East Liberty Presbyterian Church

Virtual Coffee Hour
2021-06-20 11:15 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Join us after Summer worship on Sunday, June 20, for a virtual coffee hour on Zoom. Bring a favorite refreshment and snack, and share in fellowship with our faith family.
Click the button below to join via Zoom, or you may dial in by calling 929.205.6099 and then entering Meeting ID 837 7379 9831.
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YAM Spiritual Fermentation
2021-06-22 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Let us join together with Pastor BJ at a local brewery for our last Spiritual Fermentation gathering! As we enjoy the process of brewing and look back at the contemplative practices we have discussed, we invite you to share an everyday ordinary activity, an interest, hobby, or passion of yours that you currently engage in and/or would like to further explore as a space to connect with, notice, and be in with God. Contemplate the development of a plan for how you will actually engage in and do this activity as an embodied practice.
RSVP to Kelli Booher at by Friday, June 18.

Silent Walk on the Butler-Freeport Community Trail
2021-07-10 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
The Spiritual Life Committee invites you to the Butler-Freeport Community Trail for a Silent Walk! We will gather at the Monroe Trailhead at the Babcock Nature Preserve, Sarver, 16055. Join us as we walk in silence along the path at our own pace, stop, linger along the stream, sit, read, be in nature in silence with God and one another. We will regather back at the trailhead to share reflections and observations at 11:30 am.
RSVP to Norma Meyer by Friday, July 9. Learn more at ButlerFreeportTrail.org.

Letter-Writing Session
2021-07-11 11:00 - 12:00, 2021-07-18 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Fellowship Room, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The ELPC Justice Committee invites you to participate in two justice-related, letter-writing opportunities following our Summer worship service. Our topics are:

Sunday, July 11 | PA HB 999: Repeal of the Death Penalty
Sunday, July 18 | PA HB 279: Allow Undocumented PA Residents to secure a Driver’s License

Download a sample letter, and read PC(USA)’s statement on capital punishment.
Join us in the Fellowship Room or on Zoom. For more information, please contact Vivienne Selia.

Click here to join the session via Zoom. Enter meeting ID 834 2558 5198 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.

Environmental Book Club | Farming While Black
2021-07-12 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Garfield Community Farm, Corner of Wicklow and Cornwall Streets, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, United States
The Environmental Team of the Justice Committee continues their study and activities around nature, regeneration, interdependence, gardening, and farming. We invite you to read Leah Penniman’s book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land. Our discussion will take place on Monday, July 12, 7 pm, at Garfield Community Farm (509 Wicklow Street, 15224), or via Zoom if it rains.
In 1920, 14% of all land-owning U.S. farmers were Black. Today less than 2% of farms are controlled by Black people—a loss of over 14 million acres and the result of discrimination and dispossession. While farm management is among the whitest of professions, farm labor is predominantly brown and exploited—and people of color disproportionately live in “food apartheid” neighborhoods and suffer from diet-related illness. The system is built on stolen land and stolen labor.
Throughout the chapters, Penniman uplifts the wisdom of the African diasporic farmers and activists whose work informs the techniques described—from whole farm planning, soil fertility, seed selection, and agroecology, to using whole foods in culturally appropriate recipes, sharing stories of ancestors, and tools for healing from the trauma associated with slavery and economic exploitation on the land. Woven throughout the book is the story of Soul Fire Farm—a national leader in the food justice movement.
For more information, or to tell us you are attending, contact Nancy Heastings.

If it’s raining, the discussion will take place via Zoom. Click the button below to join, or call in by dialing 646 558 8656 and entering meeting ID 847 2282 6337 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.
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PW Summer Gathering
2021-07-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Online, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Please join us on Zoom as we explore “Women in the Church, Then and Now.”
Lyndsay Hardin Freeman’s book, Bible Women, states that there are 93 women who speak in the Bible, 49 of whom are named. We will focus on both women in the New Testament and women leaders in the church since then. Be ready to name a New Testament woman and a post-biblical woman in the church who you admire.
All women are invited to join us. We look forward to “seeing” you!
To participate, please contact PW.ELPC@gmail.com.

PW Gathering | Rejoice in Hope
2021-08-05 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Join Presbyterian Women from Maine to Hawaii for an online gathering. Our theme, “Rejoice in Hope,” is based on Romans 12:12–13.
The Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett will offer a message of hope, and Irene Pak Lee, associate pastor at Stone Church in Willow Glen, Pennsylvania, will deliver the keynote address. In addition, Bible study authors, present and future, will introduce their studies.
Come prepared to be renewed and inspired. The event will be livestreamed on Presbyterian Women’s Facebook page, and an in-person watch party will be held at ELPC. For more info, email PW.ELPC@gmail.com.

