OUR HISTORY
It is true that "Today is built upon yesterday, in preparation for tomorrow." All of us today are living in the wake of those who have gone on before us. We are either reaping the blessings or bearing the consequences of the pattern they established. This congregation is no exception. Far beneath the surface reality of what you see today, lies the history of faith, sacrifice, victory, and foresight of the founding members, the benefits of whose diligent labor reached forward, even until now. Christ the King Church was founded in the Spring of 1980 by our Oversight, Dr. George Beninate and Pastor Susan Beninate. We met in the upper room of the American Legion in Bellevue, Pennsylvania for six months, then moved to the YMCA for one year. As the church began to grow, we rented a building in McKess Rocks. There we began Catechism classes, comprehensive Bible studies, and extensive Children's Church Ministry, and the Abundant Life Academy, a church school that offered a biblically based education for grades K-12. Our continuing growth made it necessary for us to move again. Several times, we attempted to buy what we considered appropriate facilities, but each time we were thwarted. In the Spring of 1990, the Lord made way for us to purchase the thirty-eight acres we called Mt. Zion.
Our first three years on Mt. Zion can be best described as adventuresome. Our sanctuary was a big yellow and white tent, and our restroom facilities and offices were housed in various trailers that we were able to acquire. Undaunted by the blistering cold of the winter or the oppressive heat of the summer, we modified the tent to accommodate a 60' stage, place carpeting on the floor, and decorated the ten with such excellence that the Pittsburgh Press called it "The Canvas Cathedral."
A hastily erected pavilion became the elementary schoolhouse. The Academy developed a pioneering
atmosphere, because our students had to split wood to fuel the potbelly stove that was the sole source
of heat in the elementary school. Through a spirit of commitment and sacrifice, the members of our
church persevered. Our time on Mt. Zion provided a wonderful time of training, tempering and
strengthening.
Today, God has blessed us with a lovely facility in Upper St. Clair, but the pioneering spirit remains.
Our vision, the full spectrum of human experience - to preach the whole gospel to the whole man,
remains. It has been with God's richest blessings and the faithful, sacrificial giving of God's people that all needs have been met. New opportunities are presented to us everyday as we continue to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Our prayer is that you too will sense the destiny of this church and that you will inquire of the Lord if you are to be a part of what is happening at Christ the King. If you are, then come join us at the altars of worship, prepare your hearts and minds to serve Him, and the accompany us in the fields of labor.