Sunrise Baptist Church sits on Badger Road in Custer, a small community in the rolling farmland of north Whatcom County, Washington. For more than a century the congregation has been a steady presence on that stretch of road, and today it gathers around a single, repeated refrain: "Loving God Wholly, Loving Our Neighbors Radically." The mission statement pulls everything together, to multiply disciples who know, love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ, and gives the church its self-described identity as a Gospel-Centered Presence in every neighborhood it can reach.
A Century on Badger Road
Sunrise Baptist Church has been serving the families of northwest Whatcom County for over 100 years. The congregation belongs to the Converge network of churches, formerly known as the Swedish Baptist Conference, and its Statement of Faith was originally adopted by the Baptist General Conference in 1951, reaffirmed in 1990, and amended in 1997. The doctrinal foundation rests on twelve articles, beginning with the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, and supreme in all matters of faith and conduct. From there it moves through the Trinity, the person and work of Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, regeneration by faith, the church as the universal body of Christ with the local congregation as its working expression, Christian conduct, the two ordinances of baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, religious liberty, voluntary cooperation in a conference, and the personal, visible return of Jesus Christ.
The mission and vision statements extend that doctrinal ground into daily practice: "Our Mission is to Multiply Disciples who Know, Love and Obey Jesus Christ by Loving God Wholly and Loving Our Neighbors Radically so that we might Be a Gospel Centered Presence in Every Neighborhood." Members commit to three values: Truth, Community, and Multiplication, and to eight Christian practices the church calls its Eight Practices: Renewal, Prayer, Gratitude, Instruction, Evangelism, Generosity, Service, and Faithfulness.
Sunday Mornings at Sunrise
On Sunday mornings the rhythm is straightforward. Adult and children's Sunday School classes begin at 9:00 am, with adults working through a book of the Bible together, discussing themes, context, and life application in groups. At 10:30 am the whole church gathers for a contemporary worship service built around current music and a sermon that aims to be both challenging and encouraging. The dress code is "come as you are," so everything from suits to overalls walks through the doors, including the greeters.
A few touches set a first visit apart. The church prints name tags for everyone, generated from a kiosk where visitors type in the last four digits of their phone number; those not in the system can stop by the Community Life Desk and pick up a welcome bag. During inclement weather, any service delays or cancellations are posted online so people do not have to drive out only to find locked doors.
For those who cannot attend in person, every service is live-streamed on the church's YouTube channel and remains available afterward as part of a sermon archive. The Church Center app and sunrisebc.churchcenter.com serve as the digital front door, where people can give, sign up for events, manage volunteer calendars, and update their information.
Children, from Nursery Through Sixth Grade
Children's ministry at Sunrise is the work of Laurie King, the Director of Children's Ministries, who oversees the nursery, the 2 and 3 year olds class, Children's Church for Pre-K and kindergarteners, and Children's Sunday School for ages 4 through sixth grade. During the school year, Sunday School classes run during the 9:00 hour for every age from nursery through sixth grade. Each child must be checked in and wear a name tag, and current cell phone numbers stay on file so that leaders can text a parent if a need arises. Children in nursery through second grade are released only to an adult.
The curriculum follows a chronological arc. Two and three year olds learn to recognize that the Bible is God's Word and that He loves and cares for them, hearing a Bible story, singing, praying, sharing a snack, and playing. Pre-K and kindergarten move through the Old and New Testaments, with songs, role play, and acting out the stories to bring the Bible alive. First and second grade use the Truth78 curriculum to study the attributes of God and His promises, learning through hands-on demonstrations. Older boys and girls divide by gender and study books like Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, and Genesis, building their own journals and developing habits of personal scripture study.
Children 4 years through kindergarten also take part in Children's Church during the 10:30 worship service. They begin in the sanctuary with their families, joining in the singing and praying, and are dismissed when the sermon starts to hear a Bible story, sing, play games in the gym, and complete a craft tied to that week's teaching. Summer brings a free five-day adventure for kids 5 to 11 years old, run in partnership with Child Evangelism Fellowship.
AWANA on Wednesday Nights
AWANA runs on Wednesday evenings from September through April, gathering children ages 3 through sixth grade from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Three clubs make up the program. Cubbies serves preschoolers with caring leaders, games, activities, Bible teaching, and snacks. Sparks, for kindergartners through second graders, builds a foundation of knowing Christ through Bible teaching, games, and small-group scripture memorization. T&T (Truth and Training) takes third through sixth graders deeper, with large and small group Bible teaching that walks them through following Jesus and practicing His grace. The registration fee for the year is $15 and covers the handbook, uniform (as needed), bag, weekly dues, memorization awards, and year-end certificates, with scholarships available for families who need them.
Middle and High School: The BLAST and The BREAK
The student ministry at Sunrise is led by Michael Len, the Pastor of Student Life, who grew up in the church himself, through the preschool, AWANA, Sunday School, and the youth groups he now oversees. Middle schoolers meet as The BLAST every Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:00 pm during the school year, while high schoolers meet as The BREAK every Sunday from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Summer schedules shift for both groups. Each has its own weekly email newsletter, and students also gather for Sunday School classes on Sunday mornings. The BREAK takes a mission trip to the Emmanuel Foundation orphanage in Guadalajara, Mexico every other year, and older youth are encouraged to serve through local outreach partnerships.
