Calling all young adults to come out this Friday to celebrate the 3rd birthday of TRAIL (Three Rivers Adult Interdenominational Links) which brings together folks in their 20s and 30s from different denominations for fellowship, service, worship, education and fun! This Friday we will return to our roots as we meet at First United Methodist Church at 7pm for our annual drum circle. Check out the details at https://cathedralofhope.org/events/event/first-friday-first-umc-worship-jam-2/
Blog
This Week in Worship: March 9, 2014
Here’s what’s happening in worship Sunday, March 9th.
Worship Services
8:00 a.m. Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan Worship will now meet at the new EECM Community House (6014 Penn Circle North). This week will be a Bible study.
8:45 a.m. Journey Worship
An interactive, energetic service for those seeking a fresh encounter with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Rev. Dr. Randy Bush will preach.
11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship
Our largest service, with music from the Chancel Choir and an organ prelude prior to the service. This week, the Rev. Dr. Randy Bush will preach.
Christian Education Classes
Contemporaries
Trauma, Grace, and Memory
Led by Jeff Schooley, Shadyside Presbyterian Church
Bombs go off. Bodies are assaulted. Lives are wrecked. However, the truly nefarious nature of trauma is what it does to our memories and how it forces its victims to re-live the trauma again and again. Explore the inner-workings of trauma and how grace can begin to heal those memories.
Journey with Scripture
Lent’s scripture readings include stories about dislocation, where people travel to (or through) foreign and forbidding places. There is fear, confusion, and deep alienation, but there also is abiding presence, grace, and union. Transformations and homecomings are experienced and promised. Such stories are gifts to us as we travel through Lent. Join us as we ponder such diverse scriptures, seeking–and perhaps even experiencing–transformation.
Join us as we reflect on these readings: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11.
Parenting Circle
We use our time together to share our joys and struggles through a facilitated discussion, guided by the week’s lectionary readings. No advance preparation or reading is necessary and copies of the texts being discussed will be available. We welcome babies and toddlers who may not yet be able to leave their parents.
Seekers
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus
In 2013, Reza Aslan’s Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth became a number-one bestseller. In his work, Aslan paints a portrait of Jesus and His message by casting a view through the historical context in which Jesus lived, and the Gospels were written. His analysis invites us to ask: who was jesus? How did he view Himself? How did the early Christian church shape our current understanding of Jesus? March 9-30, we will study this text.
This week, Pastor Heather will introduce us to the main arguments in Aslan’s text as we prepare for a deeper analysis.
Soul Food
This month, we will finish and review A Testament of Devotion, by Thomas Kelly, and begin a new spiritual text, soon to be chosen. New participants are always welcome!
Being Attentive in a Distracted Age
I was thinking today about the story of Moses and the Burning Bush (found in Exodus 3). At this stage of his life, Moses had fled from the life he’d known in Egypt – a Hebrew child raised among the privileges of the Egyptian royal family – and was living a quiet existence in the land of Midian. He had married a local woman named Zipporah and was helping tend his father-in-law’s sheep in the area around Mount Horeb. The story, though, gets interesting once you begin to poke around a bit among the details of the narrative.
Moses was tending sheep in a region not known for its lush, green pastures. These animals were prone to wander, seeking out tufts of grass or tender new leaves wherever they might be found. It was while following around behind a meandering herd of sheep that Moses spotted a bush on fire. At that point, he stepped off the rocky path in order to investigate. Why? He did so likely for reasons more practical than theological, because a brush fire out in a breezy, desert setting could be life-threatening both to Moses and his herd. But the point is: he stopped where he was going and stepped in a new direction – and that made all the difference in the world.
Taking the first step of faith is almost always a step in an unexpected direction – a step off the well-worn path, away from the crowds, in a direction different from the typical ways of the world. This is because God is in the world, but not of the world. God is almost always found off the path – somewhere over there – a place we see from the corner of our eye, or sense with a feeling in our gut or a tweak in our conscience.
To step off the path faithfully might mean that you go out of your way to listen to someone else’s story – especially someone whose life experiences are different from yours, whether that involves issues around race, economics, sexual orientation, age, or physical capacity. It means that you are attentive to someone or something outside yourself, like Moses was attentive to a burning bush by the side of the mountain path. And this attentiveness takes time. (You will only notice that a fire is not consuming a burning bush if you stand and study it attentively for more than a few minutes.)
Once you’ve stepped off the path to listen, to be attentive, to be faithful, don’t be surprised if the second step of faith sends you right back onto the road you’d just be traveling. God doesn’t pull us off the beaten path to keep us isolated in safe, spiritual cul-de-sacs (or secluded away inside climate-controlled worship centers that resemble shopping malls more than places of sacraments and prayer). God pulls us off the road long enough to give us what we need for the journey ahead, so we can re-join life’s traffic patterns and get busy in the places where God needs us to be.
