In 1961 the Presbyterian churches in Canonsburg formed a committee to study the feasibility of four Presbyterian churches continuing to exist in a town of ten thousand people. They held meetings over the next five years, culminating in a simultaneous vote on Sunday morning April 2, 1967. The question was whether the four congregations should merge into one. The majority of the members voted in favor of the merger.

Under the plan of merger, each of the four ministers would resign and the search for a new pastor would begin. The former pastors would continue to serve as stated supplies and a moderator appointed by presbytery would head the session. Washington Presbytery named Dr. William G. Rusch, of Washington, as moderator to act until such time as a pastor was installed. Daniel Eveland and Charles Crist had both received calls to new churches before the formal union, so it was left to Thomas Conboy and Francis Scott to act as stated supplies.

Left, buttons with the lettering "4 ONE" were worn by supporters of the church merger in the weeks before the vote in April 1967. Right, Rev. Charles G. Skuce, first pastor of the merged church. He wrote in October 1967, "My philosophy of the church’s purpose is "Bring people to Christ. Tell people about Christ Build people up in Christ Send people out to serve Christ."

The session minutes of the merged church record: "On the evening of May 7, 1967, at a thrilling Uniting Service conducted by the Presbytery of Washington, four United Presbyterian congregations in the town of Canonsburg officially became one." The new Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church had a combined membership of 1,896, and that month the session of the new church organization decided, for the present, that the place of Sunday worship would be alternated between the two largest buildings, the former Greenside and Chartiers sanctuaries.

At a congregational meeting moderated by Dr. Rusch, the Rev. Charles G. Skuce, Jr. was called to be the first elected pastor of the merged church. A fixed house of worship and Christian Education facility were needed, and the congregation voted in January 1968 to settle on the former Chartiers U.P. facilities, described in the session minutes as "the West Pike Street property." It was also agreed to purchase the former Canonsburg Library property and two adjoining lots (separated from the church by the post office) to be used for Sunday School, office space, and for parking.

This choir, of children from the united church, is shown in Greenside Church, Christmas 1967.

Events moved rapidly, and there was a general feeling of good will and harmony. In June 1968, acting assistant pastor Thomas Conboy resigned to accept a call to another church, and in September 1969, Francis Scott left to accept a new charge. That same month the congregation issued a call to the Reverend C. Richard Berggren to serve as associate pastor. Under his leadership, youth activities grew to include such programs as Saturday Morning Trailblazers, weekend retreats for Junior and Senior Highs, and a Junior High camp at Chautauqua.

The two Sunday morning worship services instituted at the time of the merger were continued, and the Sunday School and youth activities were well attended—so well that an addition to the Christian Education building was needed. A building Study Committee was formed and held its first meeting in February 1969. It was determined that a new church building also was necessary.

Rev. Hedley A. Burrell of Thomas was employed by the session as a part-time church visitor from August 1970 through August 1972. He was a veteran of the Canadian Army with service in World War I, and he had been a career Salvation Army officer until his retirement in 1964.

The following year, 71-year old Rev. W. Austin Gilleland was employed as Minister of Visitation and Evangelism, and his wife, Naomi, as Director of Missionary Education. The choir director during the early years of the combined church was L. Herbert Ostrander. Mrs. Donald Emery was organist.

A 1969 drive for funds for the building projects did not realize enough money for both a new church and expanded Christian Education facilities. The church building project was named "Phase 2," and ground-breaking for the new Christian Education facility (Phase I) was July 4, 1971. Arrangements were made to borrow $150,000 to finance the venture, and the Building Study Committee became the Building Committee with Park Rankin chairman.

The building was dedicated on November 26, 1972. Next came the enlarging and improving of the parking lot on the former Bell properties. This lot was not only a convenience to the congregation, but also a service to the entire community.

In July 1974, the congregation accepted Rev. Berggren’s resignation as associate pastor. The session minutes of January 1975 record the securing of Bruce Mawhinney and James Paxton as staff assistants to the pastor with the added provision that Mr. Mawhinney would become, as of June, a full-time assistant in the position of student pastor.

Both Reverends Skuce and Gilliland resigned in 1977, and Rev. Mawhinney the following year. The Rev. Willard Wellman served Canonsburg U.P. as stated supply from 1978 to 1979, when G. Sherman Ott was called as pastor. During Mr. Ott’s pastorate, the Rev. William McKinney held the position of assistant pastor from 1980 to 1983, and Rev. Donald Steele from June 1984 to 1988. Mr. Steele resigned to become pastor of Center Presbyterian Church, McMurray. In 1991, the Rev. Robert Sheehan came to Canonsburg as an interim assistant and remained until 1994.

Top row: Rev. Bruce Mawhinney, Rev. and Mrs. Willard Wellman, Rev. and Mrs. C. Richard Berggren, Hedley A. Burrell, and Rev. Harold H. McConnell. Bottom Row: Reverends W. Austin Gilleland, G. Sherman Ott, William McKinney, Donald Steele, Robert Sheehan, and Francis Blair. Click on the individual pictures for a larger image.

Sherman Ott resigned in 1990, and in 1990 and 1991, the church was energized by the Rev. Harold H. McConnell, interim pastor. Rev. Francis Blair, stated supply, replaced Mac McConnell, and in May 1992, the Rev. David Mayo was called to the pastorate. Since then, Colleen Yarborough has been the assistant in charge of youth ministries. Gary Gibson, C.L.P. (Commissioned Lay Preacher) was Ministerial Assistant in 1994 and 1995; his sister, Linda Mankey, C.L.P., from 1996 through 2002. Susan Zoog joined the staff in 1996 to work with senior adults and as director of visitation.  She retired in 2005 and Pam Walker joined the staff as Director of Pastoral Care.

