How Love Works

Jeremiah 29:7
"Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile; pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

Matthew 20:28
Jesus said: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Galatians 2:8-10
"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along."

OUR METHODOLOGY

Sacrificially caring for the poor, downtrodden, and less fortunate has always been and will always be a true mark of the people of God. At Sideris we take this seriously by leaning into two realities:

(1)
Every Jesus Follower is called to Love & serve THEIR CITY & Its Downtrodden, So The church’s job is to Prepare Every christiaN to be Spiritually ready to do that work.

(2)
There are many great organizations doing this work better than the church could Possibly do on its own… So the church should send its Spiritually-prepared workers Into THE MIX with those great organizationS to help them do their work.

(Conclusion)
The Church should not recreate every wheel.

OUR PARTNERS

Christians being christian by serving the city they live in will happen in a variety of ways. Some times our Cohorts identifies an area of renewal and finds a way to serve. Other times there are church-wide teams that form to address a reality with the love and grace of the gospel. Mostly these cohorts or teams partner with local non-profits who are the experts in meeting any specific need. In addition to serving with our own hands we believe the church can provide significant help by being generous financially. At Sideris we donate 10% of our annual budget to organizations working here in the city and also internationally.

Some of these organizations we partner with through volunteering and financially include:

Bridges Humanitarian Initiative
helping refugees in Greece with legal help, housing, counseling, care

Community Dinners Ballard
creating relationships around the table with unhoused neighbors

Union Gospel Mission
helping adult men experiencing homelessness

New Horizons
helping youth experiencing homelessness

R.E.S.T
aiding women transitioning from the sex trade

CRU InnerCity
mobilizing churches to serve tangible needs in inner cities around the country

How do I start serving?

We invite everyone to participate in both a Church Team and a City Team. Church Teams focus on serving within the body of Christ—caring for one another, building up the community, and supporting our weekly gatherings. City Teams take that same love and extend it outward, sharing the grace of God in tangible ways with our neighbors and the city around us.

We create the most connections between Jesus and those in need of renewal by bringing the expectation of serving and outreach down to a smaller unit of scale—the cohort level. It is here that we see a true manifestation of God’s abundance and creative love for those in need. The best way to start serving others is by joining a cohort and being a strong voice and advocate for missional engagement. Bring up tangible ideas for serving, and help your group plan projects that make a meaningful impact.

Together, these teams and cohorts embody the call to love both inside and outside the church, creating a rhythm of service that reflects the heart of Jesus.