East Liberty Presbyterian Church

ELPC Celebrates People's Pride PGH 2024
2024-06-30 11:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Wilkinsburg, Wilkinsburg, PA, United States
ELPC is a proud co-founder and participant in LAMP – LGBTQIA+ Affirming Ministries of Pittsburgh. We are excited to again celebrate Pride in Pittsburgh this summer as we seek to reflect God’s love for all to local LGBTQIA+ people and allies. While there are many Pride events sponsored by different groups and in different neighborhoods, the two Pride events LAMP will be participating in this year are: Pittsburgh Pride March & Festival on Saturday, June 1, in Downtown & Allegheny Commons Park West, and People’s Pride PGH March & Festival on Sunday, June 30, in Wilkinsburg with LAMP. We are excited that ELPC will also be participating in the Disability Pride Pittsburgh Festival at Schenley Plaza on Saturday, August 24, 11 am–4 pm.
You are welcome and needed to participate!!
Come take to the streets with People’s Pride PGH 2024 March and Festival which will take place June 30, in Wilkinsburg. March line up will begin at 10:30am at Harold Young Sr. Park (739 Penn Ave,15221) and will end at Turner Elementary (1833 Laketon Rd, 15221) where the Festival will be held. The march will begin at 11:00 am where we will be met by community members and allies. Volunteers who would like to staff the booth can sign up online. We need both lay and pastoral volunteers!
Sign Up
Contact Wil Forrest at wil@coh.net or at 412.441-.3800 X218 for more information.
Come out and celebrate while we share God’s love with all God’s people!

ELPC Connections: Fridays @ Frick
2024-07-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Frick Park, Beechwood Blvd. & Nicholson St., , Squirrel Hill, 15217
Join ELPC’s Connections group for the Fridays @ Frick concert on July 12. Music will be provided by Living Dream. The lawn opens at 5 pm; music starts at 6:30 pm. The concert is free, but a $5 adult donation is suggested.
Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Pack a meal for yourself or buy food from the vendors. Come enjoy music and each other’s company.
RSVP to connectelpc@gmail.com, so that we can let you know where to find us.

July LGBTQIA+ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2024-07-14 11:30 - 13:30 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
You are invited to the next Spiritual Gathering of ELPC’s LGBTQIA+ Ministry to share food and fellowship at the church. Allies and LGBTQIA+ folks alike are welcome.
Contact Wil Forrest at 412.441.3800 X218 or Wil@coh.net to learn more, to RSVP, and/or to participate. A Zoom option will be available if expressed need is communicated to Wil before the Friday preceding the gathering.
GOD CREATED YOU. GOD LOVES YOU. BE YOURSELF.

Children & Family Ministry Listening Sessions
2024-07-21 11:00 - 12:30, 2024-07-29 18:00 - 19:30 | PA
We are listening to God’s Spirit and to parents/grandparents this summer as we evaluate our Children & Family Ministry here at ELPC and make plans for the fall. We’ve heard that being part of community, knowing God loves us all, doing justice work, having a space for questions about life and faith, and sharing sacred stories are just some of the reasons families choose to be part of ELPC. We want to know what is important about church for YOUR family. We want to make sure the “when, where, and how” of our programing makes sense for today’s families. And we want to know how we can support YOU and your kids!
We hope families with children in grade 6 and under younger will join us for a conversation about our Children & Family Ministry over some Chipotle in the Nursery Suite this summer. Please let Sara Hackett know if you can join us! (There will be food for everyone and kids are welcome to hang out and play.)
Join us following worship on Sunday, July 21, 11 am–12:30 pm, or on Monday, July 29, 6–7:30 pm.
If you would like to share your thoughts via our online survey instead of—or in addition to—meeting in person, click the button below.
Complete Our Survey

Supporting Justice Issues
2024-07-28 11:00 - 13:00 | PA
Now is the time to invest your energy in justice issues! The Justice Committee will have an in-person meeting following worship on Sunday, July 28.
We will evaluate the many issues and activities we have focused on over the last few years—such as criminal justice reform, environmental sustainability and action, immigrant resources, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. How do we support those in our community? This is a great opportunity for new voices to join us as we make plans for the coming year.
For more information about joining our meeting, contact Carol Chonoska.

