Today we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church of Castle Shannon, 3636 Poplar Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15234, 412.561.0401, www.fpccs.com, Mr. Scott Shetter, Temporary Supply Pastor.
Bob’s thoughts:
We revisited First Presbyterian of Castle Shannon and were pleasantly surprised. There is a real presence of Christ in this church. It is, as I remembed, a very pleasant church. I recall thinking that they were poised to bring a relevance of Christ to the community, and it feels like that is starting to happen. I think God is leading them to a youth ministry: it seems there are enough children to start devoting some time to them. The Praise Team choir looked like they were praising Christ, there were smiles and joy showing.
The sermon was on the meaning of baptism, the responsibilities of the church, and the reminder to us all of being washed in the blood of our Savior. I thought the sermon was well delivered and received.
The restroom locations were identified in the bulletin, along with good signage. There was a church pen in the pew that read “Come Pray With Us” – a great evangelistic tool.
There were about 50 faithful souls who braved the heat and humidity to worship together.
I watched an older man offer a young child some hard candy (a favorite ministry of mine in the past) and the same child proceeded to perform an interpretive dance during the praise songs. There was a time of personal prayer offered during the singing of the last hymn. I had felt called to go forward to pray for the church leader, but there was a woman with whom he and the liturgist were praying. The hymn ended before the need for prayer was completed and prayer was continued (as it should be) with no awkwardness.
There is a banner on the wall proclaiming the overflowing riches poured out. It should be a sign for this church that God has poured out His blessings upon this congregation and that they now need to share with the community. There is a vibrant resurrection in this church…may God continue to bless them.
Jan’s thoughts:
We worshiped here once before, but unlike the snow covered ground that greeted us that day, today we were welcomed by the charming flowers – it was gorgeous. This is an attractive, well maintained church situated on a quiet street. The sign in front looked new, and it turns out all it took was a couple of coats of paint.
At our previous visit we noted there was little if any signage, but that has been remedied – and actually taken a step beyond. Today we noticed plenty of signage, including signs that state the areas accessible via particular stairs. Good for … whoever is responsible for this! It’s a matter of hospitality – visitors can’t help but feel welcome when they don’t have to guess the location of the restrooms, etc.
The people were extremely warm and friendly; many introduced themselves and a couple even remembered us from our previous visit.
The nicely-decorated Sanctuary looked even more inviting with the sun streaming in through the beautiful stained glass windows.
Some contemporary praise songs have been added to the line-up, and it was a delight to see people with their hands raised and children dancing while praising God with their music. The animation and smiles on the faces of the Praise Team showed their joy clearly.
As I’ve been known to do, I would humbly offer my 2 cents regarding bulletin design. I always suggest keeping the Order of Worship on the one folded outside page and including everything not worship-related (prayer lists, announcements, etc.) in the form of unfolded inserts. That way when the bulletin is folded for use during worship, the Order of Worship is visible and everything else can be inserted into the folded portion to be read later.
Mr. Shetter is a student at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, although I do not know what year, and for all intents and purposes is serving as an intentional interim. He has made some changes that seem to fit well, especially the instituting of Fellowship Time following worship. This time was well attended and everyone seemed enthusiastic about the opportunity to spend time together.
The sermon was based on Romans 6:1-14, and was titled “All Wet.” According to Mr. Shetter, the sermon title not only indicates what takes place during baptism, but also described the state of most of the Church in the view of the meaning of and what takes place during baptism. He did make some excellent points, such as “Jesus put death to death,” and “In our baptisms we are identified with Jesus and His death.” The message was deeply theological and given with passion and conviction.
I believe Mr. Shetter will continue to have a good influence on this church, and vice versa.
Showing posts with label First Presbyterian Church of Castle Shannon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Presbyterian Church of Castle Shannon. Show all posts
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, January 18, 2009
First Presbyterian Church of Castle Shannon
Today we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church of Castle Shannon, 3636 Poplar Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15234, www.fpccs.com.
Bob’s thoughts:
This is a beautiful little church nestled in Castle Shannon. The Sanctuary is very comfortable, well color-coordinated with nice stained glass and a cross on Communion table. A large screen was used for announcements, so it wasn’t till it was raised for the sermon that I saw it had concealed some wooden slats over the organ pipes. They looked like maybe a Boy Scout project and didn’t fit with the rest of the Sanctuary. Some nice banners and very comfortable pews. No signage from Sanctuary. Pew card noted “Pew Mail – Usher Delivery.”
The offering was taken before the Word was preached.
Children outnumbered adults almost 2 to 1 which made me think perhaps God might be calling this church to a youth ministry. It would be a good way to fill some of the empty seats.
