On a residential stretch of Caldwell Drive on the south side of Butler, Pennsylvania, a white-steepled sanctuary has anchored a congregation of Presbyterians since the middle of the nineteenth century. Summit Presbyterian Church (EPC) calls that building home, and the people who gather there describe their purpose in three short phrases: Love Jesus, Learn from Jesus, Live like Jesus. From a Sunday morning communion table to a basement food bank serving nearly fifty families a month, Summit pours a long local heritage into a tight-knit set of ministries that touch most stages of growing up and growing older in Butler County.
From 1821 Log Cabin to an EPC Pulpit
Summit's story begins in 1821, when a small gathering of Presbyterians began meeting in the area as part of the Allegheny Presbytery. Within a few years the presbytery took the name Butler Presbytery, and the church became known as Summit Presbyterian Church. That same year, 1864, the congregation built its first permanent church structure and laid out the cemetery that still flanks the property; the church was formally incorporated that year as well.
As the surrounding community grew, the old structure was eventually outgrown. A new building was started in 1950 and completed in 1956, and the congregation marked its 150th anniversary of service in the years that followed. In 1994 Summit added the Christian Community Outreach Center, a former Jefferson Elementary School, which today houses both the church's Christian School and a YMCA Childcare Center.
The early 2010s brought the most defining moment in the modern history of the church. Summit was the founding church of the Confessing Church Movement within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a response to what members saw as an increasingly liberal direction in the denomination. The Confessing Church Movement upheld the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture, and church discipline. By January 2013, Summit withdrew from the PC(USA), taking its building with it, and was received into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) in July 2013. The EPC's emphasis on biblical theology in worship and practice, and on a mission-oriented approach from the local to the international level, fit the congregation's convictions about Jesus Christ as Lord and the spread of the Gospel both at home and around the world.
What Summit Believes
Summit belongs to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and the church describes its doctrine in the EPC's own terms. The Constitution of the EPC consists of the Westminster Confession of Faith (with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms) and the Book of Order, which includes the Book of Government, the Book of Discipline, and the Book of Worship.
Members hold to what the denomination calls the Essentials of the Faith: the Bible is the infallible, uniquely and fully inspired Word of God and the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks; one God exists eternally in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived, lived as true God and true man, died on the cross for sin, rose bodily, ascended, and will return personally and visibly to judge the living and the dead; the Holy Spirit convicts, regenerates, indwells, gifts, and seals believers; salvation is by grace alone through faith in Christ; the true Church is the whole body of believers and is visible, though imperfect, in local congregations where the Word is preached and the sacraments are administered; and Christ commands believers to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of all nations.
The congregation's own motto summarizes the EPC motto's rhythm: In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.
Sunday Mornings at 10:00
Worship gathers at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings at 181 Caldwell Drive. The service is shaped by the EPC Book of Worship and centers on the preaching of Scripture, congregational praise, and prayer. Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. During the school year, the Women's Sunday School Class meets at 11:00 a.m., and in the summer months a Coffee Fellowship takes its place at 10:30 a.m.
Worship is also offered remotely through the church's Facebook page and YouTube channel, so members who are traveling, homebound, or simply unable to attend in person can take part from wherever they are. New members classes and confirmation classes for students in ninth through twelfth grade are available by contacting the church office.
Prayer undergirds the whole week at Summit. Prayer request boxes sit outside the church and outside HIS Kids Christian School, and the congregation encourages anyone with a need to write it down or email the pastor.
HIS Kids Christian School
HIS Kids Christian School is a ministry of Summit Church that educates children from preschool through sixth grade at 650 Saxonburg Road in Butler. The school's purpose is to educate children and guide them to Jesus Christ through an academically challenging, Bible-rich curriculum, helping each student develop in a balanced way - spiritually, mentally, physically, and socially. Academics are taken seriously, with God included in every area of study, and the school seeks to cultivate a worldview in which God has His rightful place. Tours can be arranged by calling 724-352-8177.
Carol Novy, the church's Minister of Education since December 1991, also serves as interim principal of HIS Kids Christian School, knitting the school and the congregation together.
Children, Choir, and a Year of Young Disciples
Summit treats children as the future members of the church and offers a layered calendar of activities for them. A Children's Community Choir meets every other week to teach little ones songs of praise about Jesus and the Bible, with the children singing during Sunday worship and at outreach events beyond the church walls. A summer Reading Challenge sponsored by the Summit Church Library invites children to read ten or more books over the summer months and pick a hardcover book to keep.
