Mission & Outreach

The life of Mission at FPCE is very strong, and it stretches into many areas. Not all of these are a result of the Mission Ministry Team. Many of these come through Presbyterian Women, Deacons, and the good will of congregation members. And for that we all benefit. Please click on the mission agencies to the left to find out more about where the time, talents, and funds go to further the work of God's kingdom into the world.

Wilkinsburg Community Ministry

As a church merged with a congregation from Wilkinsburg, FPCE has strong ties to the mission work in the Wilkinsburg area. Our members are active in their support of this agency, which assists the needy by providing food, childcare for Teen Moms, and many other services. A large portion of our Benevolence budget goes to this local service organization, and we have members on their board of directors. To find out more about the wonderful work of WCM, click here.

Malawi Partnership

Community Thanksgiving Day Meal

In 2000, the members of First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood saw the need to provide a meal for those unable to be with family - due to work, distance, or loss - on Thanksgiving Day. Teaming up with a group of volunteers from Waverly Presbyterian Church in Regent Square, they served 15 meals in the social hall of Waverly. The Edgewood crew decided to try it on our own property, only this time letters were sent to local assisted living facilities, police and fire departments, EMT dispatcher centers, and local colleges and universities. Phone orders were taken, walk-ins were welcome, and carry-outs were available. The total in 2001 was 50 meals served.

The project has grown such that in 2003, well over 125 meals (comprised of approximately 14 turkeys) were served to the elderly, homebound, service workers, stranded college students, and church members who have decided to spend Thanksgiving with their church family.

Mexico Mission Trip: Constructores para Cristo

July and August of 2003 brought about an exciting mission opportunity for one of our members - a house building project in Mexico. The focal point of the Mexico trip was to build a dry, safe, and well-constructed home for a family who previously had been living in a cardboard shack. This was done in conjunction with a mission group called "Constructores para Cristo (Builders for Christ)." Waverly Church worked on one of these projects in 2001 with the financial help of FPCE, and on this trip, FPCE sent James McDowell to help build with them.

The house was built in Piedras Negras, Mexico, about three miles west of the US border near Eagle Pass, Texas. Jim and the Waverly team left July 26 and returned August 2, 2003. The actual house was built over a five day period with two days for traveling.

To see photos from the trip, click here. For excerpts from Jim's journal, scroll to page 7 in the October 2003 Newsletter.

Youth in Mission to Alaska

In July 2003, two FPCE members represented the congregation in a mission experience to Southeast Alaska. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Presbytery, the "Youth in Mission to Alaska" (YMA) program involves high school age young adults and adult advisors who prepare for and teach vacation bible school and engage in other services at Presbyterian Churches in Southeast Alaska. The YMA provides an opportunity to experience Christ at work in the world and in themselves. The 2003 trip was from July 9-25.

The group, consisting of nine young people and three adults, visited the village of Metlakatla. Metlakatla means "saltwater channel passage," and was founded by a group of Canadian Tsimshians who migrated from British Columbia seeking religious freedom. Metlakatla is located at Port Chester on the West Coast of Annette Island, which is the only federal Native American Indian reservation in Alaska. Being a part of that village allowed the group to experience the Native American culture while challenging and deepening their faith.

Members of FPCE have also taken part in this trip in 1996 and 1991. To view Allison Crean's missionary journal, scroll to page 5 in the September 2003 Newsletter.

P.R.I.S.M - Pittsburgh Regional International Student Ministries

Pittsburgh Regional International Student Ministries (PRISM) works with international students and their families in the Pittsburgh area. It provides furniture and other physical needs as well as English language training and Bible Studies. They also find homes for the students to go on holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, when they would not have a family to share with. They are always interested in volunteers and host families.

Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute

The Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute is a Christian Counseling Center which works throughout the Pittsburgh area. We have members who have used, and are using, this agency. The pastor refers many people in need to this facility. For more information, visit the Mission link on the Pittsburgh Presbytery website by clicking here.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is an organization which builds homes for those in need. This program uses volunteers from all areas, including those for whom the homes are built.

