Have You Been to a Hot Breakfast Yet?

This fall, we began offering Hot Breakfasts twice a month on Sunday mornings in the Great Hall. They happen on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month from 9:00 - 11:00 am.

You've heard that breakfast is "the most important meal of the day" before, right? You could also say breakfast is the most important meal of the church too. Through breakfast, we can show others the welcome of Jesus Christ.

Food and fellowship on December 8.

Church can be perceived as an uncomfortable place sometimes, but comfort food like pancakes, bacon and eggs can make people feel welcome and part of the body of our faith community. In just the last few months we have witnessed many visitors, including whole families, sit down for a meal and make great connections with fellow churchgoers. This fellowship is priceless and is why we wanted to offer this delicious food at modest prices.

The magic happens in the kitchen!

First-time visitors can come and eat for free. Kids 2 & under are also free. Kids 3-10 eat for $4, youth & adults are $6, and seniors (55+) are $4. The maximum cost for a family of 4 or more is only $20. We accept credit and debit cards too, so you don't have to worry about having the right amount of cash with you. If you don't desire a full breakfast, please enjoy our coffee & donuts (which are available every week) for a freewill offering of your choosing.

If you haven't been to a Hot Breakfast yet, we hope you can come to one of upcoming dates: December 22, January 12 or January 26. Bring your friends!

Volunteers monitor the food stations all morning.

Finally, please know that these breakfasts only happen because of the tremendous work of dedicated volunteers back in the kitchen, and also out in the Great Hall managing hot stations, beverage stations, keeping things clean and greeting guests as they come in. Please consider volunteering yourself at a Hot Breakfast Sunday, and sharing the love and welcome of Christ with others.

A full list of volunteer roles can be found on our website.

Photos and video by Omar Reyes.

Join the fun and volunteer at a Hot Breakfast!

Get "Hot" on Sunday, August 18

Mmmm... bacon.

We will have our third summer Sunday Hot Breakfast on August 18.The response to our June and July breakfasts has been great! People have loved the food and enjoyed the space of the Great Hall for fellowship. Surprisingly, attendance was even higher in July than June. 

We hope you will come to our breakfast in August, and especially hope you invite your friends and neighbors too. First-time visitors eat for free!

We also hope you feel called to volunteer at a breakfast, either on August 18 or later this fall, when breakfasts will be every week (exact start date to be announced soon!). But don't take it from me. We asked Tom Knutson, who volunteered in June and July with his family to talk about volunteering. Here's what he said:

I signed up to help with all three breakfasts this summer as a way to get involved with the church. My wife Julie, and 4 daughters (ages 7-17) agreed to help in this project. I know you need volunteers to help and I wanted to do something as a family. We believe it is good to give back and volunteer our time. We joined SOTV a few months ago and didn't know where to volunteer because there are just so many ways to do it. We were kind of shocked at all the need out there [in the community].

We like volunteering as a family and have done Feed My Starving Children several times. It gives us a sense of pride when we are able to help out people in some small way.

Tom's youngest daughter shows the best way to clean tables

I can't sing and I don't like reading in front of others so I was looking at getting involved in other areas of the church when I heard about the volunteers needed to cook and serve breakfast. I was like, I like to cook and help people and it doesn't involving singing or reading out loud. 


I would encourage anyone to get involved as you feel closer to God, your family and the church. Volunteers can come in all sizes. By being a good role model for your kids, they will pass it along to their kids, too. When you volunteer, you get a sense of giving back to your fellow mankind. 

Thank you, Tom! Our current list of volunteer needs can be found on our website.

During his ministry, Jesus always made time to break bread with others. Providing a weekly meal on Sunday mornings is a great way to welcome our community into a closer relationship with God and with each other. Thank you to everyone who is helping SOTV grow into Our Vision. Together, let’s continue to dream up ideas to invite all people to Experience Jesus.

Have a question or feedback for us? Leave a comment below or visit www.sotv.org/feedback

All photos by Patty Zwiefel

Sunday, June 2 in Pictures

Sunday, June 2, 2013 was a big day at Shepherd of the Valley. We held our first "Hot Breakfast" in the Great Hall from 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. and experienced our first band-led worship at 11:00 in the Sanctuary.

Both events were a great success! The vibes and energy in both rooms on Sunday were positive, the food was delicious, and the message and music were especially resonant and worshipful.

Sunday's success was thanks to the hard work of many volunteers - who cooked and served food, set up and cleaned, welcomed and greeted, rehearsed and performed, and invited others to experience Jesus, through their dedication and presence.

Not everything was perfect. Immediately following 11:00 worship, volunteer and staff teams began a series of debrief and planning meetings that will continue in the weeks and months to come. We've heard many great comments regarding both worship and fellowship, and are working hard to make sure each Sunday is better and better. Everything from the volume of the preacher, to traffic flow, to little details like providing sugar-free syrup are being analyzed and considered. If you have an idea - please share it!

Eating breakfast at church or worshiping with a band may not be for you. But they are important first steps to reaching out to new people - as we've learned from our own extensive research and through conversations with growing churches across the country. We are also designing transformations with the many faithful, long time members of SOTV very much in mind. Jesus continually calls us through the Gospels, especially through the Great Commission, to get out of our comfort zones. Please pray for us as we work toward fulfilling this challenging vision, and please continue to share your thoughts and ideas with Pastors Chris and Randy, online, or by filling out a comment card at church.

The next Hot Breakfast will be July 14, but fellowship with coffee and donuts will continue to be offered each week in the Great Hall. Below are pictures from this past weekend. Thank you Patty Zwiefel for capturing them!

A few of the hard workers in the kitchen on Sunday.

Sunday's menu included french toast, bacon, eggs and sausage.

The Great Hall was full of energy and people enjoying food and fellowship.

One of our youngest volunteers, was also one of the busiest!

A/V tech John Pollock (middle) helps the band set up.

 Jan Nicolai gets the elements ready for weekly Holy Communion.

A new multi-camera system allows views of worship to be captured from all angles of the Sanctuary.

A great crowd came out for 11:00 worship.

Omar Reyes and Steve Genrich have everything under control

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!