In Pursuit of Silence | Film Viewing and Conversation
2021-08-14 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
In Pursuit of Silence is a documentary that meditatively explores our relationship with silence, sound, and the impact of noise on our lives. Beginning with an ode to John Cage’s ground-breaking composition, 4’33”, the film takes us on an immersive cinematic journey around the globe—from a traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto, to the streets of the loudest city on the planet, Mumbai, during the wild festival season—and inspires us to experience silence and celebrate the wonders of our world.
RSVP to Norma Meyer by Friday, Aug. 13.

LGBTQ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2021-08-15 11:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
You are invited to the next Spiritual Gathering of ELPC’s LGBTQ Ministry to share food and fellowship at the church. Allies and LGBTQIA+ folks alike are welcome.
Contact Wil Forrest at 412.441.3800 X118 or Wil@coh.net to learn more, to RSVP, and/or to get the Zoom info to participate.
God created you. God loves you. Be yourself.

Picklesburgh Party
2021-08-20 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Picklesburgh—voted America’s #1 Best Specialty Food Festival in America—is back! We will meet at a specified location downtown and then walk over to the festivities. We will walk through the festival, eat some pickles, and then enjoy a picnic, live music, and each other’s company! Feel free to get dressed up, but let’s all wear green for fun (and great photo ops). Taking the bus or carpooling is encouraged.
Please sign up with Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.

Coal Tubin' in Johnstown
2021-08-28 09:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
As summer winds down, let’s venture out of Pittsburgh for some relaxing fun. YAMs will enjoy floating down The Stonycreek in inner tubes. We will leave around 9 am, float, eat dinner at a local favorite, and then return to Pittsburgh around 7 pm. The cost is $15/person ($20 if you’d like an upgraded inner tube). Scholarships are available. Please bring money for dinner.
There are many more details you need to know, so please contact Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net if you would like to go or if you have questions! And let Kelli know if you’re interested in riding in the church van, carpooling, or meeting us there.

Connections Group @ the Botanical Gardens
2021-09-11 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens, 799 Pinkerton Run Rd, Oakdale, PA, 15071, United States
Have you been a member of ELPC’s Connections Group in the past? Would you like to reunite with some old friends? We are planning an outdoor gathering at the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens in Settlers Cabin Park on Saturday, September 11, 11 am. Bring a bagged lunch. We’ll meet in the picnic area and then enjoy a walk through the gardens.
If you have not participated in a Connections Group in the past, you are more than welcome to join us! Connections Groups are small groups that previously met up monthly for coffee, lunch, or dinner at a restaurant or at someone’s home. Since this is difficult to do at this time, we thought it might be nice to get together so we can all remain “Connected.”
The cost is $12, $2 if you have an EBT card. Please email us at connectelpc@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Clothing Drive for ACJ
2021-09-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2021-09-26 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
As a Matthew 25 congregation, we are committed to supporting our siblings in Allegheny County Jail in a variety of ways, and we have been generous in response by collecting books, magazines, and toiletry items.
Now, the Justice Committee is hosting a clothing drive to provide dignity and clothing to those who are returning to our community. And you can help by donating sweatshirts and sweatpants for men and women in sizes M, L, XL, and XXL (no solid red or orange, please).
You may purchase items and drop them off following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, September 26, at the Highland Avenue entrance, or at the drop box near the security desk during the week. You also may make a monetary donation, designated “Justice Committee–ACJ Sweats,” and the Justice Committee will purchase items.
For more information, contact Judy Mancini at mancinijs@gmail.com.

Stonewall Jackson Window Updates
2021-09-12 12:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Online, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, September 12, the Peace, Property, and Facing Systemic Racism Committees invite you to a conversation on the future of the stained-glass window depicting General Stonewall Jackson, located in our Sanctuary’s East Transept. The window has been the subject of prayerful research by a Session-appointed task force, which is ready to share its findings with the congregation.
Our conversation will include a brief overview of how Confederate monuments and symbols have been used since the Civil War to help create a revisionist history that glorifies Confederates as cultural heroes, rather than the violent defenders of white supremacist ideology. More importantly, the task force will be seeking your input on how ELPC can meaningfully respond—with justice and faithfulness—to the display of this problematic symbol in our church.
If you’re watching our Sanctuary worship service livestream on YouTube or Facebook (beginning at 11 am), you may use the same feed to see the presentation. Or, click here at 12:15 pm.
To listen to the audio portion of the presentation (beginning at 12:15 pm), you may call 301.715.8592. Enter meeting ID 883 0027 9230 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.

Church Life Sampler
2021-09-19 12:15 - 14:00 (America/Halifax) | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
ELPC’s annual Church Life Sampler will be held following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, September 19, outdoors on Whitfield Street (weather permitting). Stop by to learn more about the various ministries that are a part of our church life together!
Every committee and ministry area at ELPC will be on hand to highlight fall programming and share how you can get involved! And a special treat will be provided by the Children and Family Ministry Team for you to enjoy on your way home.

