Madeira-Silverwood Presbyterian Church sits at 8000 Miami Avenue in the quiet, walkable suburb of Madeira, on the eastern edge of greater Cincinnati. From that single campus, with a parking lot that opens off Miami Avenue and another entrance along Greenbriar Lane, the congregation reaches in two directions at once. It serves the families of Madeira who pass the building on their way to school, the second and third graders who show up for Sunday School, the women who gather for Bible study, the men and women who volunteer at Matthew 25 Ministries and City Gospel Mission, and a wider online community that joins the livestream on Sunday mornings. It is a church rooted in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and shaped by a long memory of two congregations that became one.
Two Sunday Services, One Story of Faith
The week at MSPC turns around Sunday morning, when the same Scripture readings and the same prayers are carried through two very different kinds of worship. At 9:00 AM the Contemporary Service fills the sanctuary with relaxed music led by a worship team. The congregation is invited into an easy, participatory gathering. Children who arrived a few minutes earlier are sitting with their families; a few minutes into the service they may be invited forward for a children's moment. Across the courtyard, the 10:00 AM hour is given over to Sunday School, where children from kindergarten through about age ten gather in classrooms with teacher teams who rotate monthly. Lessons are provided in advance so that anyone who feels called to teach can step in with a partner. By 11:00 AM the sanctuary is set for the Traditional Service, complete with a robed choir, an organ, classic hymns, and the more formal liturgical setting that has long characterized Presbyterian worship.
Several times a year that rhythm is interrupted in a way that brings everyone together. On fifth Sundays of the month, during the July Sabbath month, and on the Sundays immediately before Christmas and New Year's Day, the congregation gathers for a single combined service at 10:00 AM. The same pattern returns for the great movements of the Christian year. Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter, and All Saints' Day each carry their own services, marked by prayer, music, and the sacraments. Good Friday at MSPC is a quiet, contemplative service in the chapel, led by Rev. Stephen Eyre and Rev. Maurice G. Mitchell with Roy Swanson at the piano. Easter morning begins with a family breakfast, a flower cross, and an egg hunt before the 10:00 AM celebration of the resurrection with Communion and a choral cantata.
A Faith Centered on Scripture and the Triune God
The preaching and teaching ministry at MSPC begins with a conviction that Scripture is the central witness to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Sermons engage the Bible alongside the questions people are actually carrying: relationships, work, suffering, prayer, the place of technology in daily life, and what it means to follow Jesus in a complicated world. The church's teaching team is comfortable saying, out loud, that this is a place where honest questions are welcome and where people who are new to faith sit alongside those who have followed Jesus for decades.
The values that frame that teaching are five: Scripture, with Christ's grace as the central truth of the Bible; Discipleship, equipping people to follow Christ with all their mind, will, and strength; Compassion, listening and offering encouragement to those who are hurting; Family, reaching and serving households through education and fellowship; and Outreach, sharing the Word of God through word, deed, and presence.
That vision takes shape through the current sermon series. The most recent teaching, Thinking Faithfully About AI, walks through the season with four sermons on buzzwords from the technology industry - fear, agency, speed, and friction - and rereads each one through Scripture. The opening sermon, on fear, turned to Psalm 46, the psalm Martin Luther used to write A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, and held it against the cultural moment. The sermon on agency walked through Genesis 1 and the cultural mandate. The message on speed worked through Psalm 37 and the wisdom of do not fret. The closing sermon, on friction, opened Romans 5 and contrasted the dream of a frictionless life with the Christian claim that real freedom is found in Christ. Those sermons are written and posted in full so that they can be read during the week, used in small groups, or shared with a friend who cannot attend on Sunday.
Planning a First Visit
MSPC works hard to make a first visit feel unpressured. The spacious parking lot sits on the north side of the building, with well-marked spaces for regular and handicapped parking and two entrances off Miami Avenue. Greeters are usually easy to spot, and a Connect Card in the pew gives visitors a low-effort way to share a name and an email address if they choose to.
Choosing between the two morning services is partly a matter of taste. The 9:00 AM contemporary service has a relaxed, upbeat atmosphere with a worship team and contemporary Christian music. The 11:00 AM traditional service offers robed choir, organ, classic hymns, and a more formal liturgical setting led by the pastor. What to wear is flexible: the first service skews casual and the second skews more formal, but both are welcoming to anyone who shows up in their everyday clothes. MSPC's own guidance is the simple line, come as you are.
