How do we plant faith communities?

Sun Ministries plants faith communities by operating in eight core values

Properly structured and functioning church leadership - God has designed the church to function in a certain way. This way is defined in Scripture and must be followed. A return to this design is the fundamental first step of reformation.

Sacrificial attitude towards money – living a moderate lifestyle. Jesus said you couldn’t be His disciple unless you sell all of your own possessions. He also says you can only serve one master.

Building the Sacred assembly – no unbelievers in the worship gathering. The most dominant and unbiblical corruption of the modern church is that unbelievers are allowed in the worship gathering. This practice is not supported in Scripture. Correcting this error is foundational to restoring the sacred assembly.

Believers working in their spiritual gifts. The church is designed to function on the basis of spiritual gifting. The only way for the church to function by design is to teach and lead every disciple to operate skillfully in their God given spiritual gifts.

Spiritual Warfare praying  Prayer is the key to living a victorious life. Spiritual warfare praying is the key to walking in the Spirit and obeying Christ.

Manifest power, presence and leading of the Holy Spirit  The New Testament emphasizes the spiritual dimension of the Christian life. The disciple of Christ is empowered to walk in the Spirit. Knowing and understanding spiritual gifts, prayer, and spiritual warfare enables the disciple of Christ to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship for personal consecration and spiritual freedom. This core value highlights the need for spiritual transformation, sanctification, and maturity. As we fulfill the Great Commission we bring people to maturity in Christ. This process frees them from sin and their past and leads them to find their Ephesians 2:10 works.

Love. Without love, everything else is meaningless. Jesus said the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

So how do we live out these core values? We start with disciples making disciples in obedience to the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. As we gather around this core mission we find that the focus of the congregation stays on serving the world. This is the core of the Christian faith. Be a disciple, make disciples and serve others in love.

The Church@HydePark is the result of the leadership of Sun Ministries making disciples and teaching them to make disciples. We help these disciples rediscover God's design for the operation of the church. As other local churches are planted by Sun Ministries both across North St. Louis and the country, we will unite them in service to each other and the world. We are facilitating the launching of a movement. No denomination, no clergy class, no consumer mentality. Instead, we see a movement of unity based on service led by spiritual gifts making disciples that make disciples.

Sun Ministries' role will decrease as each faith community is established locally. In Hyde Park, you will see Sun Ministries' visibility decrease as the role of the Church@HydePark increases in service to the community. Sun Ministries will continue to work in the background training, resourcing and empowering the local faith community. This frees the leadership to work to establish new faith communities in other areas. This is where we find ourself in 2018. We are ready to work to plant new faith communities in new areas.

Planting Faith Communities

As we've stated in the last few blog entries, Sun Ministries is focusing on what we've always wanted to do: make disciples and plant faith communities.  The Church@HydePark is the first faith community planted by Sun Ministries. We say planted because like a seed we will nurture it and help it grow. Modern Christianity in America is largely an institutional endeavor. The New Testament contains no instructions for establishing an institution over the church. It does contain ample instruction on how the church should be organized, led and operate. We are looking to help people discover the organic and mission oriented nature of the Christian faith as instructed in the Bible.

Sun Ministries supports the leadership and provides resources to stabilize and establish the local church. Then Sun Ministries releases the faith community to pastor the community by sharing the Gospel of Jesus and meeting the needs of those around them. Sun Ministries plays an ongoing leadership role by promoting unity through service among the local faith communities.

For many years we have referred to those supported by Sun Ministries as “Missionaries”. We did this because without a local faith community it was hard to put what we were doing into generally understood terms. We are no longer using this designation. The staff of Sun Ministries is simply spiritually gifted leaders who have dedicated their whole lives to the vision and mission of Sun Ministries. Our goal is to plant faith communities that operate on the basis of spiritual gifts under biblical leadership and function by God's design. In order to facilitate that we must start with spiritually gifted leaders who will equip people for the works of ministry. These leaders are the staff of Sun Ministries.

Interview with Alex Betts

We love creative expression.  Especially art that is honest and authentic, that connects us to the artist and the world around us.  Many of us at Sun Ministries are musicians, and we have written our own testimonies into songs, poems, and novels.  We have published 4 podcast episodes exploring creative expression.

This year, Sun Cafe has been hosting a lot of music.  One artist has stood out.  Her name is Alex Betts, and she is a resident of Hyde Park, the same neighborhood we work and live in.  She has written incredible songs that tell stories of herself and those around her.  She has a great voice and plays piano.

