Bear Valley Church of Christ sits on South Lamar Street in southwest Denver, the part of the city its name echoes. It began in 1964, and within a year the church had launched what would become one of the better-known preacher-training programs associated with any church of Christ in the country. Today the Bear Valley Bible Institute operates from this same Denver base, and the congregation has built a full life around four commitments it states plainly at the top of its introduction: Christ centered, Spirit guided, Mission focused, Service driven. Those four phrases, each paired with a Bible verse, frame everything from Sunday worship to a girls' summer camp in the Colorado mountains and a network of mission works on three continents.
Christ Centered, Spirit Guided, Mission Focused, Service Driven
The congregation's self-description begins with four anchors. "Christ Centered" cites John 4:23-24 and Acts 2:42, pointing to worship in spirit and truth and to the devotion of the early disciples. "Spirit Guided" references 2 Timothy 3:16 and 4:2, the inspired Word and the charge to preach it. "Mission Focused" draws on Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8, the Great Commission and the call to be witnesses. "Service Driven" rests on Romans 12:10 and John 13:34-35, love for one another as the mark of discipleship. Each of those values shows up in the regular life of the church.
Sunday and Wednesday Around the Bible
Worship at Bear Valley follows a simple weekly rhythm. On Sunday mornings, Bible classes for all ages begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by worship at 10:00 a.m. A second worship gathering meets at 5:00 p.m. On Wednesday evenings, Bible classes for every age group meet at 7:00 p.m. Sunday morning worship is also livestreamed on YouTube at 9:00 a.m. for anyone who cannot attend in person, and past sermons and Bible classes are saved to playlists there for later viewing.
The schedule is built so that Bible study and worship share equal weight. The Sunday evening hour returns to the building for a second worship service, and the midweek class keeps the week's study going. Children's classes, an adult curriculum, and additional series on the Old Testament, the Life of Christ, and preschool and toddler classes are all available through the same YouTube channel, so anyone can keep up with the material whether they make it to the building or not.
Spark Groups in Homes Across the Area
On each second Sunday evening, through December, the congregation adds a layer of small-group life to its schedule. Spark Groups meet in homes throughout the Denver area, gathering in addition to the 5:00 p.m. worship at the building. The format gives members and visitors a way to study together in a smaller setting, build friendships across the congregation, and stay connected to the Word outside of the main assembly. A yearly adult VBS is also part of the rotation of programs around the building.
Youth and Family Ministry
Bear Valley makes a point of not setting its teens aside. The youth and family ministry frames its work around 1 Timothy 5, where Paul tells Timothy not to neglect any demographic in the church, and Proverbs 22:6, "Train up a child in the way he should go." Throughout the year, the youth group takes part in spiritual activities, service projects, evangelistic opportunities, and Bible classes. The aim is to assist parents in the spiritual training of their teens, not to take that role over. Sage Bridges serves as Youth and Worship Minister, working with the teens and their families.
Higher Ground Girls' Encampment
Each summer, Bear Valley runs Higher Ground, a week-long encampment for young women ages 13 to 18. The camp meets at Shadowcliff in Grand Lake, Colorado, with seven days and six nights of bunk-bed lodging, three meals a day, and a free daily canteen. The fee per camper is $50. Mornings begin at 7:30 a.m. and lights go out at 11:00 p.m., with classes, recreation, crafts, devotionals, hikes, sports, and evening events packed in between. Special moments include a mystery dinner, spa night, and a late-night girls' movie night.
The goal of Higher Ground is in-depth Bible training, a Biblical foundation for everyday life, and the kind of relationships that come from bonding with other Christian young women. Each day includes devotionals, studies in the Word geared toward teen girls, daily Bible marking, and plenty of recreation. The camp is funded by the Bear Valley church and watched over by its elders. Camp directors are Christy Swackhamer and Melody Sawyers; the staff, speakers, and counselors are all members of the church of Christ connected with Bear Valley.
