East Liberty Presbyterian Church

Summer Celebration of Service
2016-08-18 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Halifax) | ELPC – Courtyard, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15206, United States
All who have served in our church and community this year are invited to our annual Summer Celebration of Service and Volunteers in the Courtyard. Main dish and drinks will be provided, but you may bring a side dish or dessert to share. Please label containers with your name. No serving utensils are needed. Come for a few minutes or stay the entire time.
For more info, contact Wil Forrest at Wil@coh.net.

Lunch with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
2016-08-21 11:15 - 13:00 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The ELPC Mission Board has entered into a collaborative interfaith relationship of learning and friendship with the members of the local Muslim community. Many of the gatherings have been offered at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh (ICP), where people of all faiths have been greeted with warm hospitality and a genuine desire to get to know and support one another.
Now, we have an opportunity to return the same radical hospitality that we have received from our sisters and brothers at ICP. On Sun., Aug. 21, members of ICP will join us for worship in the Courtyard and lunch in the Social Hall. Following lunch, Kelcey Sharkas, outreach coordinator at ICP, will facilitate a seminar, entitled “How to Be a Muslim Ally.”
The Mission Board cordially invites and encourages all ELPC members and friends to offer a warm, radically hospitable welcome to our guests and to extend their Sunday at church by participating in lunch and the seminar.
For more information, contact Michele Bossers or Pastor Patrice.
“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”—1 John 4:16

Conversation on Gun Ownership and Gun Control
2016-08-28 11:15 - 13:00 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
An initial Conversation on Gun Ownership and Gun Control will be held following worship for anyone interested in sharing their stories on this timely justice issue. Our hope is to offer a faithful and respectful dialogue that seeks to find points of commonality and consensus on a topic that is too often divisive for our community.

Pittsburgh Promise Coach Training
2016-09-22 17:30 - 19:00 | ELPC – Room 244, 116 S Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Calling all folks who want to help Pittsburgh area youth and their families understand the amazing opportunity before them to get a free college education! You are invited to the Pittsburgh Promise Coach Training at ELPC!
New Food 4 Thought volunteers will be attending this event, but all who are interested in knowing more are invited.
Please RSVP to Wil Forrest by emailing Wil@coh.net to secure your seat.

Presentation: Indigenous Pittsburgh
2016-10-09 12:15 - 14:00 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Nationalism Redefined: In this election year, there has been a rise in so-called nationalism in our country—a call to return to the loyalty and devotion upon which the U.S. was established; a sense of consciousness that exalts the U.S. above all other countries and emphasizes the promotion of culture and superiority. However, America was not discovered, as the land was already inhabited when the Europeans arrived. A true return to nationalism would be a return to the indigenous people’s way of life, culture, and restoration of their land.
In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day (this year on Monday, October 10), the Mission Board will present Indigenous Pittsburgh: Christian Doctrine, Small Pox Blankets, and Native Populations. This presentation will provide a foundational framework for understanding U.S. policy and beliefs toward native populations and how they impacted our local history and treatment of natives. A light lunch will be served.

Holy Spirit Breakfast Team
2016-10-16 08:00 - 09:00
The ELPC Holy Spirit Breakfast Team is growing by leaps and bounds! Join us on the second and fourth Sunday of each month as we cook and serve breakfast for the residents at EECM’s Community House.
To sign up for the Breakfast Team or for more information about the Holy Spirit Breakfast Team, please contact Jim Eng at james.eng@sru.edu or the Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy at 412.441.3800 x30.

Educational Session on Homelessness
2016-10-22 09:00 - 11:00 | ELPC – Second Floor Parlor, 116 S Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Homelessness and affordable housing are discussions that draw much attention and outrage in the East End, as well as in the City of Pittsburgh as a whole—and rightfully so. We are called to care for the most vulnerable among us, those who are without the necessities that so many of us have.
Please join the Mission Board and Mission Committees as we learn about homelessness in our community, the new referral process for shelter assistance by Allegheny County, and the national move to the “Housing First” model.
Our guests will include Abigail Horn from the Allegheny County Department of Human Service.

Follow-up Conversations on Gun Ownership
2016-10-23 12:15 - 14:00 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join us as we follow up our faithful discussion on gun ownership and control by educating ourselves on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and local laws. We will be joined by a Zone 5 Pittsburgh police officer and Bruce Ledewitz, professor at Duquesne University School of Law.
A light lunch will be served.

