First Presbyterian Church of New Brighton

Today we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church of New Brighton, 1199 3rd Avenue, New Brighton, PA 15066, 724.846.6144, www.newbrightonfpc.com, Rev. John Dickey, Pastor.


Bob’s thoughts:

This is a church with a definite “old Presbyterian” look – a stone structure and large steeple. Inside we found great stained glass and woodwork, and the large central cross was framed by ornate woodwork.

The floor plan was somewhat unusual in that there seemed to be no way to reach the restrooms but through the front of the Sanctuary. I noticed no signage anywhere. The heating system banged loudly through part of the service.

I thought the bulletin was awkward, and I’m sure Jan will address it.

We were very warmly greeted when we entered and again during the greeting portion of the service. There were four Bible readings, and I was very pleased that the offering was taken in response to the Word.

The message, “Loosen Up,” worked around our need to give it up to God to be part of God’s Kingdom. There was mention of the Episcopal churches that seceded from the Diocese of Pittsburgh and wanted to take their property with them but the court ruled in favor of the Diocese. In a way they took what was important, as their ordination would remain intact.

During the announcements the pastor told of the Presbyterian Women donating money for a hospital in Japan and now the hospital is donating the same sum back to be used for mission efforts in Asia. You cannot outgive God. Giving above your tithe may not relieve your financial difficulties, but it does remove the worry when you give it up to God.

When I saw some young children in the congregation I was prayerfully optimistic that this was not just another “old” Presbyterian church at its last.

Jan’s thoughts:

While en route we thought we might have missed the church, but as we looked further down the street we guessed the building with a very tall steeple was where we were heading, and we were right. We were pleasantly surprised to see lots of on-street parking. It’s a large, old building, totally reminiscent of a time when mainline churches were filled to capacity every Sunday, when the men wore suits and ties and the women wore hats and gloves.

The Sanctuary is striking, the entire ceiling matching the dark wood of the pews, intricate stained glass throughout, a huge Chancel area with the choir loft up high and back against the wall and the pulpit in the center just below the choir. On the rear wall of the Chancel was a large cross, also done in dark wood, on a white background with dark wood scallops effectively creating a frame.

There were several positive points:

The people were friendly, many welcoming us prior to the service and during the greeting time (which no one rushed through).

The Prayer for Illumination was prayed prior to the reading of Scripture. I hardly ever see that; usually it seems to follow Scripture and precede the sermon (incorrectly, in my opinion). Then there was another prayer between the Scripture readings and the sermon and another following the sermon.

An Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading, a Psalm read responsively, and a Gospel reading…it’s refreshing to hear so much Scripture during worship.

Although plain, the bulletin contained event invitations, a prayer list, and thank-yous; however, the layout was awkward because part of the Order of Worship was on a separate sheet inside the folded page. I was confused for a moment when I first opened the bulletin because the order seemed to begin with the Call to Worship, the Invocation, and the Gloria Patri directly to the Offertory and through to the benediction. I couldn’t find the sermon until I removed all the inserts and then found the rest of the Order of Worship.

As I have in the past, I would suggest keeping the Order of Worship on the one folded page (inside and back page) and including the rest of the inserts unfolded inside. That way when the bulletin is folded for use during worship it's possible to insert everything inside that's not worship-related and still follow the service without having to be concerned about loose sheets.

The sermon was entitled “Loosen Up,” and after reading Scripture from Job 23 and the 22nd Psalm, I was curious to hear a message with that title. The point was to hold loosely the things of this world, as the only eternal value they bear is in how we use them. Good point.