We want to encourage local artists, especially those we feel are expressing good things in a good way.  We interviewed Alex Betts to get some background to her art.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up here in St. Louis in Hyde Park. I've lived here my entire life.

What was it like growing up?

Growing up was good for me. I got the full experience. I have a big sister and a twin brother that I got to grow up with and I had a mother who taught me well and a father that was there when I needed him. I had lots of friends and I've almost never met a stranger. I loved talking to people and meeting people. I was a little wild but that was just my charm :)

What shaped who you are? Was it your neighborhood, community, education, family, an individual, faith, etc?

I believe all of those things shaped who I am. My neighborhood isn't the best in St. Louis but it's a relatively good neighborhood in my eyes. Church and community always went hand in hand for me because my church is very active in my community. Family was important because no matter what, you always have each other (my mom always tells me that I was born with a best friend). And education was also important. I was never bored in my house because everywhere you look there's a book or a magazine somewhere (my house was like a library). Speaking of libraries, my mom always took the 3 of us to Central Library. So knowledge was never a chore, it was always fun to learn something new. All of those things pretty much shaped who I am.

What is your earliest/clearest music-related memory?

My earliest and clearest memory of music is not really just one memory, it's more like a collection of fragments. I remember singing in the Angel Choir at my church (which was like preschoolers singing), I remember watching my mom sing and play piano nearly everyday, when it was time to wake up for school in the morning, my mom would sing a special song that she came up with herself. Playing music with my family in our living room together in a family jam session, dancing around the kitchen all the time with my sister listening to radio Disney.

When did you start making music?

I started making music at 11. I can't really remember why, but I know before writing songs I was interested in poetry. I liked writing poems that rhymed and had rhythm a lot and I played piano almost everyday. So one day I wrote a song and them I started plunking out notes on the piano to go with it.

Why do you currently make music?

I make music because I love it. It's never a chore to do something you love. I do it because it makes me happy and because it makes others happy. I like seeing smiles on other people's faces and I like when people see what I see (and vice versa)

What inspires your music? What do you most often write about, or what kinds of songs are you drawn to?

I like songs about love. Not the crappy kind, but the real kind you used to hear in songs from before money and sex. I like feeling and sincerity. I like the feeling you get when you've found that song the makes your heart wrench because you know how that feels or because you can feel what the artist feels. I like songs that are fun or crazy but still have a meaning behind it. Like 90s music. I like 90s music. Or anything before 2010 to be honest.

Are you involved in any other forms of creative expression?

I like to dance, but only when I'm by myself or being silly with people, I like to draw. I love to draw, I used to paint, too, but I had to let that go. It gets everywhere. I like making people laugh, and I still like poetry (I need to go back to writing it though), I like acting (but that's once every blue moon). And I love to cook. And read. A lot.

Can you recommend 3 artists or albums?

Listen to Brian McKnight. Just any album. Pick one. Pick all of them. Leslie Odem Jr's Simply Christmas album is wonderful. I love it. La'Porsha Renae's Already All Ready. I've been hooked on that album for weeks.

What do you want to accomplish with music?

I want to open people's eyes and let them see from another perspective. I want people to know that I see them and that other people see them. I want to help people in the way I know best, and that is my gift of music.

Hyde Park Festival: Sept 8 2012

We are all so excited about this year's Hyde Park Festival. It's so crazy that we first got involved by simply serving 3 years ago, and now this year we are organizing and sponsoring the Festival.  We've been planning since last year, and have been trying to get as many people on board as possible. We've got some great stuff lined up for the festival, including free kids' games, great music, door prizes, excellent food, and other fun stuff. The festival will be Saturday, September 8, 10am-8pm in Hyde Park, which is just 2 blocks off I-70 at the Salisbury exit. You can also check out the Hyde Park Festival website.  Here's a rundown of what to expect this year.

All day music!!!

We've got a great lineup, including bluegrass, hip-hop, soul, and acoustic. Headlining is GRITS, Dove Award-winning national hip-hop duo!

Cumberland Gap Band

Performing at 10:30AM

Since the beginning Cumberland Gap has stayed true to its roots. Their acoustic renditions of classic folk, blues, and bluegrass along with their inspired list of original songs have gained a steadily growing enthusiastic audience. They were named as the best bluegrass band in St. Louis by the Riverfront Times in 2004 and again in 2009. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch named Cumberland Gap one of the "17 local bands you ought to know about" and had this to say about their live shows: "With their three-part harmonies soaring over strong, inspired string work, Cumberland Gap captures the soulful, upbeat side of American folk and bluegrass."

