BEING GOOD NEIGHBORS: for god, for people, for a change.

That's everything.


Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:36-40) 


Jesus knew we can’t love God if we don’t love others and we can’t love others if we don’t love God. Or, put another way; If we don’t love the people around us how can we say we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind? This is who we are called to be as Jesus followers and the church. We have an incredible opportunity to be good neighbors and care for people and the world around us. 


The world doesn’t need more Christians inviting people to church. 

The world needs more Christians caring for them and being the church. 


The rhythms and practices of worship (for God), community (for People), and mission (for a Change) help us be good neighbors and love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. 

WHAT WE VALUE

These are the values that shape us and drive our vision to be good neighbors: 

For God. For People. For a Change.

  • stories

    "Generation after generation stands in awe of your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts." 

    -Psalm 145:4 MSG

  • the underdogs

    "Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'" 

    -Matthew 25:40 MSG

  • LOVE

    "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

    -Matthew 22:37-39 NIV

  • Authenticity

    "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, no the ugly; things to praise not things to curse." 

    -Philippians 4:8 MSG

  • next steps

    "This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"

    -Romans 8:15 MSG

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Valley Church is a United Methodist Church, although you'll notice that "United Methodist" isn't in our church name. That's because we believe that in today's culture most people are looking for a church community where they feel like they simply belong before they look for a specific denominational affiliation. We share the following basic affirmations with all Christian communities:

  • Baptism

    Baptism is saying "YES' to God. We want to help you take that next step and put Jesus first and foremost in your life. At Valley we baptize both infants and adults. 

  • the bible

    We believe that the Bible is God's Word. We believe that the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice. We believe that Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament (The Hebrew Scriptures and The Christian Scriptures). 

  • The Church

    We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ's life and ministry in the word today. We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We believe that the church is "the communion of saints." a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Christ. We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith. 

  • communion

    The Lord's Supper is a holy meal of bread and wine that symbolizes the body and blood of Christ. The Lord's Supper recalls the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God's family. By sharing this meal, we give thanks for Christ's sacrifice and are nourished and empowered to go into the world in mission and ministry. We practice "Open Communion," welcoming all who love Christ, repent of their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another. Valley celebrates Communion every 6-8 weeks. 

  • God

    We believe in one God, who created the world and all that is in it. We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the universe. We believe that god is loving, and that we can experience God's love and grace. 

  • The Holy spirit

    We believe that the Holy Spirit if God with us. We believe that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we stray from God. We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God's will and empowers us to live obediently. 

  • human beings

    We believe that God created human beings in God's image. We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God. We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be fully human and live into Salvation. 

  • jesus

    We believe that Jesus was human, that He lived as a man and died when He was crucified. We believe that Jesus is divine, that He is the Son of God. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives today. (Christ and Messiah mean the same thing--"God's Anointed.) We believe that Jesus is our Savior, that in Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of sins. We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our lives after His. 

  • the reign of god

    We believe that the kingdom or reign of God is both a present reality and a future hope. We believe that wherever God's will is done, the kingdom or reign of God is present. It was present in Jesus' ministry, and it is present in our world whenever a person or a community experiences reconciliation, restoration, and healing. We believe that although the fulfillment of God's kingdom--the complete restoration of creation--is still to come. We believe that the church is called to be both a witness to the vision of what God's kingdom will be like and participant in helping to bring it to completion. We believe that the reign of God is both personal and social. Personally, we display the kingdom of God as our hearts and minds are transformed and we become more Christ-like. Socially, God's vision for the kingdom includes the restoration and transformation of all of creation. 

  • The trinity

    We describe God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God. Sometimes we use other terms such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.