http://www.SunnysideAdventist.org/

Sunnyside Seventh-day Adventist Church, 10501 SE Market Street, Portland, OR (2026)

09/04/2026

Hello Sunnyside!

First, a huge thank you to everyone who made the annual Corn Roast a massive success. Everything from the food, to the activities, to the music, to the fellowship was perfect. It takes a lot of work, so to all involved, know that your church family appreciates you!

As was mentioned on Sabbath, our visioning team, made up of a diverse group of Sunnyside members, is meeting on September 22 to go over the data results in order to determine a few areas of emphasis for the next couple years. Please pray for us during the process.

Since most schools began this week, and WWU's first day is on the horizon, it's a good time to reflect on education as a spiritual discipline. When I began my PhD, I remember being told that our study was an act of worship meant to be dedicated to God in order to strengthen the church. That isn't just for people in formal education programs. The meaning of the term "disciple" is essentially "learner." This means that even when we graduate from our formal educational programs, the learning doesn't stop. Jesus always has more to teach us.

With that said, it is important to note that education can also be painful as we take in new information. Think of how painful Saul's conversion was on the road to Damascus. Yet, he embraced the experience and his writings helped inspire our new sermon series exploring the logic of his body metaphor in 1 Corinthians 12,, and how organizations and communities learn. So, keep an open mind and a prayerful spirit as we continue to learn and grow as a community.

The series will continue the week after this Sabbath, because this Sabbath we have the annual Bobby McGhee Weekend. I know he is looking forward to sharing all that he has planned. Hope to see you there!

Pastor Seth Pierce

📸: Alin Dragulin

08/29/2026

Hi Sunnyside Family,

After getting back from Sri Lanka, I went with our pastoral team to Walla Walla University for the NPUC constituency meetings. It was a time of rest, rejuvenation, and connecting with colleagues in ministry from all over the Pacific Northwest.

When I visited the Yala National Park - one of the biggest national reserves in the island, Andrew, our safari guide, cautioned us at the beginning of our 4-hour excursion: “the best way to enjoy this experience is to not focus on the leopard.”

Yala is home to the Sri Lankan leopard - an extremely rare animal that would be the envy of many a camera-roll. Every day, hundreds from all over the world come to Yala hoping to catch a glimpse of this elusive animal in its natural habitat and many, alas, sadly go back with one less picture on their phone.

But what Andrew said struck me. An obsession with seeing the leopard could limit one from seeing anything else. One’s enjoyment of the safari experience then becomes dependent on spotting a wild cat than on what else Yala has to show us. I found myself looking for the leopard that I missed many other things that I wouldn’t have seen lest our guide drew my attention.

What are your “leopards?” What are those things in your life that you need that may be limiting your peripheral vision to everything else? They don’t have to be “bad”, in fact, the more good and valuable and noble they are, the more they could distort our attention and our energies. If left unchecked and un-surrendered to God, these desires, even the good ones, can disorient us. African theologian Augustine recognized this tendency when he prays:

“You have created us for thyself, O God. And our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.”

And just in case you were wondering,

we did spot a leopard ;)

Pray for us this weekend as I’m facilitating a cross-cultural leadership training for Adventist young adults and professionals in the Hawaii conference in Oahu. I’m doing this with Gadi, one of our collegiates from Sunnyside, who will be flying out to co-lead with me.

Peace and Blessings,

Pastor Kevin

08/21/2026

Hello, Church family!

For the following two weeks, I’m pausing my sabbatical to take part in the NPUC ministerial convention, then, on August 23, a union constituency session with some of our fellow Sunnysiders, and finally to enjoy with you the Corn Roast, our annual end-of-summer social.
What brings me the most joy in all of this is seeing God’s life generously flowing through relationships in our local community and across the larger North Pacific Church Family. Together we navigate different seasons, share our stories, overcome challenges, and through it all we learn to appreciate each other and testify to God’s faithful presence among us.

Going through my sabbatical, I’ve realized how important it is to stay attentive to the life within, a life so easily muted by the external rhythms and demands of our roles, no matter how noble and sacred they may be. No external motion can substitute for the heartbeat inside of us. My prayer is that the shalom of this Sabbath creates space for us to sense our own heartbeat and God’s life streaming within us.