Men's and Women's Ministries
The Men's Ministry is rooted in the same three values as the wider church, truth, community, and multiplication, and its mission is to be a community where God works in and through men's lives. Activities include a men's breakfast with guest speakers, open gym basketball in the fall and winter, softball in the spring and summer, ongoing Bible studies, and the Conquer Series, a video-based discipleship curriculum. The coordinator for men's ministry is Marcus Van Voorst.
The Women's Ministry, led in coordination by Katie Longfellow and Sharon Williams, runs weekly Bible studies from September through May (and often into the summer), with small groups built around sharing, insight, and fellowship. The women also organize meals for new moms and for families recovering from surgery or illness, host bridal and baby showers, run a donation cupboard called Loaves and Fishes stocked with food and supplies for people in need, and bring cookies, coffee, and setup help to families who have lost a loved one. Annual events include a fall craft fair, a mother-daughter tea, craft nights, women's retreats, and the Christmas-oriented Making Christmas Merry gathering.
Sunrise Preschool
Sharing the Badger Road campus is Sunrise Preschool, a long-running program that prepares children for kindergarten, fosters a love for learning, and instills an awareness of God's love. The preschool is led by Director Kat VanVoorst and staffed by teacher Kate Snook and assistant Debbie George. The three-year-old class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 am to noon, and the four-year-old class meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 am to noon. Tuition is $1,215 for the three-year-old class and $1,440 for the four-year-old class, payable in full or in nine monthly installments, with a $50 registration fee per child. Children must be fully potty trained and be three or four years old before September 1. Parents are encouraged to assist in the classroom when they can, and snacks rotate among families.
Hospitality, Volunteering, and Internships
A dedicated Hospitality Ministry keeps the church welcoming. Greeters staff the parking lot and foyer, a check-in team prints name tags at the kiosk, others pour coffee and tea, the Community Life Desk answers questions, sanctuary welcomers help people find seats, and a security team watches over the gathering.
Volunteers are also needed in maintenance (trimming the ditch grass two or three times a year), technology (helping older neighbors with computers, mixing live and streamed audio, switching camera angles), and children's ministry (background-checked volunteers serve in the nursery or the 2 and 3 year old classroom once a month during the school year). The church frames itself as an equipping, mission-sending congregation.
Discipleship Training extends that mission into formal internships for people exploring vocational ministry. Internships run for a quarter (three months), a school year (nine months), or a full year (twelve months), and may be renewed. The aim is to help interns discern a calling, lead a ministry at Sunrise, and launch into ministry wherever God leads.
Mission Beyond Custer
Sunrise has a long history of sending and supporting global workers, organized by a Missions Team that runs annual Missions Fest weekends and ongoing prayer and financial support. The Leland family, Dustin, Melissa, and their three children, serve in Udon Thani, Thailand with Converge International Ministries, planting house churches in rural villages of the Isaan region. Scott and Polly Rempel serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators, where Scott directs the Launch team that walks new members through their first term; Wycliffe is currently involved in more than 3,600 translation projects worldwide. Duane and Joanne are retired from the American Indian Bible Institute, but Duane continues to teach four weekly Bible studies by phone. Dave and Cherie run a language learning center in the Middle East, teaching English and Kurdish. Brian and Deanne serve as cross-cultural training consultants based in Istanbul. The Emmanuel Foundation in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta cares for nearly 60 abandoned babies and children. Locally, David and Sherri Moore serve with Serve and Equip in Lynden, providing free Bible training resources worldwide.
Giving and the Church Center App
Generosity is one of the Eight Practices, and the church offers four ways to give: secure online giving through the Church Center platform, giving by mail to the church address, online bill pay through a bank, and tithes and offerings collected during Sunday services. On the first Sunday of every month, a second plate is taken for the Deacon's Fund, which is dispersed by the Deacon Team and pastoral staff to meet specific needs of individuals and families in the church and the wider community. A portion of the general giving budget also supports the global workers described above.
The Church Center app, available on iOS and Android and through sunrisebc.churchcenter.com, ties the community together. Members use it for the church calendar, directory access, online giving, updating personal information, signing up for events, and managing their volunteer schedules.
The Staff and Leadership Teams
Lead Pastor Jason Matthews has been serving students and families at Sunrise since 1995, most of that time as Youth Pastor and most recently as Executive Pastor of Community Life. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Trinity Western University and an M.Div. from ACTS Seminaries. Michael Len, the Pastor of Student Life, earned his B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies and his M.Div. from Multnomah University and Biblical Seminary. Laurie King directs Children's Ministries, Kat VanVoorst directs Sunrise Preschool, and Mark French directs technology.
The lay leadership of the church is shared by two teams. The Elder Team includes Jon Ewing (Church Chairman), John Custis, Steve Korthuis, Matt Priestman, Scott Rempel, and Pete Stevenson. The Deacon Team is chaired by James Bolick and includes Ron Owen, Ben Tarrell, Ben Schouten, Marty VandeKamp, John Wynne, Jeff Wynne, and Andrew Ziegenfus.
The church office can be reached at office@sunrisebconline.com or 360-366-5700, and the building sits at 2480 W. Badger Road in Custer, Washington.