GIVING

Shallowford Presbyterian Church

Who We Are

Shallowford Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (PCUSA) Chartered in 1984, we are a group of people who support each other and serve our community and world in witness to the love of Jesus Christ given equally to us all.

We strive to share God’s love in all that we do, supporting and encouraging each other as we work together to be a blessing and make a difference in our world through actions of service and advocacy and thrcelebrating and protecting the beauty of God’s creation.

We achieve these things by supporting community and international service organizations, as well as providing many ways for our members to grow their faith and enjoy fellowship together.

Click here for more information on our CHURCH LIFE. Click here for more information about how we provide opportunities for SERVING & CARING.

Additionally, we are a congregation that seeks to honor God through a deep appreciation of beauty as expressed through music, the arts, and the ancient traditions of contemplation and meditation. Click here for Expressions of Faith, a full description of the gifts of beauty that have enhanced our building and our life together as a community of faith.

PCUSA Initiatives

Shallowford participates in the following initiatives of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A):

Matthew 25

Shallowford Presbyterian is a Matthew 25 congregation, joining many other PC(USA) congregations in helping our denomination become a more relevant presence worldwide.

The Matthew 25 initiative focuses on the words of Matthew 25:31-46, in which Jesus makes clear that what we do matters to God and how we treat others is important to God.

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More Light

As a More Light Presbyterian Church, Shallowford supports the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and asexual people of faith in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Earth Care

Shallowford Presbyterian is certified by PC(USA) as an Earth Care Congregation. We have taken the Earth Care Pledge and completed activities and projects in our worship, education, facilities and outreach. Our commitment to Earth Care is reflected in our recycling program, limited use of paper goods for fellowship and worship activities, hosting the Repair Café twice a year, and our Community Garden.

OUR FAITH

What Presbyterian Believe

We believe we are not justified by our works, but that our salvation through Jesus is God’s generous gift to us. We honor the authority and centrality of Scripture in worship and in our lives, and we believe in the Incarnation and Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is everyone’s job – ministers and laypeople alike – to share this Good News with the whole world.

We believe that God calls us to service in the world, that our life together is to be ordered in ways that enable all members to flourish, that God calls us to generous stewardship of what we have, and that we are to stay alert to the human tendency to idolatry and tyranny and respond to God’s call to work for a society that seeks justice.

These beliefs are the reason for our representative form of government where leaders (including women, men and nonbinary people) are elected by the congregation to work with clergy to discern and act on the will of Christ in serving the best interests of God’s people.

Our Staff

Picture of Sally Gant

Sally Gant

DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

As Director of Music, Sally believes in supporting other musicians – novices to expert. Guest and member musicians are frequently integrated into worship services and the choir shares a service of Lessons and Carols every December during the Advent season. Sally fosters growth in musical abilities among members and her love of the beauty of music is infectious!

Message Sally
Picture of Christine Ratledge

Christine Ratledge

OFFICE MANAGER

Christine moved to the Lewisville area from Indiana when she was only 7 years old and calls it home. She attended Shallowford Presbyterian before the church was built and the congregation was meeting at Forsyth Country Day School.

Christine also serves as the Office Manager for Salem Presbytery.

Message Christine

Our Session

Session members are elected for a 3 year term. Session meets monthly to pray together for the work of the church, plan for church needs, make decisions about resource use and ensure that we are acting out our mission.

Class of 2026:
Sally Gant, Tony Brett, Sue Weber

Class of 2027:
Christy Vance Bijkrsma, Anja Hartle, Lynn Watkins

Class of 2028:
Jackie Rountree, Feodor Bijkrsma

Clerk of Session:
Charley Rose

Session Moderator:
Troy Lesher-Thomas

Campus Facilities

Contact the church office if you have any questions about the use of our facilities.

Prayer Garden

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Columbarium

Columbarium

The Shallowford Columbarium Garden, tended by members of the congregation, provides a beautiful resting place for our Shallowford Saints and a haven of quiet repose for all to enjoy.

Community Garden

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Meeting & Classroom Space

In addition to our main building’s sanctuary and offices, Shallowford’s interior facilities include our fellowship hall (Arnold Hall), church parlor, library, and classrooms all of which provide welcoming spaces for several community groups, individuals and ministries.
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The Art Wall

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Playground

Playground

We have a fenced, Kaplan-designed playground that is open for community use. All children must be supervised by an adult.

Labyrinth

Come Walk the Labyrinth

The outdoor Shallowford Labyrinth was built by the congregation of Shallowford Presbyterian Church in 2005 as a gift to our community.
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Matthew 25 Initiative

Shallowford Presbyterian is a Matthew 25 congregation, joining many other PC(USA) congregations in helping our denomination become a more relevant presence worldwide.

