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Choir sings in First Presbyterian Church
Author: Karen Bullock (karenann324)
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Added: November 9, 2009
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By Karen Bullock and Aldona Bird
First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh is located downtown on Sixth St. The church has a traditional Presbyterian service every Sunday at 10:45 a.m. which features Reverend Tom Hall preaching and George Tutwiler directing the music that the choir sings. Each Sunday the members and visitors of the church are able to worship inside the beautiful sanctuary, which is bordered by 14 stained glass windows, and are able to listen to the music played on the spectacular organ.
The First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh is a church saturated with history. It was first established in 1773 but the first building was not built until 1787. The first building was small and made out of logs, the second building, constructed of yellow bricks, was built in 1803 and stood until 1853 when a larger building was needed. This third building was used for 50 years when construction began on the fourth and final building in 1903.
The church has been through several organs. The first organ they were supposed to have was $27,000, but was destroyed before it was to arrive at the church. To replace this organ the church acquired the old organ from Point Breeze Presbyterian Church. The next organ at the church was the third largest organ in the U.S. at the time. The 4,270 pipes the organ had took up the whole back wall of the sanctuary and the chimes had their own separate room. This organ was rebuilt many times and finally a church in Bare, Vermont purchased the organ where part of it was used there. The current organ has four manuals, 77-ranks and was installed in the church on November 13, 1988.
Music is of extreme importance at First Presbyterian of Pittsburgh. In addition to having the choir sing on Sunday mornings they also present special music throughout the year such as the upcoming concert, "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols" which will take place on December 13 at 4 p.m. The choir is comprised of several dedicated and talented adults who volunteer their time to serve the church with their music. Each Sunday the choir sings two anthems and there is a separate choir, called "The Boosters," that sings during the Tuesday Noon Boost service. This short service is every Tuesday and 12:25 p.m. and is designed to keep people motivated while at work and to maintain their faith.
In addition to music ministry First Presbyterian does many other ministry and outreach programs. Through prayer, financial contribution, volunteering, and mission service the church supports over 50 organizations and missionaries. These organizations and missionaries are spread from Pittsburgh to South Africa. The church also holds a Missions Conference one weekend each spring which brings together missionaries from the missions the church supports. The church also focuses on ministries within the church such as the youth and children's ministries. The youth ministry is for teens in grades 7-12 and the children's ministry is for children age five through 12. Both these programs introduce students to the gospel and helps them to develop a way to serve. The church has adult ministries that promote fellowship through small groups and bible studies for several different groups of adults.
For more information on First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, visit their website at http://fpcp.org/ .
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