Reformation Sound

Performing at 1:00PM

This is our band. Made entirely of Sun Ministries missionaries, who are also all residents of Hyde Park. Features an interesting blend of guitar, banjo, hand drums, bass, dulcimer, and many voices. We write music to testify to what God is doing. Our sound is somewhere in the mix of folk, indie, rock, with occasionally a bit of blues.

Andre Williams

http://www.dre-dre.com/

Performing mid afternoon

Excellent jazz, soul, gospel, etc. Remarkable musicians, and great friends of us here at Sun Ministries. Andre can shred with the best of them, and has a fantastic falsetto.

Bingham Family

Performing mid afternoon

Soul and gospel

Commission Heirs

Performing mid afternoon

These guys are committed to using the gift that God gave them. They refer to it as "flip-hop", because they used to use it for the things of the world, but now they've turned it around and are preaching the gospel through rap. They are not full-time performers, as they are balancing their music in the midst of lives spent following God.

GRITS

Performing at 6:00PM

A personal favorite of many of us at Sun Ministries. Fantastic hip-hop duo from Nashville, recording since 1995. They've won several Dove awards, have songs on many soundtracks, and have toured extensively.

Free Kids' Games provided by Life is Good

Last year, Jake's on Main in St. Charles, MO lent us the games used for the Life is Good festival. They're letting us use them again this year. The games are free, and we've got some great prizes.

Historic Walking Tour

historic Divoll branch Library

Hyde Park is a registered historic district.  There is fantastic brickwork and architecture.  Most of the buildings are over 100 years old.  And we have some notable places, such as Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, two stand-pipe water towers, a stop on the undergroung railroad, historic public school and library, old barracks, and of course, the Bremen Theater.

Beep Baseball

A version of baseball for the blind and visually impaired. The bases buzz and the ball beeps. There are some rule differences, which the website explains. They will be doing a demonstration. Sighted people are welcome to participate, but they have to wear a blindfold.

Attendance Prizes!

We will be raffling off several attendance prizes at the festival, all FOR FREE!

Here is a sampling of the prizes

• Life is Good T-Shirts - donated by Jake's on Main and Life is Good
• 4 tickets to the Missouri Botanical Garden
• Gift Certificate to Jazz at the Bistro - donated by Jazz St. Louis
• Signed St. Louis Rams picture - donated by the St. Louis Rams
• Boutique gift items donated by Looking Glass Desings in Lafayette Square

St. Louis Police and Fire Department

The police will be bringing out the helicopter and swat vehicle. The fire department will have a hook and ladder. While you're at the festival, be sure to check out the historic firehouse at the corner of the park.

Pottery Demonstration and Lesson

Tim and Christy Sawyer have been making pottery for years.  They make a wide variety, from historic recreations to modern, artistic pieces.  Not only will they be selling their wares, but they will have a portable turning wheel and will be teaching kids, and whoever else is adventurous enough, some pottery basics.  And the kids get to take home their creations!

Other Fun Activities

3-on-3 Basketball

Bounce Houses

Sack Races

FREE Face Painting

Awesome Food!

Jubilee Community Church - They will be selling fantastic, eclectic rice dishes, including Indian, Mexican, and Chinese

Mi Hungry - Jamaican and American Barbecue

La Mancha Coffeehouse - A local coffeehouse located just to the south of us in the Old North neighborhood. Serving tasty cafe sandwiches

Faith Hope and Love Ministries - They will be serving some great grilled items as well as a few pasta dishes

Our Partners

ND Consulting

AmerenUE

Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr.

Third Ward Housing Corporation

Jake's on Main/Life is Good

Jubilee Community Church

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Ballwin Baptist Church

Faith Hope and Love Ministries
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department

St. Louis Fire Department

New Pallet Products and Etsy!

This past year has given us some opportunity to continue to experiment with recycled pallet wood. The Sun Cafe and Market is set to open sometime in early 2013, which will give us space to display our wood products. In the meantime, we have started an Etsy account and will be putting on one-of-a-kind items from time to time. In case you didn't know, our Products with Purpose are made in the Opportunity Center here in Hyde Park.  Our missionaries learn to work with their hands, and the sales (and skills) support the ministry.  It also gives us skills we can then teach to people ready to change their lives.

Here are some of the things we've made in the last year or so:

 



Recycled Pallet Candle Holders



Candle Holders

Simple, rustic, and artsy. A couple different styles. Sold pretty well at the Old North Christmas Bazaar.





