About us
A church family, not a crowd.
Since 1945, Sonoma Valley Community Church has been a place where neighbors become family and the Bible is opened, taught and lived.
We study Scripture together and grow in faith together. Our sermons go deep into the Bible, and the conversation carries on afterward over coffee, where questions are welcome and nobody is expected to have it all figured out.
You'll find warm, friendly Sonomans here: people who love Jesus, love this valley and love making room for one more. Come as you are, bring your questions and give us a Sunday.
Who we are
Small on purpose. Big on people.
We're not a megachurch, and we don't try to be. Our greatest strength is the people: friendships that span generations, prayers offered by name, and a congregation that shows up for one another.
We exist to know God, grow together in Christ, and show God's love to the Sonoma Valley.
As a Protestant church in the Reformed Church in America tradition, we gather around Scripture, prayer and heartfelt worship. New visitors and longtime neighbors alike are welcome to share in the life of this close-knit church family.
Our beliefs
Rooted in Scripture, grounded in grace.
Sonoma Valley Community Church is part of the Reformed Church in America, one of the oldest Protestant denominations in North America, with roots reaching back to 1628. "Reformed" means our faith was shaped by the Protestant Reformation, and Reformed Christians like to say we are "Reformed and always reforming": we never stop asking whether we are being faithful to God's Word and God's vision for the church.
Like the wider RCA, we affirm the creeds Christians have confessed since the earliest centuries, the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Athanasian Creed, and our faith is shaped by the historic Reformed confessions, including the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort and the Belhar Confession. You do not need to know any of those names to belong here. They simply anchor us to the same good news the church has proclaimed for centuries. Here is what that good news means to us.
The Bible
We believe the Bible is God's inspired Word, trustworthy and true, and the highest authority for our faith and life. It is where we meet God most clearly, so it stands at the center of our worship, our preaching and our study.
We read Scripture together, wrestle with it honestly and let it correct us, because we believe God still speaks through it today. Bring your questions. The Bible can handle them, and so can we.
God
We believe in one God who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is the creator of everything that is, the redeemer who rescues, and the sustainer who holds all things together.
We also believe in God's providence: nothing in our lives, joyful or painful, falls outside his loving and wise care. That confidence lets us face an uncertain world with hope.
Jesus Christ
We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully God and fully human. He lived a sinless life, taught with authority, welcomed the overlooked, died on the cross for our sins and rose bodily from the grave.
Jesus is the center of our faith and the head of our church. He reigns now, and we trust he will return to make all things new. Everything we do as a congregation flows from him.
Salvation
We believe salvation is a gift of God's grace, not something we earn or deserve. We are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and no amount of good behavior could purchase what he freely gives.
This grace is unconditional: God loves us before we clean ourselves up. That love frees us to follow Christ with joy rather than fear, and to extend the same grace to others.
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit lives in every believer, guiding, comforting and empowering us to live for God. The Spirit opens our hearts to the gospel and grows Christ's character in us over a lifetime.
The Spirit also gives each person gifts for serving the church and the world. In a small congregation like ours, every one of those gifts matters, and there is room for yours.
The Church
We believe the church is a family of believers gathered by God, called to worship, grow together and love our neighbors. We celebrate two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's Supper, as visible signs of God's promises to us.
The church exists not for itself but for the world God loves. We are sent out to serve, to seek reconciliation and justice, and to share the hope we have received, starting right here in the Sonoma Valley.
If some of this is new to you, that is alright. You are welcome to worship with us, ask your questions and explore at your own pace. Faith is a journey, and we would be honored to walk it with you.
The people who help lead us
Some of our church's leadership.
Our church is cared for by people who love this congregation and this valley. When you visit on a Sunday, there is a good chance one of them will be the first to say hello.
Our vision and values
Know deeply. Grow in grace. Show love.
To know
Knowing the living God involves our hearts, minds, souls and strength. We open the Bible together and bring our real questions, joys and struggles to him. Faith is more than information: it is a relationship that helps us recognize God's beauty, goodness and wisdom in everyday life.
To grow
We grow together in the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. His forgiveness invites us beyond guilt and shame into hope, healing and a new beginning. As we pray, learn and encourage one another, we seek to become more like Jesus in the way we speak, live and care for people.
To show
God's love is something to share with our whole lives. Through the Holy Spirit, the love we receive becomes practical kindness in our words and deeds. We want that love to reach our families, our Sonoma neighbors and the wider world through faithful service.
Faith rooted in Sonoma
Seeing God's gifts all around us.
Sonoma Valley's hills, fertile land and people from many backgrounds remind us of God's generosity. Our church's values invite us to enjoy those gifts with gratitude and share them with others.
Beauty
The colors of the seasons, the valley's landscape and the creativity of our neighbors invite us to pause and wonder. We see beauty as a gift that renews our spirits and points us toward the God who made us.
Psalm 27:4
Goodness
God's goodness is his gracious generosity in meeting our needs. In a shared meal, a welcoming conversation or a helping hand, we can receive that goodness and pass it on. Gratitude moves us toward generosity.
Psalm 23:6
Wisdom
Caring for our neighbors, our environment and the next generation calls for wisdom. We bring our questions to Jesus Christ, in whom are hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and seek to live thoughtfully and faithfully.
Colossians 2:3
Fruitfulness
Sonoma's vineyards, orchards and gardens offer a familiar picture of growth. God's gospel also bears fruit in people's lives: deeper love, renewed purpose and joy in serving others. We want our faith to make a meaningful difference beyond Sunday morning.
Colossians 1:6
Our history
More than 80 years of faith in Sonoma.
- 1945
Grace Reformed Church begins
Our church's story began as Grace Reformed Church. The first worship gathering was held June 10, 1945, at the Sonoma-Vista Improvement Club House in Boyes Springs. On September 13, 1945, the congregation worshiped outdoors on the present property. The Chase Street building followed within a few years.
- 1983
Rev. Tim Boeve's ministry
Rev. Tim Boeve came to Sonoma Valley Community Church in 1983, first as co-pastor and then as pastor, serving our congregation for about 17 and a half years, through about 2000. A graduate of Western Theological Seminary, he was also deeply involved in Sonoma Valley community life.
- About 2001
Rev. Tim Arensmeier
Rev. Tim Arensmeier began serving with our church by about 2001 and gave nearly 20 years to it. He and his wife Jan were part of our church family and beloved in Sonoma, where they were regulars at local veterans gatherings. A former Army paratrooper and longtime minister, Tim went home to be with the Lord on March 5, 2026. We give thanks for his faithful service.
- After Rev. Arensmeier
Pastor Art
Pastor Art came to us after Rev. Tim Arensmeier. His full name and the years of his ministry here are still being gathered from church records.
- About 2021
Dr. Henrik Mann
Dr. Henrik Mann and his wife Charlotte came to serve our church about 2021. Henrik, a Fuller Seminary graduate, led the congregation for about five years and concluded his time with us at the end of September 2026. We are grateful for his ministry.
- Today
Still here on Chase Street
A close-knit congregation continuing to worship every Sunday, care for one another and serve our neighbors, with a warm welcome for the next person who walks through our doors.
A visitor's words
“Such a beautiful little church with lovely, welcoming people and Bible based teachings.”
A season of moving forward
Faithful, active and looking ahead.
Our church is in a season of pastoral transition. Sunday worship continues every week, our ministries carry on, and approved guest preachers bring God's Word. We're prayerfully and confidently moving forward together, and there's no better time to join us.
About guest preaching