Unionville United Methodist Church

Today we worshiped at Unionville United Methodist Church, 1297 Route 68, Rochester, PA 15074, 724.843.0862, www.unionvilleumc.org, Rev. Douglas B. Myers, Jr., Pastor.

Scripture – Jude 1:17-25 NIV

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Bob’s thoughts:

I sensed an unusual attraction as I drove past this church last week, strong enough that I doubled back to get the name and worship time. During worship it became clear God had me there so we could pray for the pastor. Not sure what all the illness involved but I am as positive about this as anything, that was the reason God sent us.

We were standing in the hall outside the sanctuary looking over the mission bulletin board when a woman passing by asked if she could help us. It always makes me smile when members catch sight of visitors and take the time to talk.

It is a pleasant sanctuary with wood paneled ceiling, there was more than one cross, and good pew spacing. The projection screens are up high and easy to see.

The visiting pastor gave the children’s message and the children stole the show. It was a worthy message for all and enjoyable.

I thought the sermon developed well. We doubtfully open the gift of Christ, sure that we must buy our way into the Presence of God. The Jewish law teaches you that you need to be saved, and Christ cleanses you to where you might come into God’s Presence. Thought he brought a fine message tied well to the children’s sermon.

I enjoyed the duo on the piano during the offering time. Beyond the opportunity to pray for the pastor, the highlight included the smiles from the children, especially the little guy who gave me a great wave while on his way out with mom. I always feel welcomed by the children.

After reading a couple of articles on the merger of a church with City Reach Church, it was a joy to hear Rev. Bobby Wilson speak of a City Reach Church set to start up in Baden. I look forward to visiting them.

Jan’s thoughts:

Bob unexpectedly found this church during the week, so we visited today. As we pulled into the parking lot I immediately loved the sign on the marquee: “There is a stone for every Goliath.”

We only looked around briefly but the building is well kept. The bulletin boards were visually interesting and a woman offered to help us find something as we were examining the one containing mission information.

The sanctuary was lovely padded pews were spaced to provide excellent legroom and the bright colors of the stained glass windows made striking accents for the matching wood throughout.

Many young ones went forward for the Children’s Time, and once it was underway I wished we had sat further forward. His message for the kids was a lesson in stepping forward in faith to accept an offer without knowing exactly what they would receive. He encouraged them to “come and get it” and finally one girl in a pretty purple dress did so. It was the best kind of children’s message: one that spoke loud and clear to adults also.

Rev. Bobby Wilson spoke during the Mission Moment about a new City Reach Church which will open in Baden. The City Reach Network has planted churches and started compassionate ministries from Maine to Ohio, and according to their website (cityreachnetwork.com) the vision is to plant 50 churches in the next 10 years. This organization is also responsible for the Convoy of Hope, which I recall hearing about last year. There is a great deal more information on their website, and if you are moved to contribute financially, there are links on the site. Prayer was requested most passionately, and I hope you will join us in prayer for the success of this church plant.

The message, entitled “Good Enough,” was presented by the visiting Rev. Bertram Domineck. He began with a story of a woman who was serving in the mission field and who, at Christmastime, gave the women of her Bible study a beautifully wrapped handmade gift. Months later she visited the home of one of the women and noticed the still-wrapped gift displayed prominently on a shelf. She asked her friend why she had not opened the gift and received the response that the woman thought the wrapped item was the gift…she did not realize there was more to it than what she could see.

I couldn’t help but wonder how often God might have given me a gift that I placed unopened on a shelf, perhaps because it seemed “too good to be true” or I just didn’t realize there was more to it.

The final exhortation summed it up: “No one is good enough, so come and get it.” After the children’s message, I hope to be like the girl in the purple dress and have the courage to step forward and take hold of the gift.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we were glad to hear how this church has opened itself to feed the hungry. As bodies are fed, we pray their hearts are open to share Your love. Amen.

Burry's Church / St. John's United Evangelical Protestant Church

Today we worshiped at Burry’s Church / St. John’s United Evangelical Protestant Church, 1835 Route 68, Rochester, PA 15074, 724.452.6941, www.burryschurch.org, Win Groseclose, Senior Pastor.

Scripture – Luke 12:22-34

"And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Bob’s thoughts:

I was glad to get back here for a visit…we were moving some things for our daughter, and this church was on en route.

 I like the feel of this church, especially the lighted cross and stained glass.

The exceptional response to the first praise song fell off for the rest of the music.

The sermon was a reminder for us about getting out from under our stuff. God has never failed to provide but the excess stuff is a burden, not a blessing.

