History:

Nestled in the rich green prairies of Northern Illinois, you will find the small town of German Valley. A group of German immigrants, consisting of hard-working farmers, shop keepers, rail road workers, fathers, mothers, and children, young and old established the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Silver Creek in 1851. Our first church services took place in a log cabin, and the congregation later built a beautiful stone church in which to worship. Early services were held in German for the benefit of those elder immigrants. Recognizing the importance of a high-quality Christian education, they also established the Pleasant Prairie Academy, which began preparing young men for the ministry, and later became a parochial high school.


In 1952, lightning struck the beautiful stone church and burned it to the ground. The community was devastated, but vowed to continue with God’s work. Sunday school, church services, and even a couple of weddings were held in the Academy class rooms and gymnasium. The congregation realized that the church was much more than just a building; it was God’s people that mattered. “For where two or three of you are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20.

Many sacrifices had to be made to rebuild, including closing Pleasant Prairie Academy. In 1956, the congregation moved into our present day building. While they had been terribly saddened by the loss of the old building and the Academy, they acknowledged that God’s timing is always perfect. They were able to build a beautiful structure (likely too expensive to build today) with many exquisite stained glass windows and plenty of room for worship services, Sunday School, meetings, pot lucks, weddings, and other ways to fellowship and praise God.

Now:

Christian education is still a high priority for all age groups, both young and old. We try very hard to have a group where anyone can feel comfortable. We also believe in contributing to missionary work all over the world. We have faith in the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19. Many changes have taken place in our small community of German Valley since those early services in a log cabin, but our commitment to spreading the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ remains constant.