Valley United Methodist Church sits on a wooded corner lot at 42nd and Ashworth in West Des Moines, where an arboretum, a gazebo, a praise garden, and a long-tended stretch of green space surround the building. Inside, the congregation gathers for a single 9 a.m. Sunday worship service that is semi-traditional in feel, livestreamed on YouTube, and followed by coffee, classes, and conversation. The church is also known for the breadth of its Doing Good work, which sends members into Des Moines and beyond to serve meals, collect supplies, and pursue racial equity alongside local partners.
Worship at Valley
Sunday worship takes place in the Valley UMC Sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. and is also streamed live on YouTube, so visitors who are traveling or homebound can join from anywhere. The service is described by the congregation as semi-traditional: an organ sits alongside a piano most weeks, with a guitar, handbells, or other instruments joining in from time to time. The choir sings from the hymnal, and the music is rounded out with newer songs and melodies chosen to fit the worship theme and the people gathered in the room.
Holy Communion is offered on the first Sunday of each month and occasionally at other times. All who are seeking to grow in faith are welcome at the Lord's Table, whether they are members of Valley, members of another church, or not yet baptized. Communion is understood as a means of grace that draws people closer to Christ.
Coffee Fellowship
Right after the service, Coffee Fellowship runs from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. in St. Andrew's Hall. It is a low-key way to get to know people and share a few unhurried minutes together.
Getting Connected Beyond Small Talk
Valley places a quiet emphasis on relationships that outlast the Sunday hour. The congregation's own description captures the spirit: What makes church special is not just the events we attend, but also the relationships we build that help us stay faithful to God.
Visitors are encouraged to stay after worship, sit in on a small group meeting, or simply keep talking over coffee. The aim is to be a community that brings its whole self and reminds one another that each person is precious and beloved.
Christian Education for All Ages
Christian Education is described as foundational to life at Valley. During the school year, Sunday School meets from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and is organized into four groups: grades K-3, grades 4-6, youth in grades 7-12, and adults. The classes are held in person, and all ages study together at the same hour so families can move from worship into a shared rhythm of learning.
The Youth Group gathers on selected Sunday afternoons and joins in special events like Reggie's Sleepout and the Hunger Hike. Anyone interested in the youth program can contact the office to be put in touch with the leaders.
Music: Choir, Back Row, and an Organist Since 1957
Music has long been a high priority at Valley, and the program includes both a mixed choir and a men's ensemble.
- The Church Choir rehearses on Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. during the school year and provides music for worship twice a month. There are no auditions; the invitation is to sing together in community and praise God.
- Back Row is a men's choir that rehearses on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. during the school year and leads worship music once a month under the direction of Choir Director Clare DeBoef. New members are always welcome.
Organist Karen Hutzell has been playing church services since she was a high school sophomore in 1957 and has served at Valley for nearly twenty years. She has accompanied the Des Moines Playhouse and Dowling High School, and once played the pipe organ for mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City when the Dowling choir traveled to Rome in 1995. Before each service, she prays a simple line: Help me do this for your glory.
Small Groups That Shape the Week
Small groups are one of the main ways the congregation lives out its faith between Sundays.
- The Prayer Group has been meeting weekly on Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. for more than thirty years and is currently hosted at a member's home. New pray-ers are always welcome.
- The Men's Group meets two Saturday mornings a month for food, fellowship, and a project that supports the community or the church's ministries.
- The Equity and Justice Team grew out of conversations that began in July 2020 and now meets twice a month. The team pursues the work of antiracism in West Des Moines and beyond.
Doing Good: Missions, Meals, and Justice
Doing Good is the umbrella for the church's outreach. It includes collecting food and supplies for local ministries, providing prayer shawls, going on mission trips, and serving meals. Every other month, the congregation provides and serves a meal at CFUM (Children & Families Urban Movement) in Des Moines, where members are present with conversation, care, and connection, not just food.
The Missions team chooses projects throughout the year where members can make a difference with their presence, their advocacy, and their giving, and the church newsletter regularly highlights opportunities to take part.
Our Welcome
Valley United Methodist Church states its welcome plainly: Whoever you are. No matter what. You are welcome here. The congregation gathers before a God whose nature is love that knows no bounds and celebrates persons of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, physical and mental abilities, economic circumstances, and criminal history. The aim is to be a community of love and forgiveness that lives the all-inclusive love and healthy boundaries of Jesus.
The Grounds: An Arboretum, a Gazebo, and a Place to Wander
The Valley property is as much a part of the church's ministry as anything that happens inside. The grounds include a spacious gazebo, a praise garden with a fire pit, and an arboretum dreamed and laid out by a former member. Two little libraries stand on the property, along with an angel statue, benches, and paths through the trees.
The parking lot is a regular stop for neighborhood kids learning to ride bikes, pickup basketball games, and even players of Pokemon Go. Visitors are welcome to wander the trees, bring a picnic, or pick up the monthly GreenSpace flyer from the literature boxes near the gazebo. For accessibility to the gazebo, visitors can park near the carport on the east side of the building and follow the sidewalk around to the back.
Pastor Jitae Park
Valley is led by Rev. Jitae Park, who was born in Korea into a Christian family and grew up in the Korean Methodist Church. After a profound experience of God's presence, he felt called to become a pastor and went on to graduate from the Methodist Theological University in Seoul and be ordained as an elder at the Seoul Annual Conference in 2007. He later studied Christian worship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where he deepened his commitment to integrating issues of faith and justice in worship. His wife, Hyejung Hwang, is also a UMC pastor, and together they have two children, a dog named Nory, and a cat named Cookie.