Children are welcome in either service. A fully staffed nursery is available for infants through kindergarten during both the 9:00 and 11:00 services. During the contemporary service, children ages four to ten are also invited into a Sunday School program that uses storytelling, crafts, and games to walk through the week's Bible story.
For families with teenagers and older youth, MSPC keeps its programming rooted in Sunday morning and the wider life of the church. Confirmation, youth activities, service and mission trips, children's music, and seasonal intergenerational events all sit inside the Family Ministry umbrella, with the conviction that faith is formed as much by relationships and experiences as by lessons.
Family Ministry - Children, Youth, and the Households Around Them
The Family Ministry at MSPC is built on the conviction that parents and caregivers are the most important influence in a child's spiritual life, and that the church's job is to come alongside them. That conviction runs through everything the ministry offers: Sunday School for the youngest learners, a week of Vacation Bible School each summer, confirmation classes, youth activities, intergenerational events, and service opportunities designed to be done together as a family.
The annual Vacation Bible School, called the Snowball Mountain Challenge, runs Monday through Friday the first week of June from 9:00 AM to noon, and welcomes children ages three through ten. Each day, campers move through stations that combine Bible storytelling, music, crafts, games, and mission projects around the theme verse, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). The week is built so that families can bring friends and so that older youth and adults can serve as crew leaders. In the weeks that follow, the same family ministry hosts seasonal events that draw the household back to the church - Walk to School Day hospitality, the Lasagna Make-and-Take in October, and the Blessing of the Animals in late July.
Sunday School at MSPC is intentionally low-barrier. Teachers are paired and rotate once a month, lessons are written and ready, and new teachers are welcomed to shadow an experienced partner before stepping in. Children in the elementary class are six to ten years old and meet from 9:25 to 10:00 on Sunday mornings.
Women's Ministry Across Generations
Women's Ministry at MSPC gathers women of different ages and stages of life for Bible study, fellowship, creative projects, service, and seasonal events. The leadership of the ministry is explicit about valuing relationships across generations, creating spaces where women at different seasons of life can bring their questions, wisdom, and experience to the same table.
At the heart of the programming is an ongoing women's Bible study that walks through the letters of 1 and 2 Peter as a discussion study on how to live as part of a vital Christian community in the world. Women who prefer an evening option join Soup and Study with Sisters in Christ, which meets on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 with a light soup supper. The study introduces the inductive method of Bible study and works through a topic drawn from the 40 Minute study series.
Around that core, Women's Ministry organizes a steady rhythm of events: a Ladies' Tea Party at the start of summer, a T-Shirt Quilt class for crafters who want to repurpose meaningful shirts, an Advent gathering that combines food, fellowship, prayer, and a candle lighting, and various brunches, workshops, and opportunities to serve together. Child care is offered when needed, and the events are open to women from the wider community, not just members.
Study and Grow: Bible Studies, Daily Devotionals, and the Rhythms of Abiding
MSPC treats spiritual growth as something both learned and practiced. The Study and Grow ministry offers Bible studies, small groups, classes, retreats, and other opportunities for people at every stage of faith, from those exploring Christianity for the first time to longtime followers looking for the next step.
A foundational practice is the daily devotional. MSPC offers Our Daily Bread and The Upper Room, both print devotionals that members can pick up at the church. The teaching team points to Jesus's own practice of rising early to pray (Mark 1:35) and to his invitation to abide as the model for a daily time of prayer and reflection on God's word.
Through the year, the ministry organizes weekend retreats and extended teaching events. Most recently, the congregation partnered with the Presbytery of Cincinnati to host internationally acclaimed author, archaeologist, and pastor Bob Rognlien for a weekend on The Jesus-Shaped Way, a teaching that draws on Jesus's example of love, compassion, and purpose.
For those who want a longer step away, MSPC organizes mission trips that combine service with retreat. The congregation has sent teams to Jonesville, Virginia, to work on homes through Habitat for Humanity and has taken a pilgrimage group to Greece and Turkey to walk in the footsteps of Saint Paul.