Jan’s thoughts:

Circumstances placed us in this neighborhood this morning, so we returned to this church after only one year. Unfortunately we arrived just as the service was starting so had no time to chat beforehand.

The ¾-full sanctuary was lovely with intricate, colorful stained glass.

Those seated nearby welcomed us at the appointed greeting time.

The first song was contemporary, and I was amazed at the enthusiasm from the song leaders and the congregation: there was clapping and even foot stomping!

We were privileged to witness the Installation of the Vacation Bible School Servants, a large group committed to teaching the youth about Christ…an awesome responsibility and privilege.

The sermon was “The Raven and the Lily” and spoke to the topic of worry. He explained that when Jesus referred to the ravens and the lilies, His audience would have recognized that He was referring to all that was unclean (as were the ravens) as well as clean (the lilies).

He continued to say the pagans have reason to worry, but when a believer gives in to worldly anxiety and fear and lets worry get the better of them, it betrays their lack of faith. Faith is impoverished by worry.

This message was a strong reminder of the uselessness and sinfulness of worry. In our culture we always say we know we should not worry, but we often forget to remind ourselves that God knows our needs and will be faithful to provide. Of course there are times when He provides in unexpected ways, or He uses trials to teach us. But the bottom line is that He will always give us what we need, whether or not it is what we want.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray the church will feel liberated and their souls refreshed by getting their excess stuff gone. Amen.

Burry's Church / St. John's United Evangelical Protestant Church

Today we worshiped at Burry’s Church / St. John’s United Evangelical Protestant Church, 1835 Route 68, Rochester, PA 15074, 724.452.6941, www.burryschurch.org, Win Groseclose, Senior Pastor.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14 (ESV)

Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,…

Bob’s thoughts:

I wonder if we were being led elsewhere today since our 20 minute trip took an hour and we arrived a little late. I like to be early enough to give people the opportunity to say hello: it is hard to get a feel for the friendliness of a church without that time. After the service is over there may not be any greeting, like today.

I thought this was a small country church and was surprised by its size. It boasts great woodwork and stained glass with a lighted cross. One of the women who spoke to us was very knowledgeable about the church.

Contemporary worship must be new to this congregation…I was hard pressed to find anyone singing along with the enthusiastic leaders. I hope the church warms to this form of praise; I am always in awe of the passion in contemporary worship.

A highlight for me was in the pastor’s prayer as he asked God to work “through me or in spite of me.” A prayer for all of us, that God’s will be done in spite of our efforts.

The message dealt with the breastplate of righteousness, clarifying and defining Paul’s reference and the important part, that Paul is referring to Christ’s righteousness.

I did get to speak to one of the praise singers and hope I was able to encourage her. We found this church from a notice on a grief share group, but I had no occasion to talk to anyone about it.

Jan’s thoughts:

We arrived a little late thereby missing the opportunity to chat with anyone prior to worship. The ushers were attentive and helpful when we reached the sanctuary and pointed us toward vacant seats.

We did catch part of a presentation by a representative of Choices Pregnancy Services detailing their work and how to help them make a difference in the community.

The dark wood all around, including the decorative ceiling joists, set off the intricate stained glass beautifully.

Even from far back in this large sanctuary I was still able to read the words on the screen.

The contemporary music appeared to be a recent addition to the service judging by the lack of enthusiasm from the congregation. In all fairness though, I’ve been around contemporary Christian music for quite a while and both songs were new to me as well as being slow and quiet. I noticed congregational participation picked up when the traditional hymn began.

The bulletin is printed on a single 11x17 sheet of heavy stock and tri-folded. It’s amazing how much information can be incorporated, including the words to the contemporary songs and Scripture read throughout the service.

The sermon was entitled “A Mighty Breastplate” and continued the study of Paul’s language in reference to the armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-17.

Toward the end of the message he spoke of grace and pointed out that we cannot show grace unless we have received it…grace transforms us.

Since better writers than I have published books on the topic of grace (read “Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine” by Max Lucado and “Future Grace” by John Piper), let me just say that I could not agree more that our grace cup must first be filled before we can pour it out for others, and only God is capable of filling that cup to overflowing.

Our prayer for this church:
Lord, we lift this church up to You. We pray You will encourage their missional efforts and warm their hearts to any music that praises You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

New Sewickley Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at New Sewickley Presbyterian Church, 101 Big Knob Road, Rochester, PA 15074, 724.846.5734, www.nspchurch.org, Rev. Daniel Callahan, Pastor.


