East Liberty Presbyterian Church

Pray Always in All Ways
2026-01-21 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-02-04 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-02-11 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Have you ever wondered what prayer is or if you even believe in prayer? Have you ever longed to pray more but struggled to know how? Whether you feel like a novice or practiced expert, we all need to practice prayer. There is no right or wrong way to pray, nor is there no one starting point or a finish line. There is only the continual showing up to practice prayer and allowing our deepest longings for God, others and the world to emerge. Together we will talk about our struggles and hopes with prayer and explore a wide variety of prayer forms, including body prayer, prayer beads, icons, silent, written fixed-hour prayer and prayer as simple awareness in life. It will be playful, inspiring and interactive with lots of time to practice together.
Please register using the form below. You only need to register ONCE for the series, although this form is found in all 4 instances of this event, it is just there for ease of access to people joining.

“Prayer is easy only for beginners and for those who are already Saints. During all the long years in between, it is difficult. Why? Because prayer has the same inner dynamics as love, and love is sweet only in its initial stage, when we first fall in love, and again in its final, mature stage. In between, love is hard work, dogged fidelity, and needs willful commitment beyond what is normally provided by our emotions and our imagination. It’s when I say, “I don’t know how to love,” and “I don’t know how to pray,” that I first begin to understand what love and prayer actually are.” – Ronald Rolheiser

Confirmation Retreat
2026-01-24 10:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | PA
On Saturday, January 24, 10 am–3 pm, our Confirmation Class, for youth in grades 8–9, will explore the Bible through conversations, games, art projects, and more…asking questions like, ”What’s in the Bible? Why don’t Christians agree on what the Bible says? What does it mean that the Bible is the ’Word of God’?”
Contact Sara Hackett with questions.

ONLINE ONLY - Pray Always in All Ways
2026-01-28 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA

Cathedral Concert - Hope Academy Teaching Artists in Concert
2026-02-01 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Sanctuary, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
PROGRAM
Click here for a PDF of the printed program.
Six Suites for the Viola
Johann Sabastian Bach (1685-1750)
i. Prelude
ii. Allemande
Omari Abdul-Alim, viola
C Minor Prelude
Johann Sebastian Bach
Nostalgia
Caleb Smith
Caleb Smith, piano
Libertango
Astor Piazzolla
Liza Barley, violin and Gil Teixeira, guitar
Safety – SHUAA
LTR to an ex – SHUAA
Joshua Rouse, voice
Jayla Griggs, piano
‘Untitled’
Music by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
Members of Shana Simmons Dance Company
Brittany Nettles
Madisyn Montgommery
Abby Breznak
Broken Pieces – Idasa Tariq
It’s On Me – Idasa Tariq
Soulman IT, MC
Dream Keeper
Poem by Langston Hughes
Music by Anqwenique Kinsel
Anqwenique, voice
Joshua Rouse, piano
The concert is free and open to all. A freewill offering will be received at the concert.

Taizé Social Gathering
2026-02-04 20:00 - 21:00, 2026-03-04 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month following our Taizé prayer service for a time of fellowship with some light refreshments in the Narthex.
Taizé is a unique spiritual community at ELPC, and we desire to have time for those who gather to get to know one another, converse, and move from solitude into community and expand the connection that exists amidst our prayerful songs and quiet meditation.

Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty Postcard Campaign
2026-02-08 12:15 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | PA
The Justice Committee encourages everyone to join Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty in the statewide effort to pass legislation that will finally abolish the death penalty in Pennsylvania! On Sunday, February 8, immediately following Sanctuary worship, join us in the Garth Overlook Room, where each person will sign five postcards that will be delivered, along with hundreds of others, to the Harrisburg offices of the Governor, Attorney General, District Attorney, State Representatives and Senators. Let them know your support for abolition!
Contact Vivienne Selia at vselia@comcast.net for more details.

Justice League - Art Edition
2026-02-18 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-02-25 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-04 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-11 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-18 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-25 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Art as Prayer: Visio Divina
Wednesday evenings in Lent
from 5:00-7:00pm
Families and Tweens are invited to share dinner, make art, and explore different ways of praying.
Activities will follow the themes in our Lenten worship and devotional series, Tell Me Something Good.
Families with kids of any age are welcome and tweens in 3rd-6th grade can join with or without a parent.
RSVP to Sara Hackett at SaraH@coh.net
Feb 18th theme: All are Invited
art: Weaving
dinner: Lasagna
Feb 25th theme: So Good it Catches us by Suprise
art: Pottery with the Union Project
dinner: Chicken Sandwiches
March 4 theme: Great Love for God and Neighbor
art: Painting and Gold Leaf
dinner: Tacos
March 11th theme: Together the Impossible is Possible
art: Block Printing table cloths
dinner: Pasta
March 18th theme: All are Invited
art: Papermaking
dinner: Pizza
March 25th theme: Inspiring us to Act
art: Protest Banner/Signs
dinner: Soup and Grilled Cheese

Congregational Meeting
2026-02-22 12:15 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Session scheduled the annual Congregational Meeting to take place on Sunday, February 22, 12:15 pm following our Sanctuary worship service. All official members of the church are invited to participate and vote for new candidates for Elder and Deacon for this next year. The meeting will be held in the Social Hall. Refreshments will be served.
If you are unable to attend the meeting in person, you can attend via Zoom by completing the form below. Please note, congregation members participating online will not be able to vote remotely.
Our annual report and meeting materials are available online, and hard copies will be available on the information tables on the first floor, and at the meeting.
2025 ANNUAL REPORT
2026 NEW OFFICER BIOS

Confirmation Class
2026-02-22 12:15 - 14:30 (America/Halifax) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
On Sunday, February 22, 12:15–2:30 pm, the Confirmation Class will have lunch, learn about the church and what it means to be Presbyterian, including: what sacraments Presbyterians celebrate, what type of government Presbyterians use to discern God’s call for the church, and the questions people are asked in worship when they become members.
For more details, contact Sara Hackett.

