Approaching our Hundredth Anniversary
by the Rev. Noah H. Evans, Rector
Dear Friends:
It was wonderful to see so many of you last weekend as we kicked off our program year together. We also see our activities in the building during the week coming alive after a period of summer dormancy. I love all of the interactions, and sometimes seeming chaos, of our vibrant common life together. We truly have a dynamic community of faith, serving our neighbors together.
On December 21st this year, St. Paul’s will have been serving the community of Mt. Lebanon for 100 years. Before our parish’s move to Mt. Lebanon in 1924, our parish served the community of Laceyville, now Pittsburgh’s Hill District. When the parish was moved to Mt. Lebanon for the first five years, we worshipped in the auditorium of Washington School (now Washington Elementary School on Washington Road in Uptown Mt. Lebanon) until our current building was completed. On Saturday, December 21, 2024, at 10:00AM we will kick off celebrating our 100th year serving this community with a special service in the Washington Elementary School Auditorium. Please mark your calendars as we prepare for this important anniversary for our parish.
Auditiorium in Washington Elementary
As we prepare to celebrate our 100th anniversary serving our community, we have been invited to join with our Diocese in expanding the communities we serve. This summer, our Bishop Ketlen Solak invited St. Paul’s to consider partnering with the Diocese to develop an Episcopal Community in the Brookline neighborhood based at the former site of the Church of the Advent (3010 Pioneer Ave, Pittsburgh). Late this summer we assumed responsibility for the site and our Associate Rector moved into the Rectory there. Our Curate, Theodore, is serving as the administrator of the site as we discern the future ministry in the neighborhood. We are blessed that the Diocese is supporting this project, utilizing the expertise, passion and people of our parish. No St. Paul’s funds will be needed to help maintain this site. It truly is an opportunity for us to join in God’s work of serving God’s people in the Brookline neighborhood. Watch for times to tour the property and hear more about what ministries are emerging in this place. You can read more about this exciting endeavor in the Diocesan announcement found here.
The Episcopal property in Brookline
While our current church building is not quite 100 years old, this time of marking our centennial is also a time to continue to maintain and improve our parish home. Our Vestry, working with our Property Commission, is preparing a project list for a Capital Campaign to commence this winter based around protecting and stewarding our property, as well as inviting Planned Gifts to help support the legacy of our parish in the future. This campaign will include raising money for the refurbishing of St. Margaret’s Garden, continued restoration of stained glass, updates to the electronics of our pipe organ, updates to our sound systems, renovation of bathrooms and an overhaul of our 30-year-old elevator amongst other projects. We are currently interviewing and planning to retain a fundraising consultant to help us begin the work on this campaign.
Our church home
We are blessed with a thriving dynamic community of faith that is deeply impacting the communities we serve. It is a privilege for us to join in God’s work serving in this place, as we have for almost 100 years.
Peace,
Noah
The Reverend Noah H. Evans, Rector
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