Our Vision: Detailed in One Page

As you can see from this blog, our vision of Experience Jesus, much like the ministry of Jesus himself, is at times both simple and complex. To help better explain all that our vision entails, we've created a one-page document. You can download a PDF copy or simply read below. As always, we welcome your thoughts or feedback.

Our Vision:

Shepherd of the Valley invites all people to experience the Welcome, Transformation, and Sending of Jesus Christ.

WELCOME
Jesus lived out welcome as an active, intentional, and passionate ministry. He did not wait for people to come to Him. In the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18), he challenges us to be on the lookout for every single lost sheep.

Shepherd of the Valley must be a community of invitation and welcome with:

• A visible and inviting presence with caring connections to our neighborhoods and community;
• Attractive, well-maintained, and accessible buildings and grounds;
• Volunteers thoughtfully deployed so all feel invited and cared for.

TRANSFORM
Jesus taught that the essence of the Christian life is to love God (Matthew 22). The goal of worship is to express that love in praise and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ with all that we are. The goal of teaching is to learn who Jesus is and become equipped to live a life of faith in him.

Shepherd of the Valley must offer transformational experiences with:

• A variety of worship experiences,offered at various times weekly;
• Consistently accessible and high quality preaching and music;
• Dynamic and relevant Biblical preaching;
• Learning experiences that appeal to both mind and heart;
• Small groups that build community, supportive relationships, and vibrant faith;
• Excellent technology that supports and enhances worship and learning.

SEND
The ministry of Jesus was simple: he welcomed all, they were transformed by their encounter with him, and he sent them out to enact the same experience for others. He commands us to do the same in the Great Commission (Matthew 28).

Shepherd of the Valley must send people out into the world to share their experiences, with:

• Tools and resources for sharing information about our ministry;
• Guidance and support for all people on their journeys of faith in worship, learning and service;
• Expanded opportunities for fellowship and service in our community and in the world.

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

Implementing Our Vision: New Worship Leader Identified

Last summer, we introduced Our Vision for ministry: Shepherd of the Valley (SOTV) will invite all people to experience the Welcome, Transformation and Sending of Jesus Christ. Last fall, we published specific plans of how we would invest in worship to achieve Our Vision, including the creation of a new full-time Worship Leader position.

The job of the full-time Worship Leader is to plan and lead our band-led worship, and also help evaluate our worship options in terms of structure, style, visuals, music and overall experience. While we worked over the past year to identify a candidate for this position, Brian Bremer served as a part-time interim leader. We are very grateful to Brian for his work, leadership, and dedication to the ministry of SOTV. Brian’s collaboration with staff and volunteers enabled a successful transition of band-led worship from the Great Hall to the Sanctuary. We are thankful to Brian for his work as the interim leader.

Brian will continue to lead the band through the 11:00 a.m. worship service on Sunday, July 28, 2013. Following the 11:00 service, Brian will be available to greet you in the Great Hall. Please join us and express your appreciation! We look forward to continued worship and fellowship with Brian and his family.

Our year-long search was a significant, wide, and prayerful process which included input from a large group of people. We are pleased to announce Shawn Vaughan will join our team as the new Worship Leader effective August 1, 2013. Shawn will lead 11:00 a.m. worship beginning Sunday, August 4, 2013.

Shawn comes to SOTV with many years of worship and band leadership across a variety of venues. His training and education includes a degree from McNally Smith College of Music, in addition to a passion for ministry and excellence in worship. Shawn will report to Mark Ertl, Director of Music and Worship, and collaborate with the pastoral staff. In addition, he will provide leadership to the band and other musicians. We are excited to experience Shawn using his skills and gifts to create meaningful and inspirational worship. Please join us and warmly welcome Shawn!

Favorite Hymns

This past weekend in worship, we concluded our series on the Psalms with a Hymn Sing. The original hymns were Psalms, after all.

