It has been wonderful having windows open and smelling the crisp autumn air! I enjoy them all, not just summer to fall, it reminds me that God is taking care of all things great and small.

This month, we have two opportunities to participate in Trunk or Treats. The first one is on Saturday, October 10. GPC will have a car at the Shaler Community Trunk or Treat at Kiwanis Park. If you would like to participate or donate candy to be handed out, please let me know.  We will hold our 4^th annual GPC Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 24. The ELC is once again taking the lead on this growing event. We will have a food truck, lots of families, and tons of fun. If you would like to host a trunk, please let me or Jennifer know!

October brings us to a new sermon series as well. Over the next month, we will be looking at various people from scripture. The People of the Book sermon series will focus on four pioneers of faith, some of whom you may be quite familiar with and others not nearly as well known. We will take the time to dig into the good and challenging aspects of their lives and see how, ultimately, we are more like the people of the book than we realize.

The first Sunday in October (October 4) is World Communion Sunday. We will celebrate by learning about when Christianity started spreading to the world through Cornelius’ experiences.

On the following week (October 11), we will move to the Old Testament and learn about two women — Puah and Shiphrah — who changed the course of history with one small deed. Sometimes we feel like a footnote in other peoples stories. We don’t get to see that we have actually made a kingdom difference.

The third Sunday of the month (October 18) starts a busy week at GPC! In worship this week, we will stay in the Old Testament, reading about Deborah. This brave woman’s story helps us to see that God often does the unexpected. On Monday, October 19, we will hold our final Prayers with the Pastor for the year. I hope you will join me in the Prayer Garden to close out our time together. Saturday, October 24 will be the GPC Trunk or Treat from 3 to 5 pm. Finally, Sunday, October 25 will bring us to Jonah’s story. The final Sunday in October is also known as Reformation Sunday. We’ll look at what we can learn about reformation through Jonah’s experiences.

There are many opportunities to participate in the life of the church this month and I hope to see you there!

Blessings,

Pastor Emily

Calling all superheroes, princesses, and ghosts! We will be holding our annual Trunk or Treat event in the GPC parking lot on Saturday, October 24 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.

We are looking for members who would like to participate by passing out goodies to children from their trunk. Please e-mail Jennifer in the church office to let us know if you would like to participate. Thanks in advance for your help!

In recent months, and through consultation with Pastor Emily and Session, the Mission and Outreach (M&O) Committee has been exploring a new approach to building stronger connections with the residents of surrounding neighborhoods.  

The congregation was recently surveyed about how they identify and perceive the culture and principles of GPC.  Supporting each other and reaching out to the less fortunate was identified as the central legacy theme.

Spurred by a generous gift from the Raynor family, and by the motivation to carry on the caring legacy of GPC, M&O will be implementing a community engagement and strengthening initiative modeled on the recent successful initiatives in Etna, Millvale, and Sharpsburg. 

In the coming months, a deliberate process will be initiated to educate GPC members about the initiative, asking for input about how to utilize GPC’s resources while staying true to Christian teaching and the legacy culture of GPC.  We will be relying upon the leadership of this congregation and volunteer efforts will be presented to our members.  But to be clear, the success of this initiative will depend on the participation, and in some cases the leadership, of community members.  The most critical contributions of GPC will be our foundation of benevolence, physical infrastructure of the church campus and the financial foundation created by the Raynor family’s contribution. 

In the weeks ahead, we will be scheduling a congregational educational and brainstorming meeting. Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions in the meantime.