Top: left, a summer worship service with the choir in mufti. In front are Dennis Mumper, Rev. David Mayo, and Linda Mankey (obscured); center, Ministerial Assistant Gary Gibson at his farewell service in 1995; right, Ministerial Assistant Linda Mankey standing in front of one of the new windows in the prayer chapel. Bottom: left, an Advent service in 1999 with Director Dennis Mumper leading the choir and Kenton Klink at the piano; center, Susan M. Zoog, Director of Visitation; Kenton Klink, instrumentalist at the new grand piano purchased in conjunction with the 1998 renovation.

In 2001 Peggy Shannon was hired as the Director of Christian Education.  Peggy was born in Southwestern Pennsylvania, along with a brother Alan (who we have heard about in some of her sermons and children's moments).  She graduated from the University of Maryland and spent eleven more years living in Rockville.  Upon returning to this area, she married Michael Shannon and they have two children, Caitlin and Nicholas.  She completed the Lay Pastor Training Program at Waynesburg College.  Peggy has returned to the classroom many times.  She completed Interim Ministry Training at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and is currently enrolled there working toward a Masters of Divinity Degree.

In January of 2005, Reverend Thomas D. Hamilton Jr. started his work with us.  He was installed by Washington Presbytery on February 5th, 2005.  He was raised in New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Clarion County where his father was a Pastor.  Rev. Hamilton graduated from Redbank Valley High School in 1981 and then graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts and Telecommunications.

He was married on September 8, 1990 to his wife Marilynn.  His family also includes his beloved stepson, Jason Steinhart.  As husband and wife, as well as family, they enjoy going to the beach and traveling.  Marilynn became a Deacon at Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church in 2006.

Rev. Hamilton graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1991.  During his seminary training, he was under the care of Kiskminetas Presbytery and also served as student pastor at Christ United Presbyterian Church in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

His first pastorate was at Cross Roads Presbyterian Church in Monroeville, Pennsylvania under The Pittsburgh Presbytery as an associate pastor from June 1991 to June 1997.  His next call was as associate pastor to The Church of the Covenant in Washington, Pa., under the Washington Presbytery from July 1997 to December 2004.  During his last two years at Church of the Covenant, Rev. Hamilton served as Acting Head-of-Staff after Reverend William Meyer's retirement. 

The church continues to grow in Leaps and Bounds since he came to us!

From April to July 1998, renovation was carried out on a grand scale, though not to the extent of demolition, as had been contemplated a quarter-century before. The nearly 13 decades of use had taken their toll. The balcony was unusable, and the beams and joists supporting the sanctuary were found to be unsafe. The choir loft could not accommodate the 50-voice choir that Music Director Dennis Mumper had built.

It was discovered that the only support for the basement floor were chestnut beams resting on the ground. This was remedied with massive amounts of gravel and concrete. The extensive renovation precluded use of the sanctuary, so for four months, worship was carried on at the St. Genevieve Roman Catholic worship site on East College Street.

Above, two photographs of the church balcony. The upper picture was taken during an Advent worship service in 1975. The one below it was taken in warm weather after renovations were made in 1998.

Reconstruction allowed the balcony to be used safely; new lights and ceiling fans are in place in the sanctuary, and extension of the building to the north allowed expansion of the pulpit and choir facilities. There is a new heating system and the building now is air-conditioned. A sound system was installed, along with a ceiling-mounted projector and screen.

The building was again enlarged northwards, providing a larger choir loft. Behind the choir loft is a multipurpose storage room, and on the ground floor, an enlarged kitchen, built with a gift from Victor and Hannah Zaccaglin. A carillon in the venerable steeple, a bequest of Margaret Newton, also became part of the project. The effort was named "Faith in Action" and required the giving of more than half a million dollars.

As an ancillary effort, the small room at the front of the church west of the choir loft was remodeled. New stained glass windows were installed; one was donated by Park Rankin, in memory of his wife, Marguerite, and the other by Margaret McMillan in memory of her husband, Grover. The church’s Prayer Ministry, led by Linda Mankey, reminds us, "Prayer is much more than talking to God—it is also listening to God."

Vacation Bible School at Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church in 1999. Featured performers in a skit included David Mayo, Dick Hultman, and Laurie Rigby.

Over the years there have been many changes. In the early years of settlement, there was an Associate Presbyterian Church that had only an open log "tent" at Oak Spring. The primitive shelter was replaced by a log building, then a brick church, then other churches of the Presbyterian family came into being. During this time, the village of Canonsburg grew from a stop on the road between Washington and Pittsburgh to a market town, then the seat of a renowned college, then a town whose economy was based on industry. Now, into the 21^st Century, computers far outnumber heavy machinery, we can be in touch with the opposite side of the world in minutes, and the Presbyterian churches are one.

Celebrating 225 Years of God’s Love was chosen as the theme for the 2000 anniversary celebration. Over the years, there have been changes in pastors, communicants, and places of worship, but there has not been a change in our Lord. His Love is Everlasting.

The brick edifice of the Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church dates from 1870, and we are fortunate that it survived the 1960s and '70s, when it was fashionable to demolish old buildings and replace them with modern structures. The spire has been repaired many times, but it still stands as a distinctive landmark and welcoming beacon on Pike Street, Canonsburg.