About Us

 

Our Mission Statement

"Reaching our community and world with the love and hope of Jesus Christ. Building strong lives and godly homes for the glory of God."

What We Believe About...

God: 
We believe there is one living and true God, who is one in essence while eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4; Isa 5:3; John 1:1, 14, 10:30, 14:16-17; Matt 28:19, II Cor 13:14)

Jesus Christ: 
We believe that Jesus Christ is God, the Son. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and by his voluntary sacrificial death on Calvary and by His bodily and visible resurrection from the dead, paid the penalty of sin and purchased eternal life for all.
(Micah 5:2; Matt 1:20, 21, 25; John 19:17-19, 20:16, 17)

Holy Spirit: 
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God, a person of the Trinity; that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; and that it is by His power that the born-again Christian is able to live in obedience to God, and to grow in Christlike character.
(Matt 28:18-19; Rom 8:1, 14;  John 18:8)

Scripture: 
We believe the Bible is the only standard of faith and practice for the believer in Jesus Christ. We believe every word of the Old and New Testaments is inspired by God and therefore without error in the original writings.
(Psalm 119:160; II Tim 3:16; Heb 4:12; II Pet 1:20-21)

Mankind: 
Men and women were directly created in the image of God to enjoy a relationship with Him, and to reflect His character and will in our relationships and activities on this earth. In one historic act, man fell into sin by personal disobedience to the will of God; consequently, all people are spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of physical and spiritual death. All are born sinners and therefore need forgiveness and salvation available only in Christ.
(Gen 1:26-27, 3:1-21; Rom 1:18-32, 3:10-20.)

Salvation: 
Jesus Christ died on the cross as the only sufficient payment for our sins. All who received the Lord Jesus Christ through faith are saved by grace and justified in God's sight. The believer is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one true Church, the Body of Christ.
(Rom 3:20-26; Eph 2:1-5, 4:4-6)

The Future:
We believe in the bodily resurrection of every human being to everlasting life with God for the believer, and to the everlasting separation from God for the unbeliever. We are looking forward to the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matt 24&25; I Thess 4:13-17; Rev 19-22)

A Little History

Shepherd of the Valley Bible Church was organized in 1984 when a group of about 30 people had a vision to form an independent, non-charismatic fellowship that emphasized Bible teaching, building strong Christian families and organizing a Christian school.  Tim Copper was called as the first pastor and he, along with Cliff Taylor, were recognized as elders.  Scott Winters was called as the first principal of Shepherd of the Valley Christian School.
 
After meeting in various homes, the congregation began holding Sunday services in the Alpinee Hut.  Soon it was filled to capacity with about 85 attending.  SVBC began searching for a larger, more permanent meeting place.  Many sacrificed to purchase the former Christian Scientist building on 9th & Eugene Street where the SVBC family shared space with a Foursquare Church.  The two congregations not only co-existed but enjoyed good fellowship together.

SVBC continued to grow and attract a wide variety of people including orchardists and windsurfers.  They came from various church backgrounds or no church background at all.  Services attracted anywhere from 100-120 people each Sunday. 

After seven years, Tim Cooper completed his ministry, and following an interim period SVBC called her second pastor, Kurt Van Batavia.  Under his 4 year ministry Shepherd of the Valley School became central to the church’s mission.  Both the church and school grew and additional elders were affirmed. 

Following Kurt’s departure and another interim period, the elders called Stan Love as SVBC’s third senior pastor in 1996.  Under Stan’s leadership the church continued her commitment to strong Bible teaching and was nurtured by a loving shepherd.

Both the congregation and school were outgrowing the Eugene Street building, and various options were considered.  In the late 1990s, the Eugene Street building was sold and prime property was purchased at 8th & Pacific Street in the Heights.  However, following much prayer and discussion, Shepherd of the Valley Christian School felt led to merge with Summit Christian School to become a new, separate ministry known as Horizon Christian School. By faith the congregation decided to donate their new property to Horizon to allow the school to get started on their own campus.  Rather than build a separate structure for the church, it was determined that the church would have designated space within the building. 

In 2006, after meeting in a variety of temporary locations during the construction years, both the church and school moved into a beautiful 51,000 square foot campus.  SVBC occupied the SW corner of the building in space that includes a main office, 2 staff offices, a commons area, a nursery and a sanctuary with seating capacity for 250 people. 

Because of a large Hispanic population in the area, SVBC added real time Spanish translation (both audio and visual) to the services in 2008.  The congregation hosted a Saturday evening service primarily in Spanish lead by the independent ministry “Treasures in Heaven”.

In 2009 Pastor Stan Love sensed that it was time for him to conclude his ministry at SVBC.  In June the congregation bade a fond farewell to their beloved pastor and his wife.  In January of 2010, the elders secured the services of Lynn Kent to serve as an intentional interim pastor.  His responsibilities were to provide pastoral leadership, assist the elders in evaluating the current ministries and to help them take actions and encourage ministries to prepare for future growth.

Shepherd of the Valley Bible Church stands at an exciting, critical juncture in her development.  One of the major reasons for her founding has been accomplished with Horizon Christian School now enrolling over 200 students from pre-kindergarten through High School.  Its student body, administration and teaching staff come from numerous churches and area residents.  This growing school is a great testimony to God’s grace working through the faithful, foresighted founders of SVBC in 1984.  This is a legacy for which SVBC can be proud and grateful.

We are in the process of discerning God’s direction for SVBC’s future.  The Lord has provided an exceptional facility in a growing part of Hood River.  The influx of Hispanics, windsurfers and others into this beautiful area provides great opportunities for outreach and growth.  The healthy camaraderie among Christian pastors, churches and para-church ministries enhances the potential for evangelism and discipleship. 

In 2011, to lead the congregation into this bright future, the congregation called Pastor Tommy and Sue Moon to serve with us.  The Moons, who spent nearly 18 years church planting and teaching in Mexico, are helping us discover new ways of reaching into the Hood River community with the compassion and redemption of Jesus.