The United Presbyterian Church of Ambridge

Today we worshiped at The United Presbyterian Church of Ambridge, 823 Maplewood Avenue, Ambridge, PA 15003, 724.266.1900.

Scripture – Mark 12:41-44 NIV

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Bob’s thoughts:

This church had been on my list to visit since shortly after we moved to Economy. I was looking for the “Center for Hope” to see if I could donate produce and I stopped to ask a man cleaning his car. He gave me directions “to where the milk plant used to be,” which I had no clue about. I took advantage of his knowledge of local places and asked if he could tell me where The Ladle was. He had an odd look on his face when he told me to turn around, as it was behind me.

The Ladle has a weekly meal for those in need and I thought it might be an outlet for the produce I was growing.

The sanctuary features a large domed ceiling, rich stained glass, and a large cross mounted over the organ pipes.

We were greeted warmly by a number of people and engaged in conversation before and after the service. This seems to be a larger facility but didn’t see any signage.

The long-time minister had recently retired and the visiting minister was the Ministry Director for The Uncommon Grounds, a local mission. One of our daughters volunteered there some years ago and I still remember how good the coffee was.

The pastor mentioned one of his daughters had visited Zambia and it brought to mind Jan’s mission trips to Malawi and stories I had heard about eating the chicken served by the host family while hungry family members looked in the window.

Pittsburgh Presbytery developed a partnership with Malawi and participated in the reciprocal visits. As Americans we gave money freely from our abundance, but the partnership was unbalanced in that the Malawians gave what was most valuable, they shared Jesus Christ. Those who were some of the poorest people of Africa were the real missionaries in bringing Christ here.

The pastor developed the message well with good Scriptural references and it was a joy to talk with him and some of his family after the service.

Jan’s thoughts:

The Ladle is an area soup kitchen we have heard about for some time but all we really knew was that it was held at this church. We have learned it is actually a non-profit corporation that is a vital source of assistance for many in Ambridge. I hope you will click HERE to learn more about The Ladle and the valuable work they do.

Someone came out to greet us even though we arrived in the midst of adult Sunday School in the sanctuary, and we were warmly welcomed by many before and after worship.

The sanctuary architecture included a central dome surrounded by arches and pews arranged in a semi-circle.

The long-time pastor retired last month so the church is in the process of identifying an interim. One thing we have noticed about many churches in Beaver Butler Presbytery are the long pastorates, though I can’t say we have any theories about why that is the case.

The church welcomed Pastor Herb Bailey to the pulpit this morning. Pastor Bailey is the Ministry Director at the Uncommon Grounds Café in Aliquippa, a “café, venue, and ministry” that is well known and respected in this area. (Please click HERE to visit the Uncommon Grounds’ website and learn about their unique ministry.)

Pastor Bailey’s message entitled “It’s the Little Things” spoke of giving our best, that we should give even when we don’t have it and avoid clinging to things with no lasting significance. He pointed out that we should also be sharing our testimony of what God has done in our lives, and reminded that we are all only stewards of what actually belongs to God.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we lift up this congregation to You as they do the work of finding the pastor you are calling for them. We pray for their time in prayer, that they will discover Your call for this church. Amen.