East End Ecclesia

· Day 29: 2 Corinthians 5: 17-20 cont.

o The final aspect of this passage I want to point out is the awesome yet humbling fact that as
Christians we are called to be “ambassadors for Christ.” The Greek word that we translate as
ambassador is “presbeuomen” which literally means “to act as a representative”. During the 1st
century rulers and kings would send our “presbeuomen” or ambassadors to speak for them and
represent them in other lands. With this imagery in mind, Paul is telling us that we are to go out
as ambassadors of the King of Kings, Christ Himself. In other words we are to be the physical
representatives of Christ in our city. An ambassador is entrusted to speak for the king, but he is
also to represent his king by the manner in which he conducts himself. As representatives of
Christ we are entrusted to speak His Word, but we are also to be representatives of Him by
reflecting Christ in how we live. Though the statement may be slightly misleading there is much
truth in the old adage “you may be the only Jesus someone ever sees”.
o Today pray that we may properly represent Christ to the city of Pittsburgh. Pray that the words
we speak would be His words and that He would continually refine us so that our lives would
truly reflect Christ to those around us. Pray that all we are would be a testimony to the power
of the Gospel, both the words we proclaim and the lives we live.

· Day 28: 2 Corinthians 5: 17-20 cont.

o The second reality that we find within this passage is that God has reconciled us with the intent
to use us for the ministry of reconciliation. In our hyper individualistic culture we can fall into
the error of seeing our faith as being purely personal and our salvation as being purely
individual. Yes we are all called as individuals and are saved as individuals, but when we are
saved we are saved into a body which is to be aligned with God’s mission to reconcile all things
back to Him. When we are reconciled to God and united with Christ we are united with His
mission also. Those who are saved are chosen and those who are chosen are chosen for His
mission. We must always remember that God chose us and saved us for His Glory.
o Today pray that God would equip us and remind us of the responsibility entrusted to us to
proclaim the Gospel to the city of Pittsburgh. Pray that God would redeem men and women in
this city to be used for His Glory and His mission. Pray that as East End Ecclesia begins to form
and grow that it would never be about “us” but will always be focused on God and His mission.

· Section 4 “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

o Paraphrase: Lord grant us forgiveness and repentance to be restored back to You,
and enable us to reflect and proclaim the forgiveness found in You to those
around us.
o Focus 9 days praying for forgiveness and closer communion with Him and for
opportunity to proclaim the salvation found in Christ.

· Day 27: 2 Corinthians 5: 17-20

o 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you
on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

o This is such a rich and powerful passage of Scripture. Within these verses Paul is both making a
plea to the believer to realize the fullness of our redemption in Christ, yet also calling us to
realize the responsibility of mission to those who are redeemed. We are given the ministry of
proclaiming the reconciliation found in Christ because we have first been reconciled back to
Him. It is so critical that we do not miss the first part of Paul’s argument. We are called to
proclaim that which we have experienced. It is so easy to get consumed with the mission of
proclaiming the restored communion with God found in Christ while neglecting our own
communion with God. I’ve heard it said that “if we preach what we have not experienced, then
all were doing is spreading rumors.” All too often we can fall into the trap of preaching about
the life changing relationship with God found in Christ, while our own lives remain unchanged
because we have neglected our relationship with Christ. Our mission to proclaim the Gospel in
the city of Pittsburgh will be left superficial, a mere “spreading of rumors” unless it is born out
of a deep and passionate relationship with the Creator.
o Today please pray that we will never lose sight of Whom we are serving because of a wrong
focus on what we are doing. Pray that our resolve for mission would grow out of a growing
intimacy with Christ. Pray that the transformative Gospel that I seek to proclaim would be
visibly seen in the transformation occurring within my own life. Pray that those who are serving
up here would not find their identity in what they do, but in the God they serve. Pray that today
we would all be reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for us, that we may be reminded of God’s
gracious love, and in these we would be motivated to share with the world what we have
encountered in Christ.

