Get Connected!
Whether this is your first time here or you are a long-time member, we want to help you get connected! Take a look below at our weekly announcements to find out about upcoming events and other ways to get involved at SOTV.
This Week's Announcements - December 7
Annual Voter's Meeting
December 14 at 3 p.m.
SOTV Sanctuary
Join us for our Annual Church Voter's Meeting as we look ahead to the coming year. We’ll be voting on the church budget and electing new board members, and your voice matters! This is a great opportunity to stay informed, ask questions and be part of the decisions that shape our church. We hope to see you there!
Join the Christmas Choir
December 21
SOTV Worship Services
We invite all adults to be part of this year’s Christmas Choir at SOTV! This will be a simple, enjoyable way to prepare for the season together! The choir will share songs during our worship services on Sunday, December 21, and we’d love to have as many voices as possible. There will be two rehearsals: Monday, December 8, and Monday, December 15 at 6 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Everyone is welcome, so we hope to see you there!
Young Adult Ministry Service Day and Brunch
December 13, 9 - 11 a.m.
Meals from the Heartland
357 Lincoln Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265
We have a wonderful service opportunity for our Young Adult Ministry coming up this month, and we’d love for you to be part of it!
Our ministry will be volunteering at Meals for the Heartland, helping pack nutritious meals for people in need. It’s a great way to serve our community and spend meaningful time together. We have room for up to 20 volunteers, so be sure to sign up and save your spot! Please plan to arrive at 8:45 a.m. for a brief orientation. After our shift, we’ll head out for brunch together at a nearby restaurant—location to be decided the day of.
If you’d like to join us, please sign up using the link below so we can get an accurate count.
We hope to see you there!
2025 Holiday Worship Times
We would love for you to join us in worship this Christmas season! Our special worship service times are as listed:
Christmas Eve Worship
Wednesday, Dec. 24 at 3 p.m.* and 5 pm.
Click HERE for more information.
Combined Sunday Worship
Sunday, Dec. 28 at 9:30 a.m.*
(Please note, this Sunday we will only have one service, no 8 a.m. or 10:30 worship or 9:15 education hour.)
New Year's Eve Worship
Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 5 p.m.
Click HERE for more information.
*This service will be available via livestream on our Facebook page or YouTube channel HERE.
Year-End Gifts to SOTV
As you consider your year-end giving, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to give a gift that counts toward your 2025 charitable contributions.
To be included for 2025:
• Please be sure any checks are delivered or postmarked by December 31.
• Checks placed in the offering box during the first worship service of 2026 will count toward 2026 — even if they were written in 2025.
• Checks written, mailed and postmarked in 2025 can still be counted for 2025, even if they arrive in early 2026.
• Electronic gifts made on or before December 31 also qualify for 2025.
Easy ways to give:
• Text-to-give: Send shepval to 73256 and follow the prompts.
• Online: Visit our website and click “Giving at SOTV” → “Give Now” or just click the link HERE.
If you have any questions about year-end giving, our Finance and Office Administrator, Renea Miller, is happy to help! Call the church office (515-225-1623) or email her at renea@sotv-wdm.org. You can also check out this document which more clearly defines the parameters of qualified charitable giving.
Save the Date for an SOTV Marriage Event
January 30 & 31
Adult couples — whether you’re newly dating or decades into marriage — are invited to an SOTV Marriage Ministry event at the church on January 30 (6:30 - 9 p.m.) and 31 (8:30 a.m. -4:30 p.m.). Led by a certified RelateWell facilitator, this research-based, faith-centered course will equip you with practical tools rooted in humility, respect, empathy and goodwill to strengthen emotional, spiritual and relational connection. Registration will be available through RelateWell, with a cost of $40 per couple. Mark your calendars and plan to invest in your marriage! Look for more information in upcoming newsletters and announcements.
Sign Up for the SOTV Date Night Challenge
November - January
Get ready to strengthen your relationship in a fun and intentional way with SOTV’s Date Night Challenge! This special event invites adult couples —whether you’re dating, engaged, or married — to invest in quality time together from November through January.
