East Liberty Presbyterian Church

Middle School Mission Trip
2022-07-10 - 2022-07-15 | PA
Youth who have completed 6th-8th grade are invited to join us for a week of mission work and fun while staying at Crestfield Camp and Conference Center in Slippery Rock, Pa. The cost for the trip is $200 but scholarship money is available. Please join us for an information meeting Wednesday, May 11 from 6:30-7pm in the Harambe room at the church or on Zoom (meeting ID 402 081 6710) . We will discuss details about the mission work, fun activities, and covid policies and youth will help us plan the worship theme and meals for the week.

LGBTQ July Spiritual Gathering
2022-07-10 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 participate.
GOD CREATED YOU. GOD LOVES YOU. BE YOURSELF.

Taizé Prayer Service
2022-07-13 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-07-20 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-07-27 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-08-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-08-10 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-08-17 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-08-24 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-08-31 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) | ELPC – Chapel, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
ELPC offers evening prayers with chants from Taizé every Wednesday, 7 pm, in the Chapel. The hour-long service includes sung prayers, beautiful music, a time of silence, spoken and silent prayers, and opportunities for individual prayer and anointing. For more information, view our Taizé page.
Download this week’s bulletin.

About ELPC’s Taizé Prayer Service
Our Taizé prayer service is based on a style of worship developed at the Taizé community in France founded in the 1940s by the late Brother Roger. Originally a refuge during the war, Taizé has developed into an ecumenical prayer center for visitors from all over the world. Today, the Taizé community is made up of over a hundred resident brothers, both Catholics and from various Protestant backgrounds/traditions. Taizé wants to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples.

Film Screening | Torture in Our Name
2022-07-17 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Garth Overlook Room, 116 South Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Justice Committee invites you to a screening of Torture in Our Name following worship on Sunday, July 17, in the Garth Overlook Room. Snacks will be provided.
In this compelling 35-minute documentary for faith audiences, filmmaker Matthew Gossage showcases the tenacity and resilience of people who have faced the torture of solitary confinement first-hand and are working to end it once and for all.
The film traces the stories of state organizers in Louisiana, New Jersey, and New York, where survivors of solitary and their allies have mounted successful legislative campaigns in their respective states. New Jersey (2019) and New York (2021) were the first two states in the nation to legislate bans on long-term isolated confinement. Learn more about the film at nrcat.org.
If you’d like to join us virtually on Zoom, click the button below, or you may call in by dialing 301.715.8592. Enter meeting ID 813 9907 9756 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.
Join via Zoom

Online Prayer Service
2022-07-19 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-07-26 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-08-02 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-08-09 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-08-16 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-08-23 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-08-30 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-09-06 08:00 - 08:20 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Online, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
ELPC offers an online prayer group each Tuesday morning, hosted by ELPC member Steve Evrard. These 20-minute sessions feature scripture readings, responsive prayer, and interactive dialogue. All are welcome at this opportunity for fellowship and prayer.
Join us by clicking the link below, or you may call in by dialing 929.205.6099. Enter meeting ID 896 9680 6662 and passcode 116 when prompted.
Join via Zoom

Film Screening | Day of a Stranger
2022-07-24 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Garth Overlook Room, 116 South Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join the Spiritual Life Committee in the Garth Overlook Room following worship on Sunday, July 24, to view and discuss Day of a Stranger (2021), a short film about Trappist monk Thomas Merton, one of the most influential spiritual writers of the 20th century.
Through rare audio recordings, the film explores the final years of Merton’s life, from 1965–1968, when he lived as a hermit in the Kentucky woods. Interweaving meditative images of his hermitage nestled deep in the woods of Kentucky and rare audio recordings he made as a hermit; the film pieces together a first-person narrative of one of the 20th century’s most brilliant minds. Learn more at DayOfaStranger.com.
RSVP to Pastor BJ at BJW@coh.net by Saturday, July 23.

