About Us
Our
Mission
We exist to glorify God by enabling all people to become fully devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We prayerfully strive, through the Holy Spirit, to fulfill our purpose by worship, Biblical teaching, service, fellowship, and active involvement in world evangelization.
Our
Beliefs
In Essentials: Unity.
In Non-Essentials: Liberty.
In All Things: Charity.
Great Valley is a member congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). The Constitution of the EPC consists of the Westminster Confession of Faith (including the Larger and Shorter Catechisms), the “Essentials of our Faith,” and the Book of Order (comprised of The Book of Government, The Book of Discipline, and The Book of Worship). All these documents are subordinate to Scripture, which is “the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks.”
The
Essentials
All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation we affirm these Essentials:
1. One God We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!
2. Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.
3. Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.
4. Salvation Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God's free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
5. The Church The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.
6. The Lord's Return Jesus Christ will come again to the earth-personally, visibly, and bodily-to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Rev. 22:20)
7. Proclaiming the Gospel The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to "Him who loved us and gave Himself for us." He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2:10)
Historic
Foundation
Over 50 years before our founding fathers authored the Declaration of Independence, Great Valley Presbyterian Church took root in Chester County Pennsylvania. The first public reference to Great Valley was in the minutes of the Philadelphia Presbytery in 1710. Until they had a building, church members met in the woods or in their homes. The first church building was made of logs and erected in 1720. This log building served the congregation for 73 years. During those colonial times, Great Valley Presbyterian Church was one of only 12 congregations constituting Presbyterianism in the colonies.
The church was incorporated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1788 under the official name of “the Presbyterian Congregation of Tredyffrin.” The new church building of clapboard construction was built on its current location in 1796. In 1889, the main portion of the sanctuary was completed. Great Valley has been in continuous existence on this site since being settled.
Prior to the development of the Great Valley Corporate Center, Great Valley was a small country church. The congregation consisted mostly of farmers and their families. In support of suburban growth, Great Valley has added to its physical plant in order to meet the needs of the congregation. Preschool in the Valley was founded in 2005 to serve families in our community, and a major renovation to the Sanctuary was completed in 2021 in order to make a more welcoming environment for worship. Throughout numerous building changes, Great Valley Presbyterian Church has continued to be an historic church exalting its biblical message.
Preschool in the Valley, a ministry of Great Valley Presbyterian Church, is a Christian preschool for children ages 2 - 5 years old. We believe that all children learn through play, and Preschool in the Valley seeks to provide a child-centered, developmentally appropriate curriculum which focuses on the growth of the whole child.