Digital Discipleship - Faith Beyond Sunday
MSPC's Digital Discipleship ministry exists because the pastors and leaders believe that faith is formed in daily moments - at the kitchen table, in the car, at work, or out in the world - and not only inside the sanctuary. To support that, the church curates sermon series, written devotionals, video reflections, and other online resources that can be used on their own or as the starting point for a conversation with family, friends, or a small group.
Two of the more developed offerings are the Journey of Growth email devotionals, which focus on practical Christian growth in love, and the Elemental Church teaching series, which walks through four foundational elements of healthy discipleship - Integrity, Passion, Servanthood, and Imagination - and connects each one to Christ. The recent Thinking Faithfully About AI series is also part of the digital library, with full transcripts and slide shows posted for each sermon.
The church maintains an active social media presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X. Facebook hosts livestreamed Sunday services for members and friends who cannot attend in person; YouTube archives complete worship services and curated sermon playlists including How To Talk with God and Abide; Instagram and X carry weekly Scripture readings, photos from events, and short videos of music and teaching.
Mission Partners in Cincinnati and Beyond
MSPC describes itself, plainly, as a mission-minded church. The Mission Partners ministry maintains relationships with a network of organizations serving greater Cincinnati and communities around the world, and invites the congregation to support them through financial gifts, volunteer service, donated goods, prayer, and personal presence.
Locally, the church partners with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati as part of the Shalom Coalition, a group of congregations building affordable homes and supporting the broader Greater Cincinnati community. The congregation has hosted Brunch & Learn gatherings to share Habitat's story and has commissioned members for short-term mission trips, including a recent Habitat build in Latin America. Several times a year, MSPC also volunteers at Matthew 25: Ministries, an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in the Cincinnati region that rescues and reuses products from major corporations to provide supplies locally and around the world. Volunteers spend the morning sorting, counting, packaging, and stacking donated goods on pallets for shipment, and take a tour of Matthew 25's Global Village, a life-size recreation of disaster and poverty scenes used for education.
The congregation also serves at City Gospel Mission, preparing and sharing a meal with men in the Recovery Program and with community members who come in for dinner. On a recent visit, MSPC volunteers helped feed approximately 60 men in the program, 15 community members, and enough leftovers to provide lunch the next day for the women's recovery program.
Beyond Cincinnati, MSPC partners with The Gideons International, supporting the Gideons' work of distributing Bibles and New Testaments in hotels, schools, hospitals, prisons, and military settings around the world. The local Gideons' Southwest Ohio chapter has honored the partnership by hosting a pastors' luncheon for MSPC and other area clergy. MSPC also supports Transforming Jail Ministries, a Cincinnati-area organization whose chaplains bring prayer, Scripture, and pastoral presence into local jails. Each September, MSPC collects new and gently used plastic-frame reading glasses for TJM, fulfilling more than 500 requests a year from men and women who need readers to open a Bible, follow along in a devotional, or write a letter home. During Lent, the Mission Committee participates in One Great Hour of Sharing, a Presbyterian offering for disaster relief and development.
The Mission Partners ministry also runs seasonal drives. The annual Pack a Backpack drive gathers fully packed backpacks with school supplies for Matthew 25's Back to School Giveaway. Soles for Souls collects unwanted shoes and turns them into opportunity in other parts of the world. Blessing of the Animals, in late July, is an intergenerational event that pairs a lemonade stand with prayers for pets and the people who love them.
Service in the Neighborhood
For all of its international partnerships, MSPC puts a great deal of energy into the immediate neighborhood. The church sits along a walking route used by Madeira families headed to school, and it shows up there twice a year for Walk to School Day with free coffee, juice, doughnuts, dog treats, and a friendly greeting along Greenbriar Lane. The hospitality is small and intentional: a cup of coffee, a doughnut, and a chance for the congregation to be present in the everyday life of the city.
The same spirit shapes the congregation's broader community service. Each year, the deacons organize a volunteer day at Matthew 25 Ministries and lead a season of giving through One Great Hour of Sharing during Lent. The Lasagna Make-and-Take in October turns the church kitchen into an assembly line for ready-to-bake meals that fill the pastoral-care freezer; when someone in the church or community is sick, injured, or going through a difficult season, deacons and staff can deliver a lasagna as a practical expression of care. The community prayer garden, playground, and Little Free Library on the church campus are open to neighbors throughout the week, and the Deacons' Greeting Card Ministry keeps a free rack of cards available in the Rotunda for anyone who wants to send a note of encouragement.
