Valley Community Church, Divine Science, Roanoke VA

Valley Community Church	Our church began because one woman couldn't find a church where she felt comfortable. Ebba Polfelt had only participated in one or two services at the First Divine Science Church of Denver before her husband accepted a job in Roanoke. After they moved here in 1965, she visited a number of churches but none seemed quite right for her. She complained quite a bit about it to her husband, John, who finally asked her,
"Have you ever been to a church you really liked?" She answered, "I really liked that church in Denver." John suggested she call Denver and ask where was the nearest Divine Science Church to Roanoke. Two telephone calls put her in touch with Dr. Grace Faus, the Divine Science minister in Washington. Dr. Faus suggested that Ebba invite some of her friends over to read and discuss the denomination's text book, Divine Science: It's Principle and Practice. Dr. Faus sent her several copies. Ebba began inviting friends to her home on Sunday afternoons. She always served coffee in elegant little demitasse cups, along with her delicious homemade ginger cookies. Friends started bringing other friends for the lively discussions that took place and the group gradually outgrew the Polfelt living room. The meetings were moved
to the Patrick Henry Hotel and eventually the members decided to call the group, The First Divine Science Church of Roanoke. Dr. Faus and other members of the Washington church made many trips to Roanoke, periodically speaking on Sundays and teaching some of the basic Divine Science classes. A succession of Divine Science ministers came to Roanoke, stayed for various peroids of time and finally left. After finding that there were no more Divine Science ministers available to move to Roanoke, in 1972	Patrick Henry Hotel
Maurita Wiggins, one of the original members, became the leader of the group. After completing an M.Ed. in Counseling at the University of Virginia, she took on the responsibility of leading the worship service and providing a Sunday morning sermon. She began taking Divine Science courses by correspondence and went to the Brooks Divinity School in Denver every year for summer courses. Maurita became a licensed minister in 1977 and an ordained Divine Science minister in 1979. In 1980, after meeting at the Patrick Henry Hotel for some thirteen years, the congregation purchased two acres of land and built a sanctuary at 5000 Carriage Drive in southwest Roanoke County. The name of the church was changed to Valley Community Church, Divine Science in 1987.

History of Valley Community Church