A Lutheran Church in the Heart of Murrysville
On a wooded stretch of Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville, the red-brick sanctuary of Calvary Lutheran Church has been opening its doors to Westmoreland County families since the late 1950s. The phrase printed across the church's literature - "Connecting People to the Love of Jesus" - frames everything Calvary does, from three weekly worship services held on Sundays and Mondays, to a Sunday-morning education hour between those services, to an Early Learning Center that has been serving two-year-olds through kindergarteners on the same campus for nearly thirty years. Calvary is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the Pittsburgh Area Lutheran School System, and it counts a Sunday School program, five preschool classrooms, a separate Community Center across Old School House Road, and a full slate of small groups, Bible studies, and outreach ministries among the doors that lead people in.
First-time visitors arrive to find three distinct styles of worship on the calendar, free parking in two lots, an invitation to bring their children into the pew, and a pastor who sets the tone with a warm, scripture-led message. Pastor Joshua Obermann, installed at Calvary on March 14, 2021, frames the congregation's life around the words he quotes from John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." What follows is a picture of the place, the people, and the program, drawn from the church's own words.
From a Living Room on Hobaugh Avenue to Old William Penn Highway
Calvary's life as a congregation began not with a building but with a conversation. In the fall of 1955, the Rev. J. Ralph Hess, then pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Brushton, was calling on two of his members, Carl and Helen Pilz, when they mentioned that a church "should be built in the proximity of Murrysville." Pastor Hess encouraged them to put a notice in the local newspaper about organizing a congregation there. Eighteen people responded and gathered on November 20, 1955, in the Pilz home on Hobaugh Avenue. That group formally requested the establishment of a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation in Murrysville, and the new mission congregation began to take shape under the guidance of Rev. William Griebel of Zion Lutheran Church in Irwin and a pastor named Schultz.
In 1956 the Rev. Frederick Schoof was installed as the mission pastor and, a year later, became the permanent pastor, serving until 1964. He was followed by the Rev. Ken Hoener, whose ministry stretched until his retirement in 1993. The Rev. Ray Simmons served as interim pastor from 1993 to 1995, after which the Rev. Charles Minetree pastored the congregation for more than ten years. It was during Pastor Minetree's tenure that the mission statement still used today - "Connecting People to the Love of Jesus" - was adopted.
On September 10, 2006, the Rev. David Weeks was installed as Calvary's pastor. He continued in that role through his retirement on September 30, 2020, and then served as Calvary's interim pastor until February 28, 2021. On March 14, 2021, Pastor Joshua Obermann was installed; he and his family moved to Pennsylvania from Saint Cloud, Florida, to take up the work.
The buildings grew alongside the church family. The current sanctuary and basement were constructed in 1957. In 1980 a pipe organ was installed in a newly built balcony within the sanctuary. In 1986 the education wing and the narthex that connects it to the sanctuary were constructed, giving the church room for Sunday School classrooms and a fellowship hall. In 2019 Calvary purchased the old PNC Bank building across Old School House Road; the property has been renamed the Calvary Community Center and now hosts a wide variety of ministries and community activities. Alongside all of this, the congregation began its first kindergarten class in 1958 and ran it for more than twenty years, then re-launched early-childhood education in 1997 with the founding of Calvary's Early Learning Center for children from age two through kindergarten.
Three Doors Into Worship Every Week
Calvary extends three regular invitations to worship. The first is the Sunday morning Traditional Service at 8:30 AM, when the liturgy, hymns, and a more reflective musical style set the pace. That service is broadcast live on BoxCast, so that members at home can join in real time. A second invitation comes at 11:00 AM on Sundays, when a Praise and Worship service offers a more contemporary musical setting. A third gathering follows on Monday evenings at 5:30 PM, the "Come as you are" service, held in the same contemporary style for those whose week is already in full swing by Sunday morning.
Each service runs roughly an hour and includes music, biblical readings, prayer, and a sermon. Holy Communion is offered at the Sunday Traditional Service on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of each month, and at the Sunday and Monday contemporary services on the second, fourth, and fifth weeks of each month. Children are welcome throughout, and the congregation supplies children's activity bags in the narthex for families wanting a little extra support during the service.
