Riverdale Church

Today we worshiped at Riverdale Church, 1555 Brodhead Road, Moon Township, PA 15108, 724.457.0207, www.riverdalechurch.org, Rev. Allan R. Drake.


Bob’s thoughts:

When we got to the door of the church and saw that the service was to be outdoors, we almost went looking for another church. It was God’s guidance that we stayed.

The grounds were well maintained with plenty of parking. Signage wasn’t bad but visitors could benefit from some directional signs. We benefitted immensely by Sean, the church AV person, who gave us a guided tour, introduced us to the pastor and some members, and provided some history of the church. I was very impressed with the youth area, some good, dedicated space. Other than the nursery it is probably the most important dedicated space.

The worship service was outdoors. Some people sat on folding chairs, most were on blankets. The mobile wooden cross from the Sanctuary was outside also. There was not an order of worship; I do not know if one is normally projected on the large screen. The offering was taken before the Word.

Being the father of identical twins, it brought a special joy to my heart to watch some very similar-looking children.

Some great contemporary worship songs were chosen, but little passion was shown by the congregation. My impression is that the youth program is just getting started so hopefully the passion will grow with it.

The message, from Luke 10, was busy Martha and attentive Mary, that perhaps the most important was Mary and our focus on Christ. It was a good, simple message that was presented well but ran on with repeating.

Other than mention of a mission trip to Mexico there was little evidence of outward mission; this seems to be an internal church. They have just hired a Discipleship Director who may help their focus. He and his wife certainly sang well together.


Jan’s thoughts:

What a perfectly gorgeous day! We arrived early enough to allow for a tour of the building prior to worship but were surprised to discover a sign on the front doors indicating today’s worship service would be held outside on the lawn. Personally, I briefly considered suggesting to Bob that we go to another church we’d considered, but then we encountered an enthusiastic gentleman who took the time to show us around the building so I decided not to bring up the idea.

The facilities are beautiful and well kept with a truly gorgeous Sanctuary boasting lots and lots of stained glass. The padded pews are arranged at an angle, the cathedral ceiling is wood, and the balcony houses the permanent set-up of some impressive sound, lighting, and other audio/visual equipment and computers, for which our guide was responsible.

One wing of the building is devoted to the youth, and the two rooms we were shown were imaginatively decorated. One was a game room with foosball and several other activities and games, and the other was a café boasting bar-type seating, a kitchen area, and round tables with additional seats. Instead of paint on a couple of the walls, there was a huge blackboard. I could totally see youth having a blast in these areas.

We were told that the motto of Riverdale is “Come as you are,” so dress was not an issue (had I known I would’ve worn my jeans), and the worship is always contemporary in format. Surprisingly, this is the second church we’ve encountered recently that has chosen to forgo traditional worship altogether.

The atmosphere was relaxed but not overly friendly. A few women in front of us acknowledged us without actually saying hello and another woman several seats away initiated some conversation, but the only other people who spoke to us at all were the ones to whom we were specifically introduced.

The worship service was held outdoors with some large speakers aimed at a slight hillside where most of the people sat on blankets. There were some chairs off to the side for the older folks or anyone who didn’t want to sit: 1. on a blanket on the ground, 2. in the sun, or 3. in front of the large speakers. We sat on the chairs because we fell into all three categories.

The music was uplifting (strictly contemporary) and included a favorite of mine, “Days of Elijah,” which I love and haven’t sung in some time. The pastor played guitar and led in the singing as well…he’s very gifted. Lots of children came down for the children’s sermon, and we had been told that there’s never a problem with the children staying with parents throughout the service, even if they make some noise.

Since there was no bulletin, I don’t know the title of the sermon. It was based on the story of Martha and Mary and Martha’s request of Jesus that He tell Mary to help her with the work. Instead, however, Jesus told Martha that Mary was doing the more important thing in spending time with Him. The pastor pointed out that many in the congregation were leading “Martha” lives and needed to re-arrange their priorities to make time for “the more important thing” (spending time with Jesus). He said he understood this because the Holy Spirit had recently convicted him of this, so he was fervent in his efforts to persuade his flock to also take steps in this direction. Knowing nothing of the lives of anyone in the congregation, I won’t argue with him.

However, the sermon did make me ask if perhaps my life is too Martha-like, which I suppose is the point – to get us to at least ask the question. Hopefully, when God answers the question the ears of my heart will be open to hearing His response.