Pittsburgh Habitat for Humanity is one of the nearly 2,000 affiliates of Habitat for Humanity International, a non-profit Christian housing ministry that seeks to eradicate poverty housing from this world. Habitat works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with God's people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which people can live and grow into all that God intended.

Hosanna Industries, Inc.

Hosanna Industries’ new construction and home rehabilitation programs offer safe, habitable housing to low and very low income, elderly and single-parent households without regard to race or creed. Since 1990, it has served over 900 households and provided over 100 homes across the nation. We help a whole spectrum of people. The common denominator is their dire poverty. A typical client is a 61-year-old woman living by herself on an income of $14,000 a year or less. Though nonsectarian in approach, Hosanna Industries draws its mission from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The cry "Hosanna!" that greeted Jesus on his entry into Jerusalem means, "Rescue me now, Lord, please!" Hosanna Industries is not just an economic development agency, though its programs do promote home ownership among families living in deplorable conditions. And though its rehabilitation program leaves homes looking better, it is not simply a neighborhood beautification initiative. Hosanna Industries’ interests are far more fundamental. We rebuild roofs where buckets once collected the rainfall, make homes easier for elderly people to care for, paint houses suffering from years of poverty and build wheelchair ramps for the homebound. We meet the housing needs of families living in old trailers patched together with duct tape and cardboard boxes. We answer "Hosanna!" cries for help every day.

 

 

 

 

Church World Service

Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard. Within the United States, Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP WALKS, the TOOLS OF HOPE & BLANKET Program, and the “Gift of the Heart” Kit Program. First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood has taken part in the TOOLS OF HOPE & BLANKET Program on both Mother's and Father's Day in 2003 and 2004, sending blankets and tools of hope to those in need. FPCE also began participating in the CROP WALK in 2003.

Church World Service approaches disasters in a wholistic manner. That’s what we mean by a “Rainbow of Caring.” We are there responding immediately after a disaster happens, but our commitment is to stand with people in the long process of recovery and rehabilitation as well. When the images of horror from the tsunami or other disaster fades from our television screen, CWS will still be at work providing care to traumatized children; rebuilding homes and schools; strengthening food security by providing seeds and tools, fishing equipment, and training. With your support, the CWS TOOLS & BLANKETS Program is a rainbow of caring to people in need around the world. And, thanks to your support, we are at work in over 80 countries responding to the silent tsunamis of hunger, poverty, and disease that may not make the evening news, but shatter lives as surely as a tidal wave.

CROP WALK:

The Pittsburgh East CROP WALK will takes place in October. FPCE takes a group to participate in this walk and solicis sponsorship from church members, friends, family, and community members.

Sponsorship: There are two ways to sponsor a walker and support the efforts of the walkers.

1) You can see a walker personally and fill out the form they have
2) You can make a donation online at the Church World Services website's Pittsburgh East CROP WALK link by clicking here.

Help us stop hunger around the world. Support the CROP WALK today!

 

 

 

 

 

Jane Holmes Residence

Jane Holmes Residence is a nonprofit personal care home licensed to care for 50 seniors - men, women and couples. Each resident has a private room with private bath. All meals, housekeeping services and personal laundry are provided. The nursing staff is available 24 hours a day to provide assistance with activities of daily living. A full time Activities staff encourage participation in a variety of daily activities. Five landscaped acres set off a charming Victorian building. The Residence is governed by an all volunteer Board of Managers.

Located approximately 3 blocks from the church, FPCE members are frequently involved in the activities at Jane Holmes. The Edge Worship Team has even taken the service "on the road" to provide spiritual time for the residents. Summer 2004 included a renewal of wedding vows for a couple who have been together nearly 50 years.

 

 

 

East End Cooperative Ministry

East End Cooperative Ministry, Inc. (EECM) is an interfaith coalition of 47 congregations, parishes and institutions united to serve human needs of Pittsburgh's East End residents.

