Liberty Valley Church expands by building on Olde Eight Road

by John Benson

Seven years ago, Liberty Valley Church Pastor Jeff Tauring set out to create a city upon a hill that couldn’t be hidden. That’s exactly what he built, with help from his father-in-law Jim Goodmote, from the ground up with his own hands:   the congregation’s new church on Olde Eight Road.

“It was quite an endeavor,” Tauring said. “We started in 2012 looking for property, and four years ago we purchased the land. That’s when we started removing trees. We did everything ourselves, so it took a little bit longer than normal.

“We had a lot of fun, but it certainly had its challenges. We’re not builders, so we learned a lot of it as we went. We had some pointers from other people, and it was a long haul.”

The result is the $1.5 million, 8,000-square-foot Liberty Valley Church. It goes without saying that praying is a key part of Tauring’s life. When it came to construction of the new church, plenty of praying took place on the work site.

 “Yes, we did pray the whole time,” Tauring said. “In fact, most of the time we’d pray daily. By the end of the day, we’d say we got a little more done. Then after four years of every day saying we got a little more done, it was done.”

It’s been quite a journey for the church, which Tauring started by preaching to five people at old Boston Township Hall in Peninsula in 2005. Two years later, the growing congregation moved to Macedonia and rented about 3,000 square feet of warehouse space from Mars Electric on Capital Boulevard.

“We were outgrowing the buildings we were in,” he said. “Also, they were rented, which was the main thing right there. We just felt like we wanted to build new, and I was looking for something that has some land.

“We like to do a lot of things with youth, all ages really, so the key element was finding the nearly 20-acre farm on Olde Eight. It was perfect.”

Guided by his desire to build a city upon a hill, which is a phrase from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, Tauring found just the right location on the property to build the church.

“City upon a hill is also an American thing because I’m pretty patriotic,” Tauring said. “The property there is hilly – not flat farmland – with a valley and trails. And down below there’s an old horse barn and some things for the kids to play in, but then when you see it from the Route 8 side, it’s the city on a hill.”

Tauring said the plan is for Liberty Valley Church, which has grown to 125 congregants, to host music festivals and large events outdoors on the farm. Inside, the facility is big enough for a growing children’s ministry and musical offerings.

“There’s also room for growth,” Tauring said. “Right now, we’ve just completed phase 1. Phase 2 will be 18,000 square feet with a larger auditorium and educational wing.”

What is the timeframe for future construction? “That would be as the Lord provides the money,” Tauring said.

Featured image photo caption: The congregation of Liberty Valley Church has moved from Macedonia into its “city upon a hill” on Olde Eight Road.