Environmental Book Study: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
2024-08-08 19:00 | PA
The Environmental Team of the Justice Committee is reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. This is a classic book by a revered writer who grew up in Point Breeze. It won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.
Told from a first-person point of view, the book details Dillard’s explorations near her home, and various contemplations on nature and life. It is based on a year of living through the seasons at her Virginia home in the Blue Ridge valley near Roanoke. Annie Dillard sets out to see what she can see. What she sees are astonishing incidents of “mystery, death, beauty, violence.”
Here is a statement from Barbara Kingsolver: “I was in my 20s when I read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Her writing helped me see nature not as a collection of things to know or possess, but a world of conjoined lives, holy and complete, with or without me. She left me with this sentence that has guided my life ever since: ‘Beauty and grace are performed whether or not we will or sense them. The least we can do is try to be there.'”
Consider reading the book and joining our discussion in person on Thursday, August 8, 7 pm, led by Sally Jo Snyder.
For more details, email Nancy Heastings.

Ice Cream Social
2024-08-18 11:00 - 12:00 | PA
Everyone is invited to an ice cream social in the Narthex immediately after worship on Sunday, August 18, hosted by ELPC’s Membership & Outreach Committee. Please join them for a cool treat and fellowship!

August LGBTQIA+ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2024-08-18 11:30 - 13:30 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States

Celebrating Pittsburgh Disability Pride
2024-08-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Schenley Plaza, Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, United States
Join our ELPC faith family at the third annual Disability Pride Pittsburgh Celebration on Saturday, August 24, 11 am–4 pm, at Schenley Plaza (4100 Forbes Ave., Oakland).
This event is for the whole community with live music, food trucks, arts, sensory friendly spaces, fun activities, and more! Celebrate in the streets while we share God’s love with all God’s people.
Learn more about the event at DisabilityPridePA.org.
Contact Wil Forrest at 412.441.3800 x218 for more information.
Come out and celebrate while we share God’s love with all God’s people!

September LGBTQIA+ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2024-09-01 11:30 - 13:30 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States

Taizé Worship with PTS
2024-09-07 11:15 - 12:15 | ELPC – Chapel, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
You are invited to join together with the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) Hybrid Program students, staff, and faculty for a joint Taizé prayer service, led by Pastor BJ and our ELPC Taizé musicians in the Chapel. The PTS Hybrid Program is comprised of students from throughout the region and nation who gather in Pittsburgh twice each semester to work, worship, and study together. A commitment of the program is to provide opportunities for these students to experience the rich and vibrant worship lives found within our East Liberty neighborhood.
After the service, we’ll gather in the Courtyard for a free lunch.
All are welcome, please join us!
Download Bulletin

Welcome Back Breakfast
2024-09-08 09:45 - 10:45 | PA
Celebrate the return of our fall church schedule with breakfast between our services on Sunday, September 8, 9:45–10:45 am, in the Fellowship and Overlook Rooms.
We hope you will join us for this time of intergenerational fellowship.

Jam with the YAMs!
2024-09-15 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-11-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Garth Overlook Room, 116 South Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Are you 18–40? Do you love bagels? Join us for Jam with the YAMs (Young Adult Ministry). We gather on the third Sunday of each month in the Harambe Room for bagels, coffee, and fellowship. Hope to see you there!
Contact Sara Hackett with any questions.