Members describe the difference in plain words. Mark S., a member, says simply: "Calvary to us is not only a place to grow closer with God, it is an extended family, the warm hug you need every day to make it through your daily life." And Sharon H. speaks to the pastor's preaching: "Pastor Josh is wonderful ... He always has a good, applicable story. He is very down to earth. If you are ever going through a difficult time, he is always willing to listen, to talk with you, pray with you, and help you in any way he can."
Bible Studies Around the Calendar
Between and around those worship services runs an unusually full slate of small-group Bible study. The week begins on Tuesday mornings at 10:00, when a Ladies Bible Study gathers at the Calvary Community Center to work through books, videos, music, and other media, with the stated goal of being "people who want to laugh with each other, love on each other, and learn more about the God who loves us, so we in turn can live our lives in praise, thanks, and obedience to Him."
On Saturday mornings at 8:30, the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, a Men's Bible Study meets at the Community Center for coffee, light snacks, and an open discussion. The topics range from books of the Bible to studies on temptation, what comes after death, and the world's religions, always, as the congregation puts it, "backed by scripture."
Sunday mornings at 9:45, between the two services, Pastor Josh leads a Bible study open to everyone in the Fellowship Hall. Regular attenders are invited to "stay late if you are an 8:30 person, come early if you are an 11:00 person, or come a whole day ahead of time if you are a Monday 5:30 person." On Sunday evenings, the youth of the parish take turns: a High School Bible Study meets the first and third Sundays from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, and a Middle School Bible Study meets the second and fourth Sundays in the same window at the Community Center.
A Young Adult Bible Study gathers on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 at Pastor Josh's home for hot dogs, hamburgers, and a look into God's Word. Then, in the broader rhythm of the year, the Barnabas Groups - Calvary's small-group ministry, launched in 2024 - open new cohorts three times a year, in January, May, and September. Each group has about eight participants and is designed, the church says, "to uplift, encourage, and pray for one another as we navigate life's ups and downs together." Sermon recordings and Bible study archives are kept on the church's YouTube channel.
The Sanctuary, the Education Wing, and the Community Center
Most Sundays, the life of the congregation plays out in three connected spaces. The 1957 sanctuary anchors the campus, with its 1980 pipe organ set in a balcony built that same year to house it. The 1986 education wing and narthex provide the classrooms used for Sunday School, plus a fellowship hall that hosts the Sunday morning Bible study, the congregation-wide potlucks, and the Advent Wreath Workshop each November. Across Old School House Road, the Calvary Community Center - the former PNC Bank building purchased in 2019 - now hosts the Ladies Bible Study, the Men's Bible Study, the Middle School and High School Bible studies, Family Night, the Family Movie Nights, and a long list of fellowship and outreach gatherings. Two parking lots serve the campus: one at the main church building, including handicap-accessible spaces, and a second lot at the Community Center across the street.
Sunday School, Family Night, and the Youngest in Worship
Between the two Sunday morning services, from 9:45 to 10:45 AM during the school year, Sunday School gathers children from preschool age and up. Each year, the children's offering is given to a different mission project, allowing the children to contribute to causes outside the church as they grow. A separate Vacation Bible School week, usually the second week of June, opens the program to preschoolers through fifth graders from 9:00 AM to noon, and welcomes both youth and adult volunteers, plus donations via an Amazon wishlist.
On the third Friday of every month, the congregation gathers for Family Night - a time and menu of activities that vary throughout the year and is open to everyone in the Calvary community. Family Movie Nights occasionally offer a drop-off option for parents, with the children watched in the Community Center from 5:30 to 8:00 PM. The Advent Wreath Workshop, each November in the Fellowship Hall, has become another family tradition: families gather to craft a wreath together and take home "a beautiful reminder of the season's true light - Jesus Christ."
Children are full members of the Sunday assembly, the church says. Calvary "cherishes the joyful presence of children in our worship services" and welcomes families to worship together, with activity bags made available in the narthex for those who need a little extra to do.
