A Recap of a Busy June

The transforming winds of the Holy Spirit have blown briskly throughout Shepherd of the Valley this June. Usually the start of summer is a quiet time, but not so this year! If you've been away for a few weeks (no judgment here, it is summer!) here's what you might have missed:

• Band-led worship has moved from the Great Hall (at 9:45 and 11:00 on Sunday) to the Sanctuary (at 11:00 only). There are many reasons for this move. Essentially, the Sanctuary is a larger and better space for worship. You can read about the full list of reasons or watch Pastor Chris talk about them.


• Organ and piano-led worship continues to thrive--unaltered--at the worship times of 5:00 p.m. (Saturday), 8:30 and 9:45 a.m. (Sunday). In addition, we have added a service for the summer months at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, for folks who are out of town during the weekend. Often there's ice cream on Mondays too, and who doesn't like ice cream?


• Sunday fellowship (aka coffee and donuts) has moved from the Narthex to the Great Hall. There's much more space for people to visit and meet in the Great Hall, and now less clutter in the Narthex. In addition to coffee and donuts, we're offering a Hot Breakfast on Sunday, July 14, August 18, and in the fall on dates to be announced.


• We've added technology to the Sanctuary, under the leadership of our Production Manager, Omar Reyes (hired this spring): screens, new video camera, and a larger sound booth area that will enable staff and volunteers to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. It's pretty exciting!


• Pastor Paul Harrington has officially retired. There was a fantastic celebration of his ministry during worship on June 22, 23 & 24. You can listen to or watch his final sermon online. He and Margaret will remain active members of SOTV.


• If that wasn't enough, there were also two fun-filled weeks of Vacation Bible School and our most successful garage sale ever. This year the Shepherd's Sale had more volunteers than ever before and our largest ever profit. $28,000 was raised for children in need!

Thank you to the many, many volunteers who have made June worshipful, meaningful, and fulfilling. Is Christ calling you to get involved in the flurry of activity at SOTV? Check out our current list of volunteer opportunities.

Questions or concerns? Drop us a line. We review each and every comment - your voice really does matter!

God bless you this 4th of July.

Trip Sullivan
Communications Director