhythm.
Community Connections
Community Collection This Sunday
This Sunday, we’re collecting plastic bags and non-perishable food items as a simple way to care for our neighbors. Plastic bags will be used by our youth group to learn plarning and create mats for individuals experiencing homelessness, while non-perishable goods will help restock our food pantry. Thank you for contributing in these practical, meaningful ways.
Women’s Retreat Registration Reminder
Just a reminder that the deadline to sign up for the Women’s Retreat at Mo Ranch next month is this Sunday, February 1st. If you’ve been meaning to register, now is the time! We’d love for you to join us for a meaningful and refreshing time together.
Upcoming Community Events
Every Saturday, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Sundays through February 15th, 10:15 AM, Preparing for Rest Class, Chapel Classroom
Saturday, January 31, 9AM - 1 PM, Thrift Pop-Up by One Another Coffee (moved indoors to Fellowship Hall due to cold weather)
Saturday, January 31, 9 AM - 1 PM, Secondhand Saturday @ Sunset Ridge Farmers Market (moved indoors to Fellowship Hall due to cold weather)
Sunday, February 1, 5:30 PM, Special Prayer Service, Chapel
Friday, February 27 - Sunday, March 1, Sunset Ridge Women’s Retreat, Mo Ranch
Beyond Sunday
What Rest Reveals
Taylor Bates, Deputy Director, Sunset Ridge Church & Collective
As we weren’t able to be together in worship this past Sunday, many of us felt the weight of that absence. The weather disrupted our usual rhythms, and with it the familiar comfort of gathering. And yet, perhaps this interruption created space for something we don’t often receive easily: Sabbath rest.
In my discipleship group last Wednesday, we explored the passage for the week, Acts 16:11–15. The story describes Paul and his companions traveling through a Roman-occupied region and seeking out a place of prayer on the Sabbath. There they encounter a woman named Lydia, who is described as a “worshiper of God” and a dealer in purple cloth—a detail that signals her wealth, social standing, and connections. After conversation with Paul, Scripture tells us that “the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said,” and Lydia responds by being baptized—along with her entire household.
Two things stood out to our group from this passage: the importance of Sabbath and the ways we are each uniquely gifted.
God invites us to practice regular rest. Sabbath is foundational to this story, as it creates the conditions for Paul, his companions, and Lydia to be attentive and open to the Spirit’s movement. And then God’s next invitation to Lydia is natural and concrete: to use what she already has—her home—as a place of hospitality and care.
Lydia’s role—as a business owner and one who appears to exercise authority within her household—is not minimized or set aside in the story. Instead, it is precisely how God invites her to participate in God’s work in the world. Her home becomes a place of welcome, refuge, and support for the early church. Later in the chapter, after Paul and Silas have been beaten and imprisoned, they return to Lydia’s home as a place of rest and safety.
This story feels especially timely. God invites each of us to participate in God’s work using our particular gifts, relationships, and resources. For me, the constant onslaught of news can feel overwhelming, and I often question whether anything I do can meaningfully address the problems of the world. But this passage reminds me that God’s invitations are not usually overwhelming, confusing, or complex.
These are gentle invitations.
So if you are feeling overwhelmed by the problems of the world, or by struggles closer to home, remember that God calls us to practice rest—and to trust that when we set down what we are carrying, the Spirit is still at work. We are not asked to be superheroes. Instead, we are invited to notice the unique gifts, connections, and resources we already have, and to ask how God might be inviting us to use them to bring more love and hope into the world.
Prayers of the People
We express sympathy to the family of Wiley Hill, who passed away January 26th. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