Each month, couples will enjoy a date night -- anywhere but the couch -- with creative ideas and conversation starters provided to spark meaningful connection. To help make this possible for parents of young children, SOTV is offering free childcare once a month (additional dates and registration information for childcare TBA). Childcare will include pizza, games, crafts, and activities.
As part of the fun, couples who share their date experiences will be entered into a monthly drawing for a $20 gift card to a local coffee shop or bakery. Those who participate all three months will be entered for a chance to win a $150 gift card to Cooper’s Hawk Winery.
This challenge kicks off the launch of SOTV’s new Relationship & Marriage Ministry, designed to to encourage and equip people in all relationship stages through skill-building and intentional connections. Don’t wait until the New Year to focus on your relationship—start now!
"God's Creation" 2026 Calendars for Sale
The High School Youth Group is selling 2026 “God’s Creation” calendars! Our youth are once again offering these beautiful 2026 “God’s Creation” calendars for purchase at church. Each calendar costs $9.00, payable to SOTV ACT. You can pick one up at the table in the main office during the week — an envelope will be available for payments.
Thank you for your continued support of our youth through this annual fundraiser!
Mission-Vision-Values Bible Class Now Available Online
In October 2025, our Adult Bible Class focused on delving deeper into SOTV's mission, vision and values. By exploring these principles together, we aimed to enhance our understanding of what it means to be on this journey as a church family. You can now watch these study sessions and accompanying sermons online to learn more about the values we hold dear at SOTV and how you can embody them in your own lives. You can find the video recordings for this study under the Bible Studies section of our website or by using the link HERE.
Daily Devotion and Prayer Available on Zoom
Have you have been looking for a way to start your day in God’s word? SOTV offers a daily devotion live on Zoom at 7:30 a.m. which follows the readings from the church year calendar. This devotion is led by Pastor John David Monday -Thursday, and by a member of our congregation on Fridays. If you wake up a bit earlier, you can jump on the Zoom at 7:15 to join others for morning prayer. Please email Pastor John David to request the Zoom link and meeting code. Previous devotions are available to listen to on our SoundCloud page.
Support Our Door 6 Ministry
Our “Door 6” ministry team -- made up of both high school youth and adults volunteers -- provides a free continental breakfast to students from Valley High School who park in our lot. Each Tuesday morning during the school year, VHS students make stopping by Door 6 to snag some breakfast items before heading to school part of their weekly routine. Our team builds relationships with the students by learning their names and activities they’re involved in, then sending them off with a cheerful smile and wishing them the best each week. It’s another way SOTV is practicing growing relationships with those outside our walls!
You can help SOTV continue this practice of our “genuine hospitality” value in one of three ways:
- Purchase a RaiseRight gift card for HyVee on Sunday morning and donate it to help pay for breakfast items.
- Donate directly using our online giving link. Select “General” for fund, and be sure to type “Door 6 Ministry” in the memo line.
- Help out on Tuesday mornings. Contact Angie Spann to sign up.
Seeking a New Adult Choir Director
SOTV is currently looking for a director for the Adult Choir. This group of men and women perform during our regular worship services, as well as special performances during the Advent and Lenten seasons. The Adult choir rehearses on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. If you are interested in this volunteer position, please contact our Director of Worship, Music and High School Youth, Angie Spann.
Support Our High School Youth Using Raise Right Giftcards
Purchasing gift cards through RaiseRight is an EASY way you can support the kids in our High School Youth Group. For every gift card you buy, a percentage in cashback is deposited directly into our fundraising account to help pay for travel, food and other costs related to participating in mission trips, district events and youth gatherings.
Download the RaiseRight mobile app to purchase e-gift cards instantly to use right from your phone. Download the RaiseRight app today at www.raiseright.com and sign up using our church enrollment code: AC2D2442L516. Or CLICK HERE for a direct link to our sign up page. For any questions, please contact our Raise Right coordinator, Amber Kelley.