The distractions of life today pull us forward in routines that penalize us for slowing down, for breaking our routines, for daring to consider anyone’s story in place of our own persistent self-narrative. God’s burning bushes still grab our attention from the side of the road and speak to us today about justice, holiness, and new directions of faithful living. And the good news is that the God of this very day is still setting things on fire – lighting sparks in hearts – placing burning calls upon our spirits. – Randy Bush
This Week in Worship: March 2, 2014
Here’s what’s happening in worship Sunday, March 2nd.
Worship Services
8:00 a.m. Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan Worship will now meet at the new EECM Community House (6014 Penn Circle North). This week, the Rev. Heather Schoenewolf will preach. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
8:45 a.m. Journey Worship
An interactive, energetic service for those seeking a fresh encounter with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper this week, and the Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy will preach.
11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship
Our largest service, with music from the Chancel Choir and an organ prelude prior to the service. This week, the Rev. Heather Schoenewolf will preach and we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
Christian Education Classes
Contemporaries
Meet Your Millennials
Led by Jeff Schooley, Shadyside Presbyterian Church
Millennials are the generation born between 1980-2000. This study explores the history, present-day situation, and future of this gifted generation.
Journey with Scripture
Lent’s scripture readings include stories about dislocation, where people travel to (or through) foreign and forbidding places. There is fear, confusion, and deep alienation, but there also is abiding presence, grace, and union. Transformations and homecomings are experienced and promised. Such stories are gifts to us as we travel through Lent. Join us as we ponder such diverse scriptures, seeking–and perhaps even experiencing–transformation.
Join us as we reflect on these readings: Exodus 24:12-18; Psalms 2; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9.
Parenting Circle
We use our time together to share our joys and struggles through a facilitated discussion, guided by the week’s lectionary readings. No advance preparation or reading is necessary and copies of the texts being discussed will be available. We welcome babies and toddlers who may not yet be able to leave their parents.
Seekers
Caravaggio’s Religious Paintings
Led by Russ Walker
The painter Caravaggio lived a turbulent life, but even while fleeing through Italy he managed to produce many magnificent works – most of them with a religious theme.
Soul Food
This month, we will finish and review A Testament of Devotion, by Thomas Kelly, and begin a new spiritual text, soon to be chosen. New participants are always welcome!
The Great Exchange this Weekend
Your attendance is requested at The Great Exchange: Testimonies THIS Sunday, February 23 at 12:30pm in the Music Room. Folks of all ages are invited to this fun, interactive event where we together across the generations will explore some fun and important discussion questions through our own testimonies. We will have a simple lunch while sharing our life experience and stories with one another. No prep necessary, just come and enjoy! Sponsored by the Young Adult Ministry.
This Week in Worship: February 23, 2014
Here’s what’s happening in worship Sunday, February 23rd.
Worship Services
8:00 a.m. Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan Worship will now meet at the new EECM Community House (6014 Penn Circle North). This week will be a bible study.
8:45 a.m. Journey Worship
An interactive, energetic service for those seeking a fresh encounter with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Rev. Heather Schoenewolf will preach this week.
11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship
Our largest service, with music from the Chancel Choir and an organ prelude prior to the service. This week, the Rev. Dr. Lisa Thompson, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will preach.
Christian Education Classes
Contemporaries
If Not Me, Who? If Not Now, When? Led by Lenore Williams
Racism…just hearing the word invokes many stereotypes. But not all racism is based upon hatred and violence. Some aspects of it may not be obvious. We will look at opinions of what racism is, where it came from, how to know it. We will ask ourselves how we can individually make a difference.
Journey with Scripture
In one of this month’s readings, the apostle Paul writes, “But we have the mind of Christ.” He addresses friends living in a cosmopolitan, religiously pluralistic, socially competitive, highly market driven, diverse city (Corinth) – one that pulled and shaped people’s minds, hearts, and bodies in diverse ways. Amidst this milieu Paul proclaims a deeper kind of shaping and communal existence. Many of this month’s readings call readers to such a life. Come and shape up!
Join us as we reflect on these readings: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18; Psalm 119:33-40; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23; Matthew 5:38-48.
Parenting Circle
We use our time together to share our joys and struggles through a facilitated discussion, guided by the week’s lectionary readings. No advance preparation or reading is necessary and copies of the texts being discussed will be available. We welcome babies and toddlers who may not yet be able to leave their parents.
Seekers
Why are we Presbyterians? How did that happen?
Rev. Henk Bossers will explore the rich history and evolving identity of being a Presbyterian. We will reflect on the meanings and purposes of our personal identities, grounded in history and meeting the challenges of today.