Calvary Early Learning Center: Two-Year-Olds Through Kindergarten
The Early Learning Center, which Calvary founded in 1997 and calls CELC for short, sits on the same campus as the church and is part of the Pittsburgh Area Lutheran School System. Today it serves children ages two through six in five classrooms, each capped at ten children with one teacher and one teacher's aide. Laura Hoff, who was called to be the school administrator and kindergarten teacher in 2007 and now also serves as the Calvary Parish Assistant, leads the program. Megan Snider teaches the three-year-old class, and Jessica Lynch leads the two-year-old and four-year-old classrooms.
The two-year-old program meets on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 11:00 AM and is a pay-as-you-go offering, designed for families looking for flexibility or those "not quite sure if their child is ready for preschool." The three-year-old class meets either Tuesday and Thursday or Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. The four-year-old class is held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, with an optional "Lunch Bunch" extension from 11:30 to 12:30 that lets four-year-olds and Pre-K kids eat lunch and play outside with the kindergarteners. The Pre-K class meets Monday through Thursday from 12:30 to 3:00 PM, and the full-day Kindergarten class is approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and includes daily "Jesus' Time" with prayer, memory work, and a rotation through thirty-six Bible stories each year; special subjects include music, Spanish, art, and physical education.
The wider curriculum, in keeping with the school's Lutheran heritage while remaining open to children of all backgrounds, weaves Bible lessons and prayer into every day. The classrooms have indoor and outdoor gross-motor spaces for active play, and the staff offers art, sensory activities, and fine-motor projects throughout the week. Parents praise the small class sizes for the individualized attention, the parent communication, and the Christ-centered environment that one family describes as "a wonderful and nurturing pre-school, with a purposeful and age-appropriate curriculum." Tours are private and by appointment.
Reaching Outward Across Murrysville and Beyond
A large share of Calvary's ministry happens through partnerships with other organizations. The church collects donations year-round for Loaves and Fishes, a food-supply ministry run jointly with Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church; the donations are placed in a shopping cart in the narthex and transported to the Murrysville location. Members of Calvary also prepare and serve a weekly Monday-afternoon meal and chapel service at the Pittsburgh Dream Center, an organization whose mission is to meet basic human needs and help people discover their God-given purpose.
The Women's Choice Network receives support through an annual baby bottle campaign - a life-affirming partnership that funds cost-free pregnancy support. Blackburn Center, which provides emergency shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and education to those affected by domestic violence, is another ministry partner and a recipient of the congregation's financial giving. Concordia Lutheran Ministries, a senior-care network with a campus in Monroeville, receives a car wash, a worship service, and a roster of special events from Calvary every August during the church's "Concordia Week of Mission." The Calvary Car Cruise each summer collects donations for Meals on Wheels.
Closer to home, the Prayer Shawl Ministry gathers knitters and crocheters four times a year to bless handmade shawls, lap robes, blankets, and baby blankets before they are distributed to people in hospitals, newborns, newly baptized members, veterans, the homeless, and others needing "a reminder that the church cares for them." Blessing Bags for the Dream Center are made available each fall: the congregation takes home empty bags, fills them according to a provided list, and returns them within a few weeks for delivery. The National Day of Prayer, held on the first Thursday of May, opens the building for a self-guided walk through prayer stations, each focused on a different ministry of the church.
A Year-Round Rhythm of Service and Celebration
Calvary's calendar moves through the Christian year with seasonal worship services and a set of recurring community events. Advent is marked by weekly devotions - a printable booklet of short readings, prayers, and candle-lighting moments families use at home - and by the November Advent Wreath Workshop. Christmas is celebrated with two candlelight Christmas Eve services at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM and a single Christmas Day worship service at 10:00 AM. The Blue Christmas service, held on a Sunday evening in early December, opens a quieter, gentler space for those grieving or carrying heavy hearts through the holidays.
Lent begins with a Wednesday-evening series at 7:00 PM that walks the congregation through Scripture and prayer on its way to Holy Week. Holy Week itself gathers the parish for a single combined Palm Sunday service with breakfast at 8:30 AM and worship at 10:00 AM, with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services each at 7:00 PM, and Easter morning services at 8:30 and 11:00 AM. An annual Easter egg hunt with crafts, games, and photos with the Easter bunny fills the late morning between services.