EECM serves the frail, the homebound elderly, the hungry, the homeless and children and youth in the neighborhoods of East Liberty, Garfield, Lincoln-Lemington, and Larimer by providing urgent necessities such as food and shelter; EECM also offers a wide range of programs that help individuals and families escape the cycle of poverty and gain the personal resources they need for more satisfying, self-supporting lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edgewood Home Delivered Meals

Several of our members are actively involved in driving and delivering meals to those unable to cook for themselves in the Edgewood area. This is coordinated through the Edgewood Borough.

Families Outside

Family Services of Western Pennsylvania provides a supportive service to families of incarcerated persons. The objective is to maintain and strengthen family relationships with a belief that children need continued contact with their parents. The emphasis is to assist family members to cope with the stressful period when a loved one is incarcerated.

Services Provided:

Low-cost transportation to most state and State and Federal prisons in Pennsylvania.

Self-help support groups, including a transition group for ex-offenders and their significant others.

Individual and family counseling.

Education about the criminal justice system.

"Living Letters" family videotapes are available for families at selected institutions.

For additional information contact: Families Outside 412-281-2328

Presbyterian SeniorCare

For more than 70 years, Presbyterian SeniorCare has been improving the lives of older adults in southwestern Pennsylvania. A Christ-centered, non-profit organization, Presbyterian SeniorCare offers seniors a variety of living and care options, including , assisted living, independent and supportive housing, nursing care, Alzheimer's care, home health care, CCRC living and more. Presbyterian SeniorCare assists and supports more than 5,000 older adults of all faiths and income levels annually at over 40 facilities thoroughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

Volunteer Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Region

Assist with program planning
Snack preparation
Assist with crafts
Small group activities
Teaching assistance

Answer phone calls at WCM (70-90 calls per day)
Need volunteers 1 time/month to deliver groceries
Meals-on-Wheels need volunteer schedule coordinator
    Need drivers and individuals to deliver/visit.
Friendly Visit Services for Seniors.  Visit in their homes,
    take Seniors to doctor appts, help with spring house
    cleaning.
Birthday Program for Children – sponsor gift ($10 gift
    from K-Mart), make cards, pray for young
    children in Wilkinsburg.
Provide donations of Ensure.

Help with small painting projects/painting walls
Friendly Visit Services – one-on-one visits
Provide special programs – teaching/sharing hobby
Putting garden to bed in the fall, weeding/gardening
Monthly newsletter editor (can be done from home)
Small group activities
Take residents for walks
Monthly shopping
Repair of furniture
Reception area on Thursdays – answer phones, direct
    visitors
Making activity signs – youth
Adopt-a-Resident

Soup kitchen – 8:30-10:30 and 10:30-12:45
Food pantry – 12:45-3:15PM Mon.-Fri.  Assist the Food
    Pantry participants as they select food and other
    items from the Extra Room.  Some training
    required.
Men’s Shelters – Cook breakfast (6-8AM) for homeless
    men, Men’s Shelters Dinner (5:30-7:30PM) Cook
    dinner in your church kitchen and deliver to Men’s Shelter
    at 7:30-7:45PM, serve dinner at 8PM.
Drop In – Mon-Fri 2:30-6:00PM.  Assist the Homeless
    Program Staff with the operation of the Drop In.
    Homeless and lonely men/women stop at the Drop In for
    coffee, snacks and socialization.  Teens needs to be
    accompanied by their parents.
After School One-on-One Tutoring Program – 1 hour per
    week (great need all year).

Assist with driving/delivery of home delivered meals.

Help with group activities at Hospitality House
Phone calling to facilitate visits to female inmates (training)

Friendly Visit Services
Clothing Ministry Shop
Help in the kitchen and with shopping

Provide escort services to programs and therapy
Friendly Visit services
Work in the Gift Shops
Assist with monthly birthday parties