The Year End Approaches
As this year comes to an end we reflect on the changes we made coming into this year. We consolidated our locations and terminated our presence in Oklahoma. This allowed us to reduce staff and overhead while increasing our work in the St. Louis area. We separated out the teaching ministry of Dr. Terry Goodwin to allow him to focus more on training other leaders than on training just our staff. His ministry under The Disciple Driven Church is now reaching internationally and across America. We began our efforts to come alongside more leaders and ministries in order to pass on what we have learned and partner to reach more people.
As a result of these changes we have seen many great things happen this year. We increased our home repair program through grant funding, partnerships and volunteer labor. We have helped dozens of seniors and widows to stay in their homes by offering free essential repairs they could not otherwise afford. We have refined the Narrow Gate Program and added more efforts aimed at reaching out in the streets to those that need the program most.
We started talking publicly about our plans to start the Sozo Valley Ranch and the Farm at Sozo Valley. This ranch will give us a place for longer term training events, diversified income sources and a long term solution for those in need of healing from severe abuse or to escape dangerous circumstances. Sozo Valley will be a place for healing and inclusion. It will be designed to accommodate people with handicaps or special needs.
We started the Harvest Fields Project with a garden in the Jeff Vanderlou neighborhood in partnership with Fresh Starts Community Garden. This is the beginning of what will become a multi-acre permaculture farm on the Sozo Valley Ranch. The goal is to provide employment for the Narrow Gate Program and produce for the elderly and needy in our ministry areas.
Overall, 2023 was a year of great change and transition. It was also a year of great progress. We are helping more people, reaching more with the Gospel and doing it all with fewer staff and less overhead. By separating Dr. Goodwin's teaching ministry from Sun Ministries, we have helped him reach many more people to support them in reaching the neediest among us by making disciples that make disciples. We are now partnering in St. Charles, Wellston and Hyde Park Missouri. These new partnerships are reaching more people and making new partnerships each month, If you would like more information on how you can participate or how we can help you or your ministry, just contact our Executive Director – Dr. Terry M,. Goodwin at 636-544-2151 or by email at terry@sunministries.org.