Canonsburg UP Church 

“The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” - Revelation 8:4 Dear Friends, This coming Sunday is Pentecost - literally, forty days after Easter. It was Easter that God turned the tables on death, taking on our sin and shame and showing us not only where it leads - but what God is going to do about it! Over the next forty days, as the community of believers heard this good news and encountered the risen Je

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” - 2 Corinthians 9:8 Dear Friends, Most of you know, we’re blessed to host the Greater Canonsburg-Houston Food Bank, and we’re one of the sites for the weekly Pop Up Pantry, devised as a response to our current situation. And so, during normal times, we regularly receive donations of non-perishable food items to be distributed at the monthly

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17 Dear Friends and Leaders, As you know, I usually send out an encouraging message each Wednesday to the entire church, that we also publish on our website and Facebook. Sometimes it contains information and updates about our church, but it's also for

“And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” - Hebrews 13:6 Dear Friends, Today when I arrived at the office, Pam Walker was already hard at work - surprise, surprise! She was busy getting the flowers and gift baskets our Deacons will be delivering, ready for their pick-up. Charlie Balentine was also there, and as I arrived, he was beginning to pickup trash that had blown onto our front yard during last night’s storm. I

“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” - Hebrews 6:12 Dear Friends, Wow, what a smooth ride! If you blinked in the past few days, you may have missed it, but our parking lot has been completely repaved and re-lined! For those who aren’t familiar, the large borough parking lot between the Post Office and Northwest Bank, is owned by the church, but leased to the Borough of Canonsburg. This allows

“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:12 Dear Friends, This past Sunday, we took a few moments out of our worship service, to recognize our church staff, who diligently work on behalf of Christ and you in administrative, pastoral, family and worship roles. We are all deeply indebted to their service in this place. I do hope that as you see them - in the of

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” - Psalm 23:5 Dear Friends, Ever have a rough day? How about a week? A month? A year? It happens. Whether you deal with anxiety and depression all of your life or not, we all go through seasons where things just don’t seem… right. One of the worst things we can do in these times, is to keep things bottled up, as a secret we alone know about, believing we alone unders

“Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.” - Psalm 72:19 Dear Friends, Wow! When I made the walk across the bridge into the sanctuary before worship on July 21, I was caught by the audible buzz that filled the air! When I entered the sanctuary, it was as full as I’ve seen it since Easter. As we began, it was so great to hear the loud and boisterous singing and I nearly had to twist arms to get everyone back in thei

“Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.” - Psalm 72:19 Dear Friends, Wow! When I made the walk across the bridge into the sanctuary before worship on July 21, I was caught by the audible buzz that filled the air! When I entered the sanctuary, it was as full as I’ve seen it since Easter. As we began, it was so great to hear the loud and boisterous singing and I nearly had to twist arms to get everyone back in thei

“Let all your things be done with charity.” - 1 Corinthians 16:14 (KJV) Dear Friends, This past Sunday as we neared the end of our “Give Up Something Bad for Lent” series, we talked about God’s Kingdom of Grace and God’s Economy of Mercy - a much different way of living than the pettiness that pervades our current world. There’s one thing I wanted to add to this that there just wasn’t enough time to explore on Sunday morning - charity. Now, charity has come to mean something