About Us

Who we are

CCAV,UCC is a neighborly Christian Church where you will find a strong sense of hospitality.  We welcome all to join us in worship, study, and service to the community and wider world.  We are ever on a journey to discern God's will in the context of our world today, and our calling be God's instrument.  We welcome all into full life and ministry of our church community.

 

OUR TEAM

Rev. Dr. Shelly Wilson
Rev. Dr. Shelly Wilson
Supply Pastor
Rev. Shelly Wilson is serving our community from afar! CCAV,UCC has embraced the experiment of working with a Pastor who does not reside in our local area, and Shelly makes it work. Her extensive pastoral experience and gifts of grace have shown us how very much can be accomplished in a non-traditional setting.
Music Director
Music Director
Music Director
Watch this space as we may have some wonderful news in time for Christmas!
Ruthanne Adams Martinez
Ruthanne Adams Martinez
Church Office and Bell Choir Director
Ruthanne has been with JV churches for 11 years in the role of Handbell Director and 5 years as Administrative Assistant. She has an accounting and musical background, performing harp, piano, organ, and handbells throughout the Bay Area. Her passions include art, writing, dancing, and many outlets of music."

Our History

The Congregational Church of Alamden Valley, originally known as Almaden Valley United Church of Christ (AVUCC), began in spring 1965 when a small group of families met in each other's homes.  The founding group had the vision of a church close to home: a small friendly church with a warm intimate atmosphere. They wanted to give their children a safe place to grow and learn, and to counter the rootlessness and transience of an era when being transferred across the country was a way of life. The UCC’s Northern California Conference supported this church in what was then mostly rural Almaden Valley.

By May 1966, the church was 80 members strong. It began meeting in the Prune Shed, which was a former fruit drying facility near Crown Blvd. and Almaden Road. The warm spirit of the new church made up for what the building lacked. The roof leaked all winter, and the worshipers stepped over buckets which were color-coded to match the holes in the roof above.

In 1968, AVUCC informally partnered with the Episcopal Church in Almaden (ECA) to share the Prune Shed. When the church moved into its new building in 1969, ECA moved also. Work began with the national denominations to formalize the arrangement and the Joint Venture Churches became a legal entity in 1970. It is much more than a legal and economic agreement. The ecumenical spirit has flourished and strengthened through the years, adding a deep dimension to the lives of both congregations.

In 2011 we became the Congregational Church of Almaden Valley, United Church of Christ (CCAV,UCC) in a desire to call out our Congregationalist roots, polity, and worship style.  In the fall of 2020, during COVID pandemic restrictions, we celebrated our 55th anniversary online with a wonderful, virtual service of music and memories followed by a big Zoom Fellowship.

The Congregational Church of Almaden Valley - CCAV continues its affiliation with the United Church of Christ (UCC) and to foster spiritual vitality and energy under the skilled supply leadership of Rev. Dr. Shelly Wilson.  Shelly serves CCAV from out of state, attending meetings and preparing services from a remote location and visiting only once, so far.  This unique model has worked surprisingly well as we discern what it means for us to "be church" in the future.