Below are a series of videos featuring members of SOTV speaking about their favorite hymns, all of which were featured in worship as part of Pastor Duane's sermon. You can also listen to Pastor Duane's sermon.
The hymns we sang in worship last weekend were chosen by you! There were 385 total votes, and here were the top vote-getters (# of votes):

1. Beautiful Savior (42)
2. Amazing grace (37)
3. How Great Thou Art (35)
4. Borning Cry (18)
5. On Eagles Wings (17)
6. A Mighty Fortress (13)
7. Lift High the Cross (12)
8. Children of the Heavenly father (11)
9. Holy, Holy, Holy (11)
10. Here I Am, Lord (10)
11. What a Friend We Have in Jesus (9)
12. Praise to the Lord the Almighty (7)
13. Just As I Am (7)
14. This is My Father’s World (6)
15. Battle Hymn of the Republic (5)
16. Earth & All Stars (4)
17. Shine Jesus Shine (4)
18. I Know That My Redeemer Lives (4)
19. I Love to Tell the Story (4)
20. Love Divine (4)
21. Abide With Me (3)
22. Day by Day (3)
23. You Are Mine (3)
24. We Are Called (3)
25. We Are Marching in the Light (3)
26. Jesus Christ is Risen Today (3)
27. For All the Saints (3)
28. This Little Light of Mine (3)
29. Jesus Loves Me (3)
30. When Peace Like a River (3)
31. Canticle of the Turning (3)
32. Silent Night (3)

15 songs had 2 votes. 62 songs had one vote. The top three songs had over 25% of the vote. The top ten songs had over half the votes. Thank you to all those featured in our hymn videos, to everyone who voted for their favorite hymns, and special thanks to Arlen Wilson for suggesting the idea for the Hymn Sing.

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

A Most Heartfelt Word of Thanks!

From Pastor Paul and Margaret:

The last couple of weekends have been among the most special times in our lives. Margaret and I decided these days rank right up there with our wedding day and the day of my ordination into the ministry of the church. Words fail us as we try to thank everyone who had anything to do with our farewell celebration. But let us try. 

To the Planning Committee and the SOTV staff that made everything run so smoothly despite the large crowd and the somewhat limited space due to the Shepherd’s Sale preparations, thank you. 

To have almost the entire Senior Choir show up on a summer Sunday to sing that gorgeous piece of music (“Fairest Lord Jesus”) was more than we could have hoped for. 

To the four speakers at the program, we are so indebted. 

 To the Men’s Quartet that sang at the Monday evening “cabin service”, we are grateful. 

To Pastor Duane who orchestrated the entire event and who also wrote two musical “masterpieces” sung by the staff and by the Men’s Quartet, our sincere thanks. 

And for hundreds of cards, emails, letters, gifts, hugs, and well-wishes with some of the most affirming and heartfelt words you can imagine, we say THANKS to one and to all! You have been a blessing to us and our family for over three decades and we count you among the greatest gifts God could have ever given to us. 

This is a remarkable congregation so filled with love, devotion, and a deep desire to make a difference in the world today. It has been an extraordinary joy to have served with you for these past 33 years and we will never forget your many kindnesses, your faithfulness, your generosity, and your love for one another. 

We will always be thankful for each and every one of you! You have been one of the greatest blessings of our lives! 

Your friends in Christ, 
Pastor Paul and Margaret Harrington

Wowed by a Wonderful Weekend

Wow! That’s the word that came to mind this past week after witnessing significant events at our church.

On Friday, SOTV hosted the funeral of Lt. Col. Mark Weber on behalf of Easter Lutheran Church. Volunteers and staff from Easter directed traffic, greeted and welcomed mourners. Representatives from the National Guard were on hand and the entrance to the church was flanked impressively by their honor guard. Word is some 800 people attended, and it was truly a wonderful celebration of life.

I heard many positive comments from people in our community that our church looked great and staff provided extraordinary support. Although our role in this event was very small, we were honored to be able to help minister to so many people during a difficult time, and be a place for people in our community to experience the welcome of Jesus Christ. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

The Shepherd’s Sale is again underway and volunteers in record numbers are hard at work. And, the building of full of great stuff. Thank you to all the donors! All has begun well and smoothly during a very busy weekend. On the basis of this excellent beginning, we are looking forward to another successful sale on behalf of children in need.

Of course, this past weekend marked the celebration of Pastor Paul’s retirement. Worship was wonderful, the program very well done, and the meal managed superbly. It’s been a long time since we have fed that many people in the building at once and I thought it went great. There was lots of affirmation for Pastor Paul, Margaret and the whole Harrington tribe. I was especially impressed by the staff and volunteers supporting this event. Another Wow!

Don’t forget, all this is taking place on the heels of a great VBS program just a couple of weeks ago, and another week just around the corner. So, well done, one and all. In recent days and weeks a lot of people have experienced the welcome of Jesus at SOTV thanks to the good work by this community of faith.

Finally, thank you to all who come and take part in our worship and special programs. You are the church, and the reason we do what we do.

See you in church,
Pastor Chris Smith