Celebrating Pastor Heather’s Ministry
2024-09-22 12:15 - 13:30 | ELPC – Whitfield Lobby, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Please plan on joining us following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, September 22, for a farewell celebration in honor of the Rev. Heather Schoenewolf, our departing Acting Co-Pastor and Pastor for Educational Ministries, and her family. We’ll gather in the Whitfield Lobby for food and to say “thank you!”
We are putting together a scrapbook for the Schoenewolfs. Please send photos and notes to Jason Van Ness.
If you would like to help make decorations for the party, join us at ELPC to prepare on Saturday, September 21, 1–3pm. Please contact Trish Buben at for details.

Congregational Meeting
2024-09-23 08:00 - 17:00 | PA
The Session of ELPC has called a congregational meeting to be held following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, October 6. Attendees will receive a report from the Pastor Nominating Committee and to act upon its recommendation to call a new senior pastor.
Join us in the Sanctuary for this important meeting. If you’re unable to attend in person, you’re welcome to participate via Zoom.
Join via Zoom

The Sacrament of Letting Go Retreat
2024-09-27 18:00 - 2024-09-29 11:00 | Villa Maria Retreat Center, 2067 Evergreen Rd, Pulaski, PA, 16143, United States
“First she surrendered her Green
Then the Orange, Yellow, and Red…
Finally she let go of her Brown…
Shedding her last leaf
She stood empty and silent, stripped bare
Leaning against the sky she began her vigil of trust…”
(Macrina Weiderkehr, The Seasons of Your Heart)
Are you being invited into a vigil of trust? What is the green, orange, yellow, red and brown that you, individually, are being invited to shed? What is the green, orange, yellow, red and brown that we, collectively, need to shed?
Come “lean against the sky” during this contemplative retreat at the Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center in Pulaski, Pennsylvania, Friday–Sunday, September 27–29. Engage in a variety of forms of prayer through art, journaling, nature and silent reflection. Make yourself available to a greater knowing, and discover the peace and divine wisdom that is already seeking you.
This retreat will be led by Lynn Holden spiritual director, professional counselor and founder of Cultivating Awareness. Learn more at LynnHolden.com.
Download Retreat Flyer

Registration
RSVP to Norma Meyer at 412.441.3800 x211 by Sunday, September 15. The cost options are as follows:

One Night: (Friday–Saturday or Saturday-Sunday) Shared Bath | $70
One Night: (Friday–Saturday or Saturday-Sunday) Private Bath | $110
Two Nights (Friday–Sunday) Shared Bath | $85
Two Nights (Friday–Sunday) Private Bath | $135

Congregational Meeting
2024-09-29 12:00 - 13:00 | PA
At a special meeting held on July 28, Session approved a motion to call a Congregational Meeting following worship on Sunday, September 29, to act on Pastor Heather’s request to dissolve her call as ELPC’s Acting Co-Pastor and Associate Pastor for Educational Ministries, effective September 30. All members are encouraged to attend.
Please note, this meeting was rescheduled from September 15.
Effective October 1, Pastor Heather will begin serving as the solo Pastor of the Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon.

Cathedral Concerts | Back to Broadway
2024-09-29 15:00 - 16:30 | ELPC – Sanctuary, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Our 14th season of Cathedral Concerts kicks off on Sunday, September 29, 3 pm, with Back to Broadway. Join us in the Sanctuary for an afternoon of show tunes from past and present, featuring ELPC’s own section leaders. The concert will also be streamed on YouTube and Facebook.
A freewill offering will be accepted.

Click here to view the program.

Dr. Ed Moore will be at the piano along with singers Adrianna Cleveland, Todd Farwell, Delana Flowers, Tessa Morris, Gail Mosites, Denise Sheffey-Powell, Logan Williams, and Andrew Wilkinson.

Celebrating-the-Beauty-of-You Yoga Retreat
2024-10-05 09:00 - 16:00 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join us on Saturday, October 5, 9 am–4 pm, to enjoy a fall day of community—offering a time for reflection, gentle yoga, meditation, catered lunch, movement, and a luxurious final sound bath.
Yamuna will lead most of the activities in the Sanctuary. Special guest Jessica Rosario will offer the sound bath with her crystal bowls and mesmerizing voice!
The cost is a suggested donation of $60–$90. Scholarships are available.

