Sonrise Christian Fellowship in Penticton, B.C. began in November 2001 with five people meeting regularly to pray and study the Word of God. Within two weeks, four people came to Christ out of the world and were baptized upon confession of their faith. The Wednesday night meetings began to grow, and soon there were 20 people crammed into the living room.
The Lord led us to move into a small funeral chapel. We continued to grow, and became an established church. Meetings were held both Wednesday night and Sunday morning, and the Lord continued to add those that were being saved.
Through a series of Spirit-led events, we came into fellowship with the B.C. Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, and we have been truly blessed in this new relationship and affiliation.
From the funeral chapel, we moved into a small high school band room, and now we are meeting in a great middle school facility (KVR Middle School) with lots of room to grow. Jesus continues to build His church, and we are excited about our recent Easter outreach service. People are growing in faith, hope and love, and are examining the Scriptures with great eagerness. Evangelism is a high priority, as is the development of house churches and cell groups.
Weekly attendance averages 45–50, of whom about 25 are committed members. Our church mission statement is “To know Christ and make him known!” Our philosophy of ministry is to model the early church as described in Acts 2:42–47. Our worship service is generally characterized as contemporary and charismatic with a strong emphasis on expositional Bible teaching and preaching. Discipleship and evangelism are also a high priority.
—Monty Scott
