The Scott Valley Berean Church, affiliated with the Berean Fellowship of Churches, is located in the town of Etna, California towards the southern end of beautiful Scott Valley. Here, nestled next to the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area, we serve a risen Savior, Jesus Christ, and minister to the people in our communities and beyond.
What is a Berean?
The name Berean comes from Acts 17:11.
Berea was a city in Greece which Paul visited, establishing a church there. Paul says the Bereans “received the Word with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” That is all the name implies, there are no special denominational beliefs. There are bookstores, hospitals, mission boards and other churches that use the name “Berean” which are in no way connected with the Berean churches. The name “Berean” simply indicates a commitment to the Scriptures similar to that of the early church in Berea.
Church History
The church was organized in February of 1967 by three charter families: Keith and Velda Decker, Bill and Julia Bowers and Bill and Betty Morrison. In May of 1967, Wendell and Marilyn Seward were called to be our pastor. Wendell, who taught school in Yreka, and Marilyn, who was principal at Quartz Valley, came in August of that year as a “tentmakers.” They rented the Congregational Church building for $15 per week and the Congregational members worshipped with us.
The church bought four acres of land across from the high school to build a new church, but the Congregationalists deeded their property to us so their old building would continue to be used. Later the church bought the Rotan house (former annex) and adjacent land. We moved into our present building on Easter Sunday in 1998. The SVBC is part of the Berean Church Council of approximately 50 churches, mostly in the Midwest, which is evangelical and committed to the authority of the Bible. Each church is autonomous and we have had the freedom to grow in ways that best nurture our church family.
What We Believe
Our purpose and desire are to glorify God By making Jesus Christ supreme in our lives So that through the power of the Holy Spirit, His love, truth, and mercy will be made known to all.
Statement of Faith
- We believe in the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We believe in the Bible as God’s Word, as the final authority for our faith and conduct.
- We believe that man is sinful and that, without Christ, he is eternally lost.
- We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, and by His sacrifice and bloodshed, man is saved from sin and eternal judgment.
- We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead to give new life to those who accept Him as Savior.
- We believe that Christ is coming again to power and glory.
- We believe that all those who have received Christ as savior are members of the Body of Christ, the Church.
This is a brief description of what we believe. If you desire the complete Statement of Faith, we have copies of the Berean Constitution.
