Old Union Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Old Union Presbyterian Church, 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046, 724.538.8672, www.OldUnionChurch.com, Rev. Dr. Peter deVries, Pastor.


Bob’s thoughts:

Expecting a more sedate country church, I was pleasantly surprised with a modern, vibrant worship center. We arrived right before the service was to start. One woman did come over to welcome us.

Although I noticed no signage, we did locate a social area and restrooms, which I must add were clean, bright, and well laid-out.

There is a large wooden cross on the rear wall of the Chancel, some attractive banners, and one excellent painting I noticed. The congregation stood as the Communion elements were carried in by the serving Elders. We sat in an offset from the main Sanctuary so I was unable to see the whole choir, but the face of worship was evident on one woman as she sang.

The sermon title of “By Hook or by Crook” got the attention of this old Marine who sometimes needed to acquire weapons that were not in our budget by any means possible.

The sermon caused me to reflect: it is amazing how easy it is to disagree or be offended when someone’s theology or style of worship is different than ours. I find myself in this very position. I have been uncomfortable in the large, loud churches and I guess I have been quick to judge them as leading people astray from God’s Word. That if they offer “feel good” worship it cannot be honoring Christ. But if Christ is preached and it is done with loud cymbals, Christ is still preached. We need to know in our heart that whatever the worship style in the other church, it is still worship of Jesus. I may never be comfortable in a mega-church, but I cannot judge the sincerity of their worship. These are people for whom Christ died also.

Communion was introduced using Paul’s words “I received from the Lord what I now share with you.” I was disappointed that the elements were shared silently.

We were greeted by only a few people but the student pastor remembered us from a visit to another church a year ago.

The church seems to have an active mission involvement and I was please to see Northside Common Ministries as one they support as it is still close to my heart.

I really appreciated their ministry to the military. There is a world deployment map on the rear wall with some biographical information. During prayer time the list of service people they hold in prayer was read aloud by the congregation and I was told how some have a member praying just for them.

Jan’s thoughts:

This is a clean, well-kept facility, nicely decorated with some unique touches such as some distinctive stained glass created by a member of the church and a large quilted wall hanging that was a gift from American Indians visited by members on a mission trip.

I thought the parking lot was a bit confusing. Also I was surprised that there was so little signage: the only signs I saw anywhere were on the front of the restrooms. The ladies room was quite spacious, lacking only a place to hang or lay my wrap while I used the facilities. It looked almost barren, and the entry space to the rest room could use some decoration also.

A few people only nodded hello and said nothing, but a few went out of their way to introduce themselves and welcome us. Shortly after we took our seats in the Sanctuary a woman came over and introduced herself and told us how glad she was we were there, all the while rubbing my shoulder, which I thought was rather sweet.

I was perplexed during the Lighting of the Candles when everyone sang some music but we were left scratching our heads because the music was not listed or identified in the Order of Worship.

The organ was well done during most of the service, but during the Prayers of the People it was playing very quietly but almost all I could hear was a deep bass reverberation that left me dizzy due to my ear condition. A nice touch during the Prayers was the reciting aloud of the names of the 26 members of this church who are actively serving in the military, along with a bulletin board indicating their locations on a map and including photos and notes, all clear indications that this church has not forgotten those who fight for freedom.

The offering was taken “African-style” which made me smile after an enjoyable dinner with two Malawian friends the evening before! The congregation was invited to come forward and place their offering in a basket toward the front of the Sanctuary while some lively music was played. It was different from most Presbyterian churches – in the United States, anyway!

The Sermon was entitled, “By Hook or by Crook” and was based on Isaiah 45:1-8 and Philippians 1:12-18a. It had to do with perspective – when Paul was in prison he was not sitting around complaining, feeling sorry for himself. Instead he saw it as an opportunity to espouse the Good News to a (literally) captive audience. Paul acted as a “force multiplier” – the important thing is that Christ is preached.

I also appreciated the point made by the pastor that God can and does use whom He wishes to use, regardless of whether that person acknowledges God or is the least bit inclined to work for God’s purposes. I’m so grateful for this, as it means that even when I make a mistake, He can still bring good from the situation. Remembering that is always so encouraging, and believing it makes it even more so!