Christmas Bazaar; conduct a yearly stewardship drive; co-sponsor an Easter sunrise service; invite the community to our
The Sunnyslope Church: Church of the Brethren/United Church of Christ 2/1/16 How we got here and who we are: This congregation was established in 1904 as German Baptist Brethren. In the early years the denomination came to be known as Church of the Brethren (COB) and the congregation settled permanently on the “sunny slope” just north of Wenatchee, WA. It planted another COB in the town of Wenatchee in those early years and that church later joined with an American Baptist Church and became Wenatchee Brethren Baptist Church United or as we’ve come to call it, “The City Church”. We do some activities in cooperation with that continuing congregation to this day. In the mean time, the Sunnyslope Church of the Brethren continued to thrive in the orchards up on the hill. The more progressive Sunnyslope Church opened its doors to “hippies” in the 60’s and 70’s, and then collected a number of United Church of Christ members in the following years. About 20 years ago, the church became dually aligned with both denominations and became The Sunnyslope Church: Church of the Brethren/United Church of Christ. We have been blessed by both affiliations and support communities ever since. New members choose in which denomination they are counted, and join by whatever tradition they are accustomed. Settled pastoral leadership usually alternates between the denominations unless there is not a suitable candidate available in the target denomination at the time of the search. We have a close and caring congregation, welcoming to all, called “especially friendly” many times. We are a small and aging congregation with 40 in worship most Sundays. There are currently about 5 young children attending, some with parents and others with grandparents. The majority of members are aged 60 thru 100, concentrated in the 70 to 90 range. There are a few committed exceptions. We have five retired pastors of various denominations with progressive leanings who attend and provide support, back up, and feedback for our minister and worship team. About 5 years ago we studied and prayed our way to becoming a publically open and affirming congregation. That resulted in losing a very few long time members, but also allowed some new members to seek out our church family. For its size we are a very active congregation: hold an annual Christmas Bazaar; conduct a yearly stewardship drive; co-sponsor an Easter sunrise service; invite the community to our Christmas Eve service; hold a February “Ground Hog” dinner/fundraiser; usually send delegates to both denominations’ meetings and gatherings; organized a chapter and supports the Foods Resource Bank; pack weekend lunches for low income children at the Sunnyslope Elementary school; and provide volunteers and financial support to THARS – Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Services in Burundi, Africa; and more! In addition to budgeted outreach, we support a number of denominational and local outreach through monthly special offerings. We have a very strong group of lay leaders involved in nurturing the church family. We hire a half-time administrative assistant and part-time custodian. We share our sanctuary and some of the meeting space with Spring of Life Church, a new and growing Spanish speaking congregation with a lively band and a number of young families. What now? In the past two to three years a larger than usual number of our church family has passed away. This had driven us to begin an Envisioning process that was realistic given our age and resources. While looking to live within our means, our budget team and the congregation has made some painful cuts to our budget in an attempt to stop using our invested savings. Realistically, at present we can now only afford a half time pastor if we want to be fair with compensation. Then this past September about a year into the envisioning work our pastor, Mike Titus, passed away suddenly. The congregation rallied as it does and we have continued worship, visitation and outreach. But, we also continue to mourn, reassess, and pray. Envisioning continues. Hope lives. Love and support abounds.
