Sunday Worship

We are now open for in-person Worship Services.  All are welcome.

Sunday worship service is at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School available during the school year with childcare
17560 Chillicothe Road
Chagrin Falls, OH  44023
phone:  440-543-1071
email:  info@valleypresbychurch.org
Office hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.


Holy Week Schedule

 

Maundy Thursday, March 28

Worship with Communion and Tenebrae at 7 p.m.

 

Good Friday, March 29

Outdoor Stations of the Cross, Chagrin Falls Triangle Park at noon

 

Easter Sunday, March 31

Resurrection Day Worship at 10:30 a.m.


Community Meal

 

Tuesday, April 16
4:00 – 5:30 p.m.

This month, we are doing another throwback meal with recipes contributed by some of our favorite folks, taken from the Charm O’The Barn Cookbook.

Menu:  Baked Chicken Soufflé (Marge Davies), Mashed Potato Casserole (Peg Irish), Romaine and Strawberry Salad (Lin Wilson), Chocolate Chip Bars (Audrey Weatherhead)

If you are interested in helping, we will be cooking meals from 9:30-11:30 a.m.; assembling from 3-4 p.m.; and distributing / delivering from 4-5:30 p.m.  In addition, if you would like to bake chocolate chip bars (your recipe of choice or obtain recipe from office) at home, please drop off by 10 a.m. on April 16th.

To volunteer, click the link below:

 Sign up to volunteeer

To sign up for the meal, click the link below:

Sign up for the meal

 


Annual Meeting Pastor’s Report – February 4, 2024

February 4, 2024 Annual Meeting Slides


Sunday Services

See below for a link to the live streaming of our services or to see previous services:

YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYF6JWnNARixsYXmVVp-ImA/?guided_help_flow=5

 


March 28, 2024

 

“Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer.” (Romans 12:11)

Members and friends of Valley,

For this scripture, I am looking ahead to the Good Friday lesson in our Local Pilgrim daily devotional.  Its author, Rev. Amantha Barbee, entitles her writing “Finding Peace by Paying Attention.”

We might think the opposite to be true.  We may believe that the more we open our eyes, the more we pay attention to our neighborhoods and communities, the more problems or bad actions we might see.  But, throughout this Lenten season, we have been learning to look for God at work in our midst, to see the divine in the ordinary; and we have seen examples of these very ways that Paul instructs the Christian community in Rome to act:  with zeal, patience, and hope; prayerfully and ardently serving and persevering.

At the beginning of this Lenten season, I shared my intended spiritual practices:  abstaining from eating meat and drinking alcohol; taking on a lengthening of silent meditation (from one minute to forty), and doing forty minutes of physical exercise each day.  I have discovered that the first two practices of giving up food and drink have been easier to consistently maintain, while with the latter two – daily meditation and exercise – I have found more excuses to skip:  not enough time, feeling sore, just forgot, etc.

Look, again, at Paul’s admonition here to the Romans:  he is encouraging them to take action, to get engaged, to do what is sometimes hard.  When Jesus speaks about carrying our cross, when Rev. Barbee talks of finding peace by paying attention, this is what I think they mean:  open your eyes to God at work in your neighborhood, get engaged in what might be hard, and there we will find Jesus.

And, really, in the midst of this Holy Week, that is the point.  We re-read and remember the story of Jesus being betrayed, arrested, and crucified; so that on Easter morning – when the tomb is empty and the body is gone – we can discover the risen Jesus.

Thank you to everyone who sent in their pictures of where they have been seeing God at work in our midst for our Lenten Photo Journal Project.

And we hope to see you this week; for Maundy Thursday worship at 7 p.m., Good Friday Stations of the Cross in Chagrin Falls at noon, Easter Sunday celebration of the resurrection at 10:30 a.m.

In Christ,
Pastor John

________________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(additional announcements are in the bulletin and newsletter)

Special Offering – One Great Hour of Sharing
Now through Easter Sunday, March 31

For 75 years, One Great Hour of Sharing has provided Presbyterians a way to share God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world.  The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing – Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People – all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need.  From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.  Special giving envelopes are available in the Narthex.

Sarah Circle – Tuesday, April 9, 2024

This year’s Bible study is:
Sacred Encounter: The Power and Presence of Jesus Christ In the Gospel of Luke

Meeting:  VPC Library, The 2nd Tuesday of the month
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., September through May

All women interested are welcome to join.

 

David Lamotte Events (from Presbytery)

To carpool to John Knox on Friday – meet at church at 6:15 p.m.
David will be offering a concert on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 p.m. at John Knox Presbyterian Church.  On Saturday, April 14, he will be offering a workshop entitled “Worldchanging 101” at Rocky River Presbyterian Church from 9:00-11:30 a.m.  This workshop will focus on the three prongs of the Matthew 25 Initiative that we are part of as a presbytery. See the April Valley Voice for more information and to register.