Soul Food
We will continue discussing A Testament of Devotion, a spiritual classic by Thomas Kelly. This week, we will look at Chapter 5 in a discussion led by Joe Hajdu.
YAM Sunday School
Sunday, February 16 from 9:45-10:45am in Room 244
Tim Blass will lead the group as we examine “weathering the storm” through Scripture, personal testimony and group discussion.Bring your Bible. Café Justo served and childcare available in the nursery.
LGBTQ Ministry Meeting Dates
GOD CREATED YOU. GOD LOVES YOU. BE YOURSELF.
Each month the LGBTQ Ministry has two regular meetings. One is a business meeting to continue the work we have started in prayerfully and intentionally forming this new ministry. Business meetings are currently scheduled for 2/16/14 at 2pm, 3/30/14 at 12:30pm, 5/4/14 at 5pm, 6/1/14 at 12:30pm, 7/13/14 at 11:30am and 8/24/14 at 11:30am. These meeting will take place in the Pastor’s Conference Room on the second floor.
The other monthly meeting is a spiritual gathering where we will focus on relationship, education and spiritual growth. Spiritual gatherings are currently scheduled for 2/8/14 at 2pm, 3/8/15 at 5pm (Cabaret at 7:30pm), 4/12/14 at 3pm, 5/17/14 at 5pm, 6/7/14 at 3pm, 7/26/14 at 5pm and 8/9/14 at 3pm. Spiritual Gatherings change location, please consult a weekly bulletin or contact Wil for locations.
All are welcome to be involved with the LGBTQ Ministry at ELPC. Please contact Wil Forrest (wil@coh.net; 412.441.3800 x14) for more info and/or to get on the d-list.
This Week in Worship: February 16, 2014
Here’s what’s happening in worship Sunday, February 16th.
Worship Services
8:00 a.m. Good Samaritan
The Good Samaritan Worship will now meet at the new EECM Community House (6014 Penn Circle North). This week will be a bible study.
8:45 a.m. Journey Worship
An interactive, energetic service for those seeking a fresh encounter with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy will preach this week.
11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship
Our largest service, with music from the Chancel Choir and an organ prelude prior to the service. This week, the Rev. Dr. Randy Bush will preach from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, with a sermon entitled “Ritually Adrift: Good Grief, Good Funerals (part two).”
Christian Education Classes
Contemporaries
The Pro Bono Center Led by Barbara Griffin
Though the economy shows some signs of recovery, the need for legal help has not diminished. Calls for assistance are at an all-time high and according to Barbara, “This problem isn’t going away because wages are still low and even though you are working, you may not be making anything extra. If you have an emergency or a legal issue come up, there’s nothing extra to hire an attorney.”
Learn about this important program designed to recruit more attorney volunteers and generate funds for assisting people.
Journey with Scripture
In one of this month’s readings, the apostle Paul writes, “But we have the mind of Christ.” He addresses friends living in a cosmopolitan, religiously pluralistic, socially competitive, highly market driven, diverse city (Corinth) – one that pulled and shaped people’s minds, hearts, and bodies in diverse ways. Amidst this milieu Paul proclaims a deeper kind of shaping and communal existence. Many of this month’s readings call readers to such a life. Come and shape up!
Join us as we reflect on these readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8 1p; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37.
Parenting Circle
We use our time together to share our joys and struggles through a facilitated discussion, guided by the week’s lectionary readings. No advance preparation or reading is necessary and copies of the texts being discussed will be available. We welcome babies and toddlers who may not yet be able to leave their parents.
Seekers
The Power of Forgiveness
Many of us can remember the iconic image of a 1972 Napalm bombing during the Vietnam War. The girl in the image, Kim Phuc, lectures on the power of forgiveness. She has met and publicly forgiven the Rev. John Plummer, who coordinated the air strike that injured here. Come see the video of her powerful, moving lecture that was recently given at Sewickley Academy.
Soul Food
We will continue discussing A Testament of Devotion, a spiritual classic by Thomas Kelly. This week, we will look at Chapter 4 in a discussion led by Tom Menk, Doris Dick, and Sel Whitaker.
God created you. God loves you. Be yourself.
Interested in getting involved with the new LGBTQ Ministry forming at ELPC? We are in the process of beginning two regular monthly meetings. One that is a business meeting to continue the work we have started in prayerfully and intentionally forming this new ministry. Our next business meeting will be Sunday, February 16 after the Congregational Meeting (about 2pm) in the Pastor’s Conference Room. And the other that is a spiritual gathering where we will focus on relationship, education and growth. Our next spiritual gathering will be Saturday, February 8 at 2pm in the First Floor Lounge. Please contact Wil Forrest at wil@coh.net or 412-441-3800 X14 for more info, to get on the d-list and/or to come to the next business meeting and/or spiritual gathering in February.