Rev. Dr. Steve Wilson

Pastor Emeritus

Note: After 31 plus years, Rev. Dr. Wilson honorably retired as Senior Pastor of OPC after leading his last worship service and preaching his “Thank You!” sermon on August 13, 2023. OPC Session unanimously approved a resolution, presented to him at the conclusion of the service, granting him the honor and title of “Pastor Emeritus“.

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Long before I perceived it others sensed in me a call to pastoral ministry. Looking back it seems that God used a host of individuals to shape and encourage me. My family was of first importance in my Christian formation. My parents were active in the worship and service of a local Presbyterian congregation in Alton, Illinois. To this day that congregation is my extended family. My grandparents were active in their American Baptist church and I was regularly present with them in worship and social events. Participating in both church communities, I learned the head and the heart of faith, and what it means to be a church.

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My first call as a pastor was to the three congregations of the Mountain Top Larger Parish in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. I can’t imagine a more wonderful group of people with whom to begin ministry. The three congregations operated as one church with three buildings. I followed the footsteps of their previous pastor and discovered the many wise ways he had administered the church. Also, leaders in the congregation served as my teacher in the practical matters of congregational life and the regional leaders of our presbytery inspired and encouraged my growth as a Christian and as a pastor.
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It was hard to leave the Mountain Top Larger Parish after six years with them, but my sense of call to Oakmont was strong. Little did I know at the time that God would include me in the plan to merge the town’s two former Presbyterian congregations into the Oakmont Presbyterian Church. The merger was suggested by two members of the First United Presbyterian Church. Then, just like the parting of the Red Sea, God opened wide the path to merger and to the blessings of being one, consolidated church family. Now at Oakmont Presbyterian Church I am privileged to partner with members who have so many gifts to share in the life and mission of this congregation and to work with such a wonderfully talented and committed staff.

Outside of the church my family includes my wife who is the Music Minister at St. Richard’s Catholic Church in Gibsonia, two grown sons – one who lives in Pittsburgh and the other who lives in Lebanon, New Hampshire – and extended family who live in Louisville, Kentucky and in my hometown of Alton, Illinois. My life is rich with family, friends and joyful activities in this beautiful setting of Western Pennsylvania. Bike riding, fly-fishing, and singing are a few of my recreations.