2021 CONSPIRE Conference Simulcast
2021-09-24 10:00 - 18:00, 2021-09-25 10:00 - 18:00, 2021-09-26 12:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York)
Over the weekend of September 24–26, the Spiritual Life Committee invites you to join us in person at ELPC, for a virtual simulcast of the Center for Action and Contemplation’s CONSPIRE Conference, Me/Us/the World: Living Inside God’s Great Story.
In this time of great unknowing, how do we expand our sense of self to include love, healing, and forgiveness—not just for ourselves and those like us, but for the entire world? Join spiritual seekers across the world for an interactive, global gathering to experience God’s love, grace, and compassion. Presenters include James Finley, Barbara Holmes, Jacqui Lewis, Brian McLaren, Fr. Richard Rohr, and Mirabai Starr.

Participate in contemplative sits led by Fr. Richard Rohr each morning.
Connect with other participants around the globe and at ELPC.
Deepen your experience with presentations, workshops, and book talks.
Learn about opportunities to nourish your path of transformation and live into new ways of thinking and being.

Join us in person for free at ELPC! Pastor BJ will stream the conference in the McKelvy Room. Please register by Friday, September 17, and indicate the day(s) you will attend. Lunch will be provided each day. You are welcome to join us for any portion or all of the conference. Our schedule is as follows:

Friday, September 24 | 11 am–6:45 pm
Saturday, September 25 | 11 am–6:45 pm
Sunday, September 26 | 12:30 pm–6:45 pm

VIEW COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Environmental Book Club | Walden
2021-09-30 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Highland Room (Room 108), 116 South Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Environmental Team invites you to read Henry David Thoreau’s classic nature book, Walden, and join a discussion on Thursday, September 30, 7 pm.
In 1845, philosopher and writer Thoreau built a tiny cabin in the woods near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, where he lived alone and self-sufficient for two years. His observations and reflections became the basis of this book. It is an essay collection with the themes of:

Nature as eternal guide and teacher;
Living independently and breaking free from the expectations and conventions of traditional society;
Minimalism or detaching ourselves from a goal-driven, materialistic worldview; and
Self-improvement with a focus on meditation, and understanding our place in the universe.

Katherine Hackney will lead our discussion. For more information, or to tell us you are coming, contact Nancy Heastings at n.heastings@comcast.net.

CANCELED: Creation Spirituality at Garfield Community Farm
2021-10-09 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Garfield Community Farm, Corner of Wicklow and Cornwall Streets, Pittsburgh, PA, 15224, United States
This event has been canceled. Check back for updates.

The Spiritual Life Committee invites you to a day of exploration of Creation Spirituality at Garfield Community Farm (GCF).
GCF’s mission is to provide fresh produce and educational opportunities with our neighbors and volunteers, and demonstrate God’s restoration of creation through urban agriculture in the Garfield community. GCF also exists as a natural monastery that invites us into a conversation, a dance with Creation—the Earth—”the Original Cathedral.”
Please join Stephanie and Kevin Bell (www.philoxenialife.com) as they introduce us to GCF and invite us to encounter the wisdom of the trees, ingest the healing powers of the herbal plants, journey within the Sensory Peace Labyrinth, and engage the inner creative spirit within you and in all creation.
What to Bring: Face mask, water bottle, sunscreen, long pants, comfortable clothes and shoes (appropriate for the weather conditions), and a lawn chair (if uncomfortable standing or sitting on benches).

A Conversation on Critical Race Theory
2021-10-17 12:30 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
One of the Facing Systemic Racism Committee’s roles is to inform the congregation of current issues regarding race. This month, we are pleased to present an online conversation on Critical Race Theory (CRT), which has come to the forefront of the racial issues in our country. We will provide an opportunity to learn more about the origin of CRT, what it is, and how it became such an issue—especially in K–12 education.
On Sunday, October 17, 12:30 pm, we are honored to have a keynote speaker, Dr. James Phillip Huguley, associate dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and associate professor at the School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh, and a panel of our own ELPC educators who represent early childhood through higher education. They will discuss what CRT is, what it is not, and what the implications are for public school education. The keynote and the panel will be followed by a Q&A session.
We look forward to your participation.
Click the button below to join via Zoom, or call 301.715.8592 and enter meeting ID 892 1999 1165 and passcode [REDACTED].
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Garden Work Day
2021-10-24 12:30 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
John Kovalak from Davey Tree will be leading a volunteer work day after church on Sunday, October 24, 12:30–3 pm, to teach members of the Gardening Crew how to prune the different varieties of shrubs and bushes around our church grounds. John is a certified arborist and the knowledge he shares will help us become better stewards of our church grounds and our home gardens.
The church will have some pruning tools available, but feel free to bring your favorite hand pruner, hedge shears, or lopper if you’d like. We hope you can join us on the 24th from for this informative and fun volunteer opportunity!
Contact Megan Leisher at MeganL@coh.net if you plan to attend.

