Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Moreno Valley is a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation shaped by worship, teaching, and service. Alongside its 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship, the church runs a preschool and learning center, Bible studies, youth and confirmation groups, and ministries such as Lutheran World Relief quilting, Braille Mail, a food pantry, and grief support.
Sunday at 9:30, In Person and on Facebook
Shepherd of the Valley meets at 11650 Perris Blvd in Moreno Valley, California 92557. The office telephone is (951) 924-4688, and the office email is office@svlcmoval.net.
The Sunday service begins at 9:30 a.m. and is offered both in person and as a livestream on Facebook. Recordings of services are posted later on YouTube. Communion is celebrated on the first and third Sundays of every month at the 9:30 service. The office also arranges Communion for people who cannot attend in person.
The congregation has made several practical provisions for families and worshipers. Activity bags for children under age ten are kept in the lobby, and an usher will provide one on request; the bags are returned after worship. The front pews are reserved for people who have difficulty coming forward to the altar for Communion. The congregation stands at times during worship and invites worshipers to stand or sit as they are comfortable.
Pastor Paul's Word for Uncertain Times
Pastor Paul Yearyean greets people with the words, “Grace, mercy, and peace be unto to you from the God who is with us and upholds us in His righteousness.” Drawing on Isaiah 41:11 and John 14:27, he centers his teaching on Jesus' words, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” and on the promise that Christ will never leave nor forsake his people.
In times marked by panic, fear, and uncertainty, Pastor Paul points to Christ's promise: “Take heart; I have overcome the world.” He describes Jesus as the light that darkness cannot overcome and as the source of peace in the midst of difficulty.
From a Riverside Seed to Perris Boulevard
A Mission That Became a Chartered Congregation
The congregation traces its beginning to members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Riverside, California. Pastor Elmer Boxdorfer conducted the first Shepherd of the Valley service on December 24, 1978, at the Moreno Valley Parks and Recreation building. Seventy-one people attended. On January 7, 1979, worship moved to Sunnymead Adventist Church on Indian Avenue.
The name Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church was selected in August 1979. The mission was organized and chartered on January 27, 1980, with 112 charter members, and joined The Southern California District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in April 1980. Congregations and women's groups throughout Southern California contributed funds to help the new church begin.
Pastor John F. Hodde was installed as full-time pastor and mission developer in August 1979. Ron Kraft later served as vacancy pastor before David Schilling arrived in 1993. Peter Alexander served as an intentional interim minister, Dennis Krueger became senior pastor in 2005, and Kraft and Allen Deinert later served as interim pastors during another transition.
A Sanctuary on Perris Boulevard
In 1981, the congregation purchased 4.77 acres of property at 11650 Perris Blvd. When the Adventist building was slated for demolition, services moved to Midland School in September 1984. Groundbreaking had come in March 1984, and the long-awaited dedication followed on May 19, 1985. The sanctuary was complete, although the second unit containing offices and classrooms was still unfinished inside.
During David Schilling's decade of service, the congregation developed a system of small groups, installed a pipe organ, built the Fellowship Hall, and further developed contemporary worship with a praise team. These ministries gave the congregation enduring resources for worship, teaching, fellowship and service.
Grace Korean Church also began worshiping at Shepherd in January 1990 under Pastor Du Pyo Lee. Pastor Young Man Kwon followed, and Pastor John Kim was installed after Kwon's retirement in 2008. The shared worship history is part of the church's wider story of education and community life in Moreno Valley.
A Preschool, Sunday School, and Learning Center
A Child Care Center opened in November 1987 under Elizabeth Tobak and became the church's preschool in January 1988, with Lois Estock as director. A modular classroom unit was added in 1995 for preschool and Sunday school, and a new preschool facility was completed in March 2010. The church's Preschool and Learning Center continues that work under school director Melanie Trobaugh.
Sunday School is for children beginning in Pre-K through fifth grade. It runs from September through May and meets at 9:30 a.m. in the large preschool room. Junior and senior high Bible classes meet at the same time in the church office and continue until 10:30 a.m. An Adult Bible Class also meets at 9:30 at the far end of the Fellowship Hall.
The learning ministry reaches beyond Sunday morning through an audio sermon archive, Bible study resources, and Sunday school lessons for continued study. The church and school share the Perris Boulevard address, bringing its different age groups into one shared church setting.
