Views from The Ridge 3.18.26
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: Nehemiah 8:1–12
Wednesdays
You’re invited to Wednesday Nights at Sunset Ridge Church. Join us for a community supper at 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall, followed by programming for children and high school students and a communal Scripture study for adults beginning at 6:30 PM. We wrap up by 8:00 PM. Come be part of our midweek rhythm. Contact Den with questions.
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. 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.
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: Children’s Discipleship through Godly Play
Bible Story Focus this Week: Jesus as a Healer and Parable-Maker
Key Verses: Matthew 4:23, Matthew 13:1–35; Mark 1:32–34; Mark 4:1–34; Luke 4:38–44; Luke 8:4–15; John 5:1–18; John 10:1–42
Room 102, PreK - Kindergarten
Room 122, 1st - 2nd Grade
Room 209, 3rd - 4th Grade
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 11 AM Worship Setlist
All 2026 Songs
Community Connections
Spring is the Perfect Time to Become a Friend of Charis Park
As the park comes alive this season, there's no better time to become a Friend of Charis Park! Your membership directly supports the maintenance, seasonal plantings, and community events that keep Charis Park thriving year-round.
And here's a sweet perk to know about—save the date for our first farm field trip of the year! On Saturday, April 18th, we're heading to Herd On The Street, the family farm just south of San Antonio in Somerset that supplies the pasture-raised lamb, beef, pork, and more you find at our Farmers Market. The visit includes a hay bale ride, a look at regenerative agriculture in action, and time to shop at their farm store. Bring the whole family and meet the people who grow your food!
The farm tour is a ticketed event, but Friends of Charis Park Oak- and Grove-level members can attend for free. Grab your tickets here—and if you're not yet a member, now's a great time to join!
Help Us Communicate Better
We want to make sure we're reaching you in ways that are actually helpful for your spiritual life and your connection to Sunset Ridge. We've put together a short communications survey—about 5 minutes—and your input will go a long way in shaping how we share news, resources, and encouragement as a church community.
You can fill out the anonymous survey online here. Thank you!
Upcoming Community Events
Every Saturday, 9 AM - 1 PM, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Saturday, March 21, 9 AM - 1 PM, Community Garden Work Day, Charis Park
Friday, March 27, 8 AM - 12 PM, Moral Injury in Combat Veterans Conference, Fellowship Hall
Saturday, March 28, 5:30 - 9 PM, Sprouts School Pasta Party Fundraiser, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, March 29, 5th Sunday: The children’s ministry will move to the sanctuary to share in our worship! The nursery will remain open, and we will still offer a class for children in Pre-K and Kindergarten.
Sunday, April 5, 10 - 11 AM, Easter Brunch, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, April 5, 11 AM, Easter Service & Baptisms, Fellowship Hall
Sunday, April 5, 12:30 PM, Easter Egg Hunt, Charis Park
Beyond Sunday
When Communities Flourish
Den Slater, Pastor of Belonging & Formation, Sunset Ridge Church
As a child in a military family, moving was simply part of life. Every few years meant another town, another school, and another set of faces. The kids around me often lived the same pattern. We learned to form friendships quickly, knowing they were temporary because whenever a relationship began to feel secure, a relocation order was sure to come along. Being an only child made those transitions even more noticeable. I had no brothers or sisters to keep close. I had no cousins down the street or grandparents nearby to provide a sense of continuity. Each move meant learning new names and new rhythms.
Life felt scattered because we were always starting over. Whatever small anchors held life together rarely lasted long. Perhaps that is why the long list of families in Nehemiah caught my attention. When I read about the people who poured themselves into the work of rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall, I noticed name after name, family after family, each connected to a small piece of the work. These people were known. Their names, their families, and the places where they labored were remembered as part of their story.
What was Nehemiah thinking when he preserved all those names? Perhaps it was simple acknowledgement. The wall was not rebuilt by a single heroic leader but by ordinary people who showed up alongside one another. Goldsmiths, merchants, families, and neighbors all contributed their portion. Or maybe it’s deeper. The list reminds us that communities are formed when people become known to one another—when names carry stories, when work is shared, and when individuals recognize that their small work belongs to something larger than themselves.
A little sadness accompanied that reading. Few people ever had time to know the “me” behind my name. It takes time for people to see the deeper parts of someone’s life. People may never hear stories of my Irish ancestry, or how much I love spicy Thai and Indian curries, or even that I have five cats with the cutest names ever! Those kinds of conversations take time to sprout.
One of the things we are learning through the Flourishing Study at Sunset Ridge is that many people in our community are experiencing loneliness. Even in communities where people care deeply about one another, it is easy for individuals to feel scattered or unseen. Researchers studying flourishing in the church often describe it as something that unfolds in three connected ways: in the lives of individual believers, in the health of congregations, and in the well-being of the communities around them. When those relationships are strong—when people are personally grounded in faith, when congregations nurture real connection, and when churches remain engaged with their neighbors—communities tend to flourish. But when any of those connections weaken, people can begin to feel isolated even while surrounded by activity.
Community must be cultivated with care. It grows when people learn to notice one another, to remain within reach of one another, and to respond when someone calls out. The rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall was not only about restoring a community. Each person had a place in the work, but no one carried the task alone. In Nehemiah’s account, the wall rose stone by stone because people remained close enough to one another to respond when help was needed.
That same quiet wisdom still shapes communities of faith today. Even as our lives pull us in different directions, we keep learning the slow work of staying within reach of one another—learning names, sharing burdens, and recognizing that every small act of presence strengthens the whole. Communities flourish when people refuse to disappear into anonymity and instead choose, again and again, to remain known.
Prayers of the People
A memorial service will be held for Barbara Edens on Saturday, March 21st at 1 PM in the Chapel, followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.
We will celebrate the life of Wiley Hill with a reception in the Fellowship Hall on April 11th from 3-5 PM.