All Congregation Open House Saturday
2024-10-05 14:00 - 16:00 | ELPC – Fellowship Room, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Members of the congregation are invited to come and meet our pastor candidate in person on Saturday, October 5, 2–4 pm, at ELPC. This is an informal, drop-in event—come for a few minutes to say “hello” or longer for fellowship and light refreshments.
The event will take place in the Fellowship Room, so enter through the Highland Avenue entrance.

Congregation Reception
2024-10-06 12:30 - 13:30 | PA
Members of the congregation are invited for a time of fellowship and community in the Social Hall after the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, October 6. A light lunch will be provided. You will have a chance to meet the Pastoral Candidate if you have not already done so.
Hosted by the Pastor Nominating Committee along with support from Membership and Outreach, Presbyterian Women, and the Environmental Team.

Jam with the YAMs!
2024-10-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Garth Overlook Room, 116 South Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Are you 18–40? Do you love bagels? Then join us for Jam with the YAMs (Young Adult Ministry). We will gather in the Harambe Room for bagels, coffee, and fellowship. Hope to see you there!
In November, we will return to our regular third Sunday schedule.
Contact Sara Hackett with any questions.

Family Bowling
2024-10-13 12:00 - 14:00 | ELPC – Bowling Alley
Families with children and teens are invited to stay after Sanctuary worship on Sunday, October 13, for pizza and bowling. RSVP to Sara Hackett.
The Children and Families Ministry team is hosting monthly family events to foster a caring community of families at ELPC, where kids and adults feel loved and empowered to explore their faith.

Revolutionary Love Tour with Valarie Kaur
2024-10-15 18:00 - 21:00 | PA
In the thick of a divisive election season, join visionary civil rights leader Valarie Kaur in an immersive experience of storytelling, music, song, ancestral wisdom, and community-building. On Tuesday, October 15, 6–9 pm, Join others in a space for soulful introspection, deep listening, and courageous action. You will leave with the tools needed to lead with love and courage in your daily life.
Register Online
The event will take place at:
460 Melwood Avenue
Suite 207
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Hope Academy Celebration & Reception
2024-10-27 12:00 - 13:30 | PA
Join us following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, October 27, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hope Academy and the long-time leadership and accomplishments of Linda Addlespurger.
Come to the Fellowship and Garth Overlook Rooms to celebrate and enjoy light refreshments.

Amen to Action
2024-11-02 08:00 - 12:00 | Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
On Saturday, November 2, 8 am–12 pm, join with other volunteers from ELPC and more than 250 other neighbors from across 10 local congregations and nonprofits to pack 100,000 meals for Pittsburghers at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (616 N. Highland Ave.). Register at tiny.cc/amen-to-action.
Questions? Contact anyone on Neighbors Committee or email Bob Forloines.
Sign up to volunteer

A Day with Cole Arthur Riley
2024-11-02 09:00 - 14:00 | Sixth Presbyterian Church, 1688 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, United States
Join the Alliance for Honor and Repair to spend a day with Cole Arthur Riley on Saturday, November 2, 9 am–2 pm.
Cole is the creator of Black Liturgies and author of This Here Flesh. She is a native of Pittsburgh and will be offering her wisdom and sharing from her liturgies.
Cole will be speaking on Dignity, Justice, Lament, and Solidarity.
What is our story and where does it begin?
How can you practice justice and reconciliation in the mundane and in the systemic?
What does it mean to exist in solidarity with another?
The cost is $20. The event will be held at Sixth Presbyterian Church.
Registration Online

Family Event
2024-11-10 12:00 - 14:00 | PA
The Children and Families Ministry team is hosting monthly family events to foster a caring community of families at ELPC, where kids and adults feel loved and empowered to explore their faith. Check back in August for event details.
