140 Years in the Valley
On Alamo Pintado Road in Solvang, California, Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Church (known locally as the Pres) has been gathering for worship since 1885. The congregation began when a small group of worshipers met for the first time in a saloon, then moved to a little red schoolhouse and later, in 1888, to a little white church in Ballard. By 1966, the congregation had outgrown those earlier buildings and moved into a larger sanctuary on a five-acre site that remains the hub of the church today. A new sanctuary was dedicated in 2008 to accommodate continued growth.
The church carries one piece of national memory from those earlier decades. On Easter Sunday, April 3, 1983, President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan made a surprise visit, slipping into the service unannounced and joining the congregation in worship near their ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley.
In 2014, after a prayerful two-year discernment process, the church joined ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, aligning with a denomination committed to building flourishing churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Sunday Morning at the Pres
Worship begins every Sunday at 9:30 AM in the sanctuary and runs about ninety minutes. Services include singing, Scripture reading, prayers, a greeting time, giving, and a sermon. Visitors are invited to come as they are and to sing along with the songs and engage their hearts in the prayers and preaching.
After the service, newcomers can meet Pastor Gunnar Tesdahl or other ministry leaders in the entryway to ask questions about the church. Then it is a short walk across to the Holy Grounds Cafe building for coffee, pastries, and a time of fellowship with the church family.
Children are a visible part of Sunday morning. The church welcomes families and supports parents throughout the service. Nursery care is available for babies through the entire service. Toddlers Class (ages 3 to 6) and Sunday School for kindergarten through fifth grade meet during the sermon, when children are excused partway through the service. For moms with little ones, a Mother and Baby Room is located in the back of the sanctuary where parents can still see and hear the service. Children's Ministry Director Ruthy Gallo is usually at the door on Sunday mornings and is happy to help families find their way.
Prez Kidz and the Next Generation
The children's ministry at the Pres, called Prez Kidz, exists to help kids know the love of God and become lifelong followers of Jesus. Beyond Sunday morning classes, two programs extend that work into the week.
Basecamp is a Thursday evening program for children in third grade and up. Kids gather for games, meaningful conversations, Bible lessons, and a free dinner as they grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Mom's Day Out is a daytime childcare program open to the community every Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Hosted in the church nursery, the program welcomes families from across the area and is run by Ruthy Gallo.
The church also operates the Santa Ynez Valley Presbyterian Preschool, launched more than sixty years ago to serve families and share the love of Jesus. The preschool still serves some sixty-five families in the community today.
Holy Grounds Cafe
Across from the sanctuary sits Holy Grounds Cafe, a community gathering space open to everyone in the Valley, with the coffee on the house. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM and offers complimentary drip coffee and hot tea, free Wi-Fi, a comfortable workspace, and a children's corner with toys and a low table set aside for kids in sight of the seating area.
The cafe is also home to a resource table with books and guides about growing in relationship with Jesus. Donations are gladly accepted but never expected. Whether stopping in for a quiet workspace, a meeting with a friend, or a conversation about life and faith, anyone from the Valley is welcome.
Groups Around the Cafe Tables
Several church groups meet at Holy Grounds during the week, and visitors are welcome to drop in without signing up first.
- Young Adults gather on Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
- Men's Bible Study meets on Thursdays at 9:00 AM.
- Moms Prayer Group meets every other Friday at 9:00 AM.
The church also offers a year-long Bible reading plan that walks readers through the entire Bible, along with sermon resources to help with engagement and application. Small groups remain a key part of the church's discipleship strategy, and a small group survey is available for those who want to learn more.
What We Believe
The church's mission is to glorify God by helping people find and follow Jesus. Its Statement of Faith is a summary of the ECO Essential Tenets.
SYVPC confesses the Trinity, worshiping the one true God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is received as the infallible Word of God and the supreme guide for faith and life. Jesus Christ is confessed as Lord and Savior, truly God and truly human, crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and coming again in glory.
The church affirms that all people are created in God's image yet have fallen into sin, and that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who justifies believers and adopts them as God's children. The church is described as the body of Christ, a covenant community gathered around the faithful preaching of the Word and the right administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
On marriage and life, the church teaches that God created humanity male and female and established marriage as a holy covenant between one man and one woman, and upholds the sanctity of every human life from conception to natural death. Members seek to grow in holiness and Christlikeness by the power of the Holy Spirit, living as faithful stewards and looking forward to the sure hope of Christ's return.
Reaching Beyond the Valley
The Pres supports a wide circle of missionaries, church planters, and ministry partners around the world and across California.
Internationally, the church partners with workers in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Micronesia serving in community health evangelism; with a ministry in Ukraine serving the disabled and displaced and sharing the Gospel; with YWAM teams in Kona, Hawaii doing translation and discipleship training, and in Myanmar and Thailand doing teaching and discipleship work; with a Christian school and church ministry in Uganda; and with a confidential family in a South Asian country focused on evangelism, discipleship, and orphan and widow care.
Closer to home, the church supports a church planter in Santa Maria; a parenting and pregnancy support center in Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley; InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara and in Ventura County and Bakersfield; a ministry helping women and girls know their God-given identity; and a Santa Ynez Valley community outreach serving seniors, veterans, violence survivors, and others in need.
The church also partners with several broader organizations, including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Living Water World Missions, and Samaritan's Purse.
Leadership and the Road Ahead
The church is led by Pastor Gunnar Tesdahl, who brings a passion for God's Word, a love for the church, and a heart to reach the community for Christ. Raised in Spokane, Washington, he first sensed God's call to ministry in high school and went on to earn a degree in Speech Communication with a music minor from Whitworth University and a Master of Divinity from Knox Theological Seminary. He was ordained into pastoral ministry in a Presbyterian church in Gig Harbor, Washington, before coming to SYVPC. He and his wife Aimee have two daughters, Kennedy and Brooklyn.
Ruthy Gallo serves as Children's Ministry Director, overseeing Sunday School for nursery through fifth grade, the Thursday night Basecamp program, and the Mom's Day Out community childcare program. Alan Satchwell has been the Worship Director since 1997, leading worship each Sunday morning and overseeing the church's music and media ministry.
SYVPC is governed by a Session of elders, the servant leaders of the church who discern the mind of Christ together and oversee its vision and ministry. The current Session includes Pastor Gunnar Tesdahl as moderator, along with Rob Wolf (youth), Karin Aitken (congregation life), Bill Gnekow (buildings and grounds), Debbie Jones (clerk), Joel Williamson (discipleship), John Donati (outreach), and Paul Larson (finance). Under the Session, a Board of Deacons cares for the felt needs of the church family, with each deacon serving a region of the community.
The church is also actively searching for an Assistant Pastor for Youth and Families to help build a thriving ministry for middle school and high school students and families throughout the Valley.