I had the opportunity to page through the Annual Report and noticed a wide spread of mission support. I believe it would help to prioritize mission giving by supporting missions in which the congregation is active and for which they have a passion. The numbers presented in the Annual Report reflect the church returning God’s basic tithe. I’d think mission dollars would be well spent on local youth programs at the church. I would hope that the upcoming movie night has been promoted to neighborhood.
There was mention in the Annual Report of a mailing to new neighbors instead of visiting to welcome them to the neighborhood. Taking a loaf of bread and some welcome information is much more effective, in my opinion.
This church could be a vibrant part of this small community with a strong, passionate preaching of the Word.
Most of the few worshipers greeted us after the service.
I believe God is calling this church to go and do and I don’t think they will have to go very far. This community needs them…they just don’t know that Christ is the answer.
Jan’s thoughts:
The walks and parking lot were clear in spite of a fair amount of fresh-fallen snow. Unfortunately we were a few minutes late arriving, but still the ushers greeted us very warmly. We sat in the very last pew, but there was plenty of choice seating available.
I wasn’t able to see much of the outside of the building due to the snow, but the inside was quite tastefully decorated. The aesthetics were pleasing and the colors very well coordinated. The pews were well padded and very comfortable, and the pew backs and seats were upholstered identically. The wood was dark, accented by white pew ends. It was really quite pretty and looked to be well-maintained.
The liturgist’s name wasn’t in the bulletin, but he could’ve used an injection of enthusiasm. After hearing the pastor, though, I knew who the liturgist was patterning his speech after.
The elderly violinist provided a pleasant musical addition. Immediately following the Children’s Lesson, praise songs were sung and the children were invited to stay and join in. They were a joy to hear (and to watch) – especially the little one in his mother’s arms and holding the microphone zealously singing the “la la la la la la-s.”
Anyone desiring prayer was invited forward following the service for personal prayer. In this very small congregation it’s highly likely that most everyone knows everyone else.
A number of people greeted us after worship and were warm and sincere.
The bulletin could benefit from some creative touches.
The sermon was approximately 20 minutes long.
Bob’s thoughts:
This is a beautiful little church nestled in Castle Shannon. The Sanctuary is very comfortable, well color-coordinated with nice stained glass and a cross on Communion table. A large screen was used for announcements, so it wasn’t till it was raised for the sermon that I saw it had concealed some wooden slats over the organ pipes. They looked like maybe a Boy Scout project and didn’t fit with the rest of the Sanctuary. Some nice banners and very comfortable pews. No signage from Sanctuary. Pew card noted “Pew Mail – Usher Delivery.”
The offering was taken before the Word was preached.
Children outnumbered adults almost 2 to 1 which made me think perhaps God might be calling this church to a youth ministry. It would be a good way to fill some of the empty seats.
I had the opportunity to page through the Annual Report and noticed a wide spread of mission support. I believe it would help to prioritize mission giving by supporting missions in which the congregation is active and for which they have a passion. The numbers presented in the Annual Report reflect the church returning God’s basic tithe. I’d think mission dollars would be well spent on local youth programs at the church. I would hope that the upcoming movie night has been promoted to neighborhood.
There was mention in the Annual Report of a mailing to new neighbors instead of visiting to welcome them to the neighborhood. Taking a loaf of bread and some welcome information is much more effective, in my opinion.
This church could be a vibrant part of this small community with a strong, passionate preaching of the Word.
Most of the few worshipers greeted us after the service.
I believe God is calling this church to go and do and I don’t think they will have to go very far. This community needs them…they just don’t know that Christ is the answer.
Jan’s thoughts:
The walks and parking lot were clear in spite of a fair amount of fresh-fallen snow. Unfortunately we were a few minutes late arriving, but still the ushers greeted us very warmly. We sat in the very last pew, but there was plenty of choice seating available.
I wasn’t able to see much of the outside of the building due to the snow, but the inside was quite tastefully decorated. The aesthetics were pleasing and the colors very well coordinated. The pews were well padded and very comfortable, and the pew backs and seats were upholstered identically. The wood was dark, accented by white pew ends. It was really quite pretty and looked to be well-maintained.
The liturgist’s name wasn’t in the bulletin, but he could’ve used an injection of enthusiasm. After hearing the pastor, though, I knew who the liturgist was patterning his speech after.
The elderly violinist provided a pleasant musical addition. Immediately following the Children’s Lesson, praise songs were sung and the children were invited to stay and join in. They were a joy to hear (and to watch) – especially the little one in his mother’s arms and holding the microphone zealously singing the “la la la la la la-s.”
Anyone desiring prayer was invited forward following the service for personal prayer. In this very small congregation it’s highly likely that most everyone knows everyone else.
A number of people greeted us after worship and were warm and sincere.
The bulletin could benefit from some creative touches.
The sermon was approximately 20 minutes long.
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