· Day 26: Proverbs 16: 9

o 9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

o In working to establish this new church we have many great plans and strategies to build the
church and prepare for what lies ahead. Yet only God knows fully how He will establish His
church. We know what we will need to accomplish what we have planned, but only God knows
what we will need to accomplish His plans.
o Today pray that as we plan and strategize, we would always remain moldable and obedient to
His will, even if that means scrapping some of our plans. Some of what we think we may need
might not be necessary and there may be other things we don’t realize we need that will be
essential to accomplishing God’s mission here. So pray that God would provide all that is
necessary to accomplish His will and that He will continually guide us in seeking what He deems
necessary, not what we deem necessary.

· Day 25: Luke 10: 1-12

o In this passage, Jesus sends out His disciples in teams of two to go into the different cities to
proclaim the coming Kingdom. As Jesus sends out the disciples He tells them to find “people of
peace” to reside with and base their ministry from. This idea of finding “people of peace” is a
common practice among international missionaries, but it is also critical for us as we seek to
build the church in Pittsburgh. If we are to truly reach the lost within the multiple “tribes” of
the East End, we need to find people of peace within each tribe so that we can begin to reach
into the social networks in this area. Though we need equipped leaders to help carry the load of
ministering to those within this city, we will also need to connect with the “street” leaders
within the East End if we are to truly reach the city for Christ.
o Today pray that God would have “people of peace” within each of the different sub cultures of
the East End. Pray that He would connect us with these people of peace and that as we
encounter these people, they would be prepared to receive the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Pray
that we would have the discernment and boldness to go out and find the people of peace that
God has prepared.

· Day 24: Isaiah 58: 6-7

o 6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: ………. 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and
bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide
yourself from your own flesh?

o If we are to be the church God intended we must use what God has provided to care for the
poor and needy around us. God has chosen to use His church to care for those who are in need.
If we are to reflect God’s kingdom in our city we must work to eradicate the poverty in our
midst. As we proclaim to this city that God has not abandoned them, that He is putting things to
right, that His Messiah has come, we must also SHOW them that God has not abandoned them.
Over 30% of the households in our area are below the poverty level. There are numerous men
and women living on the streets without a place to stay. Also in many of the neighborhoods
within the East End there are many young children that come home to an empty fridge with
nothing to eat. This is not how things were supposed to be and as the church we must reflect
God’s love by providing what we can for those who are in need.
o Today pray that God would provide those who are living in poverty with their “daily bread.”
Pray that as a church we would have the means necessary to be able to impact the need within
this city. Pray also that as we meet the material needs of those in our city, we would also be
able to meet the greater spiritual poverty of those who are in need.

· Day 23: Financial provisions

o Something that has been such a great encouragement to me has been the incredible generosity
of so many people, even in the midst of such dire financial times. As we move forward in
acquiring a facility and reaching out into the community, financial provisions will be ever more
critical. We realize that establishing East End Ecclesia in this area will be a long term
commitment. We also realize that because of the economic makeup of this area we will need
outside financial support for a while. Even though it can be scary at times to realize that all of
our support is coming from people all over the country, it is also a blessing to be able to step
out in faith trusting that God will provide all that is necessary to accomplish His will. It is also
such a blessing to see so many invest in seeing His kingdom spread in the city of Pittsburgh.
o Today pray that God would continue to provide the financial provisions necessary to
accomplish His mission in Pittsburgh. Pray that we will be faithful with what God has provided
and wise as we use funds to acquire needed equipment and facilities. Also pray for wisdom as
we seek to use our resources to reach those who are less fortunate.