ELPC @ Pittsburgh Black Pride
2022-07-28 18:00 - 2022-07-30 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
This year’s Pittsburgh Black Pride Week will take place Thursday–Saturday, July 28–30. The spectacular event will provide an opportunity to celebrate the lives and contributions of Black LGBTQIA+ individuals in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Events include:

Opening Reception, Networking Event, and Dance Party
Thursday, July 28 | 6–8 pm
5801 Bar | 5801 Ellsworth Avenue
Pittsburgh Black Pride Week Concert | Featuring Grammy Award-Winning Artist Mýa
Friday, July 29, 7 pm
August Wilson Center | 980 Liberty Avenue
Tickets are available at TruStarts.org or by calling 412.456.6666
Community BBQ and Vendors Fair
Saturday, July 30 | 2–7 pm
Schenley Park–Prospect Shelter | Prospect Drive at Hobart Street

Please plan to attend one or more of the events. For more information, visit PGHBlackPride.org.
To volunteer to staff the booth at the BBQ, contact Stephanie Creasy.

Pittsburgh Black Pride has been celebrated for 27 years, and ELPC hosted several of their family picnics over the years. As one of the oldest Black Pride celebrations in the country, Pittsburgh Black Pride strives to provide culturally relevant programming in a safe environment aimed at increasing the health and wellbeing of our community members.

Canceled | YAMs to Host a Game Day for All
2022-07-30 09:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Rest is essential, relaxation is great, but play is even better! Our Young Adult Ministry will be hosting a Game Day on Saturday, July 30, 9 am–3 pm, for all people with various abilities.
There is no cost to attend. Food and entertainment will be provided, but we could use some volunteers!
To RSVP or volunteer, contact Derail Holcomb at DerailH@coh.net or 412.441.3800 x133.

Memphis Mission Trip
2022-08-06 - 2022-08-13 | PA
for students who have completed 8th-12th grade. Youth must be vaccinated for Covid to participate. Cost is $400 and scholarships are available. We will be serving with Memphis Youth Mission … check MYM out online.
Registration is now closed.

ELPC Tour: Underground
2022-08-14 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Halifax) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Join our tour guide following worship, as we descend into the bowels of the Cathedral and explore some of our church’s least seen areas. Wander through the “catacombs” and see the organ bellows, furnace, and more. Please gather at the Highland entrance following worship.
Allow 30–45 minutes for the tour and wear comfortable shoes.

LGBTQ August Spiritual Gathering
2022-08-14 11:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States

Retirement Reception for Allen Miller
2022-08-21 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | PA
After many years of faithful service to our church, Allen Miller will retire from his Lead Engineer position at ELPC, effective August 31, 2022. For more than 43 years, he has given much time and care to our building and our community. All are invited to a retirement reception where we will give thanks for Allen and his service in the Social Hall, following worship on Sunday, August 21.

Book Discussion | Parable of the Sower
2022-08-25 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Highland Room (Room 108), 116 South Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Environmental Team of the Justice Committee has selected Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler as its next book. You’re invited to read it and join us for a discussion on Thursday, August 25, 7 pm, led Nancy Heastings and Penn Hackney online via Zoom. For more details, please contact Nancy Heastings.
Published in 1993, this climate sci-fi is set in 2024 California. The story’s lead character is a 15-year-old Black girl whose father is a preacher. Global climate change and economic crises have led to social chaos. Global warming has brought drought and rising seawater. The middle class and working poor live in gated neighborhoods, where they fend off the homeless with guns and walls. Fresh water is scarce and is as valuable as money. Fires are common. Public schools are being privatized, as are whole towns. In this atmosphere, a Presidential candidate named Christopher Donner is elected based on his promises to dismantle government programs and bring back jobs.
The book has had a resurgence and second-read reviewers comment, “But for sheer peculiar prescience, Butler’s novel and its sequel (Parable of the Talents) may be unmatched.”
For some writers, science fiction serves as means to delve into fantasy. But for Butler, it largely served as a vehicle to address issues facing humanity. It was this passionate interest in the human experience that imbued her work with a certain depth and complexity. Her books blended elements of science fiction and African American spiritualism.

YAM's Virtual Happy Hour
2022-08-26 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Online, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Let’s get together for a Virtual Happy Hour on Friday, August 26, 6–9 pm!
So many of us have lots of responsibilities and we need a moment to exhale and relax. Why not at our Virtual Happy Hour?
Plan on joining us with your favorite beverage, and we’ll get to know one another in anticipation of the start of the Church School year.

Join via Zoom

Connections @ Fridays at Frick
2022-09-02 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Join ELPC’s Connections Groups at Fridays at Frick on Friday, September 2, 6 pm, for some live music and food. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. You can bring picnic food or buy from the food trucks on site. We’ll sit together and talk and listen to the music.
To ask questions or to RSVP, contact Elaine Phillips.

September LGBTQ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2022-09-04 11:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
