Sampson's Mills Presbyterian Church has been a fixture in the White Oak community of Allegheny County for well over a century, with roots that reach back even further than its formal founding. Today the congregation at 1665 Lincoln Way describes itself with three guiding phrases that shape everything from Sunday worship to food bank distributions: love and serve Jesus Christ, cultivate community, and empower neighbors. As a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) within Pittsburgh Presbytery, Sampson's Mills has long balanced a traditional Presbyterian identity with a strong outward focus on the boroughs of White Oak, Versailles, Coulter, and the broader Mon Valley.
A Hundred Twenty-Five Years on Lincoln Way
The story of Sampson's Mills begins not with a building but with a small group of believers meeting in homes and a schoolhouse. In 1892, a Mission Sunday School gathered in what was then Versailles Township, eventually moving into a structure known as the Election House near the Sampson Homestead along the 2100 block of Lincoln Way. The work grew steadily, and in 1900 the group formally organized as Sampson's Mills Presbyterian Church. Four years later, in 1902, a dedicated church building was completed at 1978 Lincoln Way on land donated from the Sampson Homestead. The official church charter was granted in 1925, anchoring the congregation in what was then Versailles Borough and is now called White Oak.
By the 1950s the original building could no longer hold the growing ministries of the church. In 1954 the congregation purchased the property at 1665 Lincoln Way, the current home of Sampson's Mills. Construction happened in two phases: the Christian Education Building rose first in 1957, with its fellowship hall doubling as the worship space for Sunday mornings, and the present sanctuary was completed in 1973. The stained glass and communion table that fill that sanctuary today grew out of decades of patient building, both physical and spiritual.
The church's own history acknowledges a defining truth: a church is far more than a building with stained glass windows. From the beginning, Sampson's Mills has been shaped by people of faith with strong hearts for God and a desire to grow God's kingdom right in White Oak. At the church's 40th anniversary celebration, members articulated a vision that has guided the congregation ever since: "May our church always be a missionary church - ministered to the spiritual as well as the other needs of the people." That missionary impulse carries forward today through food distributions, rent assistance, intergenerational ministry, and partnerships with neighbors across the Mon Valley.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced a pause on in-person gatherings in March 2020, Sampson's Mills pivoted quickly to livestreamed worship. The experience taught the congregation that ministry can extend well beyond the sanctuary walls, and online worship remains a permanent part of the church's rhythm.
Sunday Worship and Hybrid Ministry
Sunday worship is the heart of life at Sampson's Mills. The service begins at 10:30 a.m. and is offered both in person and online, livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook so that members at home, on vacation, or unable to attend in person can join as one body of Christ. Hybrid ministry is treated as a gift rather than a compromise, allowing the same congregation to gather across different locations and circumstances.
The worship service itself draws on a wide range of musical instruments and voices, including the adult choir and handbell choir, with soloists, duets, and small ensembles regularly featured. Children are invited forward for a children's message before heading upstairs for Children's Worship, while the youngest disciples (age three and under) are cared for in the nursery by volunteers who arrive at 10:20 a.m. Communion is celebrated together in the sanctuary on the first Sunday of each month.
Worship resources, including the weekly bulletin and children's activity pages, are made available online so that anyone following along from home has everything needed to participate fully. The vision statement of the church - "We embrace our call to love and serve Jesus Christ as we cultivate community and empower our neighbors" - is woven throughout the liturgy and ministry of the day.
For those planning a first visit, parking is available in the lot behind the building on Ohio Avenue, with entrances leading to the sanctuary, church office, and fellowship hall. The sanctuary entrance is at the top of a set of cement steps, and an accessible ramp is available at that same entrance for anyone who needs it.
A Church Where Every Instrument Is Welcome
Music has long been one of the distinctive marks of Sampson's Mills. The church's music ministry is led by Jo VanMeter, the Director of Faith Formation and Worship, who can often be found at the piano on Sunday mornings directing the choir, accompanying the handbell choir, or sharing a story with the youngest disciples during the children's moment. The music program welcomes an unusually broad range of instruments, including piano, guitar, flute, violin, handbells, euphonium, cello, and even djembe. Vocalists and instrumentalists of every kind are invited to participate, whether as part of the larger ensembles or as featured soloists, duets, and small groups.
The adult vocal choir rehearses on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m., and the handbell choir rehearses at 6:00 p.m. on the same evening. Anyone interested in joining is encouraged to reach out to Jo through the church office.
Children, Youth, and Family Ministries
Faith formation for all ages sits at the center of who Sampson's Mills is. The church describes its approach as intergenerational, intentionally bringing people of two or more generations together for the work of Jesus Christ. The belief is that faith is formed and strengthened through mentoring and relationship building, and that connections between God's children of every age make the church feel like home.
On Sunday mornings during worship, children age four through fourth grade are invited upstairs for Children's Worship after the children's moment. Children's activity pages are provided during each in-person service, and a library of downloadable activities - covering topics from Holy Week and Easter to Advent, Christmas, the Fruit of the Spirit, and World Communion Sunday - is available online for use during in-home worship.
The youngest children, age three and under, are welcomed into nursery care during the entire worship service. Volunteers are on hand starting at 10:20 a.m.
