A congregation rooted in the Forbes campaign of 1758
On a quiet stretch of McCrady Road in Churchill, just east of Pittsburgh, Beulah Presbyterian Church has gathered for Christian worship for longer than almost any other English-speaking congregation in the region. A company of soldiers under British Brigadier General John Forbes worshipped on or near the site after the French defeat at Fort Duquesne in 1758, and worship has continued there ever since. The Presbytery officially recognized the church in 1784, making it one of the first organized Christian churches west of the Alleghenies. The name Beulah was adopted in 1804; earlier it had been known as Bullock Pens, for the soldiers' cattle yard, and then Pitt Township Presbyterian Church.
The grounds carry that history physically. The original 1837 brick church still stands at Beulah Road and McCrady Road, and the surrounding cemetery holds graves of veterans from Forbes' troops, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the world wars, and ordinary families whose names now show up on local streets: Johnston, McCrea, Lindberg, MacFarlane, Kelly. Beulah's early members went on to plant other Presbyterian congregations across the area, including East Liberty (1828), Crossroads (1836), Hebron (1849), Wilkinsburg (1866), Turtle Creek (1878), and Forest Hills (1904).
Two Sunday services, one summer rhythm
Beulah offers two Sunday services that share a sanctuary but speak in different languages. At 9:00 a.m. the Traditional Worship service uses the church's hymnal, an organ or piano, and the historic liturgy of the Reformed tradition. The choir leads the singing, and the congregation responds to the Word in spoken prayer, in silence, and in unison. On the first Sunday of each month, the service gathers at the Table for the Lord's Supper.
At 10:30 a.m. the Contemporary Worship service opens the doors wider: a band called McCrady Road leads a mix of new and older songs, and worship uses art, movement, silence, and ritual to engage as many senses as possible. Children are welcome throughout, and volunteers take them aside during the sermon for an age-appropriate Bible lesson called the Knowing Place. Nursery care is provided. The Lord's Supper is also celebrated on the first Sunday of each month at the contemporary service.
During the summer, from June through Labor Day, the two services merge into a single 10:00 a.m. gathering that blends the traditional and contemporary styles. Sunday School for children meets at 10:00 in two downstairs rooms, and adults gather for Sunday School at 10:15 in the Fellowship Hall from fall through spring (and several times in the summer) for studies of the Bible, mission, justice, and the Christian life.
Both services are livestreamed. Visitors who want to talk with someone before attending can email Kelly Miskis, who helps newcomers find their place.
A Wednesday night that feeds the whole family
Family Night is Beulah's midweek gathering during the school year. Dinner is served at 5:15 p.m., and the meal is free. From 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. the church provides age-specific programming in every direction: the nursery in Room 207 is staffed by the preschool teachers for infants through pre-kindergartners, elementary children gather for lessons and activities with the children's ministry team, grades 6-12 join the East End Youth Group, and adults head into their own study and connection time. The Wednesday meal is one of several ways Beulah keeps a multigenerational rhythm through the week.
Children, from toddlers through fifth grade
Children are a stated priority at Beulah, and the program is shaped by Joshua Brim-Simpson, the Director of Children and Family Ministry. Children from age three through fifth grade are invited during both Sunday services to step out with a children's ministry volunteer after the New Testament reading for a Knowing Place lesson in the Library, returning to worship after the sermon. A parent-supervised Calming Corner is set up at the back of the sanctuary for children up to age four (including children who are neurodivergent or who need a brief behavioral or emotional pause) so that families do not have to leave the service.
Sunday School meets downstairs at 10:00: three-year-olds through kindergarten in Room 108L, and grades one through five in Room 108R. All facilitators hold clearances and First Aid training. Family Night on Wednesdays is the other main setting where children's ministry happens.
East End Youth Ministry, grades 6-12
The youth program, led through the East End Youth Ministry (a collaboration between Beulah and other local churches and organizations), focuses on mentoring and personal connection. The youth group meets on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., sharing dinner at 5:30 and programmed time from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. An after-school program runs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., giving teenagers a supervised place to do homework, do art, play sports, and connect, with dinner provided on Wednesdays. The stated aim of the group is to teach teenagers that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and to point them toward loving God, serving others, and following Jesus.
Musicians in ninth grade and up can also join the Youth Praise Band for a fall session on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with lunch provided.
