History — Canonsburg United Presbyterian
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.
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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."
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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.
This choir of children from the united church is shown in Greenside Church, Christmas 1967.
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At a congregational meeting, 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.
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.
In May 1992, the session called the Rev. David Mayo to the pastorate. Both Gary Gibson and his sister, Linda Mankey served in the church as Commissioned Lay Pastors. In 1996, Susan Zoog joined the staff 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.
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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.
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During the months from April to July 1998, renovation of the Sanctuary building was carried out on a grand scale. 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 Fellowship Hall floor were chestnut beams resting on the ground. This was remedied with massive amounts of gravel and concrete. During the extensive renovation, worship was carried on at the St. Genevieve Roman Catholic worship site on East College Street.
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Above, two photographs of the church balcony. The left hand picture was taken during an Advent worship service in 1975. The one on the right was taken in warm weather after renovations were made in 1998.
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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.
Behind the choir loft is a multipurpose storage room used at present for the Food Bank. On the ground floor, an enlarged kitchen was 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."
Following the resignation of Sherman Ott in 1990, the church was energized by the Rev. Harold H. McConnell, interim pastor. Rev. Francis Blair, stated supply, replaced “Mac” McConnell. Through these years, Colleen Yarbrough was the assistant in charge of youth ministries and Carol Stewart served faithfully in the church office.
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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.
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In 2001 Peggy Shannon was hired as the Director of Christian Education. She completed Interim Ministry Training at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2008 and is now pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Eighty Four, PA.
Rev. Linda Ruby became the interim pastor following the resignation of Rev. Mayo in 2004.
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Vacation Bible School at Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church in 1999. Featured performers in a skit included David Mayo, Dick Hultman, and Laurie Rigby.
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In January of 2005, Reverend Thomas D. Hamilton Jr. started his work at Canonsburg U.P. He is a 1991 graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Read more about Rev. Hamilton here.
In 2007, a much needed, over-sized garage was built, and renovations to the Christian Education building were completed in 2010. These include air conditioning, new fire safety doors and an alarm-security system.
In 2010, Rev. Geoffrey Rach began his ministry with us as Designated Associate Pastor. He is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2006. Read more about Rev. Rach here.
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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.
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Next » Bibliography and Appendix
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