Who Are We?

Spring Valley is a Christ centered family church. We believe that the value of people is enhanced through relationships: first in a relationship of integrity with Jesus; second through authentic relationships with others. Spring Valley offers an environment where both of these can be cultivated. At Spring Valley you are not just a FACE in the crowd, but connected to a FAMILY.

 

What We Believe...

Every church group has its "distinctives" - the practices or beliefs that set it apart from other groups. Sometimes this is confusing to people. They say "if the Bible is true and Jesus is who he claims to be, why are there so many different churches with so many different beliefs?"

 

We prefer to accept that we are not all the same and to see that in a more positive way. We would rather believe that different denominations reflect the beautiful diversity there is in the church, which is strength rather than weakness. And we believe that when you step back and look at the church as a whole, Bible-believing groups provide different colors in a bigger tapestry known as The Church, the Body of Christ.

 

We are even optimistic enough to believe that with all this diversity in belief and practice, these denominations agree on 90 - 95% of Christian teaching, and the 5 - 10% we do not agree on falls in this category of "distinctives". We share many things in common with other denominations.

 

• Like the Baptists, we believe in calling people to repentance and witnessing their new life in Christ through public baptism.
• Like the Lutherans, we believe in salvation through Christ alone on the authority of Scripture alone, in salvation by faith alone, and in salvation as a gift of God's grace alone.
• Like the Presbyterians, we believe in the power of preaching the Word of God to effect changes in people's lives.
• Like the Catholics, we believe the seriousness of sin and in everyone's need of a Savior.
• Like the Pentecostals or Charismatics, we believe in the life-empowering moving of the Spirit of God in the church and the personal power and purity that He alone gives believers who desire to live a life truly dedicated to Christ.
• Like the pietistic groups, such as Quakers, Moravians, or Mennonites, we believe in living a careful life that testifies to a watching world that we belong to the family of God.
• Like the Salvation Army, we believe in ministry to the whole person: body, soul and spirit.
• Like the Methodists, we grew out of John Wesley's revival movements of the 1700's and 1800's and identify Methodism as our heritage, although we are organizationally separate for historical reasons.

 

We are a warm and friendly group of people, people who try, with God's help, to live the kind of life that brings honor to Him. We look to the Bible as our primary source for direction in our worship and our lifestyles.

 

We are life-centered in our teaching and sensitive to the needs and concerns of others. We give people the opportunity to put their faith into practice through any number of avenues of service. We are honored to take our place among the many who are called Christians.

 

We laugh and cry together, rejoice and grieve together, grow together and walk in faith together. We aim to be a family for all. In a community known for its growing nature, where many are not close to their natural families, we have come together to be family for each other.

 

The Wesleyan Church is orthodox in belief, adhering to historic positions regarding the nature of God, Christ, the Trinity and Christ's birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and imminent return. Below are some capsulized beliefs.

 

• We Believe that the Bible is inerrant, and is uniquely, divinely inspired; that it is accurate and is our trustworthy guide for faith and practice.
• We Believe in one God, beside whom there is no other, who has chosen to reveal himself to us in three persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• We Believe that people are made in the image of God, but because of our fall into sin, we display the universal tendency toward rebellion, active or passive, against God.
• We Believe that our most urgent need is to be aware of our sin and to confess it before God, receiving new life through Jesus Christ and His work, dying on the cross for us.
• We Believe that Jesus Christ is uniquely the Son of God and is God's true revelation of Himself in human form, and by virtue of His birth, life, death, resurrection and present position in power and glory, is the only way to salvation.
• We Believe that the way of salvation is through confession and forgiveness of sins and personal acceptance by faith of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
• We Believe that believers are called to holy living as a daily lifestyle, which is made possible through the power and sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life.
• We Believe that the Wesleyan Church is a faithful representative of the gospel and a true representative of historic christianity.

 

 

 

Mission statement

Spring Valley exists to honor God by connecting people to Christ and to each other...then take those relationships deeper!

 

Our Vision:

To become a place of service that practically touches the lives of our community on a regular basis.

 

Our Values:

• We are committed to helping one another make family time a priority.
• We recognize that Holiness is an on-going process.
• We are always seeking ways to improve the current conditions of our church/ministries.
• We strive for quality in whatever we do.
• We are committed to raising up leaders within our church.

 

About Our Name

 

Back in 1853 an Englishman named J. Parker Whitney made his way up the dusty road from Sacramento toward the El Dorado Gold country. Whitney dreamed of getting in on what lingered of the California Gold Rush. The young entrepreneur tried his hand at mining, but soon his mind was captured with other ideas.

 

Ending up in what is today Western Placer County, Whitney was completely enthralled with the beauty of the sprawling oaks and natural springs of the rolling Sierra foothills, and decided to try ranching and farming instead of digging for gold. A short while later, Whitney was joined by his father and two brothers, and together they carved out of the foothills one of California's most productive and prosperous ranches, complete with four mansions and one of the state's first golf courses where invited dignitaries from around the world enjoyed playing nine holes while viewing the area's scenic vistas.

 

J. Parker Whitney became one of Northern California's most revered ranchers and philanthropists. He used his wealth to help the poor and to advance many other noble causes. Later in life, Whitney became a world traveler as well, but he always enjoyed returning home to the place that he had concluded was blessed by "the greatest climate, healthfulness, fertility, and productiveness" of any place he had ever known. The Whitney family ranch covered a vast 20,000 acres in the area now known as Rocklin and Roseville. J. Parker's name for his favorite place: Spring Valley Ranch!

 

Today, Spring Valley Church still offers that nurtured, healthy climate for growth, but growth of a different kind. Spring Valley Church is dedicated to connecting people to Christ and others. At SVC, each person can explore spiritual truths in an accepting atmoshphere of love and concern. We believe that Jesus Christ offers the best and most rewarding life possible, and like the place that J. Parker Whitney called his favorite place, Spring Valley Church offers a spiritual home for anyone who desires to find true refreshment in a world full of trouble and chaos.