Exceptional Friends: a ministry for adults and teens with differing abilities
One of Beulah's most distinctive ministries is Exceptional Friends, a midweek fellowship for people aged about 16 through adulthood who live with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities. The group has been meeting at Beulah for more than thirty years. Sessions run Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in nine-week semesters during the fall and spring, and periodically through the summer, with a one-week day camp offered in early August.
Each evening includes gathering and fellowship, bell choir practice, a shared meal, and Bible study and prayer time. The stated purpose of the ministry is to give every Friend the experience of being accepted as God made them and to live out the Great Commandment together through fellowship, prayer, musical praise, Bible study, and shared meals.
Adults and seniors: a long menu of studies and fellowship
The adults-and-seniors program at Beulah is unusual for the number of recurring weekly touchpoints beyond Sunday morning. On Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. on the first and third weeks of the month, a Bible study meets at the Panera in Penn Center. Mondays from May through September are reserved for a casual golf league organized through the church. Wednesday nights after the Family Night meal include an adult study component, and the men's Bible study meets at 7:30 p.m. in Room 102 (or in the garden during good weather, May through September). On Thursdays at 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., a women's book and Bible study meets in the Fireside Room or the garden; a separate Evensong women's Bible study meets on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom.
Other options include a one-on-one Mentoring Friendships ministry, where members are paired for spiritual conversation and encouragement, and a Prayer Shawl Ministry that has produced more than five hundred shawls for people experiencing grief or illness. The shawl group also donates scarves to a shelter for abused women and their families, and meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room; knitters who prefer to work at home are welcome to contribute.
Beulah Christian Preschool and Child Care
Running alongside the church, Beulah Christian Preschool and Child Care is a nationally accredited Christian preschool program that has been serving families for more than forty years as a ministry of the church. The preschool enrolls children from six weeks through kindergarten and is described by the church as a caring, nurturing community where children and families are encouraged to grow cognitively, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Amanda Scifo serves as the preschool director.
A denomination at work in the neighborhood
Beulah Presbyterian Church is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and works actively within the Pittsburgh Presbytery. Its most public mission links include a long-standing partnership with sister churches in Malawi and short-term mission trips that have included work in Haiti and support for PC(USA) mission connections such as the Wellers in Ethiopia and Rwanda-focused ministry. The church contributes to a list of community agencies, including the Pittsburgh Food Bank, PRISM, Open Hand Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Project, Pressley Ridge, and several others.
Domestic outreach is woven through the week. The Deacons' Assistance Fund and a series of Pancake Breakfast and Soup Sale events (held on a Saturday in mid-October) raise money for that work. The Deacons regularly collect needed items for local partner ministries; recent drives have included children's pajamas and new socks of all sizes.
Beliefs, mission, and where things stand today
The mission and vision of Beulah Presbyterian Church, approved by the Session on January 15, 2019, frames the congregation in two sentences. Beulah Presbyterian Church glorifies God through its worship and by making disciples who welcome and serve others in the name of Jesus Christ. The stated vision is two-fold: to disciple children and young people to learn and grow in their journeys of faith, and to build bridges across ethnic, racial, and other sinful human divides that build trust rather than fear, and the love of Jesus Christ rather than hatred and bigotry. The core values that guide the work are biblical formation and discipleship; practices that demonstrate God's intent for the world (including loving accountability, reconciliation, valuing right relationships, forgiveness and healing, mutual care, sharing in one another's lives, and reaching out to the surrounding community); and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. The church has also published a public statement opposing racism and bigotry.
The program staff currently includes Alex Ruzanic, Associate Pastor; Joshua Brim-Simpson, Director of Children and Family Ministry; Kelly Jones-Miskis, Director of Contemporary Worship and Arts; Amanda Scifo, Director of the Preschool; Ann Turnock, Congregational Care Assistant; and Jeremy Bosse, A/V Tech Leader.
Visiting Beulah
Beulah Presbyterian Church sits at 2500 McCrady Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235. Worship on Sundays runs at 9:00 a.m. (traditional) and 10:30 a.m. (contemporary, with nursery care), collapsing to one 10:00 a.m. service during the summer. Services are casual-come-as-you-are. A free weekly yoga class meets on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Giving is available online through a secure portal, and prayer requests can be sent at any time to the church's prayer chain. Newcomers who want to walk in with someone already knowing they are coming can email Kelly Miskis to arrange a first conversation.