Smithfield United Church of Christ

09/10/2026

Due to unexpected flooding in our building last night, worship services at our church are suspended for this coming Sunday, September 13. This brief pause will give us the necessary time to complete cleanup and ensure the building dries out as much as possible.

While our building is undergoing restoration, our community remains united. You are warmly invited to join our friends Trinity UCC at for their worship service this Sunday at Perman Funeral Home (923 Saxonburg Blvd). Service begins at 10:30AM. Regional Conference Minister Rev. David Ackerman is preaching.

Please be advised our telephone lines and Internet were damaged in this latest incident and are inoperable. To contact myself or Sean O’Donnell the church administrator please contact us through email.

Thank you for your understanding, flexibility, and prayers as we work to figure out next steps.

We hope to see many of you at Perman Funeral Home this Sunday!

08/26/2026

My heart is heavy as we grieve Dolly Parton,a saint of radical hospitality who showed us what faith looks like with a little extra glitter and a whole lot of grace.

Dolly lived out a ministry of real, active care. She funded pandemic-saving research, put hundreds of millions of books into children's hands, and gave direct relief to families in need. Where so many used religion to build walls, Dolly built longer tables. She fiercely loved her LGBTQ+ siblings, stood with the working class, and used her platform to speak up for racial justice.

Across racial, cultural, and ideological divides, Dolly was universally beloved, uniting people through the simple, radical power of her warmth and shared humanity.

She showed us that joy is a form of resistance and that grace belongs to everyone. Let’s honor her legacy by building wider tables, fighting for the marginalized, and loving one another as boldly as she did.

Rest in power, Dolly. You brought heaven a little closer to earth.

08/18/2026

Here is my latest piece for the Keystone Conference, my reflection on Psalm 23, “Finding Spaciousness in Tight Places”

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08/10/2026

Please join me in offering prayers and thanksgiving for the ministry of Rev. Derek Terry as he transitions to glory. He was a friend and a mentor to many and a champion for LGBTQ Christians, especially Black clergy. I had a pleasure of knowing him personally and my heart breaks for his congregation and his family. He so sweet, tender, and a talented artist. This is a tremendous loss for our denomination.

Along with others across the UCC, Keystone Conference joins the chorus of prayers for the family of Rev. Derek Terry who served as the Executive Director of the UCC's Open and Affirming Coalition. Rev. Terry passed away over the weekend.

07/29/2026

Join us for this unique worship series, as we hear again for the first time one of Christianity's most beloved and recited Psalms, Psalm 23, through the wisdom of one of the most significant theologians of the 21st century, Dr. Walter Brueggemann.

07/17/2026

For our final fruit of the spirit, as told to us by the Apostle Paul, is self- control. To deepen our understanding of this spirit, I’ve turned to Rumi to draw wisdom from the Sufi tradition,the mystic tradition of Islam. Join us for worship at 10 am and we encourage all members to stay for the congregational meeting.

With Gratitude (and Please be safe),
Pastor SMGD

07/17/2026

07/15/2026

Trinity United Church of Christ suffered a devastating fire. Here is an emotional telling of that tragedy and how they have come together to be the church without a building because church is the people not wood, metals, or stone. Let us continue to pray for this community, our siblings and neighbors.

"[The building manager] came in and said, ‘Get out and call 911,’” ...

07/09/2026

Join us this Sunday as we explore “Gentleness”as a fruit of the spirit. We’ll be pondering questions like, how do you show gentleness to others? How do you show gentleness to yourself?

Borrowing wisdom from the Buddhist tradition, we’ll consider, how do we cultivate gentleness and mindfulness into our lives ? Let’s talk about it.

07/02/2026

Before you fire up the grill, join us this Sunday for worship. The week’s message is about embracing the fruit of the spirit “faithfulness”in a world fraught with temptation. We’ve come this far by faith.