Refugee Ministry
Refugees from around the world have been relocated or migrated to the Pittsburgh area. Over 10,000 Bhutanese-Nepali people call Pittsburgh their home. Thousands from nations such as Burma, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, D.R. Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi, and Cuba reside here as well. Many of their home nations are closed to the Gospel.
Our vision is for refugees in our neighborhoods to be given the opportunity to respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
If you would like to join us for either of these programs, please contact us to join in being a good neighbor to our newest residences.
PROSPECT PARK "KIDZ CLUB"
📍west mifflin (Oct-May)
📍baldwin neighborhood of pgh (Sept-June)
Since 2012, we have been running a “Kidz Club” for refugee and international youth from a community known as Prospect Park, in the neighborhood of Brentwood. Most of these youth are Nepali, Karen (a Burmese people group), and from various African nations. Each Saturday, we start with lively worship songs and hand motions, then act out skits covering foundational Bible lessons, applying scripture practically to their lives. We rotate through games, crafts, and review, then provide them lunch topped off with prizes.
Most of the youth in this program have prayed with us to receive Jesus into their lives and our relationships with them have allowed deeper connections to their families. Over the years, youth aging out of the Kidz Club program have gone on to be discipled in our weekly small groups for teenagers and join a local church’s youth group where we also volunteer. Each year, we continue to see growth, both in numbers and in faith.
urban youth ministries
Since 2011, our staff have been working hard to build relationships in our Pittsburgh neighborhoods. For years we have been ministering to young men through our Open Gym Basketball program and seeing them go on to join us in missions trips.
In the summers, we have run Vacation Bible Schools and “Kidz Clubs” in these communities as well, engaging the larger community in the Gospel. More recently, God has opened a door to reach the young women through our Girl’s Group.
We invite you to partner with us as God brings life and hope to our urban areas.
OPEN GYM Basketball for guys
📍Phillips Rec Center
Our mission for our Open Gym Basketball is to give these young men an opportunity to respond to the Gospel as we model Christ-like character, provide them with a Biblical foundation, and inspire them to impact their neighborhood by reflecting the love of Christ themselves.
On Tuesday evenings we host an open gym at Phillips from 6-7:30PM to play basketball and connect with the middle and high school guys. We aim to encourage, mentor, disciple, and uplift them in a “big brother” kind of style. Aside from these scheduled events, we connect through small group nights out and other fun activities.
We are looking for more Christian men to influence this next generation. Do you share our vision? Connect with us to join us on the court. This program is for males only.
campus ministry
Evangelism on University Campus
📍oakland neighborhood of pgh
Once a week we visit the local campuses of the University of Pittsburgh (PITT) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and share the gospel in relational and creative ways. Pittsburgh is just a 2 to 4 year stop for most of these students before they venture off to continue their profession in other states and nations.
PITT and CMU also have a large number of international students, many of which come from lands far away, and closed to the Gospel. We have a unique opportunity to reach these nations while they temporarily live in ours.
We believe everyone should have a chance to hear the full Gospel in a loving way, so we aim to purposefully reach these students at their “Pitt-stop” in our neighborhood.
