Set on Chillicothe Road just north of the I-422 exit in Chagrin Falls, Valley Presbyterian Church is the large brick church with the big white steeple that the church itself says "you can't miss." The 17560 Chillicothe Road campus sits next to Breezewood Gardens and draws members from Geauga, Cuyahoga, Summit, and Portage counties. The congregation is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and belongs to the Presbytery of the Western Reserve. People know Valley best for the way it keeps its doors open to neighbors in many forms: Sunday worship and a strong music program, a week-long Vacation Bible School, the Heart of Valley Christian Preschool housed on site, the Pass-It-On resale mission store out back, a community dinner that feeds anyone who walks through the door, and a Faith Garden whose harvest goes to a local food pantry.
A Big Brick Church on Chillicothe Road
The campus at 17560 Chillicothe Road includes the main sanctuary building, a Fellowship Hall, a church library, and what members simply call "the barn" - a back building that holds Sunday School classrooms, the second-floor youth room, and the Pass-It-On Mission Store. In summer, casual worship moves out to a "Chapel in the Woods." The church office keeps weekday hours from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is reachable at 440-543-1071 or valleypc@netlink.net.
Sunday Morning Worship
The Sunday service begins at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. During the school year, children in preschool through sixth grade start the service with their parents and are dismissed to their Sunday School classes after the Time with Children. On Communion Sundays, the children begin class at 10:30 and rejoin their families for the sacrament later in the service. In summer, the children stay together for "Enrichment," a blend of Christian learning and play. Infant and toddler care is offered each Sunday morning from 9:15 to 11:45 a.m.
Worship is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those who want to participate from home. Visitors are invited to a Fellowship Hour after the service.
Music Ministry
Music is central to Valley's identity. The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary, September through May, and sings in worship weekly. A Festival Choir adds its voice for special presentations at Christmas and Easter. Music Director Nancy Sullivan, a professional music educator, pianist, director, and vocalist with a Master's in Education, has led the program for nine years. She and organist John Kautzman - a Colleague-certified member of the American Guild of Organists - accompany the congregation each week. During July and August, the music program welcomes a rotating lineup of "special music" performers from within the congregation, and the leadership has called the variety of summer talent "a GIFT."
Christian Education for All Ages
Adult Christian Education meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in the church library from September through May. The class studies a range of biblical and spiritual topics and offers childcare so parents can attend. Book studies are a regular feature: a recent eleven-week series on Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters by Dr. Carmen Joy Imes meets Monday evenings, with Bible Project videos accompanying each chapter.
For younger students, Sunday School is grouped by age from pre-K through sixth grade and meets in the back barn building during the 10:30 worship hour. Confirmation class is offered for seventh and eighth graders preparing to join the church as adult members in May. A week-long Vacation Bible School is held each summer for children age three through fifth grade, with older youth invited to volunteer.
Youth Life at Valley
Valley's Youth Group welcomes any student in grades six through twelve. The group meets Sunday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. on the second floor of the back barn building. Throughout the year the youth take part in service projects, fellowship activities, and spiritual growth events, and each summer a week-long mission or conference trip is planned. As an intergenerational congregation, Valley brings middle and high schoolers together in the same group so the older students can model and learn from the younger ones.
The Pass-It-On Mission Store
Out behind the church building sits Pass-It-On, a resale store that doubles as a hands-on mission. The store is staffed by volunteers and operates on a regular schedule, generally opening on Fridays and Saturdays several times a month. Its mission is simple: recycle, reuse, and extend the church's ministries in the community and beyond through donations and purchases. Gently used clothing, furniture, and household items can be dropped under the covered porch in front of the store, with pickup arranged for larger loads. There are a few items the store cannot accept - large appliances, large furniture, mattresses, box springs, computers, ceiling fans, and light fixtures - but everything else is welcome. Tax receipts are available through the church office. Volunteers normally work every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. until noon sorting, pricing, and arranging displays, and the store can be reached at passitonamissionoflove@gmail.com.
Faith Garden, Food Pantry, and the Free Community Dinner
Outreach is woven into the congregation's weekly rhythm. Since 2012, the Faith Garden - a raised garden with six four-by-twelve beds behind the church - has been planted, fenced, and tended by volunteers. The harvest is donated to the food pantry at the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center. Members also support a network of food pantries across Geauga County through the Geauga County Hunger Task Force.
