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 Thank You From
Jeremiah's Place
Dear Fellow Episcopalians,
 Thank you for your generous and heartfelt support of Jeremiah's Place; Pittsburgh's first crisis nursery. Over 100 parishioners attended the Epiphany Luncheon and Baby Shower "Be A Light In the World" hosted by Elizabeth McConnell and spearheaded by Canon Cathy Brall with a working committee of approximately twenty others. Participants from 31 parishes from the diocese were part of this wonderful Epiphany event held on January 10th at Calvary Church.  In addition to the wonderful time of fellowship this type of community support means a great deal to Jeremiah's Place, a new non-profit that opened their doors in East Liberty in April of 2014. The board members and staff of Jeremiah's Place feel extremely moved by the support of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh.  The children who come to Jeremiah's Place will benefit tremendously from the donations of toys, books, diapers, clothing, bedding, towels, toiletries and more! The additional monetary gifts and gift cards will allow us to provide what each child needs while staying at Jeremiah's Place. Your donations will go a long way in supporting Jeremiah's Place mission and make it possible for us to continue to protect children, strengthen families and transform communities.  Additionally, due to the generous support of folks in the diocese, Jeremiah's Place will be able to create a "Cozy Corner" complete with new furnishings so children have a soft and comfortable place to be with the staff prior to bedtime. Creating this living room area or "Cozy Corner" as part of the nursery will help the children transition from play time to bedtime and provide a warm and relaxed place to read stories and/or watch a children's video before settling in for the night.
 It truly was such a wonderful afternoon of fun and fellowship and I look forward to the next time we are able to gather together as a larger community.
Again, thank you for your kind and generous support Clearly - You Are the Light of the World! On Behalf of Jeremiah's Place, my sincere and heartfelt gratitude, Eileen Sharbaugh Co-Founder, Jeremiah's Place Member, St. Paul's Episcopal Church 
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Renaissance at Redeemer
presents a concert in celebration of
Bach's Birthday
featuring Chatham Baroque
with Justin Wallace, harpsichord
Nathan Carterette, organ
Vocal Ensemble directed by Don Franklin
A birthday cake follows the concert
Sunday, March 22, 2015 at 4 p.m.
Church of the Redeemer
5700 Forbes Avenue * Pittsburgh PA 15217
Free will donations accepted
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 Music in Mt. Lebanon
St. Paul's Episcopal Friends of Music Guild upcoming concert is an American treasure, a performance of Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms!
On March 22nd at 7:00 pm, the Friends of Music Guild offers a large-scale presentation of Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms combining St. Paul's Chancel Choir with the Slippery Rock University choir all under the direction of Dr. Steve Barr.
Composed by Bernstein in 1965 for choir, soloists, percussion, harp and orchestra with organ reduction, Chichester Psalms is one of the best sacred music works of the 20th century. Sung in Hebrew, Chichester Psalms are a compelling blend of Bernstein's Broadway style with lyrical, intimate settings of three complete psalms plus stray verses from several other psalms. In this work Bernstein used musical melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that had been cut from his Broadway hit, West Side Story. The overall mood alternates joyful exuberance with moments of violent frenzy and tender entreaties for peace. At all Friends of Music concerts, an admission donation of $10 will be asked at the door. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1066 Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon |
 Lenten Fish Fry
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 Seder Meal in Oakmont
This Christianized commemoration of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is held on Palm Sunday, marking the Jewish celebration of Passover. The Seder will be lead by Bishop McConnell.
The meal includes ritual Passover foods and is a catered dinner.
Advance tickets are $15/person. Reservation deadline is March 27th . Contact the church office at 412-828-9680. |
Chrism Mass
Renewal of Vows and Blessing of Oils
A combined observance of the
Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod and
The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
Pittsburgh, PA (Downtown)
Preaching: The Rt. Rev. Dorsey W. M. McConnell, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Presiding: The Rev. Kurt F. Kusserow, Bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Clergy members are invited to vest (red/scarlet) and process
There will be a luncheon served after the liturgy. Suggested donation is $10
RSVP by Friday, March 20, 2015 at https://episcopalpgh.formstack.com/forms/chrism_mass_2015.
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The ECW established the Memorial Membership Fund to aid students with educational grants. The fund was begun in 1927 to be used for two missionary training scholarships. In the 88 years of its existence, the scope of the fund has widened to include nursing, theology and other humanitarian fields of study.
Funds are raised through gifts from individuals or groups in memory of a loved one or friend. This money is invested and the interest used for the granting purposes.
Each applicant must:
- be an Episcopalian in good standing (active) in a parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh,
- have completed one year of college or the equivalent,
- be pursuing education in either church or humanitarian related fields,
- submit an application, including a letter stating goals and need, and
- submit a reference letter from their parish priest.