Pastor Violeta

08/15/2026

Hello Sunnyside Church Family!

Well, we made it safely back home from Romania. Thank you for all the prayers and support as we presented educational seminars to people in multiple churches. We experienced some powerful conversations and were invited to offer coaching into some very challenging dynamics in order to bring healing.

I am jet-lagged, but looking forward to being in the pulpit this Sabbath to share a message on finding God's will, along with some stories from Romania.

Next weekend (Aug 22) is the NPUC Pastor's Meetings and Constituency Session. Pastor Violeta and I are delegates and we solicit your prayers as we not only worship together and explore the realities of ministry in the PNW, but also vote on decisions on August 24th.

It's hard to know what to say after traveling for a few weeks and having a lot of adventures. One simple truth that came up several times as we traveled to various faith communities was the need for redemption. All of us fall short (Romans 3:23) and need redemption, and sometimes the path to redemption involves the natural consequences of our actions. But when we awake from our mess and realize our need to get right, it's important to have communities that don't define us by our worst moment, but hold us accountable as we become transformed by the grace of Jesus.

May you extended grace to those who need it, including yourself, this week.

See you Sabbath!

Pastor Seth

08/08/2026

Hi Sunnysiders,

What a week it has been with the fires and air quality. I know the smoky conditions have put a stop to many outdoor activities, and I hope you all have been able to stay safe and healthy.

Our corn roast team has been making great progress in preparing our annual corn roast on August 30. This year, festivities will begin at 12 noon, so be sure to mark your calendars for an afternoon of connection, corn, watermelon, wet, bouncy houses (for the kids!) and lots of fun and fellowship. I have been told that there are even more games this year! Be sure to invite your friends.

A huge thank you to our corn roast team, especially David, Dianne, Jackee, and the many others who have been working behind the scenes to make sure everything is ready. If you are able to help with set up or clean up on the day, please contact David or Dianne. Many hands make light work, and we would love to have you involved.

This coming Sabbath, I will be spending time with our sister Church, the Village. Here at Sunnyside, our own Pastor Dave Allen will be sharing the Word. Pastor Seth is back from the Romanian mission trip this coming week and he will be in the pulpit the following Sabbath, August 15.

Blessings,
Pastor Rose

07/31/2026

Hi Sunnyside family,

It’s 2:27am and I’m seated in the arrivals lounge, waiting for Elynn to walk through customs any minute at the Colombo International Airport in Sri Lanka. I’ve been here the last few days getting ready for our upcoming cross culture tours with some of our Sunnyside and Oregon friends.

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of preaching at my home church in Kandy, where I was dedicated as a child. This Friday, I’ll be interviewed by the Sunday Times - the island’s longest-standing and primary English news source - about our work with cross culture tours and our online ministry. It’ll be a joy to give Sunnyside a shoutout in the paper!

This upcoming Sabbath, I’ll be preaching at Bethel SDA Church in Colombo, followed by the tour from August 1–10.

Greetings from Sri Lanka! Looking forward to worshipping with you soon 🙏🏽

Peace and blessings,
Pastor Kevin

07/25/2026

Hi Sunnysiders,

It was so lovely to see many of you at camp meeting last week!

I had the privilege of co-leading the Trailblazers (8-10 year olds) tent, which was located in the amphitheater area of camp. We were blessed to have several Sunnysiders serving alongside us. Vesper was a crew leader, Tiffany helped with registrations, and Paul shared some fascinating astrophysics presentations during our morning sessions.

Each morning also began with some fun “badge” giveaways, and one highlight was watching young Emma recite every book of the Old Testament from memory - to the surprise and delight of her fellow trailblazers!

Throughout the week, we placed a special emphasis on prayer, both before our meetings and during the morning programs. Our pastors shared about the beauty of talking with Jesus and the power of intercessory prayer.

I was leading the activity rotations, and at the end of one of the prayer rotations, a boy named Chase came up to thank one of our pastors for the message. He shared that he had already given his life to Jesus, but that he wanted to give his life to Him again that day.

As Chase began to walk away to go to his next activity with his group, he suddenly turned, locked eyes with the pastor leading the activity and said, “I just want you to know that God loves you so much!” It was a profound moment. This pastor shared that it was like this young boy was listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit inside of him.

