Sunday Worship

Whether you are new to the area or are looking for a new place to worship – we welcome you!

At Valley Church, you will find a vibrant expression of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a place for you to grow in your faith.  We invite you to join us for a Sunday service!

Community Meal

June 25, 2026

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.” (Deuteronomy 5:6-7)

Members and Friends of Valley,

In preparation for an upcoming continuing education seminar, I have been reading Dr. Carmen Joy Imes’ Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters. She argues that because we carry an identity as God’s people – like those who received the Ten Commandments in the Exodus story – we are, likewise, expected to live our lives that honor and reflect what matters most to God.

Part of this means that we keep God – rather than idols and idolatries – central to who we are. As I explain to the preschool children each year as we begin having “Chapel Time” in the sanctuary, there are always three items we place in the center of the room: the Cross, the Bible, and the Table. The banners and musical instruments, flowers and flags – all those other symbols that we might be tempted to elevate to idol status – are literally or symbolically kept to the side. As God told the ancient Israelites, “you shall have no other Gods before me.”

This week, I have been trying to follow some of the motions and debates taking place at our denomination’s General Assembly meeting in Milwaukee; but it is hard to keep up. Two years ago, I was a commissioner to the General Assembly in Salt Lake City and was consumed by committee reports and parliamentary process. As a near-cradle Presbyterian and first-time commissioner, I worked diligently to ensure that our denomination was making good decisions and moving in the direction of justice, equity, and peace.

But, even though being a Presbyterian is deeply ingrained, it is not my primary identity: I am – as we all are – first and foremost a child of God and member of the family of Christ. Our denomination flag flies in our sanctuary, but never at its center; that is reserved for the sacred symbols of God’s grace. We do not worship a Presbyterian God; God does not love or bless Presbyterians more than any other branch of the Christian tree; all are welcome here.

In the same way, while we, also, have an American flag in our sanctuary, it is not – nor should it ever be – at the center. For many of us, being a citizen of this country is a lifelong part of who we are, but not our core identity. When any flag is physically or symbolically put in the center of a church, it has become an idol. We do not worship an American God; God does not love or bless us more than the citizens or residents or ex-patriots of any land; all are welcome here.

So, while it is an acceptable, even commendable, thing to have pride in your nation – and to plan celebrations around the 250th year of its founding – to do so in the context of Christian worship can be and has been a risky thing. When the United States and the Christian church become co-mingled, it can be hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. Then, idols get fashioned, people get left out, and we can begin to forget where our primary, fundamental identity rests.

As Dr. Imes describes the wilderness wanderings of the Exodus people – after they receive the Law at Sinai but before they enter the Promised Land – the Israelites complained about their leaders, their hardships, and their food. Still, she argues, “The single greatest threat to their survival in the wilderness is themselves; they are Enemy #1.”

Often, the same is true for us. We fail to remember who it was that brought us out from the land of Egypt and the house of slavery. We forget whose we are and what remains our central identity. We look for scapegoats to blame for our shortcomings. We sometimes think that we merit greater blessing than others; until, that is, we are reminded of God’s grace, which is unbounded and undeserved, and comes from God alone.

In Christ,
Pastor John

Announcements

(additional announcements are in the bulletin and newsletter)

Links