Why are we here?
Sunnyside exists to inspire a community of people to a life transformed by Jesus.
How it all began
Curious about the history of the Adventist church? Read these interesting articles about how it all began and how we got to here.
what makes a seventh-day adventist?
Are you new to the Adventist church? Or an old-timer who wants to brush up on our beliefs? You can read about the 28 fundamental beliefs that make Seventh-day Adventism unique here:
How it all comes together
Interested in getting more involved in the nuts and bolts of Sunnyside? Anyone is welcome to participate in our church business meetings held monthly. For more information about how the local church structure is handled, check out this link:
Church structure
Want the bigger picture? Check out these articles and videos on our world church structure.
our staff
Welcome to Sunnyside! Take a few minutes to get to know our pastors. They love to meet with new friends and old, so feel free to reach out. You may even find yourself at a fun Portland restaurant having a wonderful conversation.
pastor seth pierce, ph.d.
lead pastor
Seth Pierce, Ph.D., is the lead pastor of the Sunnyside SDA Church in Portland, Oregon. He has published numerous books and articles, is an active member of the American Academy of Religion, and hosts the podcast Beast & Bible. He lives in Oregon with his wife Angela, and his three daughters: Madeline, Chloe, and Paige.
pastor violeta bilan
associate pastor
Violeta Bilan is the Community and Connect Pastor for Sunnyside and its sister churches, Healing Hope and Village. She coordinates pastoral care, visitations, and a welcoming onboarding process for those joining the Sunnyside family, along with discipleship opportunities for spiritual growth and gift-based ministries. Her family moved from Ukraine to the USA in 2003, and they made the Pacific Northwest their home in 2007. Violeta and her husband, Ben, share a background in both education and ministry as chaplains and pastors. They have two young adult children, Vlad and Bianka, who are currently studying at University of Oregon and Walla Walla University.
pastor kevin wilson
associate pastor
Pastor Kevin is the youth and young adult pastor at the Sunnyside Seventh-day Adventist Church. Before coming here, Kevin was the first Digital/Social Media Coordinator for the Office of Communications at Andrews, overseeing all social media communication strategies for the University.
In addition to ministering to his local congregation, Kevin is known as “Chaplain Chai” to a global online community of around half a million “besteas” many of whom are non-Christian. He pastors to them through digital storytelling using chai tea—the beloved beverage of his south-Asian heritage—as a canvas for sharing thoughts about justice, meaningful living, and contextual theology. His content has been featured in Forbes, NPR (National Public Radio), The New York Times, Yahoo, Bon Apetit Magazine, the Seventh-day Adventist World Church, and other local and global news networks.
Kevin is a published author with Tarcher-Perigee of Penguin Random House, one of the largest publishing houses in the world, with his critically acclaimed first book “The Way of Chai: Recipes for a Meaningful Life.”
Pastor Kevin is based in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife, Elynn, and his two fur children Phoebe and Leo.
pastor rose andrykanus
associate pastor
Rosemary (Rose) was born in Melbourne, Australia. After high school, she studied Environmental Science before working as a research assistant in the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University. After many divine appointments that following year, she took a step out in faith to follow God’s calling on her life and went on to postgraduate studies in Ministry and Theology at Avondale University in 2015. In February 2023, Rose moved to the Pacific Northwest and served as the Youth and Young Adult Pastor at Meadow Glade Seventh-day Adventist Church. In May 2024, Rose moved to Sunnyside Seventh-day Adventist Church where she is currently serving as the Family and Children's Pastor. Rose loves doing life with young people. She loves mentoring and creating opportunities for young people to grow in their relationship with Jesus. In her spare time, you'll find her in the mountains.
rosie bixel
office administrator
Rosie has extensive experience in office administration and business operations. It is her goal to make the pastors’ jobs easier and to make the church operations as efficient as possible. You will find her in the office eager to brighten your day.
I am a native of the Northwest, and enjoy all that the state of Oregon has to offer- from the coast to the mountains to the dryness of the east. I have owned multiple businesses and now consider it a privilege to be supporting a wonderful church. I love spending time with my children and grandchildren, gardening, reading, sewing, baking and cooking, camping, and any water-related activities.
our sunnyside history
In 1893 Portland Central, the first Seventh-day Adventist church in Portland, opened its doors at NE 11th and Everett. This church became known as the “Mother Church” because as it grew many of today’s Portland SDA churches that separated from it. The church that was to become Sunnyside spun off in 1925 with 278 charter members. They met for one year in a rented Methodist church at 35th and E Yamhill and began construction of their own facility. In February 1927 the congregation moved into a church of their own at SE 43rd and Washington, built by an Adventist contractor named Biastock who was the brother of charter member Evelyn Reynolds. The new location was in the SE Portland neighborhood called “Sunnyside” thus the church’s name.
The organ prelude for the dedication service of that church was played by Mrs. E. E. Rippey, the benediction was offered by Elder J. A. Rippey. Those two service participants were the mother and grandfather respectively of current Sunnyside member Dr. William Rippey. Also current Sunnyside members are Dr. Wm. Rippey’s children Wesley and Linda (Rippey) Henry. One pastor of note at the 1st Sunnyside church was Sunny Liu. Some of you may have a vinyl LP record of Pastor Liu’s fine tenor voice.
By the 50th anniversary in 1975, the growing congregation needed a new, larger facility with more room for children’s Sabbath School classes, church social functions and parking. The first relocation site chosen included the Glendoveer Golf course, but the neighbors objected. 2nd choice was the present site at 10501 SE Market St which proved to be an excellent option as it is adjacent to both Portland Adventist Medical Center and the Walla Walla University School of Nursing Portland campus.