Steingrabe honored for work with church, scouts

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Last week’s Sunday service at Monongahela’s First United Methodist Church is one that Carroll Township resident Sam Steingrabe will  never forget.

Rev. Jude Urso surprised Steingrabe with the Cross and Flame award, a recognition that comes from the church’s headquarters in Nashville, Tenn.

Steingrabe was given the award because of his tenure as a 10-year trustee of the church as well as his work with children as cubmaster for Boy Scouts of America Pack 1446 in Monongahela. 

Steingrabe said the award was a total surprise.

“We went to church on Sunday and they called me to the front,” Steingrabe, a water quality specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environment Protection, recalled. “They don’t tell you; they just do it. They present you with a pin and a medal and an award. I’m holding tears back because I got the little guys in the front row. I just remember the feeling of gratitude and thanks that someone recognized the effort.”

The Cross and Flame program gives recognition to adult leaders who have given exceptional service in the use and promotion of programs for young people. The Cross and Flame Award emblem carries the logo of The United Methodist Church, and it may be worn with the uniform for dress and official occasions.

Originally from West Middlesex, Pa., Steingrabe moved to the Mon Valley in 2004 to attend California University of Pennsylvania’s grad school program.

“I knew nothing at all of the Mon Valley,” Steingrabe said. “When I got here, I was accepted into the community.

“It just kind of snowballed the last 15 years I’ve been living here.”

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