Future Preachers' Training Camp
For young men the same age, Bear Valley hosts the Future Preachers' Training Camp, described as one of the oldest camps of its kind in the church of Christ brotherhood. The week is designed to fan the flame for preaching and leadership in boys ages 13 to 18, with training in sermon preparation, Bible study, and personal evangelism alongside recreation in the Colorado outdoors. Campers form friendships with other young men preparing for ministry, and the staff treats the week as much about fellowship as it is about classroom study. Brett Petrillo and Corey Sawyers direct the camp, and registration each summer is open online.
Bear Valley Bible Institute
Less than a year after the church began in 1964, Bear Valley started training men and women for full-time service in the Lord's Kingdom. Today the Bear Valley Bible Institute International has trained and graduated hundreds of workers who serve around the world, and the work has grown into a global preacher-training effort with extension schools in 25 foreign countries. From the main campus in Denver, the school works to train men and women for the church wherever they may go, and also trains men in their home countries. Many of the missionaries the church supports are graduates of the Institute or one of its affiliated schools.
Domestic and Foreign Mission Work
The congregation supports mission works in the United States and abroad, framed by a simple phrase the missions materials repeat: "Thinking souls, and doing something about it." On the domestic side, Bear Valley partners with Josh and Divine Austin, who started the Salt River church out of their home in 2013, and whose work includes ministries directed toward the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, including a prison and rehabilitation facility. Two of the first converts there went on to attend Bear Valley Bible Institute and now partner with the Austins. The church also supports Nate and Katy Miller, who graduated from Bear Valley Bible Institute in December 2019 and serve with the Wisconsin Avenue church of Christ in Huron, South Dakota.
Abroad, the church supports Piseth Rin and Darat Run, who were in the first graduating class of IBISR, Bear Valley's extension school in Cambodia, and who serve as co-directors and teachers there alongside work with Hannah's Hope Orphanage. In Ukraine, the church has long supported the late Andre Zhuravlev, a graduate of the very first Bear Valley Bible Institute international school, and continues to stand with his wife Veronica and adult son Ilya as the work in that country continues despite the ongoing war.
Leadership: Shepherds, Ministers, and Deacons
Six men serve as elders, or shepherds, of the congregation, exercising oversight according to 1 Peter 5:2 and watching over the souls of the church as described in Hebrews 13:17. The current elders are Wes Autrey, Ben Davidson, Wayne Jones, Michael Hite, Denny Petrillo, and Trent Woolley. The pulpit minister is Cory Waddell, who joined Bear Valley in January of 2020 after serving churches in The Woodlands, Texas, and Lebanon, Tennessee. Cory holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies and an M.A. in New Testament from Freed-Hardeman University and is pursuing a Master of Divinity from Heritage Christian University. He and his wife Paige have two sons.
Sage Bridges serves as Youth and Worship Minister. A 2016 graduate of Bear Valley Bible Institute with a B.A. in Biblical Studies, he previously worked with congregations in Arizona, Texas, and California, and is working on his Master's. He and his wife Alexis have three children and are expecting a fourth.
A team of deacons serves across several areas of congregational life. In evangelism, Larry King oversees missions and Jeff Wiant chairs the welcome committee. In edification, Wayne Jones leads adult education, Michael Hogan oversees young families and new Christians, and Lee McKie cares for widows and shut-ins. Wayne Nelson leads benevolence. Don Bevelaqua prepares the Lord's Supper. Michael Sharp handles finance, Rob Shilladay legal services, Butch Plummer safety and first aid, Kevin Payne building and facilities, and David Harnke grounds.
Simply Christian
The congregation describes itself plainly as "simply Christian," following the Bible as its only guide and pattern. The name "Christian," they note, comes from Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16, and refers to the people who follow Jesus as Lord and Savior and belong to the church Jesus built in Matthew 16:18. Their plea is a call back to the Bible: to follow the New Testament pattern for becoming a Christian, for worship, for daily life, and for raising a family. They are not added to one of the many denominations in the world today, and the name "church of Christ" is meant to honor Christ rather than to mark a denomination.
Visitors who want to learn more, ask a Bible question, or submit a prayer request can do so through forms available from the church. Contributions can be given in person, set up to recur automatically, or made online through the church's giving portal. For those ready to dig deeper into the Word before visiting, the Searching for Truth materials and weekly sermon archive on YouTube offer an easy starting point.