SUNNYSIDE REFORMED CHURCH


(Circa 1940)
This is the original building before they added the additional building to the Church. Note there was still two way traffic on Skillman Avenue at that time.

Who are we?

The Sunnyside Reformed Church is part of the Reformed Church in America
(www.rca.org), the oldest church in the United States, having held worship
services without interruption since its founding in 1628 by Dutch colonists
in New Amsterdam (now New York City).

In the 16th century, at the time of the “Reformation,” there was much
religious upheaval that ultimately led to the separation of European
Christianity into two great streams—Evangelical and Roman Catholic.  One of
those streams included the Swiss Reformation movement which spread to other countries, such as France (they were called Huguenots), to Scotland (they used the term Presbyterian) and to the Netherlands (referred to as the Dutch Reformed Church).  Our church is part of that Dutch Reformed Christian
tradition, however we no longer use the word “Dutch.”

Although the Reformed Church in America had its origins in the Netherlands,
in this country it reflects the broad community of faith that is called to
Jesus Christ.  In the Borough of Queens alone, the Reformed Church holds
worship services in six different languages.  Our varied backgrounds bring
excitement to our life together.

The Sunnyside Reformed Church has been seeking to serve Jesus Christ in this community since 1896.  We are a people who belong to God and to each other through Jesus Christ our Lord, being reformed in all of life by the Spirit
and the Word, chosen for security and service, justified by faith and
seeking justice, worshipping, witnessing, rejoicing in hope, walking and
waiting for the Christ.  We are a church living by prayer and obedience.

What do we believe?

Our faith is summarized in the Apostles’ Creed which we recite each Sunday:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in
Jesus Christ his only son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead,
and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the
dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the
Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of
saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting.  Amen

Summary of Special Programs and Events

Many exciting programs and events take place at Sunnyside Reformed Church.
The following brief descriptions are just a sample of some of the ways we
seek to serve the Lord in Sunnyside.

Sunnyside Family Network (SFN). The purpose of SFN is to support parents in the nurturing of their young children by:

·   Maintaining a safe place for young children to meet and play together
(Monday – Friday, 9:30 – 11:30 AM) during the winter months (October – May).

·   Providing a place for parents to meet, socialize, and support one another
during the winter months.

·   Providing a time of spiritual nurture for young children.

Parents and young children are the expected participants. Children are free
to play under the supervision of their parents or care-givers; parents or
primary care-givers must remain at the program with the child.  A variety of
climbing equipment, a housekeeping corner, toys for manipulative play, books
and puzzles are available for use.  One area of the room is set aside for
crafts and another is for quiet work.  Craft materials are provided not for
directed projects, but for the child’s experimentation and exploration.

Operation Christmas Child

Sunnyside Reformed Church contributes to Operation Christmas Child, a
project of international Christian relief and evangelism.  This unique
project sends a message of hope to children in desperate situations around
the world through gift-filled shoeboxes, relief aid, and Christian
literature.  Every year thousands of churches, schools and organizations
around the world participate in this mission.  Last year, 2.3 million
shoeboxes from across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia were
collected and distributed to children in more than 55 countries throughout
Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Bread for the World

Our church maintains membership in Bread for the World, a Christian
organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., that lobbies for relief of
the causes of hunger and poverty in this country and throughout the world.
One Sunday each year the congregation writes letters to our legislative
representatives asking for support in eliminating hunger throughout the
world.