I’m sure there are countless camp meeting stories like this, and I look forward to hearing how you encountered Jesus this past week.

Now that the whirlwind of camp has settled, I thought it was fitting to share a message on rest this coming Sabbath.

Blessings,
Pastor Rose

07/17/2026

Hello Sunnyside!

It’s Campmeeting week! We have all been working hard to create a wonderful experience for those who attend.

I have already had three pronto pups, hand-crafted by our Pathinders, and hope you’ll stop by the Snack Shack to enjoy some too!

Keep an eye out for your pastoral team in Gladstone this week and make sure to say, “Hello!” Just a reminder to stay hydrated as it’s a hot week.

For those staying at Sunnyside for church this Sabbath, Pastor Fenn will be sharing a powerful message.

Also, right after Campmeeting, several of us are flying to Romania for a mission trip and we solicit your prayers for safe travel and God’s blessing as we minister to the people there.

Sincerely,
Pastor Seth

07/11/2026

Hi Sunnyside Family,

On Friday, July 10, we had a vision meeting with a think-tank of highschoolers and recent college grads to reflect on the past year of ministry and to map out the year ahead. Our main focus for 2026-2027 year is to develop and empower student leaders to own particular aspects of our youth ministry so that we can create a ministry template that can be replicated every year.

Camp meeting is upon us and our Holden Center team has been busy gearing up for our Young Adult camp meeting July 14-18. That week I’m also doing a seminar on cultivating cultural intelligence for churches on Thursday at 2:30pm, speaking for the youth tent Friday night, and assisting my wife during worship on Sabbath morning. Looking forward to a week of camaraderie and connections!

On July 22nd, I’m taking off on our third annual cross culture mission tour to Sri Lanka with some of our Sunnyside members. Excited to see my family (who I only get to see this time every year ☹️) and also to serve my home church during the weekends I’m there. Elynn and I will be back on August 14 followed by attendance at the NPUC Pastor’s Conference in Walla Walla, Washington

I find the summer to be a necessary and optimal season to reflect on how God has led me in the past few months and to sense where God might be leading me in the upcoming weeks. If I will allow it, this mid-year interlude between Spring and Fall can be a generative time for renewed perspectives and energies. My prayer for you is that amidst the busy-ness and the excitement of this season, you may make room for prayer and reflection, first for yourself and then for your family.

Some questions for you to consider as you reflect:

Where did you see God move in the last 6 months?
Where do you want God to move in the next 6 months?
What will you celebrate on December 31, 2026?

Peace and Blessings!

Pastor Kevin

07/04/2026

Hi Sunnysiders,

Summer is well and truly here in the Pacific Northwest! With longer days, birds singing before sunrise, and the kids on school break, many of us are spending more time together outdoors* (*unless a heatwave rolls through!)

Each one of us was created in the image of our Creator, and we are wired for connection. While Sunnyside offers many wonderful opportunities to build relationships with one another — from Faith Lift Bible Studies, History Class, the Zoom Book Club, Adventurers, Pathfinders, Sabbath Schools or Youth Group and SO many other ministries…there is something uniquely powerful about gathering around a shared meal.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a story of a God who meets people around a table. In fact, His first provision for humanity included food (Gen. 1:29.) Jesus frequently shares meals with others, and Scripture ends with the celebration of the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-9.) Throughout the Bible, food serves a far greater purpose than simply providing the calories and nutrients needed to sustain our bodies. Meals become places of fellowship, hospitality, grace, and belonging — spaces where relationships are strengthened and God’s love is experienced.

When we sit at a table together, walls come down. Conversations deepen. Friendships begin. A shared meal can become a sacred space where God strengthens His family. And we’re inviting you to join us in this experience, at Sunnyside 🙂

This week, I hope you’ll join us for Picnic on the Patio after our church service. As you enjoy your meal, consider sitting with someone you’ve seen at church but haven’t had the chance to know. A great conversation starter might be, “What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had, and why?” You never know what God might do through one conversation over lunch.

See you on the patio.

Blessings,
Pastor Rose

Sunnyside Seventh-day Adventist Church

09/04/2026

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08/21/2026

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07/31/2026

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