Recycled Pallet Night Stand Dresser



Rustic Night Stand Dresser

This was designed by our executive director. Has a rough finish and simple, rustic construction. The lap joints were nailed together.



Recycled Pallet Hall Shelves



Hall Shelves

We tried to find something that would use some smaller pieces of wood. We made a sleek, modern one, and a more traditional/country one.

Patio End Table

Patio end table

This was a custom order piece. Sort of a combination of two table designs we already had. The frame is mortise and tenon joinery, while the slats are simply screwed and glued. I really liked this design because it was sturdy and attractive, and matched our deck chairs perfectly.

Crazy large sliding door

Sliding Door

This was another custom order. The door was two inches thick, 89 inches tall, and 40 inches wide. It weighed A LOT!  The mix of woods gave it lots of character.



Recycled pallet picture frames, and Mark Goodwin Photography.



Picture Frames

Used best to house Mark Goodwin's photography.

Recycled pallet stools with upholstered seats

Stools

A custom order from someone in the community. The design was based off a really simple stool that was in the Opportunity Center when the building was donated. Mortise and tenon joinery. We tried to use oak as exclusively as we could in these.  Getting the stain color right was tricky, as the customers had a table we were supposed to match. The table was really really dark, so we didn't quite make it, but they compliment very well. Also, they were our first upholstery job.

Recycled pallet bookshelf

Book Shelf

This thing is heavy! I tried to make something that really emphasized the material we use, which is recycled pallets. So it's chunky, there is quite a mix of woods, and plenty of character.  The sides are framed panels.

Hyde Park Festival

The task ahead of us is huge. We are seeking to reclaim and restore the inner cities of America for the glory of God. Luckily, He does most of the work. But having this vision leads us to many places, and gets us involved in a variety of activities. We hope to pastor the community, and there are innumerable ways to do that.

How about organizing a festival? It was never on our radar. But we go forward with a heart to serve, and this is the stuff that is laid before us. The Alderman of our ward has been putting on the Hyde Park Festival for many years, and it has had its ups and downs. Last year we participated in the festival. We had an informational booth, our missionaries played music, and we all helped with the labor. This year, as we have sought to work with various organizations in the area, we found ourselves meeting with the Alderman, discussing the festival. The idea was brought up to allow the non-profit organizations in the area work together in order to organize and carry out the festival. The Alderman agreed and our executive director, Dr. Terry Goodwin was voted as chairman of the festival.


So we have been organizing the Hyde Park Festival for a few months, with the help of other organizations and individuals in the neighborhood, including Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church and ND Consulting. It will take place September 10 and 11, in Hyde Park. We have the theme of “Historic Past, Dynamic Present, Bright Future”, because we know that the history of our neighborhood is powerful, and it's something no one can take away. Our present is full of newer organizations, century old churches, long-time residents, those passing through, broken buildings, new developments, kids, families, firemen, police officers, schools, et cetera. There are ups and downs in any given day. And we are optimistic about the future, especially those of us at Sun Ministries, who are motivated by the love of Christ to serve this community.

This year we will again be doing a lot of labor. Our band of missionaries, Reformation Sound, will be playing music. We will display our Products with Purpose, and have a booth explaining our Opportunity Garden program. There will be live entertainment both days of the festival, including jazz, stomp exhibitions, rap, folk, r&b, dance. There will be artists, a kids' zone, health screenings, food vendors, a flea market, historic walking tours, and more.

We hope the festival will be a tool to move this neighborhood forward: to get the organizations working together, to bring in people from outside the area so they can see the struggle and progress being made in this historic community, to let the residents celebrate their neighborhood, and to promote the businesses, crafters, and service providers of the area.

If you are interested in being a vendor, or volunteering at the festival, contact Dr. Terry Goodwin at 636-544-2151 or terry@sunministries.org. You can also visit http://www.hydeparkfestival.org/, or find Hyde Park Festival on Facebook.

Historic Bremen Theater Restoration

Sun Ministries is partnering with a not-for-profit organization formed by Alderman Freeman Bosley, Sr. to clean out and restore the historic Bremen Theater. The theater has been abandoned for several years and is falling apart. We’ve had two work groups help our missionaries and volunteers remove three dumpsters full of debris from the building. Dustin and Lacey from Refuge Church in St. Charles are coming back with their youth group for their second round of clean up on November 7. We are excited to bring assistance and awareness to this project in order to restore and rebuild North St. Louis.




If you or your group are interested in helping in this ongoing effort, leave a comment or email Mark Goodwin at mark@sunministries.org.