WHERE JESUS LIVES
Every Sunday morning,
folks gather for worship at the Church of Our Savior, United Methodist.
After worship, the children join in Sunday School Classes, and then
partake of brunch, a nutritious meal prepared for them.
Church of Our Savior
is the only Christian congregation located in the Northview Heights
section of Pittsburgh. The isolated community has just over 2500 people
living in public housing. In that population base, 71% live below the
poverty line. The majority is children; 60% of the residents are under
the age of 19 years.
If Scripture is to be
trusted, it is the place where Jesus lives and works. In the parable of
the Great Judgment, Jesus told us that when we provide food, clothing,
shelter and hospitality to the “least of these” we have done it to him
(Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus is always found among the “least” and the
vulnerable.
At the Church of Our
Savior, pastor and people gather for worship, learning and fellowship.
The pastor, a person who works another job while serving the
congregation, is paid $330 per month. The congregation provides his
stipend and pays the utilities on its building. BUT when the leaking
church roof needed to be replaced, the United Methodist Church Union
borrowed the money to get the job done. The roof replacement and other
essential maintenance tasks amounted to approximately $20,000.
The roof project is
added to the effort to strengthen the support for the pastor. Six
different United Methodist congregations are working with the Church
Union to provide a housing allowance of $1,000 per month for the
pastor. This allowance, in lieu of parsonage, helps the pastor to
maintain a home for his family.
You are invited to
help the Church Union support the Church of Our Savior as it lives as
the Body of Christ in Northview Heights. Please make an offering to
help the congregation and the Church Union show that Northview Heights,
Pittsburgh is the place where Jesus lives and works. Help buy a roof
and with Jesus, shelter and serve the least of these!
For further information, contact Dr.
Erwin K. Kerr, United Methodist Church Union, (412) 231-4900.
