Church plays host to teen art show
By Miguel Morales miguel@theacorn.com

MIGUEL MORALES/Acorn Newspapers GATHERING- Simi Valley teens mingle on couches at The Underground at Sonrise Christian Fellowship during a recent art show held at the church.

In a candlelit room aptly called The Underground, shadows from the crowd dance on compelling photographs and modern paintings, and Friday night conversations hum a melody of sophisticated chatter.

A fire blazes at the entrance, lighting up the Sonrise Christian Fellowship sign over the front door. Local musician Adam Wilson introduces the night's first entertainer. The crowd cheers as music fills the room, sending the many candle flames into a swirling frenzy.

"You'd never know about this place if you didn't look for it," Wilson said. "We're a small group- maybe 20 to 30 people- but we're a tight-knit group, but one that's easy to get into."

The scene is an art show recently presented by members of Sonrise Christian Fellowship Church and its Impact College Ministry group, which meets every Thursday. The gathering was meant to give some of Simi Valley's talented young artists a chance to display their work and at the same time send a message that going to church isn't just about saying your prayers.

In a modern, loungelike atmosphere that resembled a high-end Hollywood hangout, guests nestled deep into comfy couches while sharing conversations on any number of topics affecting their lives.

Wilson himself admitted he doesn't like going to church and having it feel like church. He said entering a place like The Underground gives him an entirely different feeling of spirituality.

"It's like another world, isn't it?" the 21-year-old asked rhetorically.

The 37,000-square-foot church, located off Easy Street, fills its halls with 600 people every weekend. Last Friday's art show, the first of its kind for the college ministry, was held in a large room in the west end of the church. More art shows are planned.

The church and its college ministry work together to provide its younger members safe activities to attend and to express themselves, according to Denise Looney, administrative assistant for the college ministry.

Looney called the art show "an event with a purpose." Much like the many barbecues, backpacking trips and outreach events the ministry puts on, she said, the art show was an "out of the box" way for the church's youth to build relationships with each other and learn to apply the Bible to everyday life.

"We want to bring in collegeage people," Looney, 27, said. "This is a place where they can come and hang out and have a good time and have it be for free on a Friday night."

She said she believes that when high school ends and kids graduate, "they stop going to church or there is nothing really for them. They don't really feel like they fit in anymore."

That's why the college ministry is important, Looney said, "just to keep them in the faith."

More events are planned, and anyone is welcome, Looney said.

For more information about the church, its college ministry or future art shows at Sonrise, call (805) 581-1628.