YAM Fall Series | Exploring Taizé
2021-10-26 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
All young adults are invited to join us on Tuesday, October 26, 6:30–8 pm, as we continue our fall series to learn about, discuss, and attend Taizé prayer services.
ELPC’s Taizé service is based on a style of worship developed at the Taizé community in France in the 1940s by the late Brother Roger. Come explore as we collectively learn and discuss what Taizé is, its roots, and how we can implement it into the ways we practice our faith. We will use a variety of texts, stories, and images, and welcome a couple speakers.
No prerequisites are needed. Come to one or come to all, just come as you are!

The Role of Educators in Affirming Racial Identity
2021-10-31 09:45 - 10:45 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Critical Race Theory in schools is a hot-button topic today. Not long ago, it was bussing Black kids into white neighborhoods. Before that, it was school segregation. The topics of race and education are—and have always been—inextricably intertwined. So, let’s talk about it! Let’s discuss the connections. Let’s discuss the problems. And let’s discuss the future and how to make it better.
Join the Facing Systemic Racism Committee during the Church School hour on Sunday, October 31, for an intergenerational conversation through story. Dr. Beverly Harris-Schenz will share a personal vignette that addresses the intersection of race and education. Dr. Linda Lane will help facilitate a discussion about why this personal recollection from Dr. Harris-Schenz’s youth is relevant to each of us today.
If you are interested in learning more about racial identity in the classroom from the lived perspective of Dr. Beverly Harris-Schenz, join the Facing Systemic Racism Committee for this vignette on race.
Click the button below to join via Zoom, or call 301.715.8592 and enter meeting ID 810 5099 0117. Please note, this link is different than the one used for your normal Church School class.
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YAM Fall Retreat | "Champing"
2021-11-05 17:00 - 2021-11-07 12:00 (America/New_York)
You may have heard of “glamping,” but this year’s retreat is unique in that it is “champing”—camping at a church that is no longer used for services. We will travel outside of Pittsburgh to a historic church built in 1903. We will have access to the main sanctuary, balcony, kitchen, and yes, hot showers! Tents, camping mats, and/or cots are provided, but you may bring your own. There is more than 3,000 square feet of space, so plenty of room for us to spread out safely.
Our theme will be Being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable, and we will welcome speakers who will discuss how to be comfortable in the moments of our life when we might find discomfort: being uncomfortable with ourselves, in community, and bearing witness to suffering and change.
The cost is $30/person (scholarships are available). Please RSVP by Friday, October 29. Contact Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net for details.

Church Tour
2021-11-14 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join us following our Sanctuary worship service for a tour of ELPC’s Gothic Sanctuary and Romanesque Chapel. The tour will highlight Church history, architectural contrasts of the Chapel and Sanctuary, as well as explore the Narthex, Trinity Chapel, and Chancel.
Meet at the Highland Lobby following worship.

Telling the Truth with Dr. George Yancy
2021-11-14 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Truth telling is a basic moral value. We interpret it to be the communication of what is known to be believed with no deceit or falseness. How then, do we factor in unintentional or intentional self-deceit, bias, and prejudice? How do we account for long-held false narratives that we are exposed to everyday in private and public agendas that suppress the “whole truth and nothing but the truth?”
Following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, November 14, the Facing Systemic Racism Committee is honored to have Dr. George Yancy help us consider these questions. Our discussion will consider the courage, vulnerability, painful listening, dangers of truth telling, and the importance of trust and love in teaching truth. Participants may view the presentation in the Social Hall or via Zoom at 12:30 pm.
Prior to our discussion, please read a letter by Dr. Yancy, titled “Dear White America,” which was originally published in The New York Times, December 24, 2015.
Click the button below to join via Zoom or call in by dialing 312.626.6799 and entering meeting ID 872 4009 7178 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.
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About Dr. George Yancy
Dr. Yancy is professor of philosophy at Emory University and is a distinguished scholar at Dartmouth College. He is a revered author and speaker on racism in America and the impact of white backlash in conversations about race.

ELPC Cooks International
2021-11-21 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Board of Deacons was unable to host our International Luncheon this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, we will be presenting a video, titled ELPC Cooks International, at a virtual coffee hour following Sanctuary worship on Sunday, November 21.
The video features five recipes prepared by ELPC members.
We also have an updated International Recipe Book with ethnic/cultural recipes for you to enjoy at home. Bon appétit!
Click the button below to join via Zoom. You call in by dialing 301.715.8592 and entering meeting ID 854 5639 0917 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.
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