Park United Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Park United Presbyterian Church, 109 West Grandview Avenue, Zelienople, PA 16063, 724.452.9570, www.parkup.org, Rev. Jon Nelson, Pastor.

 

Scripture – Luke 15:11-32 NIV

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“ ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

 

Bob’s thoughts:

We arrived close to start time, but even if we had been, early the current restrictions don’t allow much for socializing. We were greeted by the ushers, a woman in the pew behind us, and another woman and a gentleman after worship.

The church will be going back to two services in separate spaces to allow for cleaning and preparation.

I don’t know when we last visited here, but we were looking forward to hearing the new minister.

I’m sure the service was available online, but it was a first for me that the children’s message was delivered and posted online before the worship service. The pastor sang and played guitar for a song from their message, a parody of Puff, the Magic Dragon.

I loved the duet from two women of the church; their voices blended perfectly.

I think this is the first time I’ve heard a pastor correctly refer to Christ’s parable as the Two Lost Sons. Another thought-provoking concept was how this would be received by different cultures, and maybe a step more, how it is received now. The sons’ actions, the father’s response, and maybe complicate it just a little more by our judgmental attitudes. This is how we come to Christ, deserving nothing, yet we are welcomed with open arms.

It gave me pause to think about growing up with three brothers, and then our five children, I wonder how much any of us ever understood about each other.

A reference from the message that appealed to me was a book: What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap Between Pulpit and Pew.

We appreciate the time the pastor spent with us after the service.

 

 Jan’s thoughts:

Since it was on the cool side this morning, we located a church with an indoor service. Even with parishioners sitting at least 6 feet apart, masks were required throughout the service. Like most others, this church has an online viewing option and sermons are posted on the website. 

A few people welcomed us from a distance and there was no handshaking.

The pastor announced that on October 4 they will return to two services, albeit in separate portions of the building. It has not been decided when Sunday School will resume.

The pastor presented the children’s sermon in which he played guitar and sang an imaginative parody called Muff, the Tragic Wagon.

I enjoyed the voices of the two women who sang the anthem.

The current sermon series focuses on Jesus’ parables, and today’s was about the Prodigal Son. The pastor acknowledged this parable actually told of two prodigal sons, as both sons were lost and in need of forgiveness.

He spoke of an interesting book, What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap Between Pulpit and Pew by Mark Allan Powell. It examines the cultural filters through which people understand Scripture. When Americans were asked the meaning of this parable, they said it was a story about right versus wrong. Because of their familiarity with famines, Russians pointed to that aspect of the story. Africans viewed it through the lens of community and social obligation. I find it fascinating that there are so many potential interpretations of this parable.

The pastor stated that, within families, some kids need more attention, care, and direction than others, but God loves us all, not just the prodigal. God’s love can seem unfair, but it can transform us when we understand.

He closed by asking where we might be lost within our lives and faith and admonished people not to stay outside and miss the party.

We appreciated the time the pastor took for (masked) conversation following the service.

 

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, may the brotherhood and sisterhood of Your church uphold and lift each other up to You. Amen.

Park United Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Park United Presbyterian Church, 115 E. Grandview Avenue, Zelienople, PA 16063, 724.452.9570, www.parkup.org, Rev. Paul Merrill, Pastor.

Scripture – Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were welcomed at the door and one usher brought a welcome gift to the pew. Some other members came by during the Passing of the Peace of Christ. Some who greeted us politely thanked us for visiting and invited us back.

There is good signage pointing downstairs to the restrooms as well as a large sign pointing the way back up to the sanctuary. In this smaller building it may not be necessary but was appreciated nonetheless.

I remember taking the family to Kennywood Park. There were so many yellow arrow signs pointing the way TO the park that if you missed a turn you likely would come across sign that would point you in the right direction. But coming home in the dark, in the days before GPS, was a challenge. I don’t know if it is possible to enter the church through the basement, but if so, the sign would help. I hope we are all living our lives to create a sign that points others to Christ.

This is a pleasant sanctuary with lots of stained glass and an appealing cross.

The sermon, “Two Kingdoms,” described the Pharisees’ teaming with the Herodians to try to trip up Jesus: they figured a yes-or-no answer regarding paying tribute to Caesar would condemn Christ.

I have always marveled at how succinctly Christ answers His detractors, in as few words as possible. I always hoped to find someone who appreciated the nuances of literature who wasn’t a Christian to confirm my feelings. The few people who fit the bill accepted Christ as Lord and Savior after reading the New Testament, so maybe I got my proof after all.

I was lamenting the “Presbyterian” mode of contemporary worship but learned from the praise band leader that every other week they are free to up-tempo the worship, a comment I found interesting.

