St. Matthew's Union Church was formed out of community need for a place to worship. In the 1870s travel was difficult, especially for the children and the elderly. The Rev. Dr. M.J. Alleman provided worship for the community of Pleasent Valley once every four weeks beginning in 1877. They met in the Old School House that remains standing on South Pleasant Valley Road. Rev. Alleman started the movement for a church and a committee was formed, whose members were Samuel Lawyer, John Myers, Emanuel Myers, George Bowers, John Helwig, Samuel Warehime, and Absolem Bankert. Land was purchased that was originally part of the William Devilbiss farm. Mr. Devilbiss was always ready to donate his horse team to haul stone and sand, as well as his hired-hand to help the builders. Samuel Warehime brought timbers for the church from Frizzleburg.

      The cornerstone was laid on May 24, 1879, and the building dedicated on November 30, 1879. The Rev. Dr. M.J. Alleman preached the first sermon and Rev. Charles Trump was the first supply pastor. Rev. Trump lived in Charlestown, W.V. and would preach on Sunday evening and return home by train on Monday.

      St. Matthew's Union Church looked different in 1879. It had a stone and wood exterior with no stain glass windows and a tall spire. There were balconies located near the stairways and members were seated on wooden benches. A table was used for communion and as an alter. Pot-bellied stoves, located where the chimneys are, were used to heat the church. The dirt road that ran in front of the church was lined with trees. A stable and hitching posts were located in the rear of the building. Outhouses served the comfort facilities of the congregation.

      Two denominations utilized the same church building, St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and St. Matthew's Reformed Church. Similar in their theology, but different in their style of worship, they shared the church for over 100 years. Each denomination alternated their service, one week a Lutheran service and the next a Reformed service. Cooperatively they conducted a weekly Sunday School.

      The congregations made some major renovations between 1915 and 1916. The balconies were removed, opera seating replaced wooden benches and a metal ceiling was installed. A recessed pulpit and choir loft were added. The records reveal that at least one stain glass windows was added. Music was and is important to our congregations and during the late 1920s an organ was purchased. Improvements continued and in 1941 the present stained glass windows were installed. Church families donated the stained glass windows in honor or memory of their loved ones. At some point the steeple was replaced with a gothic style steeple, story has it that it had been struck by lightening. In 1954, a new organ was purchased. The exterior of the church received a facelift with aluminum sliding in 1969. The interior of the sanctuary received a new look in 1994 with pews replacing the opera seating and new carpet. The most recent addition is the new organ in 1994.

      Building a church and having the income to support this was a massive undertaking in 1879. It was recorded that on May 31, 1890, the Church debt was paid in full. It is interesting to note that the joint treasury did not carry a balance from year to year. Almost invariably, cash-on-hand covered the join expenses to the penny.

      As time passed the community and congregations changed and St. Matthew's Union Church adapted to those changes. On May 19, 1991, St. Matthew's Lutheran and St. Matthew's Reformed Church merged to become St. Matthew's United Church Of Christ of Pleasant Valley. This blended Congregation is like a family, which is growing, learning, and sometimes struggling to seek the mission of the Church. God has richly blessed St. Matthew in the past, and his blessings still abound as our members continue to worship and flourish as a community of faith.