At 2944 E. Hall Ave. in North Terre Haute, Valley Church is known for two Sunday morning worship gatherings, a secure children's wing, discipleship through groups, and a sending emphasis that extends from Terre Haute to Berlin. The congregation also planted Valley Church Clinton, its first church plant, and holds Scripture as the authority for its beliefs and practices.
Two Sunday Gatherings on East Hall Avenue
Sunday worship at Valley begins at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. The services center on worship, Scripture, prayer and preaching, with a greeting team and hot coffee ready for arrivals. The worship team uses music, lyrics, video and lighting, and members can serve as scripture readers, instrumentalists, presentation and lighting operators, or livestream technicians. Sunday services are livestreamed on YouTube, carrying the music, sermon and announcements.
Formation Pastor Brandon Pittenger helps shepherd worship alongside his wife Grace, Valley's music director, and also shares in the preaching rotation. The church offers a plan-a-visit connection for people trying the church for the first time so the team can answer questions beforehand. Valley also offers sermon video, audio and podcast formats, while archived messages go back to 2011. The songs used in Sunday worship are also shared for worship through the week.
A First Visit, Step by Step
A first Sunday has simple directions. Two parking lots sit on the east and west sides of the building. People in the east lot should use the door with the gray canopy, while those in the west lot should enter through the four glass side doors. The greeting team and hot coffee are waiting inside. For anyone who needs the handicap ramp, the west lot is the route, making the entrance more accessible for those with mobility needs.
Families with children from nursery through third grade can register ahead for a smoother check-in, though a team at the desk helps first-time families. A Connect Card lets newcomers share basic information so the congregation can get to know them. On every fourth Sunday, new people are invited to meet staff beside the stage in the Worship Center between the morning services. Those exploring faith can request a meeting, and Valley 101 is offered each quarter for learning about the church and membership.
Valley Kids: Nursery Through Third Grade
Valley Kids serves children from nursery through third grade during both Sunday services. The ministry is built around age-specific groups, play, music, Bible stories and simple activities.
- Nursery, ages 0-4: Children are separated into prewalking infants, 1-2 year olds and 3-4 year olds. Their time includes play, reading, a Jesus Storybook Bible story, coloring and activities.
- 5 years through third grade: Children gather for play, music, games and a Bible lesson using the Big Picture Bible.
- Family Worship Sunday: On the fifth Sunday of every month, children from nursery through third grade join their families in the Worship Center for a shortened service designed for younger children while the Valley Kids volunteer team takes a sabbath.
Safety is built into the check-in process. A parent or guardian registers children, confirms medical and contact information, and receives name tags and a security tag for pickup. The children's wing is downstairs on the east side near the gray canopy, and the entire wing stays locked during services. Fourth- and fifth-graders also meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. as the Intermediate Group, an intentional step from elementary school into middle school. A quiet room for mothers is available during the Sunday morning services.
Wednesday Nights for Students and Intermediate Group
The Wednesday student gathering runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. High school students meet in the Worship Center, while middle school students meet in the Student Center downstairs. The evening begins with free time and games at 6:45. At 7 p.m., the groups come together for worship and a lesson from God's Word, followed by discussion-based small groups separated by middle and high school and by gender. These conversations help students apply the lesson to their own lives. Family Pastor Matt Buell oversees the 4th-5th grade, 6th-12th grade and young adult ministries.
Young Adults, Valley Groups and the Next Step
During the school year, young adults meet on Sunday evenings at 6 p.m. They are invited into regular worship and Valley Groups, where they can build relationships across age brackets, learn and use God-given gifts, and prepare for involvement in local church ministry. The group also shares a weekly meal, with members helping provide main dishes, side dishes and desserts.
Valley's formation ministry develops discipleship pathways, group leaders and ministry directors while helping new believers and visitors become known within the church. Valley Groups are one of the church's main settings for biblical community, bringing people together around Scripture, prayer, meaningful relationships and life together. The church also offers conversations about baptism, membership and next steps in faith.
