[PRCo] Re: Organ being installed

[Fred Schneider]

I tried to explain to our new member from northern California, Bob  
Simpson, that we're all friends and we do get off on tangents at one  
time or another.   This is a beautiful example of how our discussions  
sometimes have nothing to do with Pittsburgh Railways.   At least  
this has to do with Pittsburgh.

Yes, my father explained that, when he and my mother joined East  
Liberty Presbyterian Church, circa 1937, they were interviewed to see  
if they were suitable members.    He was also told by his mentor at  
Gulf Oil that he better unite with that church if he wanted promoted  
in the corporation.    I'm pretty certain my father also became a  
Mason and a Shriner for the very same reason but then it was  
Armstrong Cork Co.   It was a different world then.  In those days  
you were told what to do in order to climb the corporate ladder.    
Today it is probably a lot more subtle.

f3

On Sep 3, 2007, at 4:35 PM, Richard Allman wrote:

> Don-the congregation has somewhat over 1000 members and a dynamic  
> pastoral
> staff. They have comfortably made the transition to what they are,  
> an inner
> city congregation in a neighborhood whose best days are past. As  
> per the
> associate music director to whom I spoke, the neighborhood hit the  
> skids
> when a new traffic pattern wiped out the parking of what had been a  
> vibrant
> retail district.When they recruited the current pastor, Dr. Randy  
> Bush, he
> was highly recruited and agreed to come only if the congregation  
> took its
> service to the surrounding community very seriously. He is a dynamic
> presence in the pulpit and in the community per my son the seminarian.
> Apparently @ one time according to FWS III, members were  
> interviewed re:
> their suitability for the congregation. They also had black  
> curbside ushers
> in white gloves who assisted the big woo-hahs into the sanctuary.  
> Most of
> those types died off or went to some of the high falootin'  
> congregations in
> the 'burbs, e.g. Fox Chapel PC(which parenthetically my son also
> likes!).Those now dead big deals would be surprised to see how much  
> of the
> church's leadership is black and other minorities! the service  
> itself is
> vibrant and they experiment w/ diferent forms of music, etc. they  
> have a
> large outreach program including home rehab, health programs, etc. the
> congregation is diverse-like 50-50 whte-black, quite an age range.  
> Some
> academics from the surrounding institutions of higher learning-Pitt,
> Carnegie-Mellon, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, etc. attend.  
> Apparently
> it's also a place where members of the gay community feel safe and  
> welcome.
> When I attended 2 weeks ago, on a not-so-nice-out Sunday, there  
> were 400-500
> in attendance for one of 2 summer services. The prior pastor, Dr,  
> Chestnut
> who retired 3 or 4 years ago was also committed to the community.  
> Bottom
> line, a very different demographic from when the place was built,  
> but in its
> way , a presence in the community. Mellons long gone. There are a  
> couple
> PCUSA churches in downtown Philadelphia w/ very few members, but  
> sitting on
> real estate gold mines(e.g. Arch Street). There are also some  
> others who are
> as you describe, w/ expensive bldgs and poor , very small  
> congregations.
> Steve(my son) points out that in the immediate vicinity, several  
> large PCUSA
> congregations: East Liberty, Eastminster(more blue collar),
> Shadyside-Yuppies, academics, Belfield(sp.?)-Pitt campus ministry,  
> and a
> couple others whose names escape me.RICH
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donald Galt" <galtfd at att.net>
> To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
> Sent: Monday, September 03, 2007 3:46 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Organ being installed
>
>
>> Just curious, what are the demographics of East Liberty  
>> Presbyterian? Is
>> the
>> church thriving, or has it joined the ranks of inner-city mainline
>> churches
>> whose congregations have abandoned them for the 'burbs or for
>> fundamentalist
>> mega-churches, leaving them with expensive buildings and working-poor
>> parishioners?
>>
>> And do any Mellons still worship there?
>>
>> Don
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>