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East End Ecclesia is a new Christian Church located in Lawrenceville, serving Pittsburgh's East End and surrounding area.
Please look through our website to find out about our new church.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
If you would like to check us out, our worship services are held every Sunday 10:30am at 4905 Butler st, in Lawrenceville.
As life is filled with mystery and wonder the desire to know the meaning of things explodes the moment we begin to have thoughts. As soon as we get a handle on words we begin to ask questions; and this is our human condition - a quest for meaning and significance. As we mature in our search for answers we inevitably encounter a world of contradictory explanations. Concerning especially the deepest issues of life, How do we know what to believe? Can we be certain of what we know? How does it all fit together? Is there a God, and if so what is He like? What is the meaning of life and death? Who are we? What will ultimately satisfy us? Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?
As Christians we believe there are answers to the deepest questions of life. We believe that the one who created all things has revealed to us the truth about His nature, His intentions for creation and humanity, and the explanation for the condition we find ourselves in. At E3 we do not claim to have all of the answers, but we do believe that answers can be found in God’s self-revelation through His scriptures and ultimately His Son.
Too often we carry many questions and doubts with us but do not have a place to voice them. The danger is NOT in questioning or having doubts; the danger is to not ask questions and voice your doubts.
Doubt night is created to be a time in which we can wrestle together with some of the deepest questions about God, life, and the Christian claims. Each month we will address one or more of the common doubts or questions held by individuals in our city.
Doubt night is intended to be a place where we can join together in the pursuit of Truth, as we look at the answers found within a Christian worldview.
If you have any questions or doubts that you would like to share please fill out the question form below, or e-mail us at: doubt_e3pittsburgh.com
Topic of the Night: "Isn't it arrogant to claim that Jesus is the only way to God?"
With so many different religions claiming to have the way to God, how can the Christian claim that Jesus is the only way? With all of the different religious in the world and so many people all devoutly following their beliefs, doesn't it seem quite arrogant for the Christian to claim their way is the only way, that their understanding of God is the only right understanding, and that apart from Jesus all other religious beliefs leave people seperated from God? Wouldn't it be better to just accept that all religions are just different paths to the same God?
No matter how you phrase the question, to claim that Jesus is the only way to God comes accross quite arrogant to our ears. Yet Jesus claimed He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And that no one comes to the Father but by Him.
On January 28th we will be adressing this question and the seeming arrogance found in the claim that Jesus is the only way to God. Whether this is a question that has turned you off from the Christian faith, a question that you have pondered as a Christian, or a question you have faced as you seek to live out your faith. Come and join us as we wrestle with this common opposition to the Christian faith.
Goal: (The ultimate end we are working toward as a church.)
"Lift up Christ so that every person in our city will clearly see Him for who He truly is."
John 12:32 "And when I am lifted up from the Earth, I will draw all people unto myself."
Colossians 1:15-18 "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything."
Those who have been reconciled back to God through Christ are given the increadible calling to participate in Christ's redemptive work in our world. Jesus is calling people to Himself, He is redeeming and restoring what has been lost and broken. Jesus is building His church to be His representatives. To proclaim what He has done and to reflect His true nature within our world. All of this so that we might be restored and so that Christ might be Glorified (shown to be great.)
There are many in our city that have rejected Christ, but the Jesus many reject is a far cry from the awesome messiah revealed to us in the Scriptures. Our calling (Goal) is to use all that Christ has given us so that we may "show Him off" to all that are within our city. Our Goal is to bring Glory to Christ by proclaiming Him in a manner that is clear and understandable to those in our city, by using our gifts and tallents to bring honor to Him, and by reflecting His awesome love and grace to all that are in our midst.
Game Plan: (What we do to see the Goal become reality.)
Engage, Equip, Empower.
Engage: Engage those within our city where they are, with a clear, understandable, picture of who Christ is and what He has done.
- Engaging people where they are with the Love of Chist and the Grace of
the Gospel.
- Engaging the culture that shapes our city.
- Engaging the doubts, questions, and concerns held by those in our city.
Equip: Equip each beleiver to become who they were created to be.
- Equipping the beleiver to grow in their knowledge of God and their
understanding of the Gospel, scripture, and the world in which we live.
