The "Four Pillars" of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church

The quality of a house is determined by its structural integrity. The siding, the paint, and the colours all add to its attractiveness, but a beautiful house that is structurally weak is almost worthless. The same principle holds true for a church. Its style, its programs, and its personnel can add to the attractiveness of a church, but the quality of a church lies beneath the surface. There are four supporting pillars at Sunnyside. If these are strong, then our church will be sound. If they are not, then our church will be weak. The four pillars of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church are: Worship, Community, Discipleship, and Evangelism.

Worship

Worship and singing are not the same. Worship and a worship service are not synonymous terms. Worship happens when we as individuals, and we as a community, lift our lives and hearts to God in thanksgiving -- for who he is, and what he has done. It is quite possible to sing and not to worship. But real worship is the first pillar of our church. We believe that worship is the primary purpose of the church. When we worship well, we are being who we are called to be. Our primary vocation as people is to be worshippers. Our primary purpose as a church is to be a community of worshippers.

Community

Most of the Bible was written to communities of believers in Jesus Christ. We believe that God reveals himself in the community of believers. In a church the size of Sunnyside, no one person will be able to be good friends with everyone that comes to church. But within the large group of believers, there are smaller groups that emerge. These groups pray for those within and outside the group, encourage and care for one another. The Love of God is seen in us when we commit ourselves to caring for those around us.

Discipleship

The goal of discipleship is to produce spiritually mature men and women of God. We hope to train people to have a deep-seated faith in the character of God, to live holy lives that stem from an intimate walk with God, to use their gifts to bear fruit, to live and demonstrate love in Christian community, to engage the culture in a Spirit-led way, and to know and be content with where they fit into God's plan.

Evangelism

Evangelism simply means sharing good news. This can be done through simple acts of kindness. It can be done by articulating what Jesus has done for us. It can be done through overseas mission work. But we believe that the gospel is so amazing that we should not be selfish. We should tell others what we have found.

These four areas are the pillars which Sunnyside Wesleyan Church is built around. This is who we believe we are called to be as a church.