Barely a month has gone by since pastors Dale Sorgen and Sean Wilkerson were cleaning up broken windows and trashed rooms at their Sultan churches.
But instead of vandals breaking the spirits of the churches and their people, Sultan’s places of worship have turned the tide and made a negative experience one of community and union just in time for Easter.
“We were together before but even more together now,” Wilkerson, 33, said. “What you meant to harm us, God meant for the good.”
All five churches in Sultan, and one in Gold Bar, have come together to offer service to those in the area looking for a church home.
They are all asking the community: “What if it is true?”
Wilkerson of Mountainview Christian Fellowship and Sorgen of Sultan Baptist Church, have teamed together with pastor Jane Mize of Sultan Community United Methodist Church, pastor Aaron Day of Crosswater Community Church, pastor Ed Lehman of Hillcrest Baptist Church, and pastor Ryan Smith of Mountain Valley Chapel in Gold Bar.
Banners and T-shirts with the “What if it is true?” slogan can be seen in and around Sultan. People are directed to a Sultan churches Web site where all six places of worship are represented and asking the same questions about Jesus. Each church has its Web site listed with service times and other information on how each teaches the word of God.
“We all have a passion to see people connect with Jesus,” Wilkerson said.
Sorgen and Wilkerson were already friends when vandals hit their churches. Wilkerson can peek out his office window at Mountainview Christian Fellowship and see whether or not Sorgen is in his office at Sultan Baptist Church.
The churches may all differ in their doctrines and backgrounds but it never comes up. Together they offer one theme but keep their autonomy.
“We are all going in the same direction,” Wilkerson said.
Sorgen, 41, agrees with that sentiment.
“We are all like battleships on the same sea,” he said. “We are excited to make an impact in this valley for God.”
The idea of a common theme, of area churches coming together was Wilkerson’s and a really good one, Sorgen said.
“Sean is very community minded in the Christian sense,” he said.
In their partnership the churches are sharing information and letting the community know through their new Web site how they are doing. After Easter all six pastors will check in with each other to see what went well before continuing with the ongoing united project.
“It’s not United Methodist’s kingdom or Mountainview’s kingdom,” Wilkerson said. “It’s God’s kingdom we’re trying to grow.”
Christina Harper: 425-339-3491. harper@heraldnet.com.
To learn more
For more information on the Sultan and Gold Bar churches unification project, go to www.sultanchurches.com.
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