Wilkinsburg Community Ministry will start collecting for the Thanksgiving and Christmas distribution.  Distribution will include a Thanksgiving gift card for Giant Eagle, provided by the Food Bank, vegetables (corn, green beans), stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, corn bread mix, and a dessert mix.  We expect to be distributing for up to 200 families for each holiday.  The Christmas distribution will not include a gift card.  Please let us know if you'd like to order a specific collection or can help us with the purchase of these items!

Wilkinsburg Community Ministry
702/704 Wood Street
Wilkinsburg, PA 15221
Email: caring@wcm15221.org
Phone: 412-241-8072 | Fax: 412-241-8315

WCM is open Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 1:00pm

To volunteer: Please call 412-241-8072 or email: volunteers@wcm15221.org

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Help run the Wilkinsburg Community Ministry mobile food pantry to get food to those in need! This is a recurring opportunity on Saturdays from 11:00AM to 1:30PM at Covenant Church and Eternal City, at the Corner of Park Avenue and Swissvale Avenue, in Wilkinsburg. Register and double your impact via @involvemint: https://tinyurl.com/WCMMobile

After two long years of celebrating a socially distant Halloween, H.U.G.S.—the volunteer and community outreach arm of the Woodland Hills Foundation—is proud to announce the RETURN of Trunk or Treat! On Saturday, October 15th at Woodland Hills High School, Woodland Hills teachers, staff, parents, community groups, businesses and more will come together to create lasting fun and memories for our students!

On Saturday, October 15, 2022, local community groups, families, teachers, staff, businesses, clubs and more will gather at NOON at Woodland Hills High School to begin decorating their trunks in the Halloween theme of their choice. These "Trunk Hosts" are kindly asked to bring AT LEAST 800 pieces of candy in order to provide enough for each child who attends.

Then from 2-4 PM children and their families will arrive to "Trick or Treat" for candy at the various trunks!

NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO TRICK OR TREAT!
We'll also have photo stations, a live DJ, special performances and more!

CANDY MONSTERSCANDY MONSTERS ARE NOW OPEN!
We need candy! And LOTS of it!
If you would like to donate candy, stickers, temporary tattoos, pencils, erasers or anything else you think kids might like to receive, we have SIX LOCATIONS where our "Candy Monsters" (donation bins) are waiting to devour your treats!

TIMES AND LOCATIONS:
Woodland Hills Administration Building 8 am - 4 pm
Woodland Hills High School: 7 am - 3 pm
Elementary schools: 10 am - 2 pm
Dickson Preparatory School: 10 am - 2 pm

DON'T FORGET TO TAPE YOUR NAME/GRADE/SCHOOL BUILDING/EMAIL/PHONE TO YOUR DONATION!
When you do, you/your student will be entered into a random drawing to serve as a Trunk Judge during the event!

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is hosting a conference this weekend on Missional Leadership, and on Saturday, Pastor Jason will be speaking on a panel titled “Short-Term Missions Disrupted.” Registration is FREE but it ends on Wednesday, October 5th.
 
The past two years have brought a seismic shift in many areas that touch each of us and our churches: a global pandemic that profoundly disrupted not just health systems and supply chains, but the stuff that binds us together in community: who we spend time with, how close we get to each other, how we protect each other’s health. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 caused a growing number of Americans to see our nation’s legacy of racial injustice for the first time; the rise of Christian Nationalism has laid bare what to many Americans was an increasingly dangerous conflation of faith and power.
 
What does it mean to engage in God’s mission of love, peace, and justice through the major disruptions of our day? How can we lead in mission in new ways amidst the disruption we’ve experienced in the past two years?
 
Click here for more information and to register for the conference: https://www.pts.edu/wmi-conference

A blessing for animals 
Almighty and everlasting God,
Creator of all things and giver of all life,
let your blessing be upon all these animals.
May our relationship with them mirror your love,
and our care for them be an example of your bountiful mercy.
Grant the animals health and peace.
Strengthen us to love and care for them
as we strive to imitate the love of Jesus Christ
our Lord and your servant Francis. Amen.
—From the “Book of Common Worship” (2018), A Service for the Blessing of the Animals

First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood will hold its Pet Blessing on the day traditionally observed (though not by Presbyterians) as the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4.  This year that falls on a Tuesday and our event will take place on the side lawn between 6:00 and 7:00PM.  Treats for pets and their companions will be available as Pastor Jason blesses the animals as they are brought to him.

