The Valley Christian Fellowship Environment
Located in the "Grand Circle" of National Parks
Valley Christian Fellowship (VCF) is located in Panguitch, Utah - the center of an outdoor lovers' paradise. Situated in the center of the "Grand Circle"of National Parks, the summer months bring travelers from all over the US and abroad. VCF has a "Come as you are" approach in ministry, and gladly welcomes people from different cultures, ethnicities, languages and religions. After each Sunday Service, visitors are invited to join us in fellowship as we informally share refreshments in our Fellowship Hall, allowing us to personally connect with our traveling brothers and sisters, and fellowship in the love of Christ.
Photo - North Rim Grand Canyon. There is a nearly endless supply of places to go hiking, backpacking and camping. Red Canyon is a short 15 minute drive away, with Bryce Canyon an additional 20 minutes farther. The Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument is about 45 minutes farther, followed by Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. To the South is Zion National Park, just over an hour's drive, with the North Rim and Lake Powell about and hour and a half farther. Iin addition to the five famous National parks, there are also National Monuments and State Parks close by.
Panguitch is a 4-Season Community with skiing, snowmobiling and cross country skiing available each winter. There are 15 ski resorts located in the state of Utah. Brianhead is the ski resort closest to Panguitch and Eagle Point Ski Resort is located in the next closest ski community in the vicinity of Beaver, Utah. Snowmobiling is a big winter sport in Garfield County. Huge meadows and the Dixie National Forest provide ample space for enjoying the powder.
Photo - Pine Lake. High mountain, cold water lakes offer ample opportunity to fish. Trout are the main fish species, with record sized fish caught in Panguitch Lake.(A 14 pound, 31 inch Tiger Trout was caught in 2019). Other nearby fishing is Duck Creek Pond, Aspen-Mirror Lake, Navajo Lake, Tropic Reservoir, Pine Lake, with Otter Creek and Piute Reservoirs about an hours drive. Ice fishing is allowed on some of the lakes.
Utah is a Mormon Pioneer state. The Highway 89 corridor is dotted with evidence of their journey in settling this part of the state, and country. Panguitch is the largest city in Garfield County with a population of 1,790 as of the 2021 Census. The predominant religion is LDS, with an LDS church located in every community. The entire county has a population of 5,198 persons spread out amongst the handful of small towns, hamlets and unincorporated areas of the county. Although there is a year-round population of people, many homes are summer residences and the church attendance directly reflects this fluctuation.
Each year Panguitch hosts several annual events such as the Balloon Festival, Quilt Walk, ATV Poker Run and more.
OVERVIEW:
- Valley Christian Fellowship is a Christian Church located in Panguitch, Utah serving the town of Panguitch and surrounding communities. We are a relatively small congregation with typical attendance during the winter months of 20-30 people. Due to our proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park and other popular attractions, we routinely host visitors from within the United States and abroad resulting in attendance during the summer months frequently reaching 70 or more.
- We believe in the scripture of the Old and New Testaments as being he inerrant Word of God and the supreme and fully sufficient final authority of faith and life.
- Our mission is to develop people whose lives are characterized by celebrative worship, continual growth, cooperating servanthood, commitment to community, and contagious Christianity. Our goal is to accomplish this by reaching those who are without a relationship with Jesus Christ, to mature in conformity to Christ in response and in walk, and to equip our members to selflessly serve and lead our church. We view our community and surrounding area as an important mission field.
OUR CHURCH CULTURE:
- We are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and support he SBC Cooperative Program, but we have congregants from various different protestant faith traditions. We are not tied to any particular translation of the Bible.
- Typical to the rural West, there is a certain degree of farmer/cowboy culture in our area which manifests in the church in what might be characterized as “straightforward speaking”and informal dress. We do not have a particular dress code and will regularly have people in t-shirts to button down shirts and women in dresses to more casual attire.
- We do a mix of hymns and contemporary worship songs and currently have members who can lead worship with guitar or piano or both. When worship leaders are not available, we use videos for song worship.
OUR BODY-LIFE
- VCF typically has a Sunday morning Bible study for adults. We were doing a mid-week Bible Study as well when a teacher was available.
- Children meet for a children-oriented lesson during the sermon each Sunday. We meet most Sundays after church for refreshments or a potluck meal immediately following service in our Fellowship Hall.
- We host a monthly “FREE Movie Night” March through November, where we rent the local movie theater and invite anyone from the community to attend for free.
- As participation allows, we try to set up evengelistic booths/tables at local events like the Panguitch Balloon Festival and Panguitch Yard Sale. We participate in the annual parade and host a summer VBS.
OUR DEMOGRAPHICS
- We have 20 members. Among regular attendees, ages range from toddler to octogenarian with approximately 4-12 children on an average Sunday depending on the season. Probably 60-70% of our regular attendees are over the age of 50. Like our local community, we are a predominantly Caucasian congregation. We have several members/families that support our church financially but live in other areas. Some of these have vacation/summer homes in the Panguitch area and attend church when they are local; others are previous attendees who have moved away but continue to support the church.
OUR COMMUNITY
- The town of Panguitch is the Garfield county seat, and has a sheriff’s office and jail, a small hospital and an elementary, middle and high school. There is one grocery store, variety store, hardware store, library and several gas stations. During the winter there are a couple of open restaurants, and in the summer there are several available. Panguitch is a hub for local smaller towns including Bryce Canyon, Hatch and Panguitch Lake.
- Panguitch’s primary industry is outdoor recreation/hospitality with some significant farming and natural resource industry as well. Many full time residents work seasonal jobs.
- With respect to religious beliefs, Panguitch residents are predominantly Latter Day Saints (approximately 75%) 24.5% unaffiliated and .5% evangelical. Accordingly, Panguitch is an incredible gospel opportunity, both with local residents and transient visitors.