Sultan puts spotlight on Mountainview Christian Fellowship

Mountainview Christian Fellowship was honored as the Volunteer Spotlight during last week’s Sultan City Council meeting, in recognition of its established volunteerism and long-term service to the community.

Volunteer Spotlight recipients are handpicked by Sultan Grants and Volunteer Coordinator Donna Murphy, who interviews the awardees and produces a short biography, compiling a history of their service to the community. After they are recognized in front of the Sultan City Council, they are honored with a certificate of appreciation signed by Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick and given the opportunity to shake each councilmember’s hand.

Sometimes the Volunteer Spotlight is an individual, and sometimes it is a group or an organization. 

Mountainview Christian Fellowship began as a home Bible study, which outgrew its home and became a church in the 1960s, Murphy said. Former mayors, city councilmembers and residents were involved in the formation of the church, which has gone by other names over the years, including the Sky Valley Family Bible Church and the Sultan Assembly of God.

“This thriving congregation has had many leaders that have directed and engaged this movement with its greatest milestones of bringing hope to our valley by making a practical difference in the lives of people,” Murphy said.

Mountainview is headed up by Pastor Sean Wilkerson, who described himself as an unlikely man to lead a spiritual community.

“Young and quirky, he rarely sits down,” Murphy said. “With a laugh and joy that’s unmistakable, he leads a congregation that has been tucked away at the end of Sixth Street for over 50 years.”

The church has become well known for its extensive community involvement, Murphy said.

“Because of its vision and deep love for the community, it has quickly become a hub for life in our valley,” Murphy said. “Mountainview believes passionately that God cares deeply for all people and has provided all that they have to be used as a resource to our valley and to our world.”

Just a small sampling of the large amount of community outreach performed by Mountainview includes free community dinners every Wednesday night, an annual backpack giveaway to students in the Sultan School District, Operation Christmas Child, volunteerism during the Sultan Community Egg Hunt, a coffee and scone event on the first day of school at Sultan Elementary School, local outreach to help struggling families pay bills and support for the VOA’s Dave Wood Giving Tree, a program that Mountainview will host this year.

“Mountainview believes its legacy is to make a spiritual and a practical impact in the lives of all people in our valley,” Murphy said.

Wilkerson said it’s members of his team and his congregation that deserve the credit.

“I have a great privilege of representing some of the best people that I know, and I get credit for what they really deserve. They’re amazing and they’re generous and they invest in this community,” Wilkerson said. “They love this community. I really shouldn’t be up here, but they should.”

Mountainview Christian Fellowship is located at 211 6th St. in Sultan. For more information about Mountainview, visit sultanchurchrocks.org/home.aspx.