The Memorial Membership Committee will consider each request based on individual need and circumstances. Scholarships are completely unencumbered and may be used as needed to aid the recipient in achieving their educational goals. Each eligible applicant is able to apply once a year for three years.
The applications must be received prior to April 1, 2015. The application form is available online by clicking here.
For additional information please contact Nancy Kenny at 724-325-4769.
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Pittsburgh's Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will be making outreach grants in the spring.
The ECW particularly seeks to support "hands-on-ministries" that help children, adults and families in need of assistance with food, nutrition, health care, housing, education and counseling.
The grants are primarily designed for ministries within the diocese and with the goal of even distribution across all districts. It is hoped that these small grants will enable the continuation of existing ministries on the local level. However, the ECW will continue its policy of also awarding grants to some national and international ministries such as Episcopal Relief & Development.
Click here for the grant application and submission instructions. Applications for the Spring 2015 Grants must be submitted before April 1, 2015.
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 Tidbits from the Archives
March 1902, Christ Church, Indiana dedicates its new sanctuary having worked to rebuild its church after a disastrous fire on December 8, 1899 had destroyed their church just one week after the parish paid off the mortgage on that building.
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Youth Corner
Youth from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh are serving as ambassadors helping plan "Hope through Creativity," an event to shine a light on the plight of homeless children and youth. Every aspect of the event is being planned by high school teens for high school teens.
The event will feature work of various genres from young artists. Teen artists are encouraged to submit their work. The event is sponsored by the Homeless Children's Education Fund.
As always, if interested in this or any other diocesan youth event, please feel free to contact Brent Hansen at 412-491-9738 or bhansen@episcopalpgh.org.
Hope through Creativity
April 26th 3:00-5:30 p.m.
Grand Priory
614 Presley Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Pittsburgh's passionate, high school artists, where you at?
We want YOU to tackle the subject of educating the homeless. We're looking for visual artists, literary artists, musicians, and dancers capable of expressing the desperate need for educational opportunities in the homeless community. We're looking for adolescent talent that touches a high school audience in a way that creates an awareness of how powerful education is, edifies them on the reality of homelessness, and equips them with the mindset to go out and make a change in their community.
If you experienced housing instability and are willing to share your testimony at this event, please let us know.
Deadline for submissions is April 10th. Visit http://hopethroughcreativity.weebly.com/
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God's Work in Northern Cambria
 On Friday, February 6, Jim Brown was three days shy of his 52nd birthday. He almost didn't come to work that day at St. Thomas Church in Northern Cambria thinking he'd just wait til Monday the 9th.
But that was his birthday, and maybe his family would have made some plans to celebrate.
So there he was, rebuilding the undercroft bathroom ceiling when he slightly dislodged a 2x4 and caught it right at his eye level.
It took a minute to register - the 2x4 was covered in grime and Jim needs glasses to read, but there it was, Robert L. Brown, February 9th, 1979. Jim's Dad, a lifetime member of St. Thomas, was a carpenter by trade (like father, like son). He had built the bathroom originally, when HE was 52!
Jim plans to add his name to the 2x4 before reusing it in the new ceiling. Thanks be to God.
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Bishop McConnell's Schedule:
March 22: St. Mark's, Johnstown
March 29: Atonement, Carnegie
April 5: Easter Morning at Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh
April 12: All Souls, North Versailles
Leadership at these parishes are reminded to complete and submit this form at least two weeks in advance of their visitation.
Deadline: The 2014 parochial reports are now past due. Contact the diocesan office with apologies.
Lenten Fish Fry: Every Friday during Lent at St. Paul's, Monongahela, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Chrism Mass and Renewal of Vows: Tuesday, March 31st, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. First Lutheran Church, 615 Grant St, Pittsburgh. Additional details to come.
Save the Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Province 3 of The Episcopal Church and the Senator H. John Heinz History Center present Jacqueline Battalora, author of "Birth of a White Nation." Lecture and workshops followed by a tour of the award winning exhibit,"From Slavery to Freedom." Details to come.
Save the Date II: Retired clergy lunch will be Tuesday, June 2 at St. Peter's, Brentwood. Details to come.
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The deadline for submissions for the next issue of Grace Happens is March 17, 2015.
Future GH publication dates:
Mar. 24, 2015 - Submissions due Mar. 17
April 14, 2015 - Submissions due April 7
April 28, 2015 - Submissions due April 21
May 12, 2015 - Submissions due May 5
All submissions to the Grace Happens newsletter and the diocesan web site are welcome and should be sent to info@episcopalpgh.org. When possible, the copy should be in a Word document and all original logos, pictures and artwork should be attached separately. Please be sure to include your contact information with any submission.
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