Understanding and Speaking Up for LGBTQ Christians: A Learning & Discussion Series
2016-10-30 12:30 - 15:30, 2016-11-06 12:30 - 15:30, 2016-11-13 12:30 - 15:30 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
All ELPC Friends and Members who want to learn how to better support LGBTQ Christians are invited to this three-part learning and discussion series. These sessions are designed to be an educational and development series (not debates) that provides an environment where authoritative presenters will share information, where attendees will be able to have their questions answered, and where participants will gain competencies related to being an advocate for LGBTQ Christians and issues.
This church-wide series will be on three consecutive Sundays with different stand-alone content each week. A simple lunch will be served. Childcare can be provided with an RSVP at least one week prior to the session you plan to attend. Please RSVP to Wil Forrest at wil@coh.net or at 412.260.2554.
Sun., Oct. 30: Understanding Language and LGBTQ Basics
Led by the Rev. Dr. Randy Bush and Betty Hill, executive director of Persad
Co-sponsored by the Mission Board
Sample Question: “What does the Q mean?”
Sun., Nov. 6: The Bible and LGBTQ Inclusion
Led by the Rev. Heather Schoenewolf and the Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy
Co-sponsored by Christian Education Committee
Sample Question: “How do I reply to a family member who asks what the Bible says about homosexuality?”
Sun., Nov. 13: History, Polity, Theology, Oh My!
Led by the Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, the Rev. Mary Lynn Callahan, and Elder Carol Chonoska
Co-sponsored by Spiritual Life Committee
Sample Question: “How can ELPC be fully inclusive of LGBTQ people and some other Presbyterian churches are not?”

A Time of Prayer
2016-12-28 15:30 - 17:00 | First Lutheran Church, 615 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, United States
There will be a time of prayer in support of all refugees, separated families, and victims of violence at First Lutheran Church on Grant Street downtown.
Everyone who comes for prayer is encouraged to join the outdoor vigil for Martín Esquivel at 4 pm, and process to the Federal Courthouse building.

Healing Communities Training
2017-01-07 13:00 - 18:00 | Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Justice Committee encourages ELPC members who are interested in helping our church discern the calling to support those in our community who are returning from incarceration—including some that are part of our faith family—to attend a Healing Communities training session at Pittsburgh Thelogical Seminary.
Following this training, our goal is to evaluate if—and explore how—ELPC might become a “Station of Hope” for those who are returning from incarceration. One recent study noted the most important determinant for the future success of such individuals is a community of loving support they find—not training or a job.
Contact Scilla at Scillahw[at]gmail.com or 412.361.1581 to register to join us.

Kick-Off Party for OHM’s JUST Run
2017-01-14 16:00 - 18:00
Have a new year’s resolution around health and service? Join us at a kick-off party for Open Hand Ministry’s Pittsburgh Marathon team at BFG Cafe (5335 Penn Ave.) for pizza, info, and fellowship!
Anyone interested in participating in the marathon as a runner (5k, 10k, relay team, full- and half-marathon) or as a volunteer supporter (pasta party, race day cheer squad, fundraising) are welcome!
Please RSVP on Facebook. For more info, contact Emily Rosenthal at ejr116@gmail.com or 412.963.0139.

19th Annual Summit Against Racism
2017-01-21 08:00 - 17:00 | Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
All are invited to the 19th Annual Summit Against Racism at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. The event will be hosted by the Metro-Urban Institute and the Black and White Reunion.
The theme this year will be Polarization to Cooperation: How do we Get There? The conference will provide a forum for discussion about the current state of race relations in the U.S., what we have learned so far, and pathways to deeper understanding, healing and social action.
For more information on the schedule and how to register, please visit SummitAgainstRacism.wordpress.com.

Neighbors Committee Fellowship Time
2017-01-29 12:15 - 13:15 | ELPC – McKelvy Room (114), 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Please join the Neighbors Committee following our Sanctuary worship service, as we recognize and honor Fran Wilson for her envisioning, opening, and running The Chapel Market since its inception. Fran has worked tirelessly to outfit, organize, and manage The Chapel Market, as well as its volunteers. She is stepping back to pursue other interests, but we are thankful for her faithful service.
We also invite you to learn about the Committee’s work and how you can become involved by providing meals, working on housing rehab projects, and participating in other community development activities. There also will be opportunities to write letters to Congress, focusing on providing adequate funding for childhood nutrition programs in 2017 and protecting health care for all. Information and materials about each issue will be available at the letter writing tables.

