Welcome to Sunnyhill…

Hey, we love that you have dropped by and we hope you find all the info you need here. We’d love to get to know you and meet you personally.

We are Sunnyhill, we are a vibrant, contemporary, multisite church that is faith-filled, life-fuelled, fun loving and passionate about Jesus. Church to us isn’t about stuffy religious practices, but it’s about people expressing life and faith in Jesus.

Our purpose is simple; we are here ‘For The One’. We focus our lives on loving and bringing honour to Jesus (‘The One’) and the best way we can do this, is by loving and making Him known to anybody (‘the one’) who hasn’t experienced Him yet. We believe that in doing these things we’re living out Jesus’ New Commandment (see John 13:34). We do this both within the Dorset region and beyond.

Dom & Loo Bird
Sunnyhill Lead Pastors

Here… ‘For The One’

Our Purpose

Sunnyhill is a church that lives generously, celebrates innovation, champions growth, pursues excellence and builds for the next generation. These are our values.

So whether you’re just starting to ask questions about God, or a committed Christian who wants to sink the roots of your faith even deeper, you can find a home here at Sunnyhill Church.

Sunnyhill is a multisite church with campuses currently in Poole and Ferndown .

Our Values

**Generosity**

We are so inspired by the goodness of God that the only fitting response to all He has done is to live generously. We know the world of the generous gets bigger and bigger so therefore we live generously by being *faithful* in our giving, *selfless* in our serving and *cheerful* in our attitude.

**Innovation**

The first thing we learn about God in the Bible is that He is a creator. The first thing we learn about us in the Bible is that we’re made in His image. We think innovation and creativity reflect the heart of God and as a result believe that church should be the most innovative place on earth. Therefore, we celebrate innovation by being *creative*, *fearless* and *fresh* in the expression of our faith.

**Growth**

We think growth matters. We are not content to maintain church, we want to grow and flourish deep and wide both spiritually and numerically. Every ‘one’ matters, so we champion growth by creating *healthy* community that is both *missional* at it’s heart and *invitational* in its ethos.

**Excellence**

For us, excellence is not about perfection, but it’s about doing the best with what we have… because God is worth it and because we believe people who don’t know God yet are worth it. We pursue excellence by cultivating a *‘can-do’* attitude, nurturing a *pure* heart and living to *inspire* others to do the same.

**Next Generation**

We believe the Next Generation are key to the plans and purposes of God, they don’t have to wait. That said, Next Gen for us isn’t all about kids and youth, it’s about being generation oriented and passionate about the next thing God is doing. We build for the Next Gen by being *young at heart, vibrant* and *brave*.

Statement of Faith

We hold passionately, and unswervingly, to the following statements…

We believe that God is the creator, ruler and sustainer of all things.
He has eternally existed as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The three are coequal and are one God.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Acts 17:24-25;1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:6-8)
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us.
It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is a believer’s supreme source of truth and is without error and therefore fully trustworthy for life and faith.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Psalm 119 ; Proverbs 30:5)
We believe that people are the ultimate object of God’s creation.
Made in the image of God, we are designed to be a reflection of Him. Although containing tremendous potential for good, each person is corrupted by an attitude of disobedience (sin) towards God. This makes us subject to divine judgement and eternal separation from God and thus necessitates repentance and regeneration by grace through faith in Christ alone.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1, 2; Ephesians 2:1-3)
We believe that Jesus is the Son of God – Fully God and Fully Man.
We believe in the virgin birth, sinless life, atoning death and triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ. He ascended to heaven and is interceding on our behalf before the Father. One day he will return again to earth to reign as King.
(Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:52; John 1:1-4, 14; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3)
We believe in the finished work of the Cross.
Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners, paying the price for sin, defeating evil and making it possible for all people to be reconciled with God.
(John 1:29; 10:1-18; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 1:4; 1 Peter 3:18)
We believe that salvation is God’s free gift to all.
Salvation is a free gift but there is an onus on us to receive it. We can’t make up for our sin by good works because we are only made right by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
(Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:1-2)
We believe that the Holy Spirit lives and works in every believer.
The Holy Spirit fills and equips us for ministry and mission. He is also present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. The gifts that the Holy Spirit gives are essential for the instruction and vitality of the church. He leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and guides our witness.
(John 16:7-13, Acts 1:8; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:16-25; 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:4–11; and 1 Corinthians 12:28)
We believe that the Church (local and universal) is the Body of Christ.
Our purpose is to glorify God in worship and advance His kingdom on earth through the preaching of the gospel. Every believer is of equal worth and has an important part to play in the life of the local church.
(1 Corinthians 12:1-27; Romans 12:3-8; Matthew 28:18-20)
We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of His body, the Church.
Through the appointment of Godly Elders and Deacons (Senior Leaders and Ministry Heads), He mobilises ministry and equips for mission. We believe in the five-fold ministry gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) for the unity, maturity and growth of the wider church.
(Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 1 Tim 3:1-7, Acts 6:1-7, Eph 4:11-12)

As a church, endeavouring to follow Jesus’ life and example, we strive to obey his command to love. To love God, to love our neighbours and to love one another as He has loved us. In light of this, we warmly welcome any person who wishes to attend our church gatherings, either to worship with us or simply as a seeker, looking to answer questions of faith for themselves.

We hold to the teaching of the Bible on matters of extra marital and forbidden sexual practices, and although we in no way would cease to love or welcome anybody engaged in such practices, we would not be able to celebrate or promote these practices.