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Community Bible Church was birthed when a group
of Sunriver employees held a Christmas service in 1969. This led to weekly
Bible studies, and by 1973 regular weekly services were being held in the Great
Hall Fireplace Room at the Sunriver Resort under the direction of Dr. Sam Osgood. The church was officially
incorporated as Sunriver Community Church in November, 1973 with twenty charter
members. In 1976, David Dunning
was called as the church’s first pastor followed by Pastor Cliff Stratton in
1981. In 1977, the church purchased
the present 3+ acre parcel, and in 1982 groundbreaking took place for the
sanctuary. In 1989 a two-phase
expansion project doubled the size of the sanctuary and added offices and
classroms. The vision of the
church has always been that it would be a strong evangelical church
in the community. In addition, it would be non-denominational and
seek to build its beliefs and practices
on biblical teaching rather than tradition or congregational preference. The church today has an average
attendance of 235 worshippers each Sunday, and a membership of 137.
Sunriver, Oregon is a unique destination resort
and residential community located in Central Oregon about 15 miles south of the
city of Bend (pop. 80,000+). At an
elevation of 4,200 feet, Sunriver sits in the beautiful pine forests of the
leeward side of the Cascade Mountain Range. The area boasts of sunny days, cool nights, and plenty
of snow in the winter to support a variety winter sports. The permanent year
round resident population of Sunriver proper is about 2000 with as many as
10,000 guests on any given day in the summer months or on holiday weekends.
Just to the South of Sunriver lies the unincorporated areas of Three Rivers,
Fall River, with an addition 20,000 residents. Sunriver is situated on the Deschutes River and a former
site of Camp Abbott- a U.S. Army engineering training center during World War
II. The area abounds with golf
courses, lakes, mountains, rivers and Mt. Bachelor, a world class winter sports
recreation area (www.mtbachelor.com).
We are evangelical in our understanding of the gospel,
conservative in our theological convictions, and biblical in our approach to
ministry and outreach. Our church
is committed to clear and compelling expository preaching (verse by
verse). Our purpose is to
transform lives through the truth of the Word and thus we are considered a
“teaching church.” We value a
plurality of leaders, discipleship of all ages, and a redemptive perspective
toward people. Those who visit
often take note of our excellence in children’s ministies, the warm welcoming
atmosphere, the high degree of lay involvement in ministry, and the unique mix
of all ages and backgrounds in the church.
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