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Senior Pastor - Rev. Daniel R. Stewart
 A Pennsylvania native and a 1971 graduate of Bucknell University, Rev. Stewart has served Great Valley Presbyterian Church since 1996. After college and service in the U.S. Navy, he and his wife, Kathy (Kocher) married and went to Scotland, where he worked on a North Sea oil rig. They returned to the U.S. in 1976, where Dan earned a B.S. in Social Studies Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1978, before pursuing theological training at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL, receiving the MA in Philosophy of Religion in 1981. He was ordained in the PC(USA) by the Twin Cities Presbytery in 1988, and served churches in Minnesota and New Jersey before coming to Great Valley. He and Kathy have been married 36 years and have three married children (Doug, Bryce and Keely) and a fourth child, Reid, who is a senior at Grove City College and is recently engaged. Dan and Kathy have six grandchildren: Will, Kate and Megan, children of Doug and Sarah (Shepherd) Stewart; Laney and Daisy, daughters of Bryce and Kelly (Dyson) Stewart.; and Raelyn, the daughter of Keely and Kevin Norman. Rev. Stewart can be reached at
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Director of Equipping Ministries and Youth - Jim Shackleton
 Jim joined the staff in September 2005 after attending Great Valley for over 20 years (talk about a lengthy interview process!). Jim has worked with the youth program of the church for 15 years, including short-term missions’ trips to Haiti and France. He earned an engineering degree from Lafayette College in 1981 and spent 22 years in engineering and management with Jacobs Engineering Company, Conshohocken, Pa., particularly serving the pharmaceutical industry. In 2003, Jim acted on God’s call to ministry and enrolled in Biblical Theological Seminary, graduating with a Masters in Ministry degree in January 2006. Jim and Lynne have four boys: Ben, Dan, Tim, and Nate, and therefore one high-energy household.
Jim can be reached at
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Director of Preschool - Karen Erickson
 Karen has been a member of GVPC for almost thirty years. Karen founded the Preschool in 2004, and had previously taught at Collegium Charter School, West Chester Friends School, and Paoli Methodist Nursery School, Christ Memorial Lutheran School, and Goshen Baptist Nursery School for a combined total of nineteen years. Karen holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Houghton College and has done graduate work at Immaculata University. Karen is married to Craig, and they have three sons, Steven, Christian, and Peter.
Organist - Sharon Smoker
 Sharon’s life has always been characterized by church music. A native of Trumbull, CT, she began serving her church during her high school years by singing in the youth choir, touring with the New Dawn Singers and participating in the release of their album. She also substituted for the church organist. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois) with a major in organ and a minor in piano. Since then, Sharon has served the Lord and His people in a number of church locations, from the Midwest to New York state and then Maryland before moving to Pennsylvania. Sharon joined Great Valley’s staff as church organist in 2000. She plays for all worship services, works with the Worship Committee and pastor to integrate the music with the sermon themes, and plays for special events, as requested.
Sharon and her husband, Steve, whom she met at Wheaton, are actively involved in the life of Great Valley. In addition to her music responsibilities, she and Steve are members of a small group, and Steve leads the Questers Sunday School Class. When she is not teaching piano or practicing the organ, Sharon can be found pursuing her favorite sports: tennis, biking, kayaking, and hiking. When a change of pace is called for, Sharon enjoys scrapbooking. The Smokers have four adult children who were a part of GVPC during their high school and college years, and who stay connected through their frequent visits back home.
Choir Director - Christopher Starr
 Chris joined the staff of Great Valley as Director of Music Ministry in the summer of 2010, and he and his wife Vicky live in Royersford. Before coming to Great Valley, Chris studied choral conducting and worked as a graduate assistant at Mansfield University, earning a Master of Arts in Music. He also earned a Bachelor of Music, with a vocal performance emphasis, from Susquehanna University. While at Susquehanna, Chris led the Handbell Choir and Children’s Choir at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Selinsgrove.
Secretary - Karen Bittenbender
 Karen Bittenbender has been our secretary since 1996. She is a master of details and know-how regarding the church calendar and congregation. Her office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Sexton - Steven Leach
 Steven Leach has been the church Sexton since the beginning of 2005. He and his wife, Dawn, with their three sons, Isaac, Gabriel and Luke, have been members of Great Valley since 1997. They reside in Mont Clare, Pa. Steven recently has assumed the cemetery responsibilities in addition to overseeing maintenance of the church buildings and grounds
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Prior to the development of Great Valley Corporate Center and the growth of suburban housing, GVPC was a little country church, made up for the most part of farmers and their families. With growth in the area has come growth in the church, and over the years there have been a series of additions to the physical plant in order to continue to minister to a growing congregation. Through all those changes, however, Great Valley Presbyterian Church has continued to be “an historic church exalting the historic message.” 
Throughout nearly all of that history, Great Valley had been affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and its predecessor denominations. However, on June 24, 2007, the congregation voted to disaffiliate from the PC(USA) and to affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. That transition was recognized by the Presbytery of Donegal at its March 25, 2008 meeting when, in executive session, the presbytery voted unanimously to approve the recommendation of its Administrative Commission to dismiss Great Valley Presbyterian Church to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.