Jan’s thoughts:

It turned out the two gentlemen who greeted us with bulletins were former members of the military (Army and Navy), so they immediately commented on Bob’s Marine shirt and the conversation was off and running. A warm welcome indeed!

We visited this church some time ago but this time we opted for the early, contemporary service.

The signage was plentiful, obvious, simple, helpful, and included arrows. Even downstairs, exiting the restroom area was a sign pointing the way to the sanctuary.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly; it felt like a family church.

The music was quiet, toned-down contemporary, and the harmony was quite good.

The “Word of God Preached” (as it was fittingly labeled in the bulletin) was entitled “Two Kingdoms,” referring to the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Caesar. The Pharisees and Herodians set up Jesus in an attempt to discredit Him, but instead He amazed them – and us. The point I appreciated most was that Jesus indicated the coin in this story belonged to the government because it bore Caesar’s image, and because we belong to God, we bear His image. What a comforting reminder.

Our prayer for this church:
Holy Lord, You deserve our all. You gave Your all; we owe You everything we have and are. May we return to You gratefully. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Park United Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at Park United Presbyterian Church, 115 E. Grandview Avenue, Zelienople, PA 16063, www.parkup.org, Rev. Pat McElroy.


Bob’s thoughts:

This is a small church in Zelienople. Very nice wood work well tied together, especially the paneled wall facing the Sanctuary. Good stained glass, a comfortable family atmosphere in the Sanctuary. Very little signage, but a large directional sign to basement restrooms. The bulletin referred to a nursery in the basement. Did not notice provision for handicapped to restroom level.

We were greeted by quite a number of people, warm genuine greetings. During the passing of the peace a lot of the 50 or so worshipers said hello.

The prayer time was rather informal, very family-like, catching up on joys and concerns before the prayer. The music was from an older hymnal (1946) but the hymns chosen were singable with a good message. The offering was taken before the Word was preached.

I was impressed that prayers were offered after the service, including laying on of hands and anointing with oil.

The sermon was from a series titled Mission Possible, with today’s on outward mission; the idea of executing the Great Commission. I liked the idea of “Open your mouth, dummy.” Many have told me how they can’t do evangelism and then proceeded to relate this great conversation they had with a non-believer. God does the work if we just open our mouth and let Him speak.

Jan’s thoughts:

We arrived early on this gorgeous May morning and so had an opportunity to wander around some. Once we entered the building, however, I was surprised how small it was. We saw only two signs, but no others were really necessary. We looked at the balcony and the basement, each of which took about 15 seconds, then found seats. That was when all the people began approaching us. One after another these friendly, open people came by, introduced themselves, and told us how glad they were we were there. Looking around I saw people greeting each other with hugs just like family, waving to others across the Sanctuary. This church has the most sense of family of all the churches we’ve visited.

The Sanctuary features padded wooden pews and matching wood in the Chancel. The entire rear wall of the Chancel is covered with wood paneling just a shade lighter with a wooden cross on the left and a matching wooden dove on the right. The stained glass was plentiful and lovely.

As small as this church is, they hold a contemporary service also, and we’ll probably try it another time.

The bulletin looks like a labor of love. It consists of two 8 ½ x 14” sheets folded in half and stapled in the center, and color is used to highlight and separate. Following the Order of Worship a note offers the opportunity for prayer, laying on of hands by elders, oil anointing for healing, and/or to receive Christ at the front of the Sanctuary after the service. There are numerous announcements and invitations to participate in the life of the church and, of course, prayer requests.

Since this is Memorial Day weekend, veterans were asked to rise to be recognized and receive applause and thanks, which was touching enough. The prayer that followed left me in tears. I try hard not to cry in a church where I’m a stranger, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. The pastor prayed a heartfelt prayer which touched my heart deeply, forcing me recall the Memorial Day when Dan marched in a local parade (as the sailor he was at the time). Memories made bittersweet by losing him as a Marine.

The sermon series was called “Mission Possible” and the message title was “Transformation of the Spirit.” It was based on Acts 8:26-40, the very cool story about the meeting facilitated by the Holy Spirit between the apostle Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The bulletin contained a sermon outline with the series title, theme, Scripture, sermon title, a “Take-Home Truth,” and the three points of the sermon, in this case:
I. The Spirit directs our witness – Acts 8:26-29
II. Jesus is the content of our witness – Acts 8:30-35
III. God is glorified in our witness – Acts 8:36-40

The sermon was a primer on using the situations in which we find ourselves (i.e., as guided by the Holy Spirit), making Jesus the object of our witness and thus glorifying God. I also appreciated the analogy between military missions and the mission of the church.