Bob’s thoughts:

This church could really benefit from some signage starting with the road into the very adequate parking area. (We passed by the entrance before we saw the church.)

The ceiling is a low arch covered in knotty pine and there is a beam through the arches to resemble being set on edge, to very good effect. Didn’t remember to get a close look at the windows; they appeared to be etched clear glass, almost like an etched design one could then “paint by numbers” to look like stained glass. There is a good central cross, and the offering was taken in response to the Word.

We had a few minutes before the service and found some good bulletin boards in the hallway, including an excellent one on veterans of the church. We met the pastor in the hall and he mentioned he was rather new to this congregation. I was impressed that during the children’s’ message he was able to call the children by name. There was an easy interaction with them as well as their parents.

This was a very welcoming church; many people introduced themselves and welcomed us. The family in front of us (with beautiful children) asked us to stay for Sunday School. From what I saw and heard, the church has a strong orientation to mission.

I found last week’s bulletin in the pew and was sorry we weren’t there for the sermon “Tithing or Tipping” – a subject dear to my heart.

I was impressed with the congregation – they spoke out loud and clear. This is something we don’t see often. It makes me look forward to a visit to the contemporary service.

Today’s sermon, “Giving Thanks” was built around giving God thanks in all circumstances. A good message that might have gone a little more into the hard times to thank God, but I understand with a recent war death in the congregation it may be too raw of a situation. We were given 30 seconds to think of the blessings in our lives, which no one could condense to 30 seconds.

The pastor told a story of a man who was putting his house up for sale and gave the real estate agent the particulars. When she called back to confirm how she planned to list the house and started to read off the list, he interrupted and told her never mind as this is the house he always wanted.

A few years ago we were living in a house that God had given us at the South Hills Country Club. The house was built in the mid-1920s, and very little maintenance/updating had occurred. So one day I made a list of what the house would need to bring it up to modern standards. On a separate sheet I wrote a pipe-dream wish list of what we would look for in a house if we could afford to look, let alone buy.

It was almost a year after we moved to Economy (at His leading) that I came across this wish list. This house He led us to fulfilled everything on that list and much more. Many were items we had forgotten. We have experienced the worst times and the best times. Thanks be unto God that He’s always closer for the bad times.

Jan’s thoughts:

This church is about a 20 minute drive and nearly a straight shot from home, but approaching from the direction we were we would have driven past it had we not stopped at a stop sign and happened to see the marquee. There is, however, plenty of parking on an asphalt lot and a level entryway.

Finding a table set up in the narthex bearing gifts for SERRV (much like Ten Thousand Villages), I was immediately distracted…not that it takes much to distract me. After being greeted by many of the people in the narthex, we wandered down an innocent-looking hallway where we found restrooms, offices, and several bulletin boards. Church bulletin boards are often a good indication of the heart of a church. There was one with information for and photos of youth events, one with plenty of mission info and notes of thanks, and one honoring members of the military both past and present. The pastor indicated that the church had recently lost a member Marine in active duty and his service was yesterday. There was no way he could have known that we had experienced a similar loss just over 3 years ago.

The Sanctuary was not fancy, but very nice. No stained glass that I noticed, but a lovely wooden cross in the Chancel which matched the striking wooden ceiling. All the walls were painted white. The carpet looked well-used, but clean.

The bulletin is plain but easy to read and follow. And I knew we were approaching Thanksgiving because we sang “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.”

Many folks greeted us warmly during the passing of the peace as well as after the service. This was an open, welcoming church; surprising only because they have a second service. As we’ve said before, most churches with two (or more) services tend to be less responsive to visitors as the members usually assume that anyone they don’t recognize attends the “other” service. We do plan to attend the contemporary service sometime.

The pastor mentioned he was fairly new there, but he seemed to share a good rapport with the congregation. Prior to reading the Scriptures, he gave terrific instructions, giving the page numbers and chapter and verse twice, and plenty of time to locate the Scripture so we could follow along.

Unfortunately, following the Prayer of Confession the bulletin listed a “moment of silent confession.” The bulletin did not lie: the moment lasted about two seconds, not long enough to confess hardly anything. (Possibly I just had more to confess than he did.)

In the message, titled “Giving Thanks,” he gave instructions on living a life of gratitude:
1. Learn to rejoice always – give thanks in the bad as well as good;
2. Learn to pray without ceasing – prayer and giving thanks go hand-in-hand; and
3. Give thanks in all circumstances – it releases God’s power in our lives.

