Tween Night | Pumpkin Painting
2020-10-23 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | PA
We will meet together on Zoom to paint a pumpkin on our kitchen tables (or floor or wherever), chat, and show off our masterpieces.
RSVP with Sara Hackett at SaraH@coh.net or 412.441.3800 x120 by Monday, October 19, to have supplies delivered. Late RSVPs will need to pick up supplies at the church.

PW: [REDACTED] Tour of Homewood Cemetery
2020-10-24 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | PA
All women are invited to join Presbyterian Women on Saturday, October 24, 2 pm (Rain Date Saturday, November 7), for a walking tour of Homewood Cemetery. Together, we will explore ideas of the relationship between life and death as we prepare for our Bible Study lesson, Lamenting Death. We also will learn about the famous and ordinary people buried in Homewood Cemetery.

We will walk in small groups, masked and socially distanced.

For more information, contact PW.ELPC@gmail.com.

Kids' Sunday Zoom
2020-10-25 10:30 - 10:50 (America/New_York) | PA
Parents, kids in preschool through Grade 5 are welcome to join us for a Sunday Kids’ Zoom, 10:30 am, throughout October. Pastor Heather will be there, along with teachers and friends from church for a chance to say hi to one another, play a fun game, sing praise to God, and think about God in our lives.
The Sunday Zoom gathering will only be about 20 minutes long—and is a way to stay connected to God and to one another while we are worshiping form home.
For the Zoom link, email Megan Leisher or Pastor Heather.

Justice: Systemic Racism in the Form of Cash Bail
2020-10-25 12:15 - 13:45 (America/New_York) | PA
Cash bail is assigned by a judge or magistrate after a person is arrested for an alleged crime. It is designed to ensure that a person will show up for their court hearing, as persons who cannot pay bail are held in jail until their hearing. How does cash bail further systemic racism in our criminal justice system? What role does cash bail play in Allegheny County? In what ways can we interrupt this system? How can we eliminate cash bail without replacing it with another form of systemic racism? What is our response as Christians? We will examine information from the ACLU, Bukit Bail Fund, community efforts, and cities that have eliminated cash bail.
Participate at Zoom.us/join or call 929.205.6099, and enter Meeting ID 827 8715 9714 when prompted.

Praying with the Elements
2020-10-25 13:00 - 14:00, 2020-11-01 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Amidst this pandemic, many of us are experiencing Zoom fatigue and may feel stuck inside. Let’s Get Out In Creation!
Through Christine Valters Paintner’s book, Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements, we will discover the call of God’s creation with daily readings of scripture, poets, and mystics—and be invited to explore, connect, and pray with and in God’s creation. We will read, reflect, and pray with the elements on our own throughout the week and then gather on Sundays, October 4–November 1, 1 pm, to share reflections and insights.
Join us as we discover together how “the four elements of air, fire, water, and earth can act as spiritual directors or guides to help us along the sacred journey.”
You may order your own book on Amazon or contact the Rev. BJ Woodworth for assistance.
Click here to participate on Zoom. Enter the Meeting ID, 896 1843 1427, and passcode, Creation, when prompted.

YAMs are Cooking Yaka Mein
2020-10-25 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Let’s get together on Zoom as Nate Morley teaches us how to cook “yaka mein”—a New Orleans noodle dish.
For the list of ingredients and Zoom link, please RSVP with Nate.

2020 McClure Lecture Plenary Session
2020-10-28 20:30 - 21:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Following each presentation at the 2020 McClure Lectures and World Mission Initiative’s Month of Mission Series, you are invited to join us for a plenary discussion group on Zoom, 8:30–9:30 pm. Click here to participate online or call 646.558.8656 to join by phone. Enter meeting number 850 1401 4275 and passcode [REDACTED] when prompted.
If you miss a presentation, they will be posted at PTS.edu/wmi-conference within 48 hours.

About the 2020 McClure Lectures and World Mission Initiative’s Month of Mission Series
Mission matters. Race matters. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary invites you to gather online on Wednesdays, October 7–28, 7:30 pm, to explore issues of racial justice with world-class speakers at the 2020 McClure Lectures and World Mission Initiative’s Month of Mission Series. This year’s conference theme is Jesus Christ and the ‘Dividing Wall’: Race and God’s Mission. Weekly speakers and topics include:

October 7 | Unlearning the Habits of Slaveholder Religion
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
October 14 | Crossing Cultures, Building Bridges
Brenda Salter McNeil
October 21 | Where Do We Go from Here?
Brenda Salter McNeil and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
October 28 | Keys for Allies to Use their Superpowers: The Role of Vulnerability and Compassion in Anti- Racism Effectiveness
David Campt

Environmental Book Club: Braiding Sweetgrass
2020-10-29 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | PA
The Environmental Team of the Justice Committee invites you to read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013, 390 pages), and then join us on Thursday, October 29, 7 pm, for a discussion on Zoom.
The subtitle of the book is “Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.” As a botanist and professor of Environmental Biology, Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. She brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.
The book is a New York Times best seller, and people are finding this work to be grounding, calming, and quietly revolutionary.
Please contact Nancy Heastings for Zoom information or for questions.