Bible Study Around the Fellowship Hall
Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study begins at 10:45 a.m. every other Sunday after worship. Pastor Paul Yearyean leads the class, which is open to adults of any age and combines study of God's Word with fellowship and coffee. Growing in Grace Bible Study follows the same every-other-Sunday rhythm at 10:45 and is led by Eunice Kang.
- Women of Faith Bible Study meets on the first and third Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall under Marlene Alexander.
- Men's Power Hour Breakfast meets on the third Saturday at 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Larry Alexander leads the breakfast and Bible study, and all men are welcome.
- Empty Nesters meets Sundays at 6:00 p.m. in rotating homes under Gary Speck. It is a Bible study and support group for parents whose children have left home or are preparing to leave.
- Braille Mail is led by Laurie White and brings volunteers together around a large-print ministry.
- Grief Support meets every other week at 3:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Shepherd of the Valley also maintains recommended reading for members who want to explore Christian faith and apologetics. Titles include Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ, works on defending Christian conviction, and introductions to thinking about God and philosophical questions about faith.
Disciplined Followers From Confirmation Through High School
The youth ministry is organized around two groups. High School, for students in grades nine through twelve, meets Sundays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Junior High, for grades six through eight, meets during the same evening hours, with Confirmation beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The youth mission is to build disciplined followers of Jesus Christ through education and programming that establish a biblical foundation, encourage deliberate growth, and develop critical thought. Fun events, trips, sports, positive peer pressure, service projects, counseling and group identity can support that goal, but Jesus Christ and his Word remain the ministry's sole focus.
Behavioral, academic and spiritual discipline are deliberately emphasized. The youth program places particular importance on teaching rather than shortcuts, challenging students to understand what they believe and why they believe it. Vacation Bible School also became part of the church's broader youth outreach.
Quilts, Braille Mail, and a Community Reach
Lutheran World Relief is a major focus of hands-on ministry. The quilting group meets in the Fellowship Hall on the fourth Saturday of each month from January through October, preparing quilts, backpacks and relief kits for shipment. The church also gathers items for school and personal-care kits, including school supplies, towels, soap, toothbrushes, combs and nail clippers.
Braille Mail began as a small group in January 2002. Working with Lutheran Braille Workstation 197, its volunteers assemble and mail large-print Lutheran Hour sermons for vision-impaired readers in the United States and many countries. The local ministry has grown to approximately 22 volunteers, with coffee and fellowship forming part of the work.
Local support includes a food pantry maintained in a cabinet at the school. The congregation also adopts a road for cleanup on the first Saturday of odd-numbered months, meeting at Indian and Manzanita. Sorted aluminum cans and plastic bottles are collected for recycling, with the proceeds supporting the quilting fund. The church welcomes people to serve as greeters and ushers as well.
A senior community care resource provides information about financial support, care options and senior living communities in Moreno Valley. It was created to help older adults and their families understand the resources available for maintaining independence and quality of life.
Longstanding examples of community outreach have included TLC for cancer patients, Habitat for Humanity, Lutheran Braille Workstation 197, Community Assistance Program of Moreno Valley, sponsorship of a Boy/Cub Scout troop, youth service projects and Vacation Bible School. These efforts place the congregation's teaching and care alongside its worship life.
Financial support for the church's work can be given online through online giving.
Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone
Shepherd of the Valley teaches the Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the Reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. Its understanding of God begins with the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all people and to rise to life again in victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
- Grace alone: God loves people even though they are sinful, rebel against him and do not deserve his love. He sent Jesus to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.
- Faith alone: Through Jesus' suffering and death as the substitute for all people, forgiveness and eternal life are purchased for those who hear the Good News and believe it. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through him.
- Scripture alone: The Bible is God's inspired written Word, revealing his Law and his Gospel salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.
The church also asks who Jesus is, pointing to the biblical record of his birth, life, death on the cross and resurrection as the foundation for answering that question. Its answer is to study Scripture, God's Word.
Those teachings accompany a church whose life centers on the 9:30 Sunday gathering, learning for children and students, fellowship in small groups, and service through Lutheran World Relief, Braille Mail, a food pantry and support ministries in Moreno Valley.