Our Mission
We are the body of Christ, a congregation that seeks the presence of God, the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, our lives and our community.
We open ourselves to the Spirit of God as we worship in spirit and truth.
We reach out to our redeemer as we share with Him our joys and needs in communal prayer.
We seek guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Scriptures and Christian fellowship.
As Christ’s disciples, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, giving of our time and talents, sharing our faith, supporting missions, and serving our neighbors and community. Join us, that together Christ’s transforming Spirit will come alive in and through us.
We open ourselves to the Spirit of God as we worship in spirit and truth.
We reach out to our redeemer as we share with Him our joys and needs in communal prayer.
We seek guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Scriptures and Christian fellowship.
As Christ’s disciples, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, giving of our time and talents, sharing our faith, supporting missions, and serving our neighbors and community. Join us, that together Christ’s transforming Spirit will come alive in and through us.
Some of Our Current Projects and Activities
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Colver Crafters—This group is a spin-off from the Women's Association. Women interested in crafting, tea, fellowship gather together the first and third Mondays at 1:00pm. Sometimes they work on personal craft or sewing projects; sometimes they work on sewing projects for mission work. Funeral Dinners—Our women’s association plans and the church implements funeral dinners for those members and friends that have lost loved ones. CARE bags—The congregation collects items and creates bags of personal hygiene items and some “time-fillers’ to distribute to those in need. Ecumenical Services– We join with the other two churches in Colver and hold a special community services. Extending the Communion Table—Following communion on a Sunday, elders are available to extend the table to provide communion to shut-ins. Little Free Library—Books are made available for the community to read. Children's books are also available for them to read as well. When they are finished with the book, they can return it for another one. Books are changed out on a regular basis. Dog Days of Summer—Free hot dogs provided during the months of June, July and August. Join us in the parking lot as a show of love toward our neighbors. Caring Coins—Anyone can take a jar and collect and save coins throughout the year to give to random households at Christmas time. |
Election Day Bake Sale—The church sells baked goods on election day. Special Services—Occasionally special services are held to celebrate holidays, special occasions in the lives of church members, and to promote Christian support to those in need. Children and Worship—We encourage children to participate in the worship service. We have children’s bulletins and coloring pages for children (of all ages). Prayer List--We have a prayer list that gets updated weekly. Anyone is welcome to add a name to the list of those in need of prayer. Each January the list starts over. Matthew 25—We have committed to being a Matthew 25 church and look for ways to tackle systemic poverty and promote church vitality. Food—We love to eat. We enjoy hosting breakfasts, lunches and dinners! Christmas Mission Project—varies from year to year. Informal Sunday—Third Sunday of each month we gather in the social hall for worship and fellowship. Fellowship Gatherings—We hold activities or meals to bring the congregation together. The community is welcome to attend any of these gatherings. Prayer Walkers—This summer we will gather and walk around town and prayer for our neighbors. People with prayer requests are welcome to make requests by filling out the form on our Prayer Request page. Those interested in walking are also welcome. |
Our Church History
According to the records of the former Blairsville Presbytery, Rev. Thomas R Taggart of Ebensburg came to Colver and preached one or two Sunday services during the spring of 1912. After a number of visits, the superintendent of missions discovered an interest in Colver to begin a church. The mission committee decided to go to Colver on October 12, 1912, "if the way be clear to organize a church." The Colver Presbyterian Church was formally organized on October 18, 1912, the church was founded with members of the old Salem Church, and the Herman Congregational Church. The coal company is said to not want to “overchurch” the town. That has been why we are the only Protestant church and other two churches are the Holy Family Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Ascension Orthodox Church.
In the early years, there were two church services, a morning and evening service. Records report that there was a period of six weeks in 1919 that the town of Colver was closed due to the influenza epidemic. All schools, churches, and other public meeting sites were closed. There were a number of Sunday School classes as well.
The church began with two governing bodies: the Trustees and the Session which were served by male deacons and elders. Since that time, the responsibilities of the trustees has been turned over to the session and women have been included among the elders and leaders of the church.
The Building
Architect Horace Trumbauer designed the Presbyterian Church building and it took more than three years to complete. The organizing committee consisted of Rev. C. C. Hayes, D. D., Rev. A. H. Jolly, Rev. T. R. Taggart, Rev. W. C. Wallace, and elders F. H. Barker and T. D. Evans. Coleman and Weaver met most of the construction costs. The final cost was estimated at $10,000 not including a $2500 pipe organ. The church was dedicated on October 1, 1915. A mortgage was taken to purchase the church in the sum of $3,000 in January of 1916. In May of 1921, the session voted to install two toilets, two wash bowls and one urinal and the necessary sewer pipe in the basement of the church. The Sunday school rooms were added and dedicated in 1956. The pipe organ was refurbished in 1943. At that time, it was moved from the platform to its present position. Another refurbishing was done in May 1987 at the cost of $40,000. The organ was donated by the Coleman family. The last refurbishing began in March 1987 and was completed in May 1987.
