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 marginalized has always been and will always be a true mark of the people of God. At Sideris we embrace this responsibility by leaning into two realities:
(1)
Every (not just some) Jesus-follower is called to love & serve their city’s downtrodden, so the church’s job is to prepare every Christian to be spiritually ready to engage in this work.
(2)
There are so many great organizations doing this work with historical experience and nuanced skill in ways that it would take decades for the church to catch up.
(Conclusion)
Therefore, as a small local church we should send our spiritually-prepared workers into field alongside those great organizations to help them do their work well. Recreating every wheel is counterprodictive if not glory seeking.
(Sideris “City Teams” Approach)
We ask every member and regular attender of Sideris to join at least one “City Team” that focuses on a particular area of service to a particular historic need in our city. Those teams meet quartile to brainstorm and pray for these issues. And then regularly serve with organization or projects that address these needs. You can sign up here.
FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP
In addition to serving with our own hands we believe the church can provide significant help by being generous financially to non-profit organizations that address these needs in our city. At Sideris we donate 10% of our annual budget to organizations doing good missional work both here in the city and also internationally. Generally, we partner with organizations that share our same Christ-centered motivations, though we recognize that where are many organizations doing great work who may not have these motivations. If it is a good fit, we may partner with these orgs to accomplish a positive shared outcome. Below are a few of organizations we currently support:
LOCAL OUTREACH
Community Dinners Ballard
Creating relationships around the dinner table with unhoused neighbors.
Union Gospel Mission
Helping adult men experiencing homelessness.
New Horizons
Helping youth experiencing homelessness.
R.E.S.T
Providing housing, services and support for women seeking a path out of the sex trade.
CRU InnerCity
Mobilizing churches to serve tangible needs in inner cities around the country.
The More We Love
A Seattle-based movement of partners walking with individuals and families from crisis to stability.
GLOBAL OUTREACH
Middle East Partners
Mobilizing US congregations to participate in building God’s kingdom among people groups that don’t yet have an indigenous church of their own, with focus in the Muslim world.
Bridges Humanitarian Initiative
Helping refugees in Athens, Greece with legal help, housing, counseling, care
How can I start serving now?
We invite everyone to participate in a City Team, taking the same love of Christ we have experienced and extending it outward, sharing this mercy and grace of God in tangible ways with our neighbors.
Together, these teams create rhythms of service that reflects the heart of Jesus.