The Matthew 25 initiative focuses on the words of Matthew 25:31-46, in which Jesus makes clear that what we do matters to God and how we treat others is important to God.

At its core, Matthew 25 is about the healing and restoration of relationships, systems, and societies that reflect God’s justice and love.

Jesus was often referred to as the Prince of Peace. Like Christ, Matthew 25 seeks to embody wholeness in action, inviting us to engage in three core pillars:

  • building congregational vitality
  • dismantling structural racism
  • eradicating systemic poverty.

When we welcome others, we welcome Christ; when we bring together people who are divided, we are doing God’s reconciling work. We are called to serve Jesus by contributing to the well-being of the most vulnerable in societies – rural and urban, small and large, young and not-so-young.

Sally Gant

Director of Music

Message Sally

Sally is a graduate of St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Laurinburg, North Carolina and the University of Oregon with degrees in Church Music and Choral Conducting. She studied choral conducting with Helmuth Rilling in Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. She was a co-founder and board member of the Piedmont Chamber Singers of Winston-Salem. She served as a member of the planning team for the 2002 Montreat Conference on Music and Worship and was a member of the National Board of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM) from 2000-2003. She has led workshops on the subjects of music for the small church, choral methods and repertoire for the church choir, singing the Psalms, and using the music and prayers of the Taizé community in the local church.

Her published articles include the Psalter to Work: Singing the Psalms”, and “Music for the sacraments of Communion and Baptism” and Psalm listings for the Revised Common Lectionary in Reformed Liturgy & Music (RL&M), the publication of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. She was the Director of Education and Special Programs at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Old Salem, until her recent retirement.

As Director of Music at Shallowford Presbyterian, Sally believes in supporting other musicians – novices to expert. Guest and member musicians are frequently integrated into worship services and the choir shares a service of Lessons and Carols every December during the Advent season. Sally fosters growth in musical abilities among members and her love of the beauty of music is infectious!

Christine Ratledge

Office Manager

Christine-Ratledge
Message Christine
Christine moved to the Lewisville area from Indiana when she was only 7 years old and calls it home. She attended Shallowford Presbyterian before the church was built and the congregation was meeting at Forsyth Country Day School. Christine is a graduate of West Forsyth High School and High Point University. She and her husband, Jerry, have 3 daughters. The oldest, Beth, is a graduate of North Carolina State and currently resides in Raleigh with her husband, Chris. Christine’s middle daughter, Amy, is a 5th grade teacher locally and lives in Tobaccoville with her husband, Preston. Her youngest daughter, Megan, attends High Point University. Christine enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at her daughter’s school, and reading. Christine also serves as the Office Manager for Salem Presbytery.

Prayer Garden

The Prayer Garden was a gift to our congregation in 2008 from a generous donor who wrote: “Things of beauty give us hope . . . this garden is a gift of hope and love.” Located adjacent to our Fellowship Hall, the prayer garden is open every day from dawn to dusk, providing a place for individuals or small groups to find a place of quiet prayer and reflection.

Community Garden

Our community garden is a congregational effort that uses organic methods to provide healthy foods and care for our environment. A pollinator garden supports many species of pollinators. Throughout the growing season, volunteers plant, weed, water, harvest and prepare a display of food for Sunday mornings from which members and friends select fresh, organic produce in exchange for donations that support Crisis Control Ministry of Winston-Salem. Surplus produce is donated to Clemmons Food Pantry providing fresh, organic produce for our community neighbors.

Community volunteers are welcome to join our garden team!

The Art Wall

The Art Wall in our fellowship hall, Arnold Hall, is a space that highlights many diverse “Expressions of Faith,” providing a place for artists, craftspeople, poets and other creative spirits in our congregation and community to share their gifts and inspirations and to celebrate occasions in the life of the church. Exhibits rotate throughout the year. A congregational committee schedules exhibits and maintains the wall.

Labyrinth

The outdoor Shallowford Labyrinth was built by the congregation of Shallowford Presbyterian Church in 2005 as a gift to our community.

What is a labyrinth?
The labyrinth has been used as a place for prayer, meditative walking, contemplation, inspiration and renewal by many religious cultures for thousands of years. Different from a maze, which is designed to puzzle and confuse, the labyrinth is one path with many turns, gently leading one on a circular journey to the center and back. One path . . . many turns . . .

There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. There are no right or wrong turns along this path. The only choice you must make is to take the first step. We are all on a journey. We move at different speeds, from different places, for different reasons, and with different needs. The labyrinth is a metaphor for and a model of that journey.