SCOTT VALLEY BEREAN CHURCH
Discover SVBC
SVBC is a Bible-teaching church centered around the life-changing message of Jesus, making a difference in Siskiyou County and around the world since 1967.
We hope to see you at one of our upcoming services as we gather to worship and grow together.
Our Story
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 worshiped 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.

Our Vision
SVBC seeks to be a church family that is better together, being changed by the Gospel to love like Jesus across all cultures and generations.
OUR PURPOSE
SVBC is a community where we CONNECT with God and others to GROW in our faith so we REACH Siskiyou County and the world for Jesus Christ. We pray that Scott Valley will be a healing place.
Our Beliefs
The doctrinal commitments within our Statement of Faith represent what we believe to be core elements of biblical teaching—with God’s Word as our source and standard of truth.
The following points are what we believe about:
We believe the sixty six books of the Bible, consisting of all the books of the Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety, is the only divinely inspired, inerrant, objectively true, and authoritative written Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. The divine inspiration of Scripture extends to each word of the original manuscript but not to the various copies or translation of Scripture. The Bible should be interpreted literally, grammatically, contextually, and historically. (Genesis 1-3 | Deuteronomy 29:29 | John 10:35 | 2 Timothy 3:15-17 | 2 Peter 1:21 | 1 Corinthians 2:13)
We believe in only one God, the Creator, who is infinite, personal, eternally existing in three persons, revealed to us in Scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Genesis 1:1 | Deuteronomy 6:4 | Isaiah 43:10/44:6/45:22 | Matthew 28:19 | John 4:24/5:26 | Colossians 1:16-19 | I Corinthians 8:4)
We believe Jesus Christ is God the Son who has neither beginning nor ending.He was conceived in the flesh by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is fully God and fully man. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and arose bodily on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father as our only mediator, high priest, and advocate. ( Matthew 1:23-25 | John 1:1/14:3 | Acts 4:12 | I Corinthians 15:3-4 & 20 | Philippians 2:5-11 | I Timothy 2: 5-6 | Hebrews 4:14-16 | I Peter 2:22)
We believe the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Trinity. He is a person, not a force. The Holy Spirit’s ministries include: Convicting all people of sin; calling, regenerating, indwelling, and baptizing believers into the Body of Christ; setting the them apart to a holy life; and teaching, keeping, and empowering them day by day. The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to each believer according to His will. God in His sovereignty still works in miraculous ways; however, we understand that the sign gifts have served their purpose and not be expected in the church today. (John 3:5-8 | Acts 1:8/5:3-4/16:7-14 | I Corinthians 2:9-12/3:16/12:3-13 & 28-31/13:8-11 | Galatians 5:16-25 | Ephesians 1:13-14/5:18 | Hebrews 2:3-4)
We believe that both man and woman were created in the image of God to enjoy a personal relationship with Him. As a result of deliberate disobedience they fell from their sinless state and they and all their descendants became sinners. Consequently, they cannot save themselves and apart from the grace of God in Jesus Christ, they are condemned to a place of eternal torment. (Genesis 1:26-27/2:7 | Matthew 5:20-48 | John 3:16-18 | Romans 2:6-16/5:12-21/6:23 | 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 | Revelation 20:13-15)
We believe that we are saved solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ alone. This salvation was purchased by the substitutionary death and shed blood Jesus Christ for the sins of every person and is offered to everyone as a free gift. The person who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior is eternally secure and can enjoy the assurance of salvation. We believe that at death believers enter eternal glory an that unbelievers enter eternal torment. (Acts 16:31/20:20-21 | Romans 3:28/10:9 | 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 | John 1:12/3:15/10:28 | Ephesians 2:8-9 | Philippians 1:6)
We believe that every believer has been sanctified, set apart with a perfect standing before God. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, we will experience spiritual growth in holiness, but we will not experience perfection in conduct. Future rewards are determined by our obedience to the Lord. (Hebrews 10:10 | Philippians 3:12 | Romans 6:13-19 | 1 Corinthians 3:8)
We believe that Christ is the head of the Church, which is His body. All who have trusted in Him as Savior are members of it. Christians should commit themselves to worship,instruction, fellowship, stewardship, and service in a local church.The church is responsible to represent Jesus Christ to the world through godly living and evangelism. All believers are commanded to participate in two church ordinances: believers’ baptism by water and the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 26:26-29/28:18-20 | Acts 2:42 | 1 Corinthians 12:13 | Ephesians 1:22-23/2:19-22/3:6-10/4:11-13/5:23-27 | 1 Thessalonians 2:14 | Hebrews 10:25 | 1 Peter 2:9-10 | 1 John 4:17)
We believe Satan was created an angelic being. He became the author of sin, our adversary and accuser, and the great deceiver of the nations. He will finally be overcome by the Lord Jesus Christ and suffer eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Genesis 3:1 | Job 1:6-12 | Matthew 4:3-11 | John 8:44 | 2 Corinthians 4:4 | 1 John 3:8/5:19 | Revelation 12:9-10/20:10)
We believe, on a day known only by God the Father, Jesus will rapture His church to deliver it from the judgments that God will pour upon the earth. After this terrible period, the Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory to establish His Millennial Kingdom on the earth. This will be followed by the final judgment of the wicked in the lake of fire and eternal bliss for God’s children in a new heaven and a new earth. John 14:3 | Acts 1:7&11 | Romans 8:1 | 1 Corinthians 15:20&23 | 2 Corinthians 5:10 | Philippians 1:23 | 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 | Revelation 11:15/19:11-21/5.)