Through the warmer months, an Oktoberfest potluck celebrates the congregation's German heritage, a fall outing to Gearhard Farms offers hayrides, a corn maze, and s'mores, the summer Vacation Bible School welcomes preschoolers through fifth graders, and the summer Car Cruise brings classic-car owners from the wider community to the campus. The annual Christian Art Show, judged in Experienced, Amateur, and Student categories, fills the church with works submitted by Christian artists from the surrounding community. The youth take the lead in December with the annual Joyfest service, a youth-led worship gathering followed by a congregation-wide potluck in the Fellowship Hall.
Each January, National Lutheran Schools Week gives the Early Learning Center and Lutheran schools across the country a special week of celebration. The Annual Christmas Program, held on a December weekday at 10:00 AM, gives the Early Learning Center children a chance to share the Christmas story in song. Throughout the year, the Evangelism and Hospitality Team keeps the rhythm going through potlucks and seasonal gatherings.
What Calvary Believes and Teaches
The theology that runs through Calvary's preaching, baptismal promises, and Communion table is grounded in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The Bible, the congregation teaches, is "God's holy and infallible Word," the truth that leads God's people to salvation in Christ alone. Jesus is confessed as God's divine and eternal Son, the Word made flesh - conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, buried, raised on the third day, and ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Baptism is taught as a means of grace. Drawing on Acts 2:38 - "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" - and Matthew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" - Calvary baptizes infants, children, and adults, and teaches that in baptism God washes the believer in the blood of Jesus and unites him or her to Christ's death and resurrection.
At the Communion table, the church teaches the real presence of Christ: the bread and wine are Christ's true body and true blood, "hidden in, with, and under" the elements, given to forgive sins and rescue from death. Anyone who agrees with this confession is welcome to commune; visitors with questions are invited to speak with an usher before the service. New members from other LCMS congregations can transfer their membership directly. Those new to the LCMS or considering a first-time church membership are welcome to attend a four-session new-member class offered in the spring and summer and again in the fall and winter - four sessions of about an hour and a half each, walking through the Christian faith and Lutheran belief and practice.
The People Who Lead and Serve
Calvary is led by its called workers, council, and a wide circle of members who teach, volunteer, and serve on ministry teams. The pastor of the congregation is the Rev. Joshua Obermann, who also leads the Sunday morning Bible study between services. Hannah Obermann serves as the Director of Youth and Family Ministry, overseeing Family Nights, the Middle School and High School Bible studies, and the youth-led events of the year. Laura Hoff is the School Administrator, Kindergarten Teacher, and Parish Assistant, called to the Early Learning Center in 2007 after twenty-one years of teaching in three other Lutheran schools. Megan Snider, with a bachelor's degree in English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh, teaches the three-year-old class; Jessica Lynch, who began as an aide in 2017 and took on lead-teaching in 2022, guides the two-year-old and four-year-old classrooms.
Melissa Boreman serves as Church Administrator and is the first point of contact for most inquiries. The Executive Board includes Congregational Chairperson Terry Kuehn, Chairman of the Board of Elders Randy Glasser, Treasurer Bill Kolb, and Secretary Sharon Hosaflook.
Joining the Family, and Coming for the First Time
Visitors are welcome at any of the three weekly services, and membership is not required to worship. Newcomers who decide to make Calvary their church home have two paths. Members transferring from another Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation can arrange the move with the church office. Those new to the LCMS or to church membership altogether are invited to attend a new-member class, four sessions of about an hour and a half each, offered twice a year for a walk through the Christian faith and Lutheran belief and practice.
Getting involved looks like it sounds: stepping into a Bible study between the Sunday services, joining a Barnabas Group at one of the three yearly sign-up windows, signing children up for Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, pulling on a work apron at the Pittsburgh Dream Center, picking up a Blessing Bag to fill for the fall collection, or volunteering at one of the four yearly Prayer Shawl Ministry gatherings. Worship can be joined in person or watched live online from any seat with a connection, and giving is available online.
In the words of member Tim R., "In Calvary LCMS I found a Christian family that is caring, supportive, and interested in hearing and learning more about God's word. The community is growing and becoming more vibrant season after season and offers a friendly atmosphere for worship and fellowship." That, the church suggests, is exactly the seat it has been saving.