Pastor Wes Tollefson (1972-1994) |
Pastor Gary Dalenius (1994-1996) |
Pastor Dave Sorensen (1996-2006) |
Pastor Woody Carlson (2006-2007) |
Pastor Bill Walles (2007-present) |
|
In August, 1972, Pastor Wesley Tollefson was called to
help establish a Lutheran Church in Maple Valley.
Initially the congregation met in a school. As the
congregation grew, a 4.7-acre piece of land was
purchased. In May, 1975, ground was broken for a church
building, and in 1978 the first services were held in
the new facility.
Wes Tollefson retired in 1994. On October 27, 1996,
after a two-year interim period under Gary Dalenius,
Pastor Dave Sorensen took over the reins. Under Pastor
Dave's energetic and Biblically-focused leadership, the
congregation began to grow, and it soon became evident
that a larger church building was required. On May 1,
2005, services were first held in the new, larger
sanctuary. The new structure added 12,000 square feet to
the old facility. The old sanctuary now serves as a
general purpose room, and has been named Tollefson Hall
in honor of Pastor Wes, who continues to attend services
at SVLC nearly every Sunday. Woody Carlson took over as
interim pastor at Shepherd of the Valley in July, 2006
after Pastor Dave took a call in Fargo, North Dakota. In
fall 2007, Bill Walles accepted a call to become pastor
of SVLC.
The mission of Shepherd of the Valley is to "know
Christ and make Christ known!" Members of the
congregation donate time and money to Vine Maple Place
(a home for single mothers in Maple Valley) and to the
Central Lutheran program to feed the homeless in
downtown Seattle. Overseas, Shepherd of the Valley has
provided monetary support to
Massai Girls' School in Tanzania.
Members of the congregation donate both time and money
to the Corner of Love mission in San Ramon, Nicaragua (a
thriving mission birthed out of Shepherd of the Valley
that is now a separate entity supported by many churches
in our area and beyond). Members of the church make
quilts for distribution through Lutheran World Relief.
Our benevolence dollars support many other missions,
near and far, as well.
SVLC's Mission Statement
is: Shepherd of the Valley is a Christ-centered
community
committed to know Christ and make Christ known!
Shepherd of the Valley is a member of the Northwest
Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA). |
