In 1974 the small nucleus of people that would ultimately form First Baptist Church started meeting together at the Gardnerville Volunteer Fire Department. The church purchased 2.3 acres at Highways 88 and 395 intersection. The first building was then constructed at a modest cost of only $55,000. In 1985 the church purchased 10 acres on Centerville Lane in Gardnerville and in 2008 FBC constructed its present facilities consisting of a beautiful worship center, spacious lobby, kitchen, offices, and classrooms.

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On Sunday, May 4, 2014, our leadership decided to select a name that would be denominationally neutral, more concise, and unique to this region. “Shadow Mountain Church” seems to meet all the proposed criteria.

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Shadows are used repeatedly throughout Scripture to describe God’s interaction with mankind. Each late afternoon and evening the massive moving shadow from the Sierra Mountain range that engulfs our church campus and congregant’s homes reminds us that God brings us relief from our struggles (Isaiah 32:1-2), God is in control of all that happens to us (Isaiah 49:1 and 2 compare to Galatians 4:4) and that God is also here to protect us from potential threats to our personal well being and congregational existence (Psalm 57:1).

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SMC's spiritual leaders in order, are Paul Ray (1974-1976)  Dave Boos (1979), Ed Jordan (1980-1990), Larry Daily (1991-1996), Rene Houle (1997-1998), Adam Barkley (1999-2008), Larry Webb (2012 - 2023), Daniel Flynn (2023 - Current)

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God has now positioned Shadow Mountain to become a high-impact church bringing the message of Jesus Christ to the entire Carson valley.