About Us

Vision

Sunrise Community Church exists to know Jesus and make Him known. In Mt. 28:19, Jesus commissioned his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations”. This command is our mission and it requires that all members of Sunrise are involved in two main activities: ‘being a disciple of Jesus, who makes disciples of Jesus.’

Core Values

Gospel-Centered

This means that everything we do is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. We do this because the gospel is not only the power that saves us but also the power that sanctifies us! Thus, the gospel is not the first step in a stairway of truths, rather it is more like the hub in a wheel of truth around which all ministry finds its rightful place (1 Cor 15:1-4).

Furthermore, the gospel is essentially the ‘good news of salvation’, not by works but by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

So to put it simply, a ‘gospel-centered’ understanding of salvation teaches what the Bible states so clearly, “salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Ps 3:8). In other words, God is the sovereign author, sustainer and finisher of our salvation.

Finally, a ‘gospel-centered’ view of ministry and salvation is profoundly Christ exalting - from beginning to end we want to give God all the glory for saving us!

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Missional

Jesus came to earth as a missionary and he said we must follow his example. The Father sent the Son, the Son sends the Spirit and the Spirit sends the church – therefore by its very nature, the church is called as the chosen instrument of God’s mission in the world. The mission of the church is to be a continuation of all that Jesus began to do and teach. Jesus was an incredible missionary. He was faithful to the content of Scripture and he was relevant to the context of his culture.

It is our mission to do the same - we don’t want to retreat from Grand Cayman and the world nor be above or against it. Rather, we want to engage the island and the world with the gospel of Christ (1 Cor 9:19-23). This ‘gospel engagement’ is often counter- cultural in its appearance and yet redemptive in its purpose.

We are working for a Christ-centered restoration of everyone and everything. This means that in all vocations and in every circumstance, we have an opportunity to proclaim and demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. By this all people will know that we are his disciples! (Jn. 13:35).

Spirit-Empowered

We love the person and work of the Holy Spirit and cherish His activity in our lives. We believe His primary role is to empower Christians for Christ-exalting witness and ministry. We believe that He continues to give special spiritual gifts to believers in order to edify the church and glorify Jesus Christ, but we don’t believe that any one particular spiritual gift (i.e. tongues or prophecy) is essential for proving the Spirit’s indwelling presence in a believer, or that it’s an indication of a deeper spiritual walk with God. A genuine ‘fullness or infilling’ of the Spirit’s work in a person’s life should always lead to Jesus being magnified and will result in a greater evidence of the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22).

It is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to serve the church, by using their spiritual gifts not for personal gain but “for the common good of the body” (1 Cor 12:7-11, 1 Pet 4:10).

Finally, because God is sovereign, we know that He can work miracles and heal the sick in answer to our prayers. However, the final outcome or answer is not determined by our will or efforts but rather by God’s own divine will and plan.

As a church community, we love the active presence of God in our gatherings and are totally dependent on the power of the Spirit for personal sanctification, for spiritual illumination, for mutual edification and for effective witness.

What We Believe

We believe in one God, Creator of all things and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Possessing infinite knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for himself and to make all things new for His own glory. (Deut. 6:4; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 1:3-11)

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man. Jesus, the Son of God (Israel’s promised Messiah), was miraculously conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of God the Father as our great Prophet, Priest and King. (John 1:1-18; Heb. 7:25; 9:24; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation. Therefore, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18; Titus 3:4-7; Eph. 2:4-10)

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of unrighteousness and initiates salvation by calling sinners to repent of their sin. The Holy Spirit regenerates and baptizes all believers into union with Christ and the Body of Christ. Thus, the Spirit indwells all who believe and he continues to guide, empower and spiritually gift Christians for Christ-like living and service. (Jn. 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 5:18)

We believe that the Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the verbally inspired Word of God. The Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of Gods will for salvation and the final authority on matters of faith and conduct. Thus, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires and trusted in all that it promises. (2 Tim. 3: 16-17; 2 Pet.1: 20-21).

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only by God’s own initiation and saving work through Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3, 12)

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances for the church - believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer. (Eph. 1:22-23; Matt 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)

We believe that God’s free justifying grace brings assurance of salvation but must not be separated from his ongoing sanctifying power and the need for grace to persevere in the faith. We are called to live out our faith with love for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in both words and deeds. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

We believe in a single, visible and bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth. His second coming will be at a time known only to God, and therefore demands constant expectancy and motivates believers to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission. Finally, we believe that when Christ returns he will raise the dead bodily and gather all the nations before him for the final judgment of the world. Perfect justice will be served, with the unbeliever being eternally condemned to life without God and the believer being eternally united with God in the new heavens and new earth. (Matt. 24:36-51; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Pet 3:10-13; 1 Cor. 15:20-26; Matt 25:31-46).

Email

info@sunrise.ky

Find Us

559 Walkers Rd, George Town,
Cayman Islands

© 2024 Sunrise Community Church

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