A Confessing Church on Route 380
Union Presbyterian Church sits along Pennsylvania Route 380 in Murrysville, just east of Pittsburgh, where it has served Washington Township and the surrounding communities for more than 165 years. The congregation calls itself "A Confessing Church" and carries the motto "Making Christ Known to the World." With roughly 200 members and an average worship attendance of about 90 people each Sunday, Union Presbyterian is a mid-sized congregation that still feels like a close family. The pastor is Rev. Bob Ruefle.
Worship has been at the heart of Union's identity since the first recorded session minutes, dated May 30, 1857. Services that first year were held in the area before the congregation was even formally chartered, including a Saturday sermon by Reverend Conner on Song of Solomon 2:4 and a Sunday celebration of the Lord's Supper. On June 21, 1858, fifty-five residents gathered in Ebenezer Steel's barn - haylofts above, animals around - to worship. Construction on the first Union Church building began that same year. By 1930 the congregation had grown enough that members purchased a schoolhouse and moved it by trucks to the church property for extra space.
In the 1950s it became clear that a new building would be needed. Ground was broken on May 19, 1959, on a 23-acre site across Route 380 from the original church. On January 31, 1960, the old church closed with the observance of communion, just as it had begun more than a century before, and a week later the new church opened, again with the celebration of communion. A service of dedication for a renovated sanctuary followed on May 20, 1990, after the chancel was completely updated in 1989.
The Largest Cast Bronze Cross in America
The sanctuary cross is one of Union's most recognizable features. Designed by Charles Stauffer and cast with the assistance of James Love in Wheeling, West Virginia, the cross is a reproduction of the tenth-century cross of St. John that stood at the west door of the Abbey of Iona in Scotland. Made of bronze and wood, it stands eight feet tall and four feet wide and weighs approximately 200 pounds. Union notes that it is the largest known cast bronze cross in America.
The ornamentation draws on traditional Christian symbols characteristic of historic Celtic crosses. At the ends of the crossbeam are circles denoting the five wounds of Christ - the nail prints in his hands and feet and the spear in his side. Clusters of grapes wrap the crossbeam in tribute to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. A looped circle beneath the center of the cross speaks to the eternal nature of God, while a circle around the center of the cross in the sanctuary represents the sun. The cross is placed on top of the circle to show that Christ reigns supreme over anything else people might worship instead of him.
Sunday Morning at Union
Union Presbyterian gathers for worship each Sunday morning, and the service is also live streamed on the church's Facebook page. From Labor Day through Memorial Day the Sunday school hour begins at 9:30 a.m., with classes for children, youth and adults. Worship follows at 11:00 a.m. During the summer months - Memorial Day through Labor Day - the schedule shifts to a single 10:00 a.m. worship service, with Sunday school classes on recess.
The atmosphere is intentionally relaxed. Union describes itself as a church where a visitor can come in Sunday best or in their favorite pair of jeans and fit in either way. The service blends traditional and contemporary elements: a traditional order of service, music and liturgical year, alongside the belief that the Holy Spirit enlivens the preached Word and indwells the gathered congregation. Sermons are biblically based and aimed at everyday life. During the service children are invited forward for a children's message that uses stories, object lessons, audience participation and scripture to reinforce the main idea of the morning's sermon.
Forming Faith from Birth Through Sunday School
Children and youth are a central part of Union's life. Three children's Sunday school classes are offered during the school year: 3- to 5-year-olds, 6- and 7-year-olds, and 8- through 12-year-olds. The hour typically ends with a snack and a craft tied to the day's lesson, and children occasionally share special music - or even new songs of praise they have helped write - during worship.
For the youngest, a nursery is provided for ages 3 and under. All childcare workers carry current clearances as required by state and federal law. Parents are asked to keep children home if they have had a fever or shown other signs of illness in the previous 24 hours, and to label personal items such as diaper bags, bottles and sippy cups. The church asks families to let staff know about any food allergies or special needs.
Summer brings an all-ages Vacation Bible School, and many children and youth also spend time at Pine Springs Camp, which Union supports as a mission partner. Pine Springs' purpose is to provide all campers with a vital encounter with Jesus Christ that leads to growth in Christian faith and discipleship.
Deacons as the Hands and Feet of Jesus
The Biblical role of a deacon, Union teaches, is one of compassion, witness and service, and the deacons of Union Presbyterian Church live that out in concrete ways. They keep in touch with shut-ins through regular phone calls, deliveries of the Sunday bulletin and newsletter, and at least one visit per quarter, with meals after church dinners. They send cards and letters to shut-ins, youth in school, those who are sick or in the hospital, those celebrating birthdays and others.
Beyond pastoral care, the deacons serve funeral luncheons, support and volunteer at local food pantries, stock Sunday school classrooms with first aid kits, donate school supplies to students in need across multiple school districts, support national and international disaster relief efforts, prepare meals for those who are sick or grieving, and organize a Christmas toy collection. The Church Life Committee complements this work by fostering fellowship among members through luncheons, gatherings and other social activities rooted in Hebrews 10:24-25.
Making Christ Known: Local and Global Missions
Union Presbyterian frames its missions in the words of Matthew 28, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations." The church supports and participates in missions locally, across the country and around the world through the giving of time, resources and prayer.
Locally, Union partners with the Plum Food Pantry, committed to providing individuals and families in Plum Borough with nutritional food and grocery products, and with the Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center, an organization working toward the safe elimination of domestic violence through intervention, prevention and collaboration. The church also helps distribute food at the Westmoreland Food Bank and at Pittsburgh Mills in Tarentum, and supports the Kiski Area Youth Network (KAYN) in connecting students to Christ, church and community.
Beyond the region, Union backs Harvest Bridge International, which works alongside indigenous Christians in South Asia to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, and Christian Veterinary Mission, which has equipped veterinary students and professionals since 1976 to serve in the developing world through their professional skills. Curbside pickup mission dinners and rummage sales held at the church help fund these and other outreach efforts.
The Stained Glass Story of Scripture
The sanctuary's stained glass windows tell the unfolding story of God's revelation in the Bible, beginning at the front of the nave on the west and continuing around to the east. The windows were produced by the Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studios, with the artwork and coloring done by Milcho Silanoff, a craftsman with many years of experience.
Each window centers on a key figure or moment - Adam's fall, Abraham's faith, Moses receiving the law, David the king, Isaiah the prophet, the Christ child with his parents, the boy Christ in the temple, the baptism of Jesus, the rich young ruler, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Supper, the Lord in prayer in Gethsemane, the crucifixion and the resurrection - and is topped by an appropriate Christian symbol. Additional windows in the overflow rooms depict world missions and the ascension with the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, and a cross window in the balcony is lit at night, with a triangle symbolizing the Trinity.
What Union Believes
Union Presbyterian's statement of faith takes the form of the Apostles' Creed, recited together as a congregation: belief in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried, descended into hell, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father, from where he will come to judge the living and the dead; and in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
The congregation's mission is to serve Jesus Christ by telling the good news of salvation, proclaiming the grace of God through faith and calling all people to respond to Jesus Christ as their only Savior and Lord. The church family seeks to be a living instrument of God's love, welcoming all with caring and understanding, and prays for the Holy Spirit's guidance in living out the Great Commission. Members commit to working together and encouraging one another to use their diverse gifts as a testimony to the life, death, resurrection and teachings of Jesus Christ.