Each month the church hosts a free community dinner for anyone who is hungry, feeling stretched, or simply needs to be reminded that they are loved. Volunteer cooks arrive in the morning to prepare the food, an afternoon crew assembles the meals, and a delivery team takes dinners out to those who cannot come in person. Local restaurants partner through the Mindful Mondays initiative of the Chagrin Valley Council of Churches, with coupons available that direct ten percent of each bill to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. A blue donation bin in the Narthex collects additional food for the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center pantry.
Beyond Chagrin Falls: North Church, New Orleans, and Liberia
Valley's partnership with North Church in Cleveland takes a crew to that facility each October to prepare and serve a meal alongside Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries. Members of the adult mission group have also made repeated trips to New Orleans to help renovate homes still damaged by Hurricane Katrina - cleaning debris, caulking and re-sitting windows, patching walls, and replacing siding. Internationally, the church supports the Dougbe River Presbyterian School in Liberia as a remote mission partner. Annual offerings also flow through the Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly, and the church participates in PC(USA)'s church-wide special offerings: One Great Hour of Sharing, Pentecost, Peacemaking, and Christmas Joy. Additional "hands-on" missions include annual mobile health fairs and the Christmas Angel Tree.
Adult Groups that Hold the Week Together
Several long-standing small groups keep the church active beyond Sunday morning. Sarah Circle, the women's Bible study, meets on the second Tuesday of each month from September through May at 10:30 a.m. in the church library. The current study walks through Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians under the title United Through Christ, Bound to Each Other, and study books are available through the group. A mid-week lunch group gathers at Buckeye Café in Tanglewood Square on the same second Tuesday each month at noon for food, coffee, and conversation.
The Men's Prayer Breakfast meets every Thursday morning at 9:00 a.m. in the Library. Ten to fifteen men share food and fellowship, then sit down to write out about sixty letters to a list of prayer partners drawn from the congregation, relatives, and friends. Many of those who receive the letters respond, and strangers often become friends over time.
Knitting for Others welcomes knitters and crocheters from age twelve on up to make prayer blankets and shawls for members of the congregation. The group is currently working on items for babies and young children, using leftover yarn donated by other crafters. Yarn can be dropped in the box marked "yarn" inside the church library.
Two weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings use the building's Fellowship Hall and Library: one on Wednesday evenings and one on Thursday evenings. The church also hosts GriefShare and BREATHE ministries as additional layers of pastoral care.
Heart of Valley Christian Preschool
Sharing the church's campus, Heart of Valley (HOV) Christian Preschool is a private, non-denominational Christian preschool and a ministry of Valley Presbyterian. The program prepares children for kindergarten through themed units, multiple-intelligence-based activities, visiting experts, and off-site field trips, with spiritual development woven into everyday learning. Teachers are degreed in education, and classes are led by a teacher-and-assistant team. Children of all faiths are welcome. Director Heidi Cregar can be reached at 440-708-2572 or hovcp@netlink.net for tours, registration information, or questions about the program.
What Valley Believes
Valley describes itself as a Christian community built on three words: Welcome - inviting neighbors into an engaging relationship with God; Word - exploring and revealing the good news of Jesus Christ in and for the world; and Witness - sharing faith by listening to the Holy Spirit and serving others. Members are drawn from a variety of faith traditions and are encouraged to follow both heart and mind as they serve God. The congregation belongs to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and to the Presbytery of the Western Reserve.
Leadership
The Rev. John Wahl has served as pastor since 2008. A native of Kentucky, he is a graduate of Colgate University and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and previously held interim and youth ministry positions. He and his wife Brenda live in Chagrin Falls with their five children. Nancy Sullivan directs the music program and has done so for nine years; she holds a Master's in Education and is a professional music educator, pianist, and vocalist. John Kautzman, the organist, holds the Colleague certification from the American Guild of Organists and spent more than thirty-eight years with Forest City Realty Trust in Cleveland before retiring. Heidi Cregar leads Heart of Valley Christian Preschool.
Joining In
Visitors are invited to the Sunday service at 10:30 a.m. or to stop by the church office during weekday hours. Donations to support the congregation and its ministries can be made online through the church's giving platform, and gifts for special items such as books, holiday flowers, or Vacation Bible School fees can be sent through Zelle. Announcements, sermon recordings, and the weekly bulletin are posted online, and the church keeps an active newsletter, a calendar of recurring events, and a prayer request list for members of the community to share needs and concerns.