Clinton: Valley's First Church Plant
Valley Church Clinton is the congregation's first church plant, with Seth Wiram serving as campus pastor. Sunday at the Clinton campus includes a children's service at 9:30 a.m. and an adult service at 10 a.m. Seth's ministry focuses include community and international missions, multiplication and intentional discipleship through the group model. The Clinton campus gives Valley a second place to gather while strengthening its wider vision of becoming a sending, going and multiplying church.
A Sending Church in Berlin and Beyond
Valley supports missionaries around the world through a dedicated missions team that maintains connection, encouragement and support. Members participate in three ways: praying for mission partners, continuing regular giving because a portion of the church's finances supports missionaries, and going on teams when opportunities arise. Valley also sends people with passports on field visits and offers local outreach opportunities, keeping missions connected to both global ministry and service close to home.
The Germany story grew from an early partnership with Fritz and Lynette Good and Crossway International Baptist Church in Berlin. Brett Parks, who served as Valley's associate pastor and later its lead pastor, led young adult teams to Berlin for outreach. The Parks family now serves Crossway and the church it planted in neighboring Potsdam, working to encourage multiplication and plan discipleship for international college students. Valley sent Brett and Corinne as part of its commitment to be a sending, going and multiplying church.
Another Valley-supported missionary family, Andy and Jaycie Johnson, previously served with TEAM, The Evangelical Alliance Mission, in Europe and have returned to Germany to serve Black Forest Academy, a Christian international boarding school. Their work supports a Christ-centered educational community for the high-school-aged children of missionaries. Together, these partnerships allow Valley to send people, teams and practical support beyond Terre Haute.
What Valley Church Believes
Valley grounds its beliefs in the Bible rather than personal opinion and says it does not view itself as special or exclusive. It affirms the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament as the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, with supreme and final authority in faith and life. Valley believes in one living and true God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are equal in divine perfection and carry out distinct but harmonious roles in creation, providence and redemption.
Jesus Christ is affirmed as God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Valley believes in his virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, perpetual intercession and personal visible return. The Holy Spirit convicts concerning sin, regenerates and sanctifies believers, empowers them and indwells each believer as an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
People are created in God's image but inherit a sinful nature. Salvation is a free gift from God and cannot be accomplished through self-improvement or good works. Those who repent and trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, become new creatures, receive eternal life and are delivered from condemnation. Valley also affirms the bodily resurrection, final judgment, Heaven and Hell as eternal existence, and the local church as a community of baptized believers gathered for worship, good works, fellowship and the proclamation of the gospel.
Valley observes baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordinances of the local church. It understands Christian baptism as the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the triune God, and the Lord's Supper as Christ's instituted commemoration of his death. The church also describes marriage as a sacred relationship between one man and one woman and holds sexual intimacy outside that relationship to be contrary to God's Word.
Food, Fitness and Care for the Community
Valley serves North Terre Haute through a food pantry that is open every first and third Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon. Donation bins are located beside the gray canopy door and the quad doors. A Meal Train team also delivers meals to people and families facing practical needs. Shalom Fitness meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6 p.m.
The church building can be used for occasions such as birthdays, bridal showers and weddings. Guests are never asked for money, and members who wish to give may do so online. A portion of the church's finances is specifically dedicated to missionary partners, making giving part of Valley's sending identity rather than a separate activity.
Serving and Leadership at Valley
Service is woven through the life of the church. Volunteer roles include greeting at the doors, Connect and Child Check-In desks, children's check-in and checkout, hallway runner, scripture reader, instrumentalist, presentation and lighting operator, livestream technician and Meal Train delivery. Those serving with children must be at least 18 or be in grades 6-12 and serve with an adult, arrive 15 minutes before the service, and pass a background check.
Lead Pastor Adam Conner joined the staff in 2007 in student ministry and later served as associate pastor before returning to Valley as lead pastor. Formation Pastor Brandon Pittenger has been part of the church since 2010 and works with discipleship pathways, group leaders and ministry directors. Matt Buell oversees the church's next-generation ministries. Kara Bosworth directs the 0-4 Valley Kids ministry, Grace serves as music director, and Maggie Stuhr organizes ministry events and supports the middle school student ministry.
Together, these ministries express the character of Valley Church: worship shaped by Scripture, discipleship spanning children through adults, practical care shared with the community, and a sending posture that reaches from East Hall Avenue to Berlin and Potsdam.