Today we worshiped at New Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, 183 New Bethlehem Church Road, Aliquippa, PA 15001, 724.378.3751, www.newbethlehempc.org, Rev. Randall K. Clow, Pastor.
Bob’s thoughts:
I didn’t notice much signage, but with the pew pad there was a “Welcome, Visitor!” card containing the basic layout of the church and other information.
The rear wall of the Chancel has a charming cross (more on that later). The side walls are done with a raised panel design that is repeated as a wainscot, and although the pews are stained darker it all ties together quite well. The windows are large and plain with a dried wreath.
There is an exceptional pressed tin ceiling and comfortable pew pads. I don’t believe the church is air conditioned, but comfortable nonetheless. Overall a very pleasant worship experience.
We were warmly greeted by the pastor’s wife (with whom I had enjoyed a pleasant conversation at the Presbytery office). I was surprised that she remembered me. We were greeted by some others, including a Session member who gave us the pastor’s card with her greeting. Seemed to be a very healthy age mix and some very cute children.
There were two points from the sermon that really spoke to me. One: the reverence in the Jewish faith toward God’s Name, that it would not be spoken or written, being too holy to speak. It reminded me of when our late son was given an assignment in school to write a paper on mythological gods, he handed it back and said he believed in Jesus Christ and none of these “gods.” That was a faith lesson to me.
The second point was how our children are influenced. Thirty years ago, the two strongest influences in children’s’ lives were family and church, and now they are culture and school. This brought to mind how, when I grew up, everyone I knew lived with both birth parents, and one generation later, when our five children were in school, they had no friends living with both birth parents until one of them met someone in college for whom that was the case.
The devil is always on the prowl to steal the faith of any child.
The choir’s anthem was a song my wife had learned in Africa, and we were pleased that the African words were sung also. Some of the choir smiled while singing, which makes it seem a lot more like worship and less of a performance. How can you praise God and not smile?
The male quartet sang, “Leave Your Heavy Burden at the Cross.” While the song spoke to me, the shadow of the cross looked like a heavy box hanging from the cross. Maybe it was only meant for me, but it was powerful.
I had a very good feeling about this church and its leadership. They seem ready to go where Christ leads them. I pray I am so ready.
Jan’s thoughts:
New Bethlehem is an attractive, well-kept church; however, the only signage I noticed was on the fronts of doors. The people were exceptionally friendly and seemed very comfortable with each other. The atmosphere was full of joy, and the service was well attended by people of all ages.
One kindly lady (who seemed genuinely comfortable greeting visitors) took the time to speak with us and gave us the pastor’s card. Many other people greeted us warmly.
The Sanctuary is beautiful, with some unique woodwork designs on the rear wall of the Chancel and the design and scheme carried throughout the entire Sanctuary. Even with no stained glass, the windows were striking, with a wreath decorating each one.
Parts of the bulletin were in large print; the older I get the more I appreciate such things.
The sermon was based on Deuteronomy 6:1-4 and Ephesians 6:1-4 and emphasized the importance of fathers’ (i.e., parents’) Biblical duty to teach children faith and moral values. The significance of this responsibility becomes too great to be underestimated in light of the statement by Martin Luther (quoted by the pastor) that “Satan has a plan to steal the heart of every child.” If we don’t believe that, we are not only fooling ourselves but playing with fire in terms of the everlasting destiny of our children and future generations.
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