Life Together. On Mission. For God's Glory.
Valley Simsbury, a congregation of Valley Community Baptist Church, launched in fall 2017 with a passion to bless unchurched people in Simsbury and the surrounding towns. Considering that an increasing number of people have little or no history with a church, we were launched as a "pilot" congregation to explore new ways of connecting with and ministering to our community. Our commissioning occurred at Valley's 2017 Annual Meeting.
2017
Fall and Christmas 2017
Our families gathered for worship on Saturday evenings at Valley Avon during the fall of 2017 with the intention of becoming a tight-knit family of believers and learning "missional lifestyle." That fall, we saw the first instance of life change, as a Valley Simsbury attender come to Christ and got baptized. Our congregation also began to connect with people who had little to no experience with church. The motto for Valley Simsbury became: “Life Together. On Mission. For God’s Glory.” Our first public church gathering occurred at Eno Hall in downtown Simsbury) on December 23.
2018-19
Missional Communities
Valley Simsbury launched a “Missional Community” model. Missional Communities were defined as "faith families of 40-60 people who meet in various locations at different times and unite around worship, community, and missional outreach." For two years, the Missional Communities and church gatherings met in 12 different locations, including coffee shops, community centers, athletics facilities, and at Simsbury Farms ice rink during the summer.
Community Impact
Valley Simsbury engaged heavily in our community, including a "Make a Difference" Week, backyard BBQs, Food Drives, outreach programs such as DivorceCare and Spiritual Stretch and Strengthening), and active participation in various relational networks.
2020-21
Outdoor Worship
After two years of piloting Missional Communities, the need for a consistent and central worship gathering with kids classes became apparent. The church model was adjusted, without losing our missional impulse and lifestyle. Shortly afterward, the COVID virus forced our gatherings to move outdoors. Valley Simsbury met in the parking lot at Mill Pond for the summer and then moved to The Master’s School for the next two years.
Group Life
With the move to a unified worship gathering, groups formed and took on various shapes. A variety of missional groups were piloted, including Spiritual Strength & Stretching, DivorceCare, Moms & Minis, Bible Studies, and more. The groups eventually were classified into three categories: Neighbor Groups, Men's and Women's Groups, and Care Groups. Groups have continued to expand to homes, cafes, and Mill Pond -- our midweek meeting space.
2022
Church at Henry James
Valley Simsbury celebrated Easter at the brand new auditorium inside Henry James Memorial School, and made this our new weekly gathering space. The congregation now had a full compliment of kids classes, adult groups, and community outreach environments.
2023
EPIC Adventure Camp
Summer Day Camps were launched, with the vision of having a significant impact on kids and students in the valley. EPIC events and student groups were also launched to further develop ministry environments and opportunities to teach the stories of God and the power of Jesus' name.