Special weather updates:

Due to the ongoing severe weather conditions in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, please check the church website for daily updates as to closures and cancellations. Sunday services and Dr. Szeremany’s reception have not been cancelled.

• Hope Academy’s Love and All That Jazz has been rescheduled and will take place on Saturday, February 20.

Spotlight:
Reception for the Rev. Dr. J. Richard Szeremany, February 14
Please join us for a reception following the 11:00 service on Sunday, February 14 for a reception to celebrate and honor the Rev. Dr. J. Richard Szeremany, who is retiring after service for more than 15 years as Director of Worship, Music and the Arts. Dr. Szeremany will preach at the 11 am worship service. Following the worship service, everyone is invited to extend their thanks and well-wishes to Dr. Szeremany and his wife and Muriel at a special reception in the Social Hall. This celebration will feature tributes to Richard from friends and colleagues, including surprise musical numbers. (Photo at right, undated; Dr. Szeremany with the original Aeolian-Skinner organ console before its reconstruction.)

February 14 Worship Services

• 8:00 am: Good Samaritan Worship; Tara Goodin delivering the message; Director of the H.O.P.E. Pod for Women at the Allegheny County Jail, and a Senior at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Ground floor dining room.
• 8:45 am: Journey Worship; the Rev. Dr. Randall K. Bush preaching. Third floor music room.
• 11:00 am: Sanctuary Worship; the Rev. Dr. J. Richard Szeremany preaching, “A Sense of the Presence,” 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. Sanctuary.
• 7:00pm: Koinonia Service of Praise; Elder Kathleen Kyle delivering the message (note speaker change). Third floor music room. Join us before the service at 6:00 for a potluck dinner in the Second Floor Parlor; RSVP to the Rev. Heather Schoenewolf, (412) 441-3800.

February 14 Christian Education, 9:45 - 10:45

• Contemporaries: For the Beauty of the Earth, led by Katherine Hackney. A spiritual foundation for creation, exploring current topics pertaining to global warming and other issues affecting our future. Second floor parlor.
• Journey with Scripture: Ex. 34:29-35; Ps. 99; 2 Cor. 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36, (37-43). Second floor library.
• Parenting Circle: Sharing Valentine’s Day “Thoughts on Love,” Joys and Concerns. Coffee. First floor, Harambe Room.
• Seekers: “Christian Theology and Undoing Violence,” led by the Rev. Dr. Ronald E. Peters. (Note schedule change). From bullying, domestic violence, and child abuse, to reckless or illegal use of guns, suicidal bombings, and acts of war, violence harms communities as well as individuals. Join us as Rev. Peters considers the usefulness of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ideas about non-violence as a strategy for addressing violence and its harmful effects. Peters is the Henry L. Hillman Professor of Urban Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and founding Director of the Metro-Urban Institute. Second floor, room 234.
• “The Shack,” led by the Rev. Heather Schoenewolf is postponed. This class was originally scheduled for February 14. Its new date will be announced shortly.

Additional worship, classes, and prayer opportunities during the week

• Wednesday Connections is cancelled for February 10 due to weather.
• Taizé prayer service is cancelled for February 10 due to weather. No after-Taizé class will be offered.
• Labyrinth Prayer Walk is cancelled for Wednesday February 10. Monday February 15 is expected to be open, 10 am - 3pm. In the Social Hall.
• Centering Prayer: Tuesday, February 16, 7:00 pm. Room 250.

Youth and Young Adults

• Club One Sixteen, February 10 is cancelled.
• Youth basketball: February 13 is closed so that all may attend Love and All That Jazz.
• Young adults fellowship opportunity, Downtown: Young adults who work in the Downtown area are invited to gather for a new “Once-A-Month-Lunch” co-hosted by Glenshaw Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh. the Rev. Kay Balderose for details.
• Shakespeare Contest: 24 Hope Academy Shakespeare students have been preparing for the 2010 Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest. The field is narrowed from over 1,000 down to 30 students, grades 4 - 12, who compete in the Showcase of Finalists at the O’Reilly Theater, Mon., Feb. 15, 7 pm. Free and open to the public.

ELPC weekly news highlights

“Love and All That Jazz,” February 20, benefits Hope Academy
Coming up on its new date, February 20, 2010, is our red-hot “Love and All That Jazz” show, Hope Academy’s annual benefit performance, held at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Performers this year include spoken word artist Vanessa German, Flamenco music and dance, our own “Voices of Hope” choir, and more. This year we are celebrating Hope Academy’s tenth anniversary, and honoring our founding director, the Rev. Dr. J. Richard Szeremany. Adult tickets are $10 at the door. Children and youth 18 and under are free. Click to view the event poster (PDF, ~364K). Hope to see you there!

“Watercolors”: New Directions, Charting a Course by Sue Schneider
Sue Schneider’s “Watercolors” offers new paintings that explore abstract ideas, melding organic and geometric forms. Birds, quilt patterns, and calligraphic lines show up as influences in several paintings. Sue is a member of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society and Fiberarts Guild. In Room 234 and in the Second Floor Parlor. Greeting cards will also be available for sale, with a portion of proceeds to support the arts exhibition program and the Organ Fund. For more information, please .

Ash Wednesday service, Wednesday, February 17, 12:15
The season of Lent will begin on February 17, Ash Wednesday. The liturgical color will shift from green to purple, reminding us to be penitent and prayerful over the coming weeks as we prepare to recall the atoning death of Jesus for all humankind. The Ash Wednesday service is a holy time, marked by the Word, imposition of ashes, silence, and prayer, to set our hearts on the right path as we await the news of Easter resurrection. Join us, in the Chapel, as we enter the season of Lent.

Lenten devotionals
Lenten devotional materials for families, adults, teens, and children will be available on Sunday, Feb. 14, on the Second Floor CE table. These materials are provided courtesy of the Educational Ministries committee so that persons of all ages can deepen their faith throughout the Lenten season.

Get ready for spring with exercise classes!
A healthy body can help support a healthy spiritual life. Give yourself a gift that keeps on giving! Come to our low-cost / no-cost exercise classes:

• JourneyDance with Yamuna: This class is held on the second Friday of every month from 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
• Tai Chi: Tuesday mornings, 10:00 - 11:00 am, and Tuesday evenings 6:00 - 7:00 pm.
• Yoga with Yamuna. Thursday evenings from 7:15 - 8:45 pm, in the Sewing Room.
• Zumba: Thursdays from 6:00 - 7:00 pm.

RSVP and questions to Amanda Nolan, (412) 441-3800 x34.

Connections dinners
We now have ten Connections groups up and running! If you’d like to join the fellowship fun and get “connected,” contact Gil Hickman or Paul Outon through the Membership & Outreach Committee.

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ELPC in the Community

East End Cooperative Ministries (EECM) Men’s Shelter
During the month of February, the Deacons are collecting deodorant and socks for adult men for EECM’s Men's Shelter. Donations may be left in the hallway baskets. Thank you for your support!

East End Cooperative Ministries (EECM) Food Pantry
The EECM Food Pantry provides food for individuals and families facing hunger in Pittsburgh. February’s “Food of the Month” is macaroni and cheese.