NBPC Annual Celebration of Joy Event
2017-02-11 14:00 - 17:00 | Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 N. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus will hold the annual Celebration of Joy event in Knox Hall at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. The program will highlight a history of African Americans in the Presbyterian Church and include performances by former Coleman/Patrick Scholarship recipients.
A small donation in support of the Coleman/Patrick Scholarship Fund is requested.

Forum on Problems in Sudan and South Sudan
2017-04-30 13:30 - 16:30 | ELPC – Music Room, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The ELPC Peace Committee is hosting Famine, Political Breakdown and the Trump Travel Ban, a forum on the problems occurring in Sudan and South Sudan. The panel includes Congressman Mike Doyle, Rubani Trimiew, Hawa Abdallah Salih, and others.
A light lunch will be provided by members of the Sudanese Community in Pittsburgh. All are welcome to this free event, but you must RSVP by emailing jumphook@gmail.com or calling 412.992.0102.

The Impact of Open Hand Ministries
2017-05-21 12:30 - 14:00 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Please join the Mission Board and Neighbors Committee as the Rev. Michael Stanton, executive director of Open Hand Ministries (OHM), updates us on the impact of OHM in East Liberty and Garfield.
ELPC is a founding church of OHM, which was established in 2008, following the success of the 2007 East End Blitz. OHM reflects the desire of several neighborhood churches to develop an ongoing ministry to address the injustices of unequal access to wealth-building activity (such as home ownership), create neighborhood stability, and break the cycles of poverty. OHM promotes social justice in our community by helping families become wealth-builders, rehabilitating vacant properties, and remaining in supportive relationships with families after they become homeowners.
In the last 10 years, OHM has:

Helped 12 families become homeowners;
Assisted more than 16 families through family development programs; and
Rehabbed more than 20 properties in East Liberty and Garfield.

OHM’s work to provide affordable housing in our changing neighborhoods is an important part of East Liberty’s overall development plan. ELPC supports OHM through yearly mission grants, volunteers for work days and family development programs, and board membership.
For details about this program, email Emily Rosenthal at ejr116@gmail.com or call Pastor Patrice at 412.441.3800. For more information about OHM, visit OpenHandPgh.org. To learn more about housing development in East Liberty, visit EastLiberty.org.

Summer Film Series: The Secret Life of Your Clothes
2017-07-09 11:15 - 12:15 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Neighbors, Justice, and Peace Committees of the Mission Board are teaming up to sponsor our fifth annual Summer Film Series. Films will be shown after our Summer worship service, along with a light potluck lunch in the Social Hall.
In The Secret Life of Your Clothes, charismatic paralympian Ade Adepitan tells the fascinating story of the afterlife of our clothes. He follows the trail to Ghana, the biggest importer of our castoffs, where thousands of tons of our old clothes arrive every week. Ade meets the people who make a living from our old clothes, from wholesalers and markets traders to the importers raking in more than the average yearly wage in a single day!
1 hour | Hosted by the Neighbors Committee

Summer Film Series: A Justice that Heals
2017-07-16 11:15 - 12:15 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Neighbors, Justice, and Peace Committees of the Mission Board are teaming up to sponsor our fifth annual Summer Film Series. Films will be shown after our Summer worship service, along with a light potluck lunch in the Social Hall.
A Justice that Heals is a documentary that explores the aftermath of the senseless murder of 19-year-old Andrew Young by 18-year-old Mario Ramos. It was one of 90 homicides in Chicago that month and, in many ways, was nothing unusual. But, the events that followed were anything but typical. Moving between interviews with Andrew’s family, Mario, his parents and pastor, this documentary reveals the human journey to find redemption and a form of justice that heals.
56 minutes | Hosted by the Justice Committee

