About Us
OUR BEGINNING
Providence RPC has been established, protected, and provided for by God for almost 25 years in the communities just south of Pittsburgh. We began as a Bible Study, and were established as a Mission Church in 1998 by the Presbytery of the Alleghenies for ministry in the South Hills communities around Pittsburgh. Organized as a congregation in 2000, Providence has been served by pastors CJ Williams, Rut Etheridge, and Steve Bradley. We started worshiping originally with just a small group in a hotel conference room, then a funeral home. Our first church building was located in the Brookline neighborhood of Pittsburgh for 21 years, from which we recently moved.
OUR GROWTH
The Lord blessed Providence RPC in 2022 with a new building, located in Carnegie, PA. The new property was purchased through a combination of long-saved building funds, proceeds from our old building in Brookline, and a generous financing package from the RPCNA Trust. The new meetinghouse, built in 2006, was purchased from a PCUSA congregation and is located on a wooded 23.6 acre lot, just a couple miles off I-79. We give thanks to the Lord for His gracious provision of a new facility, and trust that He will use it for His glory and our growth.
OUR CHURCH TODAY
We hope to steward our new larger building and property for the spread of the Gospel in Carnegie, and throughout the region South of the Three Rivers. Though we are a young congregation, the Lord has been bountifully generous, blessing us with steady growth and sacrificial giving by God’s people. Our prayer is that the Lord would do a great work through Providence RPC in our new location, that we will have a fruitful ministry, and that our many covenant children would continue to grow in their faith. May He be pleased to continue to cause His face to shine upon us as we seek to serve Him in those ways that would bring glory and honor to His holy name.
Our Beliefs
Inerrancy of Scriptures
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Our beliefs all stem from a full commitment to the authority of the Bible as the inerrant, infallible Word of God.
This means that we believe in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We acknowledge our total inability to save ourselves and, in faith, depend on Christ alone as our Savior. We acknowledge Him as Covenant Lord in every area of life, and we vow together to advance His Kingdom on earth.
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Systematic Theology
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We believe that God desires His Church to set forth clear statements of her system of doctrine that can be supported from Scripture. We therefore accept as our creed, or subordinate standards, The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. In addition to these doctrinal statements, we adhere to the Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, which is our continuing application of God’s written word to the world and the church of today.
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Worship
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We believe that God’s Word clearly sets forth how He is to be worshipped. The reading and exposition of the Word of God are the central focus of our worship. Our musical praise employs God’s Word only, thus making use of the divinely inspired Book of Psalms of the Bible. In keeping with the New Testament Church’s directive for heart worship, we sing without the aid of musical instruments.
Officers:
Steve Bradley
Lead Pastor
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Pastor Steve Bradley is a faithful preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was called to pastoral ministry 21 years ago after finishing seminary at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Following seminary, he pastored in Maryland, only to return to the Pittsburgh area in 2014. He has been preaching at Providence ever since. He is a loving husband and father of five children.
Randy Johovich
Ruling Elder
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Pastor Randy is no stranger to the pulpit with 51 years of preaching. He grew up in the United Presbyterian Church and was ordained as a teaching elder in 1975 by the Ascension Presbytery of the PCA. He joined the RPCNA in 2000 and continues to preach here at Providence. He is a faithful husband, father of 2, and grandfather of 1.
Brian Panichelle
Ruling Elder
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Brian was raised in the Byzantine and Roman Catholic traditions. In 1990, he and his family joined the Reformed Presbyterian Church and was ordained an elder after nine years of faithful service in Christ’s Church. He is a faithful husband, father of six, and grandfather of five.
Dan Berkenpas
Ruling Elder
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Dan grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church only to join the RPCNA denomination in 2009. He has been a faithful elder for seven years. With a love for the Psalms, Dan leads our congregation in a cappella singing of the Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs. He is faithful husband and father of four.
Mat McKnight
Ruling Elder
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Mat was baptized as a child in the mainline PCUSA. While stationed at Fort Sill, OK, Mat attended a Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, and then joined a Reformed Baptist Church after completing active duty. In 2011, he became a member of The RPCNA and was ordained as a ruling elder in 2021. He is a faithful husband and father of three children.
Jim McFarland
Ruling Elder
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Jim grew up as a Reformed Presbyterian and received the blessings of a covenanted family and faithful corporate worship. He is a founding member of Providence and serves as the denominational treasurer. He was called to elder 23 years ago and continues to serve faithfully. Jim is a faithful husband, father of six children, and grandfather of five.