Chancel Choir Rehearsal
2022-10-20 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-10-27 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-11-03 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-11-10 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Halifax) | ELPC – Sanctuary, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Chancel Choir rehearses in the Sanctuary on Thursdays, 7–8:30 pm, from September through early June (unless noted otherwise). Sunday morning rehearsals are at 10 am, in preparation for the worship service. The choir provides musical leadership at our Sanctuary worship service on Sundays.
No audition is required, just the desire to learn and have fun as we prepare to lead worship. The choir is open to everyone in high school and older.
Dr. Ed Moore is the director of the Chancel Choir.
Come join us and make a joyful noise!

Sabbath Retreat
2022-10-21 17:00 - 2022-10-23 12:00 (America/New_York) | St. Emma Monastery, 1001 Harvey Ave, Greensburg, PA, 15601, United States
There is a kind of hurry that is a form of violence exercised upon time that is detrimental to our health, our families, our communities, and our relationship with God. Admittedly, there are times when the demands of relationships, family, work, school, church, childcare, shopping, health, appearance, housework, meals, bill payments, commuting, accidents, interruptions, illness, and countless other things eat up more time than is seemingly available. Living under pressure is a part of life. Still, we have to be careful not to rationalize. God didn’t make a mistake in creating time; God made enough of it.
When we cannot find enough time and—as the psalmist says—find ourselves getting up earlier and going to bed later because we have too much to do, we can see this as a sign to make some changes in our lives. When we allow ourselves to be driven like this for too long, we end up doing violence to time, to ourselves, and to our blood pressure! What’s the answer?
There is no simple answer, but there is a divinely given counsel regarding how we can protect ourselves from becoming addicted to pressure and rushing headlong through our lives. It’s more than counsel to lower blood pressure; it’s one of the Ten Commandments: Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. God gave us the Sabbath. Jesus taught us that we weren’t made for the sabbath but that sabbath was made for us. Sabbath time is our time, our chance to rest, to worship God…, to taste a wee bit of heaven, and to be more in sympathy with all that is, not least our own lives.
—Ronald Rolheiser, (Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest, by Ruth Haley Barton, pages ix-xi)
If these words tap into your own experience and desire, join us for a Sabbath Retreat, Friday–Sunday, October 21–23, at St. Emma’s Retreat House in Greensburg. The retreat will include times of prayer, rest, solitude, silence, table fellowship, teaching, and reflection. The cost is $150 (scholarships are available). RSVP to Pastor BJ by Sunday, October 16. Spots are limited.

YAM Virtual Event
2022-10-21 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Hey, Yinzers! Let’s get together via Zoom. Each month, we’ll gather virtually for discussion. This month, Isaac from the (Environmental Team of the Justice Committee) will speak on the importance of environmental justice and how we can be better stewards of God’s creation (Earth). We invite others from our church and community to participate in our BYOB Friday virtual event, so invite a friend!
Don’t hesitate to email Derail Holcomb with questions.
Join via Zoom

Online Prayer Service
2022-10-25 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-11-01 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-11-08 08:00 - 08:20, 2022-11-15 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

ELPC Ringers Rehearsal
2022-10-25 18:00 - 19:00, 2022-11-01 18:00 - 19:00, 2022-11-08 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Halifax) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The ELPC Ringers rehearse on Tuesdays, 6–7 pm, in Dr. Ed Moore’s office and rings periodically throughout the year at our Sanctuary worship service on Sundays at 11 am. We ring on a four-octave set of Schulmerich handbells.
Please contact Dr. Ed Moore for more information on joining the ELPC Ringers.

Forging a Better Future, for All
2022-10-26 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
On Wednesday, October 26, 5 pm, Dr. Joylette Portlock, executive director of Sustainable Pittsburgh, will give a zoom talk, titled “Forging a Better Future, for All,” sponsored by the Social Justice and Outreach Committee and the Commission on Race and Reconciliation of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Under Dr. Portlock’s leadership, Sustainable Pittsburgh regularly works with hundreds of partners in the region—including local governments, nonprofits, and the business community—to ensure that our economy is built to last and our people and our planet thrive. Dr. Portlock has been associate director of Science and Research at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and—among many other current positions—is an advisory board member of the Black Environmental Collective. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and anthropology from MIT and a PH.D. in genetics from Stanford.
Her talk will deal with moving from environmental racism to environmental justice.
For more information, contact Marianne Novy. Join the discussion via Zoom by clicking the button below. Enter meeting ID 864 1179 4777 and passcode [REDACTED] if prompted.
Join via Zoom

Taizé Prayer Service
2022-10-26 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-11-02 19:00 - 20:00, 2022-11-09 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.

Lessons and Practices of Revolutionary Love
2022-10-27 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-11-03 17:30 - 19:00, 2022-11-10 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
What is Revolutionary Love you ask? According to Valarie Kaur, “revolutionary love is an orientation to the world and to the work of justice that is most successfully practiced in community. It is more than emotion or feeling. It is the ongoing choice to labor for others, opponents, and ourselves.”
The Spiritual Life Committee invites you to learn more about Revolutionary Love on Thursdays, September 15–November 17, 5:30–7 pm. A light meal will be provided.
Drawing upon Kaur’s book, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, we will discover together revolutionary love as a praxis for personal, spiritual, and political, transformation. We will examine stories, theories, and practices from writers, scholars, activists, and practitioners whose work has informed the framework of revolutionary love. We will connect these to historical contexts and contemporary social issues and concerns. We will engage in personal spiritual practices to challenge power inequalities, dismantle unjust institutions, and create a world that honors the humanity of us all. And each week, will practice communal learning, personal and silent reflection, and invitations to action.
The outline of her spiritual practice paradigm can be seen in the compass on the right, with a focus on loving others, opponents and ourselves. We will explore one of these each week. There are corresponding:
It is recommended that you begin reading her book before we start. Limited copies are available. Contact Pastor BJ for more information.
Watch Valarie Kaur’s TED Talk to get a sense of the arch and aim of our time together.

