Welcoming Dave Hanson to the VJN Steering Committee

At the end of 2015, VJN co-founder Steven Hamilton needed to step down from the steering committee. We are so grateful for his pioneering vision for racial reconcilitation in Baltimore, his ongoing local and national anti-trafficking work, and his shepherding heart as a spiritual director. Oh, and he’s got a sense of direction like NO ONE we know and has impeccable taste when it comes to wine and spirits. Thank you, Steven, for all you’ve done as a catalyst for VJN.

This month, we’re honored to welcome Dave Hanson to the VJN steering committee. Dave has been a cheerleader for the vision and development of VJN since it’s inception in 2013, and we’re so pleased to introduce Dave to the VJN community.

Dave Hanson is the founder and Executive Director of Sunrise Outreach Center (socyakima.com, info@sunriseoutreachcenter.com) and co-pastor at Vineyard in Yakima, Washington. After a 30 year career in quality and organizational systems development, Dave received a calling for outreach. He and his wife Theresa relocated to the area surrounding the Vineyard Church.
In their six years as an incorporated non-profit, SOC runs four large food, clothing and diaper banks across the county, daily outreach to the homeless, a trauma informed staffed residential and education center for trafficked teen girls and a behavioral rehabilitation home for boys working to get out of gangs. To get in touch with Dave, dave[at]vineyardjusticenetwork.org

Here’s Dave in his own words:

HOW DID YOU CONNECT WITH THE VINEYARD MOVEMENT?
My wife and I were visiting churches after we moved here to Yakima. We had previously been a part of the Calvary Church in downtown Seattle, but the Calvary here in Yakima wasn’t the same. My wife and I were drawn by worship music. We knew we were in the right place about 13 years ago on the very first visit here. The music was our initial attraction, but we fell in love with the church though because of it’s heart for the community.

WHAT SPARKED YOUR PASSION FOR PURSUING GOD’S JUSTICE?
I received a very specific calling. I was to leave my 30 year career, my wife and I were to sell or give away everything we owned, and relocate to the center of town with just our essential furniture and clothes. We were to have a ministry to the poor; we’ve been doing that since. I learned to believe that our church could make a big difference restoring a community where inter-generational poverty was so prevalent.

CAN YOU SHARE A RECENT STORY OF HOW GOD IS USING YOUR CHURCH AND COMMUNITY CENTER FOR HIS KINGDOM?
We started Sunrise Outreach Center as the outreach wing of our church with the Vineyard Board becoming our umbrella organization. We did this to invite other churches to participate in the Kingdom work being done. Today we operate four food, clothing and diaper banks across the county. We have two trauma informed staffed residential and education centers, one for sex trafficked teen girls, the other for boys trying to get out of gangs. We have a daily soup kitchen for the homeless here at the church where one of the four food banks operates weekly. This has been an opportunity to reach the entire community for God’s Kingdom work. Businesses are involved as well. There’s a car dealer here in town that pulls two tables out weekly to their showroom floor. All their employees come out and make sandwiches for our soup kitchen; several hundred every week. We have a construction company, a marketing company, street retailers, all doing the same thing. Restaurants are involved bringing food weekly. There are many churches in town helping as well; hundreds of active volunteers weekly, some working full time. We now employ 24 people who see this as their full time ministry. One of the girls from our girls home, was baptized, others have come to church for the first time.

IF A CHURCH WAS BEGINNING TO PRAY ABOUT HOW TO BEGIN ENGAGING THEIR SURROUNDING COMMUNITY, HOW SHOULD THEY START?
Each community is different. There are churches in both urban and rural areas; some are in areas like ours where poverty is prevalent, others are in areas where the average median income is quite high. The best thing I can suggest is research your community, find out what the needs really are. Some well to do area’s around Seattle for example where the average median income is among the highest in the country have schools that speak dozens of languages. Stay at home mom’s aren’t in community because they can’t communicate. How about an after school program that help the kids and teaches mom’s English as a second language. Just one example. Injustice has lots of different shapes and sizes, looking at what God shows you he’s already doing is a great place to start.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOPES AND PRAYERS FOR HOW VJN CAN SERVE OUR WIDER MOVEMENT OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS?
My sincere hope is that every Vineyard Church worldwide see’s Justice in their community as vital. It’s part of our DNA. Our parish is our primary mission.