On October 9, the Pittsburgh East community will celebrate its 45th year of walking to end hunger one step at a time. The oldest walk in the country, is sponsored by Church World Service (www.churchworldservice.org). 25% of what we raise is returned as grants to East End Common Ministries and Wilkinsburg Community Ministry.  FPCE will participate in this event with walkers Judy and Mariah Mysels and Rhonda Apessos and family, who aim to raise $800. If anyone else would like to join our small group of walkers, let Rhonda or Judy know. We gather at the South Avenue United Methodist Church at 1:00 to prepare for the 10K loop through Squirrel Hill and back. The walk distance is 6.2 miles. Walking time is approximately 2.5 hours. The route is a little different this year since the Fern Hollow Bridge is out and a detour is in place. You can participate by either walking or sponsoring FPCE walkers. ​

All are invited to join in the ordination and installation of Jason Dauer as a Teaching Elder and Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and formally as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood!  Officials from the Pittsburgh Presbytery as well as fellow pastors and supporters of Jason's faith journey and ministry will participate in the service, which will take place on Sunday, September 25 at 4:00PM in the FPCE Sanctuary.  A celebration reception will follow worship in the Gathering Place.

At a congregational meeting held on September 11, 2022, the Pastor Nominating Committee presented its recommended candidate to be the next called Pastor for the First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood.  After the vote, the call was extended to and accepted by Jason Dauer.  He officially begins in the office this week and will lead weekly Sunday worship beginning September 18.  His ordination and installation service will be scheduled in the coming weeks so that he can officially become Rev. Dauer and perform all pastoral duties, including sacraments and moderating Session meetings.

About Jason...
​Jason Dauer (he/him) is excited about what the Church is and what it is called to become. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Jason has always felt called to grow deep where he is planted and is excited about the ways in which God is moving in this region.
 
Jason earned his Master of Divinity with an emphasis in New Faith Communities from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2021. He received the John Watson Prize in New Testament Greek and the Jackson Hale Prize in Polity. During his second year at PTS, he received the Valentour Fellowship, allowing him to travel to South Africa, the Philippines, and Indonesia to learn about LGBTQ-affirming ministries from our Christian siblings in other countries. While at PTS, he served as the Student Pastor for Sanctuary Faith Community.
 
Over the past two years, Jason has been working to form Stonewall Abbey, a faith community that seeks to create holy, intentional places of connection for spiritual wanderers and outcasts. This community has gathered for a monthly bonfire to talk about spirituality and non-traditional saints of the Church. He also worked as the Office and Communications Coordinator for Wexford Presbyterian Church. Before seminary, Jason enjoyed serving up iced lattes and flat whites at the Franklin Park Starbucks and was the Director of Family Ministries at Perry Highway Lutheran Church.
 
Most of Jason’s extended family live in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, and his great-great-grandparents helped form Franklin Park Baptist Church, where Jason led youth Sunday services and took part in many years of church cookouts and Cub Scout meetings. It was at this church that his family instilled in him a love for music—playing in the bell choir, singing in the choir, and playing violin.
 
Jason is married to his husband David Falk, who works as a Senior Technical Product Manager for McDonald’s. Although they met in Pittsburgh, they maintained a long-distance relationship while they completed their respective master’s degrees, but they were able to visit each other regularly thanks to the overnight Amtrak train between Pittsburgh and Chicago. Together, David and Jason enjoy exploring local breweries, trying new board games, and playing with their cats Blake and Byron. They recently bought their first home in Morningside and look forward to many happy years in Pittsburgh.
 

Fall Programming Begins September 11!
9:30AM - Sanctuary Choir rehearsal begins again
11:00AM - Regular Worship Hour Resumes, Youth Sunday School in Gathering Place
12:15PM - Congregational Meeting
1:00PM - Fellowship in the Gathering Place

“Candidating” Service, 11:00AM, Sanctuary. Our PNC's recommended candidate, Jason Dauer, will lead worship and deliver the sermon during our return to the 11:00 hour with the choir singing the anthem on Rally Day.
 
Congregational Meeting, 12:15PM, Sanctuary. The purpose of the Congregational Meeting is to approve extending the call to Jason Dauer as the next Pastor at Edgewood. Only members holding active status may participate in the discussion and voting at this meeting.  Call the office if unsure of your status. Per Presbytery guidelines for the meeting, the vote will take place by paper ballot and must be counted by appointed tellers and announced after the tally.
 
Extended Fellowship, 1:00PM, Gathering Place. Upon completion of the expected favorable vote, join us as we officially welcome Jason to the Edgewood family the best way we know how... through food and refreshments! Help us show Jason our Christian hospitality.