Reckoning with Race: The History & Persistence of White Supremacy in the Church
2022-10-30 09:45 - 10:45 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Social Hall, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
The Facing Systemic Racism Committee invites you to a new series that’s designed to provide a big picture overview of how Christianity invented, codified, perpetuated, and benefited from white supremacy. Led by Dr. Brock Bahler, we will consider not only how we continue to be implicated in this history, but also how we can lament, respond to, and develop reparations for this injustice. The program will consist of a lecture and small group discussion.
Our first session will be on Sunday, October 30, during the Church School hour, 9:45 am. For details, email Michele Bossers.
Join us in person in the Social Hall or online via Zoom. If you’d like to join by telephone, call 929.205.6099 and enter Meeting ID 188 135 194 when prompted (press # if asked for a personal ID).
JOIN VIA ZOOM

About Dr. Brock Bahler
Dr. Brock Bahler is a teaching professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Religious Studies department. He received his PhD in philosophy from Duquesne University and teaches a variety of courses including Philosophy of Religion, Jewish Philosophy, and Philosophy of Race & Religion. He is member of the Open Door Presbyterian Church in Garfield.

Building Better Mental Health Workshop
2022-10-30 12:15 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
Youth, parents, and caregivers are invited to join us after Sanctuary worship for lunch and a program on talking together about mental health. Being a teen and parenting a teen can both be hard, especially so these last couple of years. We hope this Building Better Mental Health Workshop will help families have important conversations about mental health or feel like they are a little more prepared to have them if the need comes up down the road, or with a friend. Parents/caregivers and teens are encouraged to attend together but everyone is welcome to come solo or with their family. Talking honestly about mental health is one way we can be the loving community Jesus calls us to be – hope you can join us!
The presentation will be led Carol Dundes, a counselor at Samaritan Counseling.

Fall Garden Cleanup
2022-11-05 09:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Please join the Garden Crew on Saturday, November 5, for their final volunteer work day of 2022. Work will focus on the flower beds at the Highland Entrance, in the Courtyard, and in the Children’s Play Yard.

Green thumbs are not required—just bring a generous spirit and a pair of work gloves to the Highland driveway around 9 am.

Contact Don Breitbarth if you’re interested or would like more information.

Lending a Hand at Worship
2022-11-06 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Calling all young adults! Join us as we serve our church family by handing out bulletins at Sanctuary worship.

Environmental Book Club | Blue Revolution
2022-11-10 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
The Environmental Team of the Justice Committee is reading Blue Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis by Cynthia Barnett.
Americans see water as abundant and cheap: we turn on the faucet and out it gushes. We use more water than any other culture in the world, much to quench what’s now our largest crop—the lawn. Yet most Americans cannot name the river or aquifer that flows to our taps, irrigates our food, and produces our electricity. And most don’t realize these freshwater sources are in deep trouble.
Reporting from across the country and around the globe, Barnett shows how people, businesses, and governments have come together to dramatically reduce water use and reverse the water crisis. She recommends a water ethic, meaning that we must live within our water means.
Join us in reading the book, and then plan on gathering on Thursday, November 10, 7 pm, for a discussion on Zoom.
For more information, contact Nancy Heastings.

Volunteering at Blessing Board
2022-11-12 08:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York)
High schoolers (must be at least 13 years old) are volunteering at Blessing Board, helping qualifying families receive free furniture.

Yoga Retreat
2022-11-12 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Join Yamuna for a brief, but sweet yoga retreat on Saturday, November 12, 9 am–12 pm, in the Sanctuary. This abbreviated retreat will include a yoga class, some meditation, and maybe an abbreviated JourneyDance experience. No lunch will be included. However, we invite all participants to bring their own lunch, and we can have an informal lunch together if we so choose!
The suggested donation is $20–$40. Please RSVP to Norma Meyer at 412.441.3800 x211. Spots are limited to 20 participants.
Feel free to bring your own mat and whatever else would make you feel comfortable doing yoga in the Sanctuary (blanket , water bottle, etc.).
Om shanti and Namaste.

Yoga Retreat
2022-11-12 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | ELPC – Sanctuary, 116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, United States
Yamuna will lead a brief, but sweet yoga retreat on Saturday, November 12, 9 am–12 pm, in the Sanctuary. This abbreviated retreat will include a yoga class, some meditation, and maybe a JourneyDance experience. No lunch will be included. However, we invite all participants to bring their own lunch, and we can have an informal lunch together if we so choose!
The suggested donation is $20–$40. Please RSVP to Norma Meyer at 412.441.3800 x211. Spots are limited to 20 participants. Feel free to bring your own mat and whatever else would make you feel comfortable doing yoga in the Sanctuary (blanket, water bottle, etc.).
Om Shanti and Namaste.

Volunteering at Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank
2022-11-12 09:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
Tweens and their families are lending a helping hand at the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. Spots are limited.
Sign up with Sara Hackett.

November LGBTQ Ministry Spiritual Gathering
2022-11-13 12:30 - 14:30 (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.