Throughout the year, families can also look forward to an annual Easter Egg Hunt, Vacation Bible School in June, and an annual Trunk or Treat night in the fall. The church invites parents and volunteers with new ideas to help shape these programs.
Junior and Senior High Youth
The Junior and Senior High Youth at Summit gather together mainly on Sunday evenings at 6:00 p.m. during the school year for a time that runs from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Youth Cafe gives teens a chance to get to know one another and to get to know Christ. Service is built into the program: each fall the youth shop for and pack Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes through Samaritan's Purse and shop for Angel Tree children. In September the group meets in the Fellowship Hall at 6:15 a.m. for the See You At The Pole breakfast, then heads to each of their schools to pray around the flagpole alongside other students.
During the summer the regular schedule pauses, but teens stay busy helping with Vacation Bible School in June and heading out in July for either a mission trip or a youth conference. Recent summers have included retreats, work camps, and side trips.
A Network of Small Groups for Adults
Summit believes discipleship happens best in small groups, and the church encourages every member to participate in one. Groups meet at least once a month and engage in the study of God's Word, doctrine, history of the church, or applied studies on parenting, finance, child-rearing, and other everyday topics.
The Prayer Group meets weekly to pray using Scripture. The Prayer and Care Group (called FDFX) meets weekly for prayer and an uplifting Bible devotion in a space designed for women to connect. The First Responders Group gathers every other week for prayer and Bible devotion. The Veterans Group and Outreach meets every other week to pray, study, and reach out to fellow veterans in the community. The Visitation Group meets every other week to share devotionals and visit shut-ins, the elderly, and those in the hospital, and to provide rides for those who need a hand getting around. The Service Project Group meets every other week to be the hands and feet of Jesus, assisting community members with housing and yard projects and supporting the church and HIS Kids with their essential needs. The Women's Sunday School Class gathers on Sundays during the school year to pray, study the Bible, send cards, and reach out by phone. In addition, The Sews Sews offers a fellowship and service outlet for adults who enjoy needlework.
Loaves and Fishes and a Wider Mission
The most visible piece of Summit's community outreach is the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank, which serves forty-five to fifty families each month from the church's lower level. With reduced donations from the county and state in recent years, the food bank relies heavily on monetary donations to keep its shelves stocked, supplemented by produce and meat from the Lighthouse Foundation each month. Food Bank co-chairs Kim Steighner and Carol Novy lead a rotating crew of monthly volunteers who pack and distribute the food.
The Visitation Group carries the church's care ministry into the community, and Summit also supports the Promise of New Life Network, a pro-life organization that counsels and supports pregnant mothers. The congregation contributes financially and through diaper and clothing drives.
Beyond Butler, Summit supports a portfolio of mission partners. These include Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan Counseling Network, the Bible League, Habitat for Humanity, Chosen People Ministries, Hosanna Industries, the Voice of the Martyrs, and the Alpha Omega Center. Ten percent of every undesignated offering flows into a general mission fund, and additional gifts can be directed to specific ministries by writing the mission name and amount on an offering envelope.
The Summit Church Library
Since 1979 the Summit Church Library has added new fiction, non-fiction, videos, and DVDs each year, along with relevant used books for all ages. A standing Library Committee curates the collection, welcomes suggestions, and accepts donations made in memory or in honor of loved ones. Members can place requests in the Library mailbox.
The Cemetery on the Hill
The Summit Presbyterian Church Cemetery was established in 1864, the same year the church was incorporated, and is administered by the Summit Presbyterian Church Cemetery Association. Inquiries about plots, records, or donations can be directed to the church office at 724-287-2378, with gifts made payable to the Summit Presbyterian Church Cemetery Association.
A Congregation Between Pastors
Summit is presently a church between pastors. Pulpit supply pastors fill the pulpit while the congregation prayerfully seeks its next installed pastor. The rest of the staff carries on the work: Carol Novy in Christian Education and as interim principal at HIS Kids Christian School, Phil Henkel as Treasurer and a current Ruling Elder, Dianna Carr-DiZinno as Administrative Assistant, Diana Campbell as Organist, and Dave Faust as Church Custodian. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, with the door open at 181 Caldwell Drive and a phone line (724-287-2378) that has answered questions about worship, school, cemetery plots, prayer requests, and the food bank for decades.