Oakdale United Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Oakdale United Presbyterian Church, 62 Hastings Avenue, Oakdale, PA 15071, 724.693.8950, Rev. Mark Simonds, Pastor.


Bob’s thoughts:

Today I experienced Christ in an interesting Sanctuary: the ceiling is wood paneled with an interior dormer effect to the side windows. There are a number of woods/finishes that work well together.

Signage at the entry stair identified the ladies room downstairs, but the men’s was much more of an adventure.

The cross on the Communion table was the standard brass cross but was partially blocked from my vision and seemed diminutive in its surroundings.

The whole rear wall of the Sanctuary is stained glass, which I didn’t see until we turned to leave.

To me, the most impressive thing about the facility was the audio system. The amplification was excellent, with the most unobtrusive speakers I’ve never seen. I don’t know where they were located, but the voice seemed to come directly from the Pastor, and without echo.

We were welcomed by a few people before the service, and during the Passing of Christ’s Peace the Pastor even made his way to the back to greet us.

I was impressed by the Pastor’s unstructured, comfortable prayers, like son to father, Abba.

The sermon developed around the promises of God’s truth then, as for us now. The church struggles to be welcoming and share God’s truth, but our stories need to be shared as much as we need to share them. I thought the message was well presented by this Teaching Elder.

The church was encouraged to write their stories of faith to share, and I pray they will share beyond their walls.

It was a joy to lift this Pastor and congregation in prayer. I look forward to hearing of their impact for Christ in this community.

Jan’s thoughts:

The Sanctuary walls are yellow with a dark wooden ceiling and lots of woodwork all around. The stained glass windows are exceptionally intricate in beautiful jewel tones.

Many people greeted us prior to worship as well as during the service.

The bulletin was user-friendly, by which I mean I could fold it in half to hold non-worship-related materials, making it easy to follow the Order of Worship.

I was not expecting a praise team or contemporary music, but found both here. The music was sung with enthusiasm and an unexpected volume from the congregation, making it truly uplifting. The Pastor is part of the praise team and has an excellent voice.

There was also passion from the pulpit. I appreciated hearing so much Scripture read, which is always a wonderful thing in my opinion. Today we read Genesis 28:10-22, John 18:33-37, and 3 John (although it was supposed to be the first four verses, he read the whole book). The Sermon was the first part of a series: “True Fellowship: 1. Connected by Truth.”

He pointed out that in the passage from Genesis God used the vision to get Jacob’s attention, and in His message to Jacob he reaffirmed His covenant with Abraham and Isaac and made it clear that His promises also applied to Jacob. The promise of God is the truth, and in the John passage Jesus stated that His purpose was to testify to the truth. Through faith in Christ we belong to God and each other (which is a point that is new to me), and because of our faith in Christ we set aside our differences. This common faith in our Savior overrides any differences we may have.