Older youth gather once a month for youth group events that mix fun activities with mission projects, and friends are always welcome, including youth from other churches. The Director of Faith Formation works with neighboring congregations whenever possible, reflecting the church's commitment to doing ministry together rather than in isolation.
Vacation Bible School at Sampson's Mills takes a different shape than most. Each summer the church leads Community VBS in the Park in partnership with other local churches, held at White Oak Park as a week of fellowship and fun for the whole community.
EPIC Wednesdays
Mid-week ministry for children and youth takes place through EPIC, which stands for Eat, Pray, Inspire, Connect. The program follows the LOGOS model of intergenerational ministry and serves children from preschool through senior high, with four components: Bible Study, Recreation, Worship Arts, and Family Time. Bible lessons and activities are tailored by age, while Family Time brings everyone together for a shared meal and table games.
EPIC meets on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. High school students (grades 9-12) meet separately on the same evening from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. Dinner is part of the experience, and registration is available online through the church's website.
Cupboard Stretchers Foodbank
Cupboard Stretchers is one of the most visible expressions of the church's outward mission. Operating as a partner site of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Foodbank, Sampson's Mills hosts a monthly food distribution on the third Friday of every month. Residents of White Oak, Coulter, and Versailles Borough are eligible to receive food, and check-in begins at 11:30 a.m. with participants receiving a number for distribution. Emergency boxes are also available for pick-up at the church for anyone in need.
Donations of non-perishable items are always welcome and can be dropped off during regular office hours, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Useful items include canned goods (pop-tops preferred), boxed cereal, dry pasta and jars of sauce, peanut butter, crackers, toiletries, and paper products. Monetary donations can also be made through the online giving portal by selecting the Cupboard Stretchers Ministry option.
The Lazarus Fund and Mission Partners
Beyond the food bank, Sampson's Mills administers the Lazarus Fund, an emergency assistance program for residents of Allegheny County facing housing or utility insecurity. Grants can be awarded up to $400 and are paid directly to the utility company, landlord, or mortgage holder for those facing an eviction or shut-off notice. The Lazarus Fund is a mission of Pittsburgh Presbytery, and applications begin with a call to the church office.
A portion of the church's yearly budget is dedicated to supporting organizations that serve others locally and around the world. Among the partners named by the church are Hope Ministries of McKeesport, the 9th Street Clinic, Shared Blessings Mission Store of Duquesne, and the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Fund. The church also partners with the McKeesport School District to support the education of local children.
Cultivating Community
The church's Cultivate Community Team focuses on building relationships both within the congregation and with the wider neighborhood. Several annual events have become local traditions. Food Truck Friday fills the church parking lot each summer with food trucks, local music, and family-friendly entertainment, providing a casual gathering place for the community. Kick-Off Sunday each fall celebrates the new program year with a back-to-school blessing and a shared lunch after worship. And on the last Saturday in October, Truck, Trunk, Treat! brings together White Oak Borough, local Girl Scout troops, and the church for a Halloween parade through town followed by an afternoon of trunk-or-treating, decorated emergency vehicles, food, and games in the parking lot and fellowship hall.
Pastoral Staff and Leadership
The congregation is currently served by Rev. Dr. Stephen (Steve) Wilson, who joined Sampson's Mills as interim pastor in late 2024. A graduate of Blackburn College, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Steve has served Presbyterian congregations in rural Clearfield County and in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, where he spent thirty-five years, including four years at Riverside Presbyterian Church and as the organizing pastor after Riverside and First United Presbyterian Churches in Oakmont merged. He has been active in Pittsburgh Presbytery since 1988 and currently serves on the Presbytery's Commission on Ministry.
Jo VanMeter serves as Director of Faith Formation and Worship, leading the music program, children's ministry, and intergenerational faith formation. She grew up in Kittanning in the United Methodist tradition, graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, and has been serving Sampson's Mills in some official capacity since 2018, first as Music Director and then as Children and Youth Director before taking on her current combined role.
A team of elders and deacons shares in the leadership of the church, organized around the three guiding ministries of loving and serving Jesus Christ, cultivating community, and empowering neighbors.
A Congregation in Pastoral Transition
Sampson's Mills is currently in a period of pastoral transition following the call of its previous pastor, Jessica McClure Archer, to become the next General Minister of Pittsburgh Presbytery - the first woman to serve in that role. A Pastor Nominating Committee has been working through the denominational process of discernment and is preparing to identify the next installed pastor for the congregation. In the meantime, Rev. Dr. Steve Wilson serves as the part-time interim pastor, providing pastoral care, preaching, and leadership support until a new pastor is called. The transition is expected to take eighteen to twenty-four months, and the Session and PNC have been deliberate about taking the time needed to find the right leader for the next chapter of Sampson's Mills.
Visiting Sampson's Mills
Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays at 1665 Lincoln Way in White Oak, Pennsylvania. The church can be reached by phone at 412-678-5355 or by email at office@sampsonsmills.org. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Parking is in the rear lot off Ohio Avenue, with an accessible ramp available at the sanctuary entrance. Online giving is available through the Presbyterian Foundation's portal, with options for one-time or recurring donations and a designated fund for the Cupboard Stretchers Foodbank Ministry. Those interested in the fellowship hall for a private event or in volunteering can find request forms and registration links through the church.