Location: New Castle, Pa.

Presbytery: Alleghenies

Organization: Apr. 12, 1834

Membership: 62 communicant; 24 baptized

Pastor: Charles A. Brown

Website: RosePointRPC.org

Our Origins

From as early as 1800, Rev. John Black was ministering to Reformed Presbyterian communities west of the Alleghenies. Soon, prayer societies were formed, but none were large enough to support a pastor. Therefore, in 1834, the Pittsburgh Presbytery organized the members and officers into one congregation with seven branches, or places of preaching. One of these, the Slippery Rock branch, would later be renamed Rose Point.

Rose Point RPC’s history is simply the story of the gospel. The good news that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8) has enlivened and invigorated our congregation for 184 years. We have been served by 16 pastors, starting with James Blackwood, who began serving the congregation in 1834, and continuing up to Charles Brown, who began ministry in 2008. Throughout the years, we have seen setbacks, seen progress, and, most of all, seen God’s never-ending mercy, blessing, and eternal providence.

Our Labors and Ministries

As our mission statement proclaims, “we seek the advancement of God on earth by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and the whole counsel of God, gathering those who profess Christ into the fellowship of the church, building its members up in their faith and service to one another, training its members to be faithful witnesses for Christ and ministers of His mercy in the world, and worshiping the triune God as He reveals Himself in His Word.”

To fulfill the Lord Jesus’s order to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19), the Rose Point congregation hosts such activities as a midweek prayer meeting and Bible study every Wednesday evening, an annual psalm sing held in the autumn, and an annual vacation Bible school. Along with these congregational activities, members volunteer at organizations including the RP Home, the New Castle City Rescue Mission, the RP Archives, and local jail ministries and crisis pregnancy centers.

Our Future

The long-term goals of our congregation can be summed up in this statement, which was read at the 75th anniversary of the church in 1909: “We have written of the struggles of our fathers for the sake of the gospel. They have passed on to their reward and left us the responsibility of making the history which the future generations will write. We are admonished by their example, to improve the talents entrusted to us and to let our lights shine; for we know that God has one increasing purpose running through the ages.”

Prayer Requests

• For covenant children to grow in wisdom and understanding

• For God’s blessing in the lives of elderly and home-bound members

• For our witness to be a light in the local community

• For the church body to grow in Christ

Fun Fact

This year is the 150th anniversary of the present Rose Point church building, erected in 1868 by members of the church.