Summer Film Series: Locked in a Box
2017-07-23 11:15 - 12:00 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Neighbors, Justice, and Peace Committees of the Mission Board are teaming up to sponsor our fifth annual Summer Film Series. Films will be shown after our Summer worship service, along with a light potluck lunch in the Social Hall.
Locked in a Box is an award-winning short documentary that follows the stories of individuals held in the U.S. Immigration detention system and those who visit them. The film traces the lives of individuals who fled their homelands in search of safety and freedom only to end up in U.S. prisons under a mandatory bed quota system run by Immigration Customs & Enforcement (ICE). Since the 1990’s there has been a massive expansion of the immigration detention system up to 34,000 immigrants in detention on any given day in approximately 200 different facilities, many of which are for-profit prisons. “Locked in a Box” helps strip away the political rhetoric to see the human cost of detention.
24 minutes | Hosted by the Justice Committee

Outside Cleanup Day at ELPC
2017-07-29 08:00 - 11:00 | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
All are welcome to help pull some weeds and clean up ELPC’s landscaping! No gardening experience is necessary.
For more information, please call Chuck Lukehart at 412.782.6447.

Summer Film Series: The Brainwashing of My Dad
2017-07-30 11:15 - 12:15 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Neighbors, Justice, and Peace Committees of the Mission Board are teaming up to sponsor our fifth annual Summer Film Series. Films will be shown after our Summer worship service, along with a light potluck lunch in the Social Hall.
The Brainwashing of My Dad is a documentary film directed by Jen Senko about the transformation of her father, Frank who was originally a “nonpolitical Kennedy Democrat”, but changed into a political Republican since the 1980s. On her father’s three hour or more commute to his place of employment, he listened to talk radio about Republican issues. Senko believes that the talk shows started the change in her father’s personality. The documentary includes Matthew Modine as the narrator and also features Noam Chomsky and Jeff Cohen. British doctor Kathleen Taylor examines how the media changed Frank’s mind, and the minds of people that are similar to him.
Abbreviated version | Hosted by the Peace Committee

Painters Needed
2017-09-08 10:00 - 15:00, 2017-09-09 10:00 - 15:00
The ELPC Mission Board needs your help in supporting one of our local partners on one or both days. Open Door Housing—which provides affordable, safe, and supportive housing for individuals living with HIV—is rehabbing its 15-unit apartment complex on Pittsburgh’s North Side and has doors that need to be painted. This is your chance to literally brighten the day for a vulnerable and underserved population.
For more information, call Michele Bossers at 412.303.9243.

Supporting Returning Citizens
2017-10-08 12:00 - 13:30 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Our worship services on Sun., Oct. 8, will have a special focus on returning citizens—those individuals who are returning to society following incarceration. The Justice Committee also will provide a program on welcoming and supporting these individuals at ELPC, featuring a post-release leader from Foundation of HOPE, a returning citizen mentor from ELPC, and a young man recently released from Allegheny County Jail seeking a faith community as a key part of his re-entry. A light lunch will be served.

Focus on the Environment at Frick
2017-10-14 11:00 - 14:00 | Frick Environmental Center, 2005 Beechwood Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, United States
Join us for a tour of Frick Environmental Center—a net-zero energy building that earned LEED Platinum certification. Bring a bag lunch and after the tour we can walk in the park and have fun.
We will plan this event for rain or shine, so dress appropriately. RSVP to Linda Harrington at linda0144[at]gmail.com.

Reel Q: LGBT Film Festival
2017-10-14 14:30 - 16:30 | Harris Theater, 809 LIberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222, United States
The Justice Committee is sponsoring a film called Saturday Church, which will be shown at Harris Theater. After the unexpected death of his father, Ulysses, a shy, gender-nonconforming teen, faces a sudden onslaught of painful realities at home. In this coming-of-age drama, Ulysses flees to New York City and finds an inclusive gathering of trans and queer youths who shepherd him into the sanctuary that is Saturday Church.
For more information about the film and tickets, call Carol Chonoska at 724.272.9722.

WQED/ELPC Watch Party
2018-04-03 19:00 - 20:30 | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
You are welcome to attend our watch party for a screening of We’ll Meet Again: Coming Out in the Social Hall on Tuesday, April 3, 7 pm.
While anyone is welcome, folks from ELPC, Sixth Presbyterian Church and Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community are intentionally invited as we will be sharing a booth as “inclusive Presbyterian churches” this June at PrideFest. To learn more, please contact Wil Forrest (412.260.2554; wil@coh.net).

The program originally aired on Tuesday, February 27, on WQED, and was co-sponsored by ELPC.
