At Calvin Presbyterian Church in Zelienople, less has come to mean more.

Instead of the heavy gold or expansive sanctuary murals favored by many congregations, Calvin illustrates many of its principals and devotions through eight ornate Celtic crosses hanging in the sanctuary.

In part, the crosses create a sense of holiness inside the church, separating it from ordinary gathering rooms, said the Rev. Graham Standish, pastor.

Purchased about a year ago, Calvin's crosses, many 12 inches high or larger, represent God, spirituality and everlasting life among other church beliefs.

"It's part of what we try to do in the whole church," Standish said. "As opposed to a lot of churches that have tried to get rid of symbols, we've tried to put a lot of symbols in the church."

McHarp Inc. of Texas created the crosses. Owners Ruth McNay and her daughter Linda Harp traveled across Europe, including Scotland, making rubbings of fifth- through ninth-century crosses, Standish said.

Clay models are created from the rubbings, of which molds are crafted for each piece, according to the Web site, www.mcharp.com.

Many parishioners wander across the sanctuary, taking in both the design and meaning of each one, Standish said.

"I think it's symbolic of life," he said.

They also lend an air of tradition as the Presbyterian Church is descended from the Church of Scotland.

Following the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Scotland broke from the Roman Catholic Church and reformed along Presbyterian lines.

All branches of Presbyterianism, along with some Dutch, German and French denominations and independents, formed the Presbyterian Church USA in America in the early 1700s.

To celebrate their Scottish roots, some churches hold special services on Reformation Sunday, observed on the last Sunday in October.

Bill Douthett, clerk of session at St. Andrews United Presbyterian Church in Butler, said for 40 years the church has held some type of celebration, from Scottish food to guest speakers to a parade through Butler led by a bagpiper.

Services are typically based on those in the Church of Scotland Book of Common Order, a reference of services designed for various days of the year.

Also typical is the kirking of the tartan, a ceremony in which parishioners traditionally would bring their tartans to the service to dedicate their family's service for the coming year. At St. Andrews, church members are given a swatch of tartan fabric to deposit in the offering plate.

This year's service was delivered by the Rev. Andrew Purves, a citizen of Scotland and professor at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Afterward, church members enjoyed homemade shortbread and cock-a-leekie soup, a traditional Scottish soup made of chicken and leeks, prepared by Douthett.

"We (also) had sandwiches, but in Scotland we would have called it salad," Douthett said, referring to the Scottish name for cold cuts.

At Park United Presbyterian Church, in Zelienople, Scottish services also typically feature a bagpiper, said the Rev. Pat McElroy.

An elder in the church also performs the duties of beadle, a person in the Scottish church charged with caring for the scriptures. That person carries the scriptures in and out of the services.

As well as acknowledging the denomination's history, McElroy said Reformation Sunday also provides a chance to acknowledge his own congregation.

"Also on that Sunday I tend to focus on the history of the church a little bit more: the history of our Scottish roots in Presbyterianism but also the history of our local congregation."

To accomplish that goal, McElroy reads the names of deceased members and acknowledges members of 50 years and more.

"I think the longest standing one is 77 years," he noted.

Some of those longtime members were around when the former version of Park United's denomination, the United Presbyterian Church, merged with its current mother church, the Presbyterian Church USA.

"It's always important to know where you're going," McElroy said.

"But to know where you're going you have to know where you've been. It gives you a place to move forward from, from a position of strength."