Come to the Annual Meeting - Sunday, June 9

 

From Steve Mueller, Council President:

As you travel on your lifelong journey of faith, we are grateful for your commitment to Shepherd of the Valley. SOTV is you. And you have made SOTV a great place.

SOTV is fortunate to be led by great leaders like Pastor Chris and Pastor Paul before him. They are leaders who are not willing to coast. 

Think back. Remember the welcome you felt when you first came to SOTV. We want to create that for others. We want this to be an alluring place to worship. The Gospel calls us to serve others and invite them to the Gospel. Our Vision helps us to bring the Gospel to others.   

We are glad that you are here. We really believe it is not an accident that you are here right now. God has a plan for you: continuing our service toward the Great Commandment; helping us realize the invitation of the Great Commission; or even better—both! 

Come to the annual meeting and dream with us about our future. 

The 2013 Annual Congregational Meeting is Sunday, June 9 at Noon with lunch provided.  

Learn more about our Church Council and view minutes from recent meetings.

June is Almost Here!

June brings big things to SOTV and our excitement is building to a crescendo as we begin to implement Our Vision! Since May is a busy time for many of us, we thought a recap and some short updates were in order.

• Our Annual Congregational Meeting is Sunday, June 9 at Noon. Together, we will enjoy a delicious lunch and discuss Our Vision and what's in store for the fall and beyond. Please RSVP at the Welcome Center or online so we can plan enough food.

• Beginning in June, all weekend services will be in the Sanctuary. Worship times remain the same: Saturdays at 5:00 p.m., Sundays at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 a.m.

• Our popular summer "Cabin Worship" returns, Mondays at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel, beginning on June 3.

• Our band-led worship, The Table, will move from the Great Hall to the Sanctuary at 11:00 a.m. Last week the Table band had a dress rehearsal in the Sanctuary, and everything sounded great, transitions worked smoothly, the band is pumped. Exciting times at SOTV!

• Major technological enhancements are underway over the next few weeks to bring the Sanctuary up to the 21st century including video cameras, video screens, improved sound, and lighting.

Omar Reyes

• This process has been overseen by our new resident tech mastermind, Production Manager Omar Reyes. Three new HD cameras are now installed and look great! They are mounted in different parts of the Sanctuary and will be operated by volunteers. Pretty soon you won't have to squint or crane your neck to see what's going on in the front of the church from the back rows, like a baptism or children's production. We can't wait for you to see these new worship enhancements in action!

• In June, the Great Hall will be transformed into a place for fellowship. Coffee and donuts will remain available for a freewill offering. No more will you have to fear getting trampled in the busy Narthex when reaching for a chocolate-frosted donut.

• In addition, we will have a full, hot breakfast once a month this summer (June 2, July 14, and August 18) and in the fall on dates to be announced. Guests and visitors eat for free! Kids (3-10) & Seniors: $4, Adults $6, Kids 2 and under: free. Fellowship in Christ: priceless! For the first time ever, we will be able to take debit and credit cards in the church. The finalized menu for June 2 includes cinnamon swirl french toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, hash browns, yogurt, fruit and cereal. Mmmm... are you drooling yet?

With the thrill and excitement of new ministries, comes the realization that things won't stay the way that we're used to. Hey, we get it, change is hard. So we appreciate your willingness to try something new or step out of your comfort zone.

We also really appreciate all of the comments and feedback we've heard over the last couple months, including the comments at our Congregation Dialogues. Please know that we value each and every one of them. If you still have questions, see if Pastor Chris answered them in any of our videos from last week or if they are on our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

We, the pastors and staff of SOTV, are so very honored to serve you. Our goal is to live out Jesus' Great Commission to "go and make disciples." We believe June is a great first step into making our church more welcoming to newcomers and more worshipful for all of us.

Come Sunday, though (or Saturday, or Monday), this is still YOUR church, and we want you to be just as excited as we are. So please come to our Annual Meeting on June 9 to dream along with us, or drop us a line with your thoughts and ideas.

See you in church!

Pastor Chris Answers Your Questions

Since many of you had similar questions and concerns at our recent Congregation Dialogues, we thought we would answer them in a series of videos. Don't see a question that you have answered? Ask away on our website, or scroll back through this blog. Thank you again to everyone who attended our dialogues!

Why Do We Need A Vision?

Was the Vision Created with Any Direction from Members?

How Will New People Find SOTV?

Besides Worship and Fellowship, How Else Will We Reach People with the Gospel?

Why Are We Changing "The Table?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you everyone who attended and participated in a Congregation Dialogue! We heard a lot of great comments and ideas from you and we value each and every one of them.

If you missed the Dialogues, here is Pastor Chris Smith's presentation in its entirety.

Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions that may answer some of the questions that you have. Pastor Chris has expanded on some of these answers in a series of videos.

If you don't see a question that you have answered, please let us know.

Some of you have inquired how you can get involved in some of the exciting new transformations happening at Shepherd of the Valley. Here are just a few immediate volunteer needs. We will update this list as needs change. Thank you in advance for your help!

Again, thank you to everyone for your feedback. It is very much appreciated!

Video: Implementing Our Vision

Many transformations are happening soon at Shepherd of the Valley.

Starting in June: 

• All weekend worship services will be in the Sanctuary.
• We will begin using the Great Hall as a space for food and fellowship. 
• Our service times will remain the same: 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. 
• The Table, our band-led worship service, will move from two worship times in the Great Hall to a single time at 11:00 a.m. in the larger space of the Sanctuary. 
• We will continue our organ and piano-led worship at all other times besides 11:00 a.m. 
• We will add a Monday night “Cabin Worship” at 7:00 p.m. during the summer months. 
• A hot breakfast will be served in the Great Hall once a month during the summer, and in the fall on dates to be announced.

Looking Toward the Future

Other transformations will be happening soon including substantial upgrades to our technology, and better utilization of our building and parking lot. We will also be reshaping our fellowship, welcome, and learning programs. While a lot of thought has already gone into these exciting plans for the future of our ministry, we all need to work together to make it a reality.

Congregation Dialogues

If you haven’t already, please try to attend one of our upcoming Congregation Dialogues, where Pastor Chris Smith will present our entire Vision for Worship and Fellowship. There will also be a time for you to ask questions and share ideas.

• Saturday, May 4 at 6:00 p.m.
• Sunday, May 5 at 11:00 a.m. & Noon

We Want to Hear from You

If you cannot attend one of these meetings, you may contact Pastor Chris Smith or Pastor Randy Brandt. You can also send us your feedback online or by filling out a comment card at the Welcome Center next time you are in church.