Congregational Snapshot: East Liberty Presbyterian Church

Written by: Kate Snyder, Executive Assistant

Welcome to the first of what will hopefully be an on-going series of posts highlighting the different ways that EECM’s Member Congregations provide support to our ministry. Thanks to Beth Urbaitis, the Council of Congregations representative for East Liberty Presbyterian Church, for providing information for this snapshot of ELPC's involvement with East End Cooperative Ministry!

Frequently known as “the big church on the corner of Penn and Highland,” East Liberty Presbyterian Church (ELPC) has been a cornerstone of the East Liberty community since 1815. ELPC is one of the founding members of EECM – they’ve been with us since it all began in 1970. Their slogan is “reaching up…reaching out…reaching you” and they do just that with a diverse and inclusive congregational body that welcomes anyone and everyone to worship.

To this day, ELPC remains a stalwart and active supporter of EECM. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is that they let us live in their church! EECM’s Food Pantry, Soup Kitchen, Meals on Wheels, and Emergency Men’s Shelter programs all operate out of one ‘wing’ of the church. They graciously permit us to use a dining room, kitchen, and multiple offices, and also helped us convert a former chapel into dormitory-style sleeping quarters for our shelter.

But their commitment to EECM can be found in other places too. You can see it in the food collection barrels in the hallways, labeled with the Food Pantry “Food of the Month.” You can see it in the many congregation members who volunteer throughout our programs. You can see it at Christmas, when the ELPC “Angel Tree” is decorated not with ornaments but with the names and Christmas gift wishes of EECM clients.

Then there’s the Good Samaritan Worship Service, an early-morning Sunday service of music, prayer, and personal witness, that specifically reaches out to the men in our Emergency Shelter, inviting them to come and worship, making them feel welcome. And several times each month, groups from the congregation prepare and serve the evening meal to the men in the shelter.

When asked why ELPC participates in the ministry of East End Cooperative Ministry, Beth says that the congregation has a strong emphasis on mission, and what better ministry to support than the one living under your own roof!