Why Church and the Pittsburgh Steelers Go Together

January 16, 2011/by kmiller

On any given Sunday during football season in Pittsburgh you can go to church and wear your black and gold. At least, it’s that way at my church in Bellevue and I’m assuming that you’ll see the same at other churches in the ‘Burgh. I love that we’re free to worship in this way and I think it really brings our congregation together, so I’m going to go out on a limb and draw some parallels between church culture and Steelers culture.

Last night when the Steelers won, I felt a high. It was a sense of relief and joy, a high not too different form what I felt after leaving church today. The Steelers are still in the playoffs and that means there’s a chance we’re going to the Super Bowl. Although, they really kept us on the edge of our seats yesterday. And I think our pastor made a good point this morning: the halftime speech must have been really motivating because the Steelers came out for the second half like a new team. Don’t we all need a pep talk every now and then?

So there’s the game itself that brings us together, either at Heinz Field or a friend’s living room. And while we all want to win that game, there’s the extra added benefit of the socialization – getting together with your friends, bringing your favorite snacks, wearing your black and gold, talking about the players and strategies—the list goes on. This can be really unifying—especially during a winning game.

So we’re in church this morning, and our worship leader called out something like, “how ’bout them Steelers?” before beginning the worship set. After a rather hearty reaction for the 9 a.m. service, he reminded us that we were there for another reason: to worship the God who created us and who can do all things. I can’t remember his exact words, but it was something along those lines. But it got me thinking—just like we come together to support our team, we need the same solidarity in our worship.

The sermon today was about how God can use us. And the main points were that God can use us if we’re: 1) prepared, 2) obedient, and 3) improbable. That last one is catchy, but the basic gist is that God can use the unexpected to do His work like the poor, possessed, prostitutes, tax collectors, or even a ruler who persecuted Christians. So it was a wake-up call for us to ask God to use us and accept the risk or discomfort that comes with that. It was a great sermon and I’m not doing it justice in this short description, but it was the half-time speech that I needed and I’m just saying that I’ve got my game face on.

Then we sang the song “Our God” by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. Here’s a link to a YouTube video with them doing the acoustic version on NewSongCafe:

This video is very low-key, but when you’re singing this song in worship amidst a large group of believers, it feels like a pep rally. And it brings us together as we cheer for God. My favorite lyrics are, “And if our God is for us, than who can ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then who can stand against?” And that can be really encouraging when you feel like there is no hope. I’d like to think song is what pumped up the Steelers last night, but more than that, it encourages me to seek God’s plan for my life and get moving.

A year or two ago when the Steelers went to the Super Bowl, our church was included in an article in the Trib. They sent a photographer too, but the photos only made it to the print edition. Anyway, if you’re in the neighborhood on a Sunday and you want to check it out. Stop by and feel free to wear your black and gold.

Oakland venue reviews

February 2, 2010/by kmiller

Have you heard of the new University Center in Oakland? Ok, this isn’t an ad, but this beautiful new venue prompted me to post a Oakland venue review as part of my Bride’s Guide. Oakland is a popular setting for many Pittsburgh weddings, with the surrounding college campuses, beautiful churches and parks. For a long time, this college town was more limited in reception venues, but the University Club is definitely a stand-out in my opinion. I photographed a corporate event there in the fall. However, I don’t have any photos that really show the beauty of this venue, because my assignment was mainly what we photographers call “grip and grins” or informal group shots of guests at the event. So you’ll have to check out their site to get a sense of what this place looks like.

It seems that lots of brides and grooms nowadays are planning for their ceremony and reception to be close-by to save time in their busy day and also to keep it simpler for guests.

Now there are a lot of gorgeous churches in this neighborhood: Heinz Chapel (photographed above), St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bellefield Presbyterian Church, just to name a few. Other reception venues include: The Twentieth Century Club, the Concordia Club, the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, or St. Nick’s Cathedral Room, as well as the local hotels. These venues have the catering covered from linens through glassware. Other unique venues include Soilders and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, Carnegie Museum or Carnegie Music Hall, and Phipps Conservatory. These venues might require more planning, for instance, renting chairs and collaborating with outside caterers, etc.

Whew! There are more Oakland reception venues than I thought. And that’s just off the top of my head from my experience in photographing events at these locations.

One last consideration if you’re planning for an Oakland wedding: there are plenty of great locations for the photography within walking distance. Can you tell I’m a fan of Oakland weddings? Check out a few of the great Oakland locations in the photos below.

Church of the Assumption

May 18, 2009/by kmiller

I visited the Church of the Assumption in Bellevue, Pa., on Saturday and was amazed by the beauty of this Roman Catholic church. It’s easy to see from the church’s exterior that it is a beautiful church, but I did not realize how breath-taking it really is until stepping inside.

Bellevue Christian Church

April 28, 2009/by kmiller

Bellevue Christian Church is a non-denominational community of believers with a heart for outreach. The church recently started an annual turkey give-a-way in which hundreds of frozen turkeys are given away several days prior to Thanksgiving. They do this with “no strings attached” as a way of reaching out to the local community and demonstrating Jesus’ love. That is just one of the many efforts of the church. It also owns and operates The Shepherd’s Door, a book and gift store that sells Catholic and Protestant items and donates 5 percent of sales to a local organization each month. The store also offers a meeting room for use by organizations and groups that align with the mission of the church.

Here are a few photos of the church’s interior. The church recently renovated its sanctuary and fellowship room with a blend of traditional and contemporary decor. The beautiful stained glass window and mosaic mirrored cross are uniquely modern elements compared to some of the other church interiors I’ve photographed for this project.

First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh

March 9, 2009/by kmiller

I went to First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh on my lunch hour today and the sanctuary was completely empty. I felt like I was all alone except that I could hear a faint buzz of activity in the church’s large cafeteria below. Two things struck me about this church: it has gorgeous woodwork and a massive organ. The sanctuary is completely symmetrical, other than the pulpit to the right of the altar. Something about this church made me feel like I could have been far away from home. Maybe it was the solitude that made me feel that way. Regardless, the church is very beautiful and I can’t imagine what it would cost to build such a structure today. It’s truly a work of art and an act of worship to create such a beautiful church. First Presbyterian is adjacent to Trinity Cathedral and across the street from The Duquesne Club on Sixth Avenue downtown and a sandwich board on the sidewalk in front of the church advertises daily lunch specials as “the best kept secret in the ‘burgh.”