Sewickley Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Sewickley Presbyterian Church, 414 Grant Street, Sewickley, PA 15143, www.sewickleypresby.org.


Bob’s thoughts:

This dignified Presbyterian church is nestled in Sewickley. Architecturally it feels very Scottish throughout with beautiful stained glass windows and woodwork. However, the wide variety of wood finishes detracted from the effect; the chancel area was not tied to the rest of the Sanctuary. Good pads on the pews, pew racks contained the usual envelopes, prayer cards, as well as emergency exit cards. Signage was good with the exception of the visitor area. The bulletin indicated there were visitor information packets but we were unable to locate the visitor area.

The organ had a very heavy bass early, almost borderline for me, but was very good through the service. The chancel was nicely laid out with a cross prominently displayed.

We did not tour the rest of the building, not even my usual peek at the kitchen.

We were welcomed very warmly by the Senior Pastor, who identified the direction to the Sanctuary. The greeting was so warm that I wasn’t prepared for the prim and proper sermon delivery. I felt he was theologically on track with the topic of the Spirit’s direction of Simeon at the temple and His involvement in our lives currently. I feel the pastor’s style fits the church and they are good for each other.

The offering was taken after the Word and was incorporated with Communion. The elements were passed silently and taken when received. It seemed odd not to commune as one.

We attended an 11 a.m. service, so I was somewhat unprepared for the number of worshipers nearby who closed their eyes for prayer and kept them closed.

I enjoyed Associate Pastor Scott Hoffman’s delivery, confession, welcome, and children’s message. The Scripture readings were good, with some minor differences in translations that caught my attention.

Overall felt I had stepped back in time (I was looking to see if the women’s heads were covered), but the illusion of old Presbyterianism was broken by the odd coloration of the chancel area. We were greeted by smiles and some spontaneous dialog that often happens when a church has multiple services: most didn’t know that we were visitors.

The only obvious evidence of external mission was photos of a Habitat for Humanity house with which the church was involved.


Jan’s thoughts:

This is a very formal, traditional church. The parking lot was quite small but there was ample on-street space. Once inside there was plenty of signage, including a map of the building. The structure is older but quite well-kept, and I wish we’d had more opportunity to look around.

We were still wearing our coats when the pastor, Dana Jones, recognized us as visitors and welcomed us, followed soon by Associate Pastor Tracey Cowan. Dana was kind enough to point the way to the Sanctuary, so we didn’t need to look for a sign.

The room through which we entered, the Robinson Room, was decorated with lots of dark wood and some serious antiques, giving it a very long-standing and affluent atmosphere. However the people were friendly, without actually going out of their way to greet us.

The Sanctuary is interestingly arranged. All the pews are comfortably padded with a few additional pews off to either side in the front. The organ is located in the very back of the Sanctuary, and the organ pipes line the rear chancel wall. The choir sits to the left facing the chancel, and the pulpit is at the horizontal center of the chancel. I expected the color in the chancel to at least complement the dark wood ceiling and pews, but it looked like it belonged elsewhere as it appeared to have been “antiqued.” I wished it matched better.

All the music was traditional and exceptionally well rendered, including a solo in German during Communion.

The offering was taken at the beginning of the Sacrament of Communion, which makes an intriguing theological statement.

The back page of the bulletin was entitled “Welcome Visitors!” with announcements aimed at that specific audience, including an inventive invitation to take a Peace Candle and a brochure to their home congregation, stating, “The candles make visible our prayers for the healing of the warfare and interpersonal violence that poison the human community.”

The bulletin itself is printed on white 11x17 paper with one fold in the center, and announcements that seem to pertain to the members are printed on a pink, single-folded 11x17 sheet inside. It’s well done, in my opinion.

The sermon spoke to the question of whether we are guided by the Holy Spirit, and although the ultimate answer from the pulpit was “yes,” that’s about the extent of what I grasped from it. I heard little excitement from it and was unsure of the point beyond what I’ve already stated.

It's a nice place to visit but...