The stained-glass windows were installed in 1977 – 1978. The organ and the stained-glass windows projects were financed solely by donations.
Church Finances: The church relied on generous donations from the coal company as well as the C&I Railroad for financial support. In the beginning, they also received financial support from the Presbytery and Synod itself. The church struggled with finances in the past and had annual financial drives in an effort to help support itself. One annual effort was the Every Member Canvas. With this canvas, ruling elders were assigned streets and/or areas. These elders were charged with the task to go door-to-door to members’ houses and solicit money for the church.
The church remained a vital part of the community. Ecumenical services were held between all three churches. Vacation Bible school, held every year, became a community-wide activity. The various social events in the life of the church, including the annual bazaar and calendar party, provided support and an atmosphere of friendship and fellowship.
The Ministers
Rev. E. J. Travers Rev. Boyd Dickey Rev. Tom Jones
Rev. D. M. Lyle Rev. Wilber Neff Mr. Jim Tomb
Rev. Arthur Llewelyn Rev. Raymond Howland Rev. Stanley Bhasker
Rev. E. I. Gilmore Rev. Gordon Cummings Rev. Charles Blasdell
Rev. A. G. Becker Rev. Richard Mawry Rev. James Farrer
Rev. James Martin Rev. Fred Bennett Rev. Laura Blank
Rev. J. R. Millin, D.D. Rev. Jack Marsh Rev. Owar Ojulu
Rev. Daniel Schnebly Rev. James Hayes, D.D.
In the early years, there were two church services, a morning and evening service. Records report that there was a period of six weeks in 1919 that the town of Colver was closed due to the influenza epidemic. All schools, churches, and other public meeting sites were closed. There were a number of Sunday School classes as well.
The church began with two governing bodies: the Trustees and the Session which were served by male deacons and elders. Since that time, the responsibilities of the trustees has been turned over to the session and women have been included among the elders and leaders of the church.
The Building
Architect Horace Trumbauer designed the Presbyterian Church building and it took more than three years to complete. The organizing committee consisted of Rev. C. C. Hayes, D. D., Rev. A. H. Jolly, Rev. T. R. Taggart, Rev. W. C. Wallace, and elders F. H. Barker and T. D. Evans. Coleman and Weaver met most of the construction costs. The final cost was estimated at $10,000 not including a $2500 pipe organ. The church was dedicated on October 1, 1915. A mortgage was taken to purchase the church in the sum of $3,000 in January of 1916. In May of 1921, the session voted to install two toilets, two wash bowls and one urinal and the necessary sewer pipe in the basement of the church. The Sunday school rooms were added and dedicated in 1956. The pipe organ was refurbished in 1943. At that time, it was moved from the platform to its present position. Another refurbishing was done in May 1987 at the cost of $40,000. The organ was donated by the Coleman family. The last refurbishing began in March 1987 and was completed in May 1987.
The stained-glass windows were installed in 1977 – 1978. The organ and the stained-glass windows projects were financed solely by donations.
Church Finances: The church relied on generous donations from the coal company as well as the C&I Railroad for financial support. In the beginning, they also received financial support from the Presbytery and Synod itself. The church struggled with finances in the past and had annual financial drives in an effort to help support itself. One annual effort was the Every Member Canvas. With this canvas, ruling elders were assigned streets and/or areas. These elders were charged with the task to go door-to-door to members’ houses and solicit money for the church.
The church remained a vital part of the community. Ecumenical services were held between all three churches. Vacation Bible school, held every year, became a community-wide activity. The various social events in the life of the church, including the annual bazaar and calendar party, provided support and an atmosphere of friendship and fellowship.
The Ministers
Rev. E. J. Travers Rev. Boyd Dickey Rev. Tom Jones
Rev. D. M. Lyle Rev. Wilber Neff Mr. Jim Tomb
Rev. Arthur Llewelyn Rev. Raymond Howland Rev. Stanley Bhasker
Rev. E. I. Gilmore Rev. Gordon Cummings Rev. Charles Blasdell
Rev. A. G. Becker Rev. Richard Mawry Rev. James Farrer
Rev. James Martin Rev. Fred Bennett Rev. Laura Blank
Rev. J. R. Millin, D.D. Rev. Jack Marsh Rev. Owar Ojulu
Rev. Daniel Schnebly Rev. James Hayes, D.D.