- Equipping the beleiver to grow in intimacy with Christ.
- Equipping the believer to grow in obedience to God and His call.
Empower: Empower each individual within the church to use the unique gifts given to them by God for the sake of Glorifying Christ in their community.
- Empowering every beleiver to be a minister and missionary within
Christ's mission in our city through the church.
- Empowering every believer to use their unique gifts, background,
talents, and passions for the sake of God’s Glory.
- Empowering those who are living under the weight of poverty, abuse,
and addiction to stand free under Christ and care for others in need, no
longer living as a victim, but living in victory through Christ.
Approach: (Values that will shape the culture and manner by which we will seek to fulfill our goal.)
Authenticity: Open, Honest, Real.
- Value for deep community in which individuals are free to
express their true feelings, doubts, and fears.
- Value for honest dialogue in which individuals can openly
address hurts and issues because of a very real sense of
grace and love.
- Maintain a "come as you are" attitude that welcomes
people no matter how they look, cultural background, or
issues they carry with them.
Cultural Engagement: Engaging, confronting, and transforming the culture of our city.
- Engaging culture: Communicating God's story within the
language, style, and mediums of the current generation
within our city. Bibliclly addressing the questions, issues,
and concerns of those living within our city.
- Confronting culture: Confronting the lies, perversions, and
idols that are destroying our city.
- Transforming culture: Thoughtfully and skillfully using
creativity in the arts, music, and media to Glorify God and
influence the culture of our city.Taking God’s truth and story
of redemption to the marketplace of ideas to bring a biblical
worldview into the conversations shaping the culture of our city.
Thoughtfull Creativity: Biblically seeking creative and innovative ways to communicate God'’s truth and glorify Christ within our church and community.
- View visual arts, music, and other forms of creative media
as a powerfull means of Glorifying Christ when done
creatively and skillfully in a thoughtful and biblical manner.
Pursuit of Understanding: Seeking greater theological understanding of the scriptures and willingness to engage questions with an understanding of the “"Why"” of our beliefs.
-View honest questions as a healthy sign of desire for truth.
(One will not get answers if one does not first question!)
-Emphasis placed on equipping each believer to become
students of scripture so that they may have a growing
understanding of how to properly study God’s word and gain
a deeper understanding of God’s truth.
(Not just giving out fish, but teaching each believer how to fish.)
- Emphasis placed within our teaching and preaching on
communicating why we believe what we believe.
(Explain the "why" and not only the "what" of our faith.)
Unity within Diversity: Valuing the unique perspectives and traditions found within the diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the people in our city.
- View racial, cultural, and social reconciliation as a key
outworking of the Gospel and powerful testimony of the
power of the Gospel to our city.
- Value the unique styles, experiences, cultural traditions, and
perspectives brought to the church by the different ethnic
backgrounds of the members of our church.
The Structure: With our vision to create a diverse interdenominational church we desire to form a service that is inovative and less formal while also retaining some of the historical elements that are common in some of the more liturgical traditions. The vision is to creatively rethink some of the historical liturgy while also creating an environment that is both structured yet allows for freedom in style and epression.
The Teaching: Our vision for the preaching at E3 is to be Exegetical and Apologetic.The preaching at E3 will focus on growing each believer in their understanding of God's Word while also apologetically engaging the skeptic and unbeleiver. Exegetical Preaching: By exegetical we mean that the sermons will be based upon the scriptures. An emphasis will be placed on explaining the meaning of the scriptures and creating a growing understanding of God's Word. Apologetic aproach: By apologetic we mean that a focus will be placed upon explaining why we believe what we believe along with a focus on engaging the questions and doubts held by many in our city.
The Music: The vision for the music at E3 is to use creativity and innovation to skillfully and thoughtfully create a unique style of worship that engages the culture of our city and leads the church into authentic, reverent, and thoughtful worship of our God. Stylistically we are looking to form a new style of worship that inovatively fuses together elements of hiphop, jazz, soul, and rock that is reverent and engaging.
Media and Arts: The vision is to use both the visual arts and different forms of media as a means to engage our community, communicate the Gospel, and Glorify Christ through throughtful and skillful creativity. We plan to use different forms of media and visual arts within our Sunday services.