YAM | Present for the Future
2020-11-02 12:00 - 13:15, 2020-11-02 18:00 - 19:15 (America/New_York) | PA
“When two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst.”—Matthew 18:20.
Join us anytime on Instagram at @elpcyoungadults to be present with other Young Adult Ministry members in the presence of God as we share and hold each other’s hopes and concerns in prayer.
To ask questions, email Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.

Youth Mission Project | Baking for Our Neighbors
2020-11-08 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Youth in grades 6–12 will gather via Zoom on Sunday, November 8, 12:30–1:30 pm, to bake cookies for ELPC’s neighbors.
Register with Sara to receive Zoom information, recipe ideas, and ingredients if needed.

Café Justo Sale
2020-11-11 13:00 - 14:00, 2020-11-18 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
We’re pleased to continue offering both ground and whole bean varieties of regular, strong, 50/50 blend, and decaf Café Justo coffee! Stop by the driveway on Highland Ave. on Wednesday, November 11 & 18, 1 pm, to make a purchase. The cost is $10 per bag, paid in cash or by check made out to ELPC with “coffee” on the memo line.
If you’re unable to make it in person, please email Ryan Booher at rabooherco@gmail.com or Liz Hopkins at elizabethvhopkins@hotmail.com.
Fill your holiday coffee needs and at the same time help support small Mexican independent coffee growers. Buy Cafe Justo!

YAM | Movie Night
2020-11-14 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | PA
You’re invited to a Netflix Party! Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to Netflix shows and movies (not available on phone). We will vote on three different movies a week before the party.
To ask questions or if you do not have a Netflix subscription, contact Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.

LGBTQ Ministry Spiritual Gathering on Zoom
2020-11-15 12:30 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | PA
All are welcome at this monthly spiritual gathering of LGBTQ Christians and their allies.
Contact Wil Forrest at 412.441.3800 X118 or Wil@coh.net to learn more and to get the Zoom info to participate.
God created you. God loves you. Be yourself.

PW: [REDACTED] Tour of Highland Park
2020-11-19 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | PA
All women are invited to join Presbyterian Women on Thursday, November 19, 4 pm, for a walking tour of Highland Park.
We will walk in small groups, masked and socially distanced.
For more information, contact PW.ELPC@gmail.com.

Peace Committee Examines South Sudan
2020-11-19 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
The ELPC Peace Committee invites you to hear an update on the situation in South Sudan and discussion on the world’s newest country and it’s people. Our panelist include:

Sharon Stewart
Sharon is part of Pittsburgh Presbytery’s working group on South Sudan and Malawi, and the co-pastor of the Jefferson United Presbyterian Church
Benedict Killang
Benedict is the former head of the South Sudanese community in Pittsburgh

Click here to join on Zoom on your computer, tablet, or mobile device. Or dial in by calling 646.558.8656 and enter meeting ID 935 624 8828 when promoted.

Virtual Advent Retreat
2020-11-20 18:00 - 2020-11-21 19:00 (America/New_York) | PA
The Spiritual Life Committee invites you to a virtual retreat for Advent, themed Wait Upon the Lord.
The retreat will take place Friday–Saturday, November 20–21. The cost is $25. All supplies will be sent to you in advance.
Please RSVP by Friday, November 6, with Norma Meyer. Contact the Rev. BJ Woodworth with questions.

Why Retreat? Amidst all that is happening and will be happening in mid-November, why would one go on a 24-hour retreat. Let me offer one metaphor from Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Invitation to Retreat:
“Going on retreat is like a boat entering into the lock in order to rise to new heights. When I don’t enter into the locks at regular intervals my life will just keep sinking to the level of the culture around me and to the level of my own unexamined inner world. However, when I entered the lock, that is retreat, when I allow the doors to close behind me and wait quietly for my soul to be lifted by the presence of God, I find that almost imperceptibly I am buoyed to new levels. When I emerge, I may not be able to say exactly what happened, but I know that I have been lifted to new heights and my sails are straight and ready to catch the wind of the Spirit as it fills my sails.”
Perhaps what we all need after nine months of a pandemic, continued racial injustice, and increasing political division and unrest is to take 24 hours to pull into the locks, rest, be still, attend to our breath, grieve, lament, light a candle, and find our strength in quietness and trust for the continued journey.
Secondly, a retreat at this time helps us prepare for Advent, a season in which we remind ourselves and get in touch with our longings and desires for the coming of God’s kingdom in fullness. It is a season about imagining and seeing what God’s dream is for us and the world. What are you longing, waiting, and hoping for this Advent? A retreat creates space to ponder and prepare our lives for the new thing God may want to birth in and through you.

