We invite everyone to join us for Worship Services every Sunday starting at 11:00 am. Our services are a blend of humble prayer, joyous praise, and distinctive instruction. If you’d like to meet with the Pastor during the week, that can easily be arranged simply by contacting the Pastor’s Office and asking for an appointment.

The Pittsburgh New Church strives to make all our visitors feel welcomed and at home. Everyone here is more than willing to answer your questions or help in any way we can, but you can always look for a few designated greeters and ushers if you need something. Greeters and ushers wear nametags so they are easy to spot.

Our Sunday worship services start promptly at 11:00 am. Most people will arrive in the 15 minutes prior to the start of the service. When you arrive, you are welcome to park anywhere on the paved surface in front of the church and to the left as you come down Le Roi Road. You enter the church through the front doors leading in from the raised, paved patio at the end of the road.

Once inside, there will be a greeter to give you this week’s service booklet and an usher to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. As you enter the sanctuary you will notice an offering bowl sitting on a pedestal. This is where you are invited to give your free-will offering to the Lord for the uses of His church in Pittsburgh and around the world. We do not pass a bowl or basket during the service because we emphasis that this offering to the Lord must be made of your own free will according to your understanding of your ability to support the church and its services.

While the organist is playing the prelude music, you are welcome to sit anywhere in the sanctuary you would like. There is no sound amplification, so if you occasionally have trouble hearing, you may want to sit closer to the front pews. Please silently enjoy the music.

There are a few blue Liturgies in each pew that contain the hymns and readings for the service. The booklet the greeter handed to you will guide you though the service. The page numbers for each hymn we sing are listed on the number boards near the front of the church. The Liturgy also contains some additional information about the New Church and some of its teachings.

At 11:00, the church bell will ring and the congregation will rise for the first hymn. During this hymn, the priest will enter the chancel and offer a prayer to the Lord. When the hymn concludes, the priest will open the Lord’s Word on the altar and read a sentence of scripture. The congregation responds by singing “Amen.” The priest then invited the congregation to kneel for prayer. There are kneelers for each pew underneath the pew in front of you. You are welcome to use a kneeler or to sit if kneeling is a problem. Follow along with the priest in the booklet, reading alternate lines of scripture. The priest will then offer a prayer and lead the congregation in reciting the Lord’s Prayer. After another short song in the booklet, the priest will introduce the day’s recitation, which can be found in the Liturgy (page numbers are announced and are on the number board).

After the recitation and the singing of the Gloria (in the booklet), the congregation sits for a reading from the Word and a talk to the children. This usually lasts less than 10 minutes.

Following the children’s talk, the congregation kneels for a prayer and a blessing on the children, after which the second hymn is sung. During this hymn, the free-will offering is brought forward by the usher and dedicated by the priest to the use of the Lord and His church.

Immediately after the second hymn is finished, an additional verse of the hymn is played quietly. During this additional verse, the children leave the sanctuary to attend either Sunday School (for school aged children up to ninth grade) or nursery. Please see the user to help you find the right room for your kids.

There is then an interlude for quiet contemplation, after which the congregation rises for the third hymn.

The congregation ten sits for a series of readings from the Lord’s Word. You will often hear three readings: one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament, and one from the Writings for the New Church (theological works written by Emanuel Swedenborg). These readings are followed by a fourth hymn.

Next comes the sermon. Sermons usually last between 18-23 minutes and often teach about the inner meaning of one of the lessons read from the Word earlier and helping the congregation apply these lessons to their lives. The sermon is followed by a fifth hymn.

After this hymn, the priest will invite the congregation to kneel for a moment of silent prayer. Then, after a concluding prayer, the priest will pronounce the blessing on the congregation while they remain kneeling. When the blessing is finished, the congregation rises while the priest closes the Word on the altar. The priest then leaves the chancel while the congregation sings the sixth and final hymn.

When the service is over, there will be a few minutes of postlude organ music. You are welcome to sit and quietly enjoy the music and think about what you have learned. Please feel free to get up and exit the sanctuary at any time.

People usually gather outside on the patio during fair weather and in the basement auditorium during foul weather (ask your usher for directions). There are usually refreshments and a few announcements while people spend a few minutes socializing and meeting new people.

To get an idea of the unique perspective of the New Church here at Pittsburgh New Church, you are welcome to browse our sermons here online. Also, you may want to check out our podcast, which delivers our sermons in audio right to your desktop.

If you have any questions about what to expect during your visit to the Pittsburgh New Church, please contact the pastor’s office.