· Day 22: Location

o The East End of Pittsburgh is an extremely diverse yet divided area. Our area of focus is made
up of 10 different neighborhoods that range from the highly educated affluent to the middle
class ethnic to low income high crime. These widely diverse neighborhoods are all packed into a
very small geographic area, with streets being like figurative walls that create a visible division
between each neighborhood. One of the visions of East End Ecclesia is to reach across
neighborhood lines and begin to tear down the walls that divide this area. Because of the
makeup of Pittsburgh’s East End, where we are located will make a big difference in who we
will be able to reach. There are a few key business corridors that we are looking at as possible
locations to plant. The corridors we are looking at are located in “neutral” business areas that
are either on the lines between neighborhoods or are intersections where the different
neighborhoods meet.
o Today pray that God would lead us to the exact location He wants us to be in. Pray that God
would provide a place in a location that will enable us to reach into multiple neighborhoods in
the East End. Pray that God would give us certainty on which corridor we should begin our
ministry in.
o Here are the names of the business corridors we are looking at so that you can pray over each
area so that we would have openings and clarity on where we should locate.
? Penn Ave: This is a blighted business strip that is just beginning to see revitalization. It is
one of the main veins running from downtown through the East End. In the section we
are looking at, Penn Ave is a divider separating Garfield (a lower income and distressed
African American community), Bloomfield (a vibrant middle income neighborhood,
Friendship (a wealthier area with a growing artistic 20 something scene), and East
Liberty (a lower to middle income, predominantly African American community, that is
seeing new revitalization.)
? Penn Circle: Penn circle was once called “Pittsburgh’s second downtown.” It is located in
the heart of the East Liberty neighborhood. A few years ago, this was a nearly
abandoned area with many boarded up shops and multiple run down high-rise housing
projects. Recently, Penn Circle has been the center of multiple revitalization efforts,
which has brought in new, upscale shopping, high end apartments, and has replaced
many of the housing projects with new mixed income housing. Penn Circle is at the cross
roads of many of the East End neighborhoods.
? Liberty Ave: Liberty Ave is the main business strip for the neighborhood of Bloomfield
(Pittsburgh’s little Italy.) Liberty Ave is a very vibrant area with multiple restaurants,
bars, cafes, and businesses. Bloomfield is a middle income neighborhood with a mix of
older Italians and a new influx of young singles and families. Liberty Ave is in a central
location within the East End.
? Baum Blvd: Baum Blvd is a main road that runs north/ south through the East End. The
section of Baum that we are looking at is a dividing line between East Liberty,
Bloomfield, and Shadyside (a very affluent and highly educated community). Baum Blvd
is also a main vein that runs along the northern edge of Oakland, which is where
multiple universities are located including the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie
Mellon University.

· Day 21: Facility

o One thing that I have found while meeting with people up in Pittsburgh over the past couple
months is that Pittsburghers are pretty traditional when it comes to “church”. As I meet people
on the street, in coffee shops, etc. and share about our new church plant the first thing that
comes out of their mouth is “cool, where is your church at?” Of course proper ecclesiology
would tell you that the church is where the people are. But I have found that around here, if
you don’t have a physical location then people are much less interested. Right or wrong, I’ve
had countless people tell me that they want to check things out “once we get a place.”
o Today pray that God would guide us to the right location for our outreach. Because we are a
church plant that is currently funded by outside support, resources are tight. So please pray
that we are able to find a place that will be affordable and will not place a stress on the
church’s budget. Pray that we will connect with the right people to help us find a building. Also
pray that we will be wise and patient waiting on the Lord to provide the right place, not
jumping the gun to just get the first space in our price range. Finally please pray that the facility
we find will be strategically located and designed to enable us to begin to build a presence in
the community and effectively reach out and minister to the needs of the surrounding areas.

· Day 20: Matthew 9: 36-38 cont.

o The Scriptures teach us that God gives each individual unique gifting so that when brought
together as one body we can properly minister to the needs around us. As a church we also
believe that God equips and calls certain individuals with different gifting to lead the church as
a plural eldership. God knows exactly what we will need to accomplish this mission. Please pray
that God would provide individuals that are gifted in diverse ways to meet the needs of the
church and the city. Looking at the specific gifting of the leaders we already have and also
looking at what we feel we will need to accomplish God’s mission in Pittsburgh, we are asking
that you would pray that God would provide individuals that are gifted in these specific ways:
? Pray that God would provide a leader that is gifted in organizing and implementing
programs and strategies.
? Pray that God would provide a leader that is gifted in administration.
? Pray that God would provide leaders that are gifted in teaching and discipleship.
? Pray that God would provide a leader(s) that is gifted and equipped to lead others to use
their musical and artistic abilities in worship.
? Pray that God would provide deacons that are passionate about meeting and serving
the needs of others.
? Pray that God would provide leaders that are called to minister to the children in this
area.
? Pray that God would provide individuals that are technically gifted.
? Pray that God would provide leaders that are called to minister to the youth in the city,
and also individuals that can be mentors and tutors.
? Pray that God would provide leaders that are gifted in ways that only He knows will be
necessary.