At Sunset Christian Fellowship in Hillsboro, Ore., reaching out to those in need is a big part of the church's culture.
The first Monday night of each month a group of eight to 12 members go to the Clark Center, part of the Transition Project Inc., to serve a meal to 85 to 90 men. This outreach has been happening for 10 years, and the group has served 10,000 meals.
The meal hasn’t changed in those 10 years; it’s been haystacks, or taco salad to the men down there. The Clark Center did a survey in December, and the taco salad meal provided by Sunset was the highest ranked meal.
"The unique part of our ministry," says project coordinator Bonnie Alexander, "is that we take the time after we serve the meal to sit down and eat with the men."
The group arrives at 6 p.m. and starts cooking. There are 25 pounds of meat, 18 pounds of tomatoes, 10 pounds of onions and nine heads of lettuce to chop, so there is no time to waste since dinner is served at 7 p.m.
Sunset’s commitment to the Clark Center led the Transition Project Inc. to present the group with an award on Sabbath, Feb. 17, during the worship service. Presenting the award was Emily Coleman, volunteer coordinator, and J. E. "Bud" Clark, former Portland mayor.
“We don’t do this for the awards or the recognition; we do it because we care about others," said Alexander.
J. E. "Bud" Clark, former Portland mayor, recognizes the Sunset Christian Fellowship's dedication to service. (Gary McLain)
Bud Clark, former Portland mayor, presents a certificate of appreciation to Bonnie Alexander, Sunset's meal outreach program leader. (Gary McLain)
no caption (Gary McLain)
