North Park Church

Today we worshiped at North Park Church, 600 Ingomar Road, Wexford, PA 15090, 412.367.5000, www.northparkepc.org, Dan Hendley, Senior Pastor.

Scripture – Philippians 4:4-9 NASB

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Bob’s thoughts:

Sometimes a small detail makes a major impact on a visitor, such as the young male usher at the door who greeted me as he presented the bulletin to me. There were only a few others who spoke to us, including a co-worker of Jan’s. Churches may avoid missing an opportunity to identify visitors by watching who parks in the visitor’s spots.

There is a superb wooden cross over the window. We sat at the rear wall so I couldn’t see all of the praise team but appreciated the animation of one of the female singers.

I was glad we could be there for worship on the first Sunday of Advent as everyone seemed so ready to praise God. I enjoyed watching a young family as they exchanged daughters they were holding, and when the older got to dad’s arms she snuggled in sweetly.

Doug Smith made a presentation about the Light of Life mission which brought back memories of when I was involved with a similar shelter on the North Side. While I was helping prepare the evening meal I met a client who was the son of a well-paid co-worker as well as someone with the same last name as me. I got the message clear: there but for the grace of God go I.

The message was presented by a pastor from Glade Run, Jim Smith. He told of a leadership group who was asked what they were thankful for but the leader excluded the easy choices or, as they were referred to, “the low-hanging fruit.”

We talk about giving thanks to God in all circumstances, and we learned how difficult that was after our son’s death but how vital God’s presence was through that trial.

I liked the phrases about “the certainty of God’s providential care” and that “no pain is wasted.” I am grateful we were here for this sermon.

I do wish the Scripture versions used during the reading matched the printed one in the handout.

Jan’s thoughts:

It has been nearly four years since our last visit, and much seems the same. Visitor parking is provided near the front door, and indoor directional signage is abundant.

We sat in the row at the rear wall and a couple of people nearby said hello. Just as the service was beginning, a co-worker friend stopped to greet us, which was a wonderful surprise.

This sizeable sanctuary looked to be filled to capacity by the time worship was underway. The music had a terrific harmony and volume, and I appreciated the excellent timing on the slide changes.

I also thought the bulletin was well designed with the order of worship on the front and sermon notes and Scripture on the only colored sheet (today it was green but it probably changes).

We were privileged to hear some words from Doug Smith from Light of Life Ministries, which is supported in part by this church. Doug stated the sobering reminder that most people are “one or two decisions away” from being in need of the services offered at Light of Life.

The sermon, “Now Thank We All Our God,” was presented by Pastor Jim Smith of Glade Run Lutheran Services. He stated that crises are what cause us to tap into sincere gratitude because they drive out the dross from our lives and it is when broken-world realities intrude that we are forced to focus on what truly matters. He said that gratitude is the fruit of faith, and the enemy of faith is anxious worry; God wastes none of the pain in our lives.

The comment I immediately identified with was about crisis driving out the dross as I found this to be true when our son was killed. There were things that mattered to me before that I could not have cared less about after, such as television. Prior to that day I was hooked on CSI and similar series, but have not watched a single one since. His Homegoing was like a line in the sand in my life, there was “before” and “after” and some things were simply burned away in the event.

But since that event, God has become more real to me, and I believe this pastor was right on target when he said that the heart transformation results in gratitude. It is a difficult journey that I would never have chosen, but I am grateful to now know the One in Whom I believe.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we witnessed the enthusiasm of this congregation in worshiping You and we pray Your guidance that You will continue to be glorified. Amen.

North Park Church

Today we worshiped at North Park Church, 600 Ingomar Road, Wexford, PA 15090, 412.267.9032, www.northparkepc.org, Dan Hendley, Senior Pastor, and Jonathan Shirk, Associate Pastor.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were warmly welcomed at North Park Church, where we were invited to worship. We found good signage; it is a large complex and there was only time to see a small part of the facility.

I noticed no mention of missions in the literature I saw. There does seem to be a healthy mix of ages in the congregation. The church body sang the worship songs with passion. To me there seemed a high ratio of male voices, which is unusual in all churches.

I could tell that there was a large cross behind the screen, but when the screen was raised for the sermon, for me it was like coming through the tunnel and seeing the City of Pittsburgh: it was a special moment.

The sermon was on the basics of our lives: Jesus is essential. The pastor revealed a bit of the Antichrist in us and those around us in that we are happy to have Christ in us but resistant to be also in Him. We gladly claim the Savior, but not so acknowledging Him as Lord.

The pastor spoke with the conviction of Christ and let Christ speak through him. It was refreshing to hear the Word preached without excuses. I think we accommodate people for so long that we forget what we believe.

God is calling us to be rhinos. A dear friend who is an engineer related to us once that a rhino charges at a speed that far exceeds its eyesight, so that he cannot see what he will be running into. The time has come for all of us to be rhinos for Christ. Make no apologies for your faith…your witness may save a life.

Jan’s thoughts:

Over Christmas we received a kind invitation via email to visit this church. I had heard of it before and it was “on our list” but I really knew nothing about it.

The directional signage as we pulled into the parking lot was most helpful, and parking spaces marked for visitors are a clear indication of a hospitable church.

The building is rather new, quite large, and well-kept with excellent directional signage. Many people greeted us, though I’m not at all sure they knew we were visitors (which does not matter in the least).

The bulletin was well arranged and attractive to the eye. I especially liked the font.

The large Sanctuary contains comfortably-padded pews that were filled to capacity. The praise band consisted of a drummer, two female vocalists, a pianist, a keyboardist, and a violinist, and the music sounded professional. (We learned in conversation after the service that the Director of Music and Worship was a professional musician.)

I realize that we often comment negatively regarding the volume of the music, so I feel compelled to say that the volume today was perfect. We sat toward the back, as usual, but not once today did I think that the volume was excessive. (My ears and my head were grateful.)

Making announcements during the offertory seemed to work exceptionally well, and I appreciated that the screen was put up during the sermon. I knew Bob would like that too, since it revealed a plain but beautiful wooden cross.

The sermon, entitled “BASICS: Jesus is Essential,” was based on 1 John 2:18-27, and was part of a series. When I first saw the title I wondered if the series was geared toward those new to the faith, but nothing could have been further from the truth. The main point (as expressed on the sermon notes insert) was that “Jesus is essential for discerning the truth, fighting hard for truth, enduring in the truth, and enjoying eternal life.” He spoke to points with which most Christians struggle (Christians I know, anyway) such as the Antichrist, eschatology, cultural pressure to conform, knowledge, discernment, religious pluralism, and eternal life.

His instruction included using Scripture to interpret Scripture and to define one’s position on cultural issues, how to identify false teachers, the admonitions that “The fight for truth is now” and “Where there is no truth, there is no love,” as well as encouragement to know that God has given believers His Holy Spirit. He concluded with the lovely directive to “Be winsome but never compromising, and be joyful in the journey.” It was one of the most challenging, interesting, courageous, on-target sermons I’ve heard in a long time.

Following the service we were given a tour of the children’s space, which was truly outstanding, and had a pleasant visit with the gentleman who had emailed us and the Director of the Children’s Ministry. I was truly blessed by our visit today.