 

________________________________________

LINKS

 

Church YouTube Channel

The livestream of the worship service is being broadcast via the Valley YouTube channel using this link:

Link to YouTube Live

 

Link to Facebook

Link to Prayer Request List

Link to Sermons

Link to service bulletins:

Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024 service bulletin

Sunday, March 31, 2024 Easter service bulletin

Easter flowers – donation list

 


March 21, 2024

 

Members and friends of Valley,

Yesterday, March 20, was the birthday of Fred Rogers, a Presbyterian pastor best known for his long-running Public Television children’s program, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.  Our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), commemorates his birthday each year as a reminder of what Jesus said was the most central of all commandments:  loving God and your neighbor.

Of course, for us to love – and to follow in Christ’s way – we need to listen.  That has been a cornerstone of our learning as a Thriving Congregation:  that in order to best discern and act in the way God is leading us, we need to listen to ourselves, to one another, and to our community.

As we approach Holy Week – beginning on Palm Sunday and moving through Easter – we are being asked to listen to a story that is not always happy or easy.  It causes us to reflect on humanity’s many sins and failings and – indeed – our own, as well.  The light of resurrection only dawns after the darkness of the tomb.

Still, the story of Easter reminds us that God’s love is known by this:  Christ came that we might experience the fullness of life, for death does not have the final word.  Beauty, hope, and peace can grow out of even the most ugly, despairing, and violent soil.  And, if we listen well, we can become better neighbors to one another.

Friends, I invite you into this beautiful story of resurrection and new life.  Let us give thanks to God by seeking to be better listeners to the stories we are meant to hear.

In Christ,
Pastor John

________________________________________

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(additional announcements are in the bulletin and newsletter)

 

College Age / Military Care Packages

This Sunday (March 24), the Deacons will be collecting donations to send notes and gift cards to our college-age youth and members of the military.  There will be a basket in the Narthex these two weeks, or you can contribute by regular offering, indicating:  care packages.

Special Offering – One Great Hour of Sharing
Now through Easter Sunday, March 31

For 75 years, One Great Hour of Sharing has provided Presbyterians a way to share God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world.  The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing – Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People – all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need.  From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.  Special giving envelopes are available in the Narthex.

________________________________________

LINKS

 

Church YouTube Channel

The livestream of the worship service is being broadcast via the Valley YouTube channel using this link:

Link to YouTube Live

 

Link to Facebook

Link to Prayer Request List

Link to Sermons

Link to service bulletins:

Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024 service bulletin



Pass-It-On Mission Store

Pass-it-on will be open:

Friday, April 12, 2024 (1 – 4 p.m.)

&

Saturday, April 13, 2024 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)

  Donations are now being accepted.

 

Pass-It-On is a mission of and is located behind
Valley Presbyterian Church
17560 Chillicothe Road
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
440-543-1071

 

To find out more about our Pass-It-On, A Mission of Love, Store, use the following link to go to our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/passit.on.716

or e-mail at

Passitonamissionoflove@gmail.com

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2
3
Worship Service 10:30 am
Worship Service @ Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 3 @ 10:30 am
 
Commission Meetings 12:00 pm
Commission Meetings @ Valley Presbyterian Church Library
Mar 3 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
 
Deacon’s Meeting 12:00 pm
Deacon’s Meeting @ Vallley Presbyterian Church Library
Mar 3 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Deacons will meet on Sundays at 12PM on the second Sunday during the Winter months.
4
7
Men’s Prayer Breakfast 7:30 am
Men’s Prayer Breakfast @ Valley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
Mar 7 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 am
 
Adult Choir 7:00 pm
Adult Choir @ Vallley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 7 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
 
Thursday AA Group Meeting (FH & Library)) 7:00 pm
10
Worship Service 10:30 am
Worship Service @ Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 10 @ 10:30 am
 
11
14
Men’s Prayer Breakfast 7:30 am
Men’s Prayer Breakfast @ Valley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
Mar 14 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 am
 
Adult Choir 7:00 pm
Adult Choir @ Vallley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 14 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
 
Thursday AA Group Meeting (FH & Library)) 7:00 pm
15
17
Worship Service 10:30 am
Worship Service @ Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 17 @ 10:30 am
 
Session Meeting 12:00 pm
Session Meeting @ Valley Presbyterian Church Library
Mar 17 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
 
18
21
Men’s Prayer Breakfast 7:30 am
Men’s Prayer Breakfast @ Valley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
Mar 21 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 am
 
Adult Choir 7:00 pm
Adult Choir @ Vallley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
 
Thursday AA Group Meeting (FH & Library)) 7:00 pm
23
24
Worship Service 10:30 am
Worship Service @ Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 24 @ 10:30 am
 
25
28
Men’s Prayer Breakfast 7:30 am
Men’s Prayer Breakfast @ Valley Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
Mar 28 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 am
 
Adult Choir 7:00 pm
Adult Choir @ Vallley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 28 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
 
Thursday AA Group Meeting (FH & Library)) 7:00 pm
29
30
31
Worship Service 10:30 am
Worship Service @ Valley Presbyterian Church Sanctuary
Mar 31 @ 10:30 am