Obviously the first part of each point is Scriptural, but I’m not too sure about the “releasing God’s power in our lives” thing. It sounds too much like the “name it and claim it” stuff that’s being preached, and I have sincere issues with that. Other than that, I appreciated the sermon.

First Presbyterian Church

Today we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church, 200 North Park Street, Rochester, PA, 15074, 724.728.7000, Rev. Lee Bittner.


Bob’s thoughts:

God led us to church today. Most Sundays we feel God’s leading in deciding where we are to go, but today we knew where we were going and printed a Yahoo map so we knew how to get there. We were early, and so did some shopping before church, and upon leaving the store, waiting for the light to change, we looked up and saw a similarly-named church. I didn’t notice till I checked the bulletin to write a check for the offering. We saved the directions for another Sunday.

This is an average-sized church with great wood beams and panels, really beautiful stained glass, and a cathedral ceiling. A small brass cross on the paneled rear wall of the chancel looks larger because of the bare panels and the spotlight on it. Some amazing stained glass above the cross had been covered over at some point, so when the Chancel was redone it had been a special surprise.

Signage at the main entrance was good – directional arrows. I didn’t see any outside or elsewhere inside.

We were welcomed by a number of people whose interest seemed genuine.

Their music person, Mike Neely, played and sang some contemporary music before the service and is a real asset to worship.

The offering was taken prior to the Word preached, but I understand this is not always the case.

While we were blessed to take Communion, it was served silently. The invitation was well put, that it is open to all, weak and strong, hungry and sated, etc.

The sermon was “God’s Abundant Table”; in prayer we ask God to “give us our daily bread” without a thought of how much more we are asking for and without a thought of how much more our Father provides. My favorite was “Don’t question the Cook.” Being the cook in the family, I was of a kindred spirit. That our God provides the bread that sustains us, not the pastries of the world that don’t last.

Most of the church that we saw seems to be in good repair. The kitchen is open to the social area with accordion doors to close it off when desired. Do not know how handicapped-accessible the social area is, but it could be a real asset.

There is very limited parking, so the main appeal should be to locals. The most important change for this church would be in attitude. They don’t seem to be a particularly inward church, only a defeated one. What I got from those I spoke with is we are a dying church; not a good place from which to start.

I would recommend this church prayerfully consider stepping out in faith. Clean the stained glass and let Jesus shine out into the community. Offer free dinner to the local residents. Give them God’s daily bread. If you are doing God’s will in the neighborhood, people will want to worship with you. Just being Presbyterian is not a good enough reason to keep doing it like we always have. A stagnant church is a sign of death. You can be Satan’s friend and do nothing or God’s servant, but you can’t serve Christ and be still.

I spent a good portion of the day in prayer, wondering why God sent us to this church. I believe He does not want you idle in His Church. As a Marine, we have a simple creed: improvise, adapt, and overcome. Step out in faith and God will bless your efforts.

Much as we find our prayer for daily bread already answered, you are already blessed with much. Will you use it to God’s glory?


Jan’s thoughts:

Today was another one of those mornings when God put us into a church other than the one we planned to attend. That’s always so awesome!

Parking is sparse but we were able to locate a spot on the street. The building is very old and as we took our self-guided tour I saw handwritten notes and reminders that made me feel like we were in someone’s home.

The only signage I saw was in the narthex and consisted of a list of locations followed by directional arrows.

The stained glass is very intricate and striking, and looks like jewels, and if they were cleaner they’d be incredible.

The people were friendly, and we ended up talking for some time with one particular woman who had belonged there most of her life and so was able to convey much of the history of that church. As with so many churches (Presbyterian and otherwise), the time has passed when the pews were packed every Sunday and those in attendance heard powerful sermons from a pastor they had known all their lives. Today there were about 30 in attendance, and the woman with whom we spoke was clearly mourning the losses – human and otherwise.

The bulletin is one folded 8 ½ x 11 sheet containing the Order of Worship, the calendar, greeters’ names, prayer concerns, and church staff, with room left over.

Usually the seating options in a Sanctuary are either chairs or pews, but today we experienced something different: actual padded auditorium seats. Unfortunately the rows were situated uncomfortably close together, leaving me feeling squished.

The sermon was entitled “God’s Abundant Table” and tied in with the service of Communion. He spoke of all the abundance of food in our culture and how we pray for our daily bread “only to find our prayer already answered.” He also reminded his listeners that some days we are given a plate full of dessert and other days a plate full of broccoli, but they’re both given by a loving, all-knowing Provider who knows and gives us what we need each day. It was a good tie-in, as well as a good reminder.