About Us
Bessemer Presbyterian Church is a small, community-oriented congregation in the town of Bessemer, just about ten miles to the west of New Castle, Pennsylvania, and was established in the year 1911. At that time, the Bessemer community had several churches, but none of them offered worship in the English language. Several community members, mostly Presbyterian, came together to initiate a Sunday school program in the Bessemer community for English speaking people. In three years, that Sunday school program had grown to twenty-eight people. On March 13, 1911, the Home Mission committee of the Presbytery of Shenango chartered that group of men and women as the First Presbyterian Church of Bessemer, PA. The church grew rapidly in the first few decades, gaining almost 200 members in just the first fourteen years! It continued to grow and expand, always remaining an important part of the Bessemer community.
In recent decades, times changed and the economy of the Bessemer area slowed, and many of the younger folks left home to find jobs elsewhere. Combined with the increasing age of the congregation members, the church declined in size. By 2006, we were no longer able to afford a full-time pastor, the church seemed empty on Sunday morning, and the future of the congregation looked bleak.
While to some our situation might have seemed hopeless, we firmly believe that all of this was a part of God’s plan for us. God still has a purpose for our congregation, and our congregation began to rediscover that purpose for us. Our calling and our mission is to share the Good News of God’s love for all people in Jesus Christ with the Bessemer community around us, and to draw others into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Our greatest hope is to be a place where all are welcome to come and encounter our crucified and risen Savior among us through worship, prayer, the Scriptures, fellowship and the sacraments. We commit ourselves to this hope, and thus desire to serve the community and all whom we encounter in the love and example of Jesus Christ.
Our struggles for survival have taught us many things; and in light of what we have learned and experienced, God has indeed drawn us back to Himself, and given us a renewed vision and purpose. We find ourselves encountering God in brand new ways. We stand amazed at His goodness, His faithfulness and steadfast love toward us. And because of them, the Bessemer Presbyterian Church is a today growing and vibrant congregation. The most important way our congregation is growing is not, however, in terms of numbers, but in our discipleship. Bible studies are flourishing, our mission and evangelism commitment is growing, and our Christian education department is being overhauled to meet the needs of our growing congregation. When you worship here, you will sense that the Holy Spirit is at work among His people in Bessemer.
What does the future hold for us? It’s hard to say. We have faced difficulties and trials like all churches. But we have also seen triumphs and marvelous surprises that arose from prayer and dedication to Christ’s work. God has truly been at work to resurrect our church from the brink of death, and by His Spirit has breathed new life into our congregation. And so, seeing God's faithfulness in our past and present, we at Bessemer trust our future to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, endeavoring to follow the calling of His Spirit as we build His Kingdom on earth. So we invite you to Bessemer Church, for we are here to serve you and our community in any way we can with the love and grace of Christ, and we welcome you to join us!
“Come and See...”
When Jesus called His first followers, those followers were amazed by Him. One follower, named Philip, ran to tell his friend Nathaniel that he had met not just any great man, but the one the Jewish people were longing for – the Messiah, or the Anointed one. But Nathaniel was skeptical. Was this guy really who everyone says he is? What makes them so sure? Who’s to say this guy wasn’t making it all up? And besides, he came from a “Podunk” little town called Nazareth – can anything good come from there?
When Nathaniel asked these questions to Philip, Philip’s only response was “Come and see for yourself.” Each of us have expectations and preconceived notions of what the church should be like or what we wish it were. Some might look at our church and wonder with Nathaniel, “Can anything good come from there?” We believe so. We believe that the same Jesus who called the first disciples is alive and present in our midst and within us, and providing for our needs and strengthening us to do His work. We believe He is challenging us to new endeavors and affording us new opportunities to serve Him and one another. Indeed, our church is alive and well because Christ is alive and well among us.
But we also know that God doesn't just want us to come and see... God has also called us to “Go and make disciples...” Philip went out and told Nathaniel about Jesus, and when Nathaniel encountered Jesus for Himself, He left everything and followed. A disciple is one who follows. The great commission that Jesus gave His church is to go and call others to "Come and see" what God is doing in their lives and in our world, and to become disciples. Thus, our congregation is committed to equipping men and women to go out and witness to Jesus Christ in their daily lives through word, attitude and action. Thus we have a calling to be a source of light and hope for the Bessemer community, pointing to God's presence and work all around us, even in the darkest of situations.
So can anything good come from there? See for yourself...