Fellowship and Life Together
Fellowship at MSPC takes many shapes. On fifth Sundays, after the combined 10:00 AM service, the Munch Bunch heads to DeSha's for lunch and conversation. Once a year, MSPC partners with the DownTowne Listening Room to host a bluegrass concert in the sanctuary, with the Kentucky Just Us Family Band. Women's Advent, the Ladies' Tea Party, the T-Shirt Quilt class, and the Brunch & Learn gatherings are all ways of gathering that the church opens to friends and neighbors throughout Madeira and greater Cincinnati.
The Deacons' Greeting Card Ministry keeps a steady, quiet rhythm of encouragement going throughout the year. A free rack of cards for nearly every occasion - sympathy, get well, thank you, thinking of you, birthdays - is available in the church Rotunda any time. The Little Free Library in the entry foyer holds a rotating collection of spiritual and devotional books, with bookmarks and a QR code that invite the reader to submit a prayer request. Books are placed in Little Free Libraries around the neighborhood by members who take a moment to pray over each one before letting it go.
Community Programs Housed on Campus
The MSPC campus hosts several programs that serve families across Madeira. Boy Scout Troop 209 and Cub Scout Pack 20 are both chartered through the church and use the building for meetings and activities. Madeira Schools' preschool program uses space on the campus as part of the public school district's early childhood offerings, providing another daily rhythm of young children and families at the church.
The Ukrainian National Women's League of America also meets at MSPC, a reminder that the building serves as a gathering place for cultural and community organizations in Madeira. The playground and community prayer garden are open to the wider neighborhood during the week, and the parking lot and grounds are used by visiting groups throughout the year.
Staff and Pastoral Leadership
The pastoral team at MSPC is led by Rev. Russell B. Smith, Lead Pastor. Russell grew up the youngest of three children in Columbia, South Carolina, where his parents modeled a quiet, committed Christian faith. He is known for thoughtful, sermon-rich teaching that engages Scripture alongside the questions people are actually carrying, and for exploring ways of expressing faith through the arts and writing.
Rev. Maurice Mitchell serves in Pastoral Care. Maurice has served three Presbyterian churches across a 42-year ministry and was raised on a family farm in Southeastern Ohio. He and his wife have three children, including a daughter who is also a Presbyterian pastor.
Rev. Stephen Eyre is the Teaching Pastor. Born and raised in Florida, Stephen came to faith during a life-changing spiritual encounter with Jesus Christ while in college in the 1960s, and brings decades of teaching experience to MSPC's adult formation and seasonal services.
Missy Hardy is the Director of Congregational Life. She came to MSPC as a second career after 26 years of teaching high school math and now oversees much of the ministry programming, fellowship, and Sunday School coordination.
Roy Swanson is the Director of Music. Roy is a composer, arranger, keyboardist, trumpet player, and former school administrator who shapes both the contemporary worship team and the traditional choir and organ ministry.
A Heritage in Two Names
The name Madeira-Silverwood is itself a story. MSPC is the product of a merger between Madeira Presbyterian Church and Silverwood Presbyterian Church, two congregations that each brought their own history and traditions to the union. Members who want to walk through that story can read two histories the church has collected: Madeira's Presbyterian History and Silverwood Presbyterian History. Together, the merged congregation carries forward the worship life, mission commitments, and community connections of both predecessor churches, and serves as a single Presbyterian presence at 8000 Miami Avenue in Madeira.
A Place to Take the Next Step
The rhythm of MSPC is simple and steady. Sunday worship, twice a morning, with Sunday School for children in between. Bible studies, women's ministry, and small groups through the week. Service trips to Cincinnati and beyond. Daily devotionals and an active online library of sermons and reflections. Mission partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, Matthew 25 Ministries, City Gospel Mission, the Gideons, and Transforming Jail Ministries. And a campus that stays open to the neighborhood through its playground, prayer garden, Little Free Library, scouting programs, and twice-yearly Walk to School Day hospitality.
Whatever a visitor's background - Presbyterian, Christian of another tradition, returning after time away, exploring faith for the first time, or simply curious about what goes on inside a church - MSPC opens its doors, its classes, and its community with the same invitation. The church's stated welcome, drawn from Romans 15:7, is the simplest summary of its posture: Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.