ST. PAUL'S UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST has been serving the Shenango Valley since 1863.  First gathering near Trout's Corners (Buhl Farm Drive and East State Street), the congregation moved into the Village of Sharon in 1874 and was known as the First German Reformed Church.  We built and dedicated the present facility on Todd Avenue in Hermitage in 1957.  Originally founded as a German Reformed congregation, we became part of the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1934 and merged with the Congregational Christian Churches in 1957, thus forming the United Church of Christ.  Through our relationship with the U.C.C., we remain tied to the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.  Today our membership comes from a variety of Christian traditions.

     St. Paul's strives to maintain an authentic Christian witness in the Shenango Valley: a witness that is faithful to the Holy Scripture, the ancient Creeds of the ecumenical church, and the historic confessions of the Reformed tradition.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly at the center of our life, providing direction, comfort, and hope for God's people.

     The mission of our church is "to be a community church, a faithful witness to the Reformed understanding of the Christian faith, preserve unity among its church members, and share our belief in Jesus with others."

     We welcome all who desire to worship with us.  If you are seeking a church home in the Shenango Valley, we invite you to become part of our mission and ministry.

You know the children's hand motions:  "Here's the church, here's the steeple, open it up, and here's all the people."  And you may be wondering where all the photos of people are.  Here's the simple answer.  Many churches (and other organizations, for that matter) these days are geared towards extroverts -- folks who just love meeting and greeting, making lots of noise, and getting lots of attention.  And they tend to have especially extroverted greeters everywhere you turn, and pushy people who call or visit you the next day, trying to push you into joining their church. Not us.  We ARE a very warm and friendly congregation, but we're not what one critic calls "happy, clappy."  We offer a place where introverts -- people who tend to be more private in their personality and their displays of emotion -- are especially welcome.  You can stretch out in our pews and not be crowded by "strangers."  You can move around and shake hands (many of our folks do each Sunday) or remain quietly in your place.  So  because we're "introvert-friendly," we leave our members' photos and prayer needs and names off our website.  And we won't try to fool you with stock people photos from some advertising agency.  Want to see our people?  C'mon by for a visit.  You'll be glad you did!