Lenten Conversations: Tell Me Something Good
2026-02-25 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-03-04 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-03-11 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-03-18 17:30 - 19:00, 2026-03-25 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Good Samaritan Room, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Feeling overwhelmed by the headlines or life in general? Join Pastor Michael on Wednesday evenings as we slow down and listen for a different kind of news. Each week, we’ll gather for honest, hope-filled conversations rooted in Sunday’s sermon and our series, Tell Me Something Good: Grounding Ourselves in the Good News This Lent. Together we’ll explore Jesus’ life through the scriptures and ask deeper questions about the text, the sermon, and what it means for us today. Whether you’re curious, weary, skeptical, or hopeful, there’s room for you. Our goal is not to give each other easy answers but to speak from our own perspective and experiences. A light dinner will be served at 6:30 pm.
Please register by completing the form below. You only need to register once for the entire series. This sign-up form is listed under each date occurrence for convenience of folks joining mid-way through the series.

On a Sunday – Music of Sondheim
2026-03-01 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Sanctuary, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
ELPC soloists and choir are featured in a revue of music by the 20th Century’s most influential musical theatre composers, Stephen Sondheim.
LIVE in the Sanctuary at 3:00 PM and streaming on the
ELPC YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/EastLibertyPresbyterianChurch
ELPC Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/EastLibertyPresbyterian
The concert is free and open to all. A freewill offering will be received at the concert. http://tiny.cc/elpcdonate
PROGRAM – Click here for a PDF of the printed program
Putting It Together – from Sunday in the Park with George (1984)
Ensemble
Dr. Edward Alan Moore, piano
Being Alive – from Company (1970)
David Jennings-Smith
Maria – from West Side Story (1957) – music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Logan Williams
Green Finch and Linnet Bird – from Sweeney Todd (1979)
Denise Sheffey-Powell
The Glamorous Life – from A Little Night Music (1973)
Adrianna Cleveland
Everybody Says Don’t – from Anyone Can Whistle (1964)
Todd Farwell
Uptown Downtown – from Follies (1971)
Laura Alstro
Moments in the Woods – from Into the Woods (1986)
Gail Novak Mosites
The Ladies Who Lunch – from Company (1970)
Kym, Laret, Gail Novak Mosites, Denise Sheffey-Powell
Send in the Clowns – from A Little Night Music (1973)
Todd Farwell
The Last Midnight – from Into the Woods (1986)
Adrianna Cleveland
Losing My Mind – from Follies (1971)
Kym Laret
I Remember – from Evening Primrose (1966)
Laura Alstro
Old Friends – from Merrily We Roll Along (1981)
Tim Chaplin, Adrianna Cleveland, Logan Williams
Sorry Grateful – from Company (1970)
Tim Chaplin
Later – from A Little Night Music (1973)
Logan Williams
Not While I’m Around – from Sweeney Todd (1979)
David Jennings-Smith
Children Will Listen – from Into the Woods (1986)
Denise Sheffey-Powell
Sunday – from Sunday in the Park with George (1984)
Ensemble, Chancel Choir

Tree Equity in the Pittsburgh Region
2026-03-08 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | ELPC – McKelvy Room (114), 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
As noted in last month’s Reaching Out, the Environmental Team of the Justice Committee is currently focusing on the issue of Tree Equity—ensuring that all communities have equal access and benefits from the presence of trees. Disadvantaged Pittsburgh neighborhoods have 20% fewer trees, which has serious implications for health outcomes.
Join us on Sunday, March 8, 12:30–1:30 pm, in the McKelvy for a presentation by an expert from Tree Pittsburgh and a speaker from the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, who will provide a faith and justice perspective. Refreshments will be provided in the Fellowship Room.
Tree Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy also will offer advice on tree maintenance, volunteer opportunities, how to get a tree for your yard, and more. See them and our Landscape Subcommittee in the Garth Overlook Room.
Tree activities in underserved neighborhoods will be coming in the spring and fall. The program also will be available online. Contact Nancy Heastings at n.heastings@comcast.net for the Zoom link.

Active Intruder Safety Training
2026-03-21 13:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | PA
You are invited along with all ELPC friends, members, leaders, and staff to attend an important training session on Saturday, March 21, 1–4 pm, concerning how to remain safe if an intruder enters the church building. ELPC’s Safety and Security Advisory Committee will be hosting a local safety officer who will share helpful information and answer our questions.
Please pre-register by March 15 online or with Jen King at 412.441.3800 x222.
The week before the event, we will send a confirmation naming the room we will meet in with a reminder to all who RSVP they are attending. We hope you can make it.

Sanctuary & Chapel Tour
2026-03-22 12:15 - 13:15 (America/Halifax) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join us after worship for an architectural tour of our beautiful, Gothic Sanctuary and Romanesque Chapel. Our guide will discuss these architectural styles, as well as the history and symbolism of these unique spaces. The Narthex, Trinity Chapel, and Chancel will be included.
Please gather at the Highland Lobby after worship.