Advent Gift Box Pick-Up
2020-11-21 10:00 - 12:00, 2020-11-22 12:30 - 14:30, 2020-11-29 12:30 - 14:30, 2020-12-13 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | PA
The Faith Formation board is offering a gift to every family at ELPC—of every age and configuration! Since we won’t get to celebrate this special season together, we are bringing Advent materials to you, so that we might pray, anticipate, and celebrate together.
Your gift will include: materials for an Advent wreath, a devotional book, some items for “Advent Actions,” crafts, treats, and a “Christmas Pageant Scavenger Hunt” so that EVERYONE can participate in our Zoom Christmas Pageant this year!
Stop by the church to pick up your box by Sunday, December 13.
If you need to pick up your box during the week or need it delivered, contact Megan Leisher or call 412.441.3800 x122.

YAM | Friendsgiving & Game Night
2020-11-22 17:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | PA
While we can’t gather in person for our annual Friendsgiving Dinner, we will gather virtually to enjoy a Friendsgiving meal and game night. Meals will be $10 (assistance is available if needed) and will be available for pickup or delivery.
Contact Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net by Wednesday, November 11, for further details.

YAMS by YAMs
2020-11-26 | PA
For those of us who may not be gathering with others on Thanksgiving, but want to give thanks for others in our community, we have a safe and fun way to do so for everyone! Contact Kelli to sign up or for more details.
To ask questions, email Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.

YAM | Virtual Craft Night
2020-11-27 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Surprise craft night! RSVP to Kelli so that your crafting kit can be prepared for pick up or delivery. (Kits may be picked up/delivered with Friendsgiving meals.)
To ask questions, email Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.

Write for Human Rights 2020
2020-12-10 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Each year, Amnesty International runs a massive letter writing campaign to lobby on behalf of individuals whose human rights are in jeopardy. As part of this campaign, the local Pittsburgh group (Amnesty International USA Group 39) is hosting a letter writing event in December.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event will be virtual. Participants will write letters at home, but are invited to two online meetings (via Zoom), to provide a forum for fellowship, inspiring stories, networking, letter-writing tips, a candle-lighting ceremony, and more! Pandemic or not, our fight for human rights is needed as much as ever, and we are in this fight together!
Join Amnesty International Pittsburgh for these two virtual events:

Kick-off: Thursday, December 10, 7–8 pm | Zoom link
Report and celebrate: Tuesday, December 15, 7–8 pm | Zoom link

There will be an opportunity to (briefly) introduce yourself and your organization, as well as some time for open sharing and networking at the end. You may stay for the whole hour or part of it.
For complete details, please visit Amnesty International Pittsburgh’s website.

Christmas Pageant Rehearsal
2020-12-12 10:00 - 10:45 (America/Halifax) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Youth in grades 4–8 will meet on Zoom for rehearsal on Saturday, December 12, 10 am. Anyone else who wants to log on, ask questions, or see the platform before Sunday may log on at 10:45 am.
Don’t miss the Christmas Pageant performance on Sunday, December 13, 10 am.

Christmas Pageant: Can You Hear What I Hear?
2020-12-13 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | PA
While we can’t gather in the Sanctuary together, we will still be sharing the story of the Jesus’ birth through our annual Christmas Pageant on Sunday, December 13, 10 am.
Our pageant is titled Can You Hear What I Hear? Middle-Schoolers will serve as narrators. Kids from infancy-grade 5 will dress in costumes and act out the story for us—some through pre-recorded vignettes and others live on Zoom.
This year, you are invited to help us tell the story of Jesus’ birth! Persons of all ages are invited to collect any of these items and participate in the pageant when prompted: bell; flashlight; bathrobe (to be a Shepherd); halo, wings, or white/sparkling shirt (to be an Angel); wooden blocks/spoons or soup cans (to make the sound of donkey hooves); and a sign that expresses “JOY!” (maybe it reads “Christ is born!” or “Glory to God!” or “God is with us!” or “Rejoice!”).
Contact Megan Leisher to receive the Zoom links. And please contact Sara Hackett if you would like to participate, so that we can include everyone!

YAM | Sunday Social Lunch
2020-12-13 12:30 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Log on to enjoy your lunch, socialize, and find out about YAM’s New Year’s Eve plans! We’ll discuss what to collect for the time capsule and provide information about a t-shirt making event.
To ask questions, email Kelli Booher at KelliB@coh.net.