Environments: (Philippians 2:12-13, Ephesians 4:11-16) Regular ministries of E3 intended to create spaces that will cultivate growth within each individual.
Sunday Worship: Our Sunday worship exists to create an environment in which the Church as a whole can come together to worship Christ through music, arts, reading of scripture, preaching, and communion. This is to be a space that brings the larger church together under the common purpose of worshiping and bringing Glory to Christ. This is also to be an environment that is welcoming to those outside of our church to experience our worship, hear from God’s word, and participate in our community. In essence this is a time for the whole E3 family to come together to honor Christ publically by welcoming anyone and everyone to come and participate in our worship.
Discipleship Groups: Discipleship Groups exist to create an environment where true biblical community can be formed and this journey of faith can be lived out with others. Discipleship Groups are smaller sized groups in which individuals within the group can be cared for while caring for others, can ask questions, receive prayer, and learn to live out their faith. Discipleship Groups will meet weekly in houses, public spaces, or the church facility. Each week the groups will spend time in prayer, sharing, fellowship, and a study focused upon applying the scriptures to our lives. Discipleship Groups are the environments in which real community and true discipleship can best occur.
Education: Our education classes exist to create an environment in which each individual within the church body can be equipped with a biblical worldview, a growing understanding of God’s word, the tools to study and understand the scriptures, and be equipped to grow in their gifting and calling. Our education system will be structured in a manner in which classes will be offered for a set period of time and each class will have a specific focus of study. Part of E3’s “game plan” is to be a church that is focused upon equipping each believer in order that they may be empowered to be ministers and missionaries within the church and city. Our education structure will be the key environment to enable the church to train up each believer to biblically and thoughtfully use his or her life and gifts to bring Jesus Glory within our city.
God:
We believe that God is the eternal creator of all things. He preexists time and space, and is separate from his creation. All things were created by him “ex-nihilo” (out of nothing). Though He is separate from His creation, God is also immanent and active within creation. God is one in essence but eternally exists in 3 persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe God is sovereign over His creation and has full knowledge of all things- past, present, and future.
Jesus:
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. He was born of the Virgin Mary, who conceived Him by the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, and was buried for 3 days. On the third day He physically rose from the dead and 40 days later ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Jesus will historically and literally return to the earth to judge all things and establish His eternal kingdom.
We believe in the dual nature of Jesus, He was both fully man and fully God. We believe that Jesus was a historical man who lived in first century Palestine. We also believe that Jesus is the eternally begotten son of God, and there was never a time in which He did not exist.
Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God. He is a person and has been sent by the Father and Son to bring conviction to the hearts of people, to reveal the Glory of Jesus, to bring about regeneration in the hearts God’s children, and equip the Church to accomplish its mission on earth. We hold that true conversion, regeneration, and sanctification cannot occur without the active work of the Holy Spirit within the individual.
Humanity:
We believe that man and woman were created by God in His image. The first people (Adam and Eve) were created sinless and perfect. Man chose to rebel against God and subsequently fell, and is now living in separation from God. Man’s sin separated him from God, created division within humanity, and brought about destruction and decay within creation. The consequence of sin is both physical death (separation of spirit and body) and spiritual death (separation from God).
Because every person bears the image of God all people have great intrinsic value and worth. Though formed in God’s image every person is born with a fallen nature and being separated from God is in need of salvation.
Salvation:
We believe salvation is by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation is the work of God: it was ordained by the Father at the beginning of time, accomplished by the Son through Jesus’ atoning death and physical resurrection, and is applied to individuals by the Holy Spirit.
We believe those who have come to true repentant faith in Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, will continue in the faith, bear spiritual fruit, and upon death their spirits will be made perfect in the presence of God. At the end of the age their spirits will be united with their glorified resurrected bodies to spend eternity with God in His Kingdom.
Scripture:
We believe that the 66 books making up what is referred to as the “Old and New testament” are the infallible word of God. The scriptures are “God breathed”, written by faithful men, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The scriptures are the ultimate authority for all doctrine, beliefs, and practices.
The Church:
The universal church consists of all who have repented and placed their trust in the Person and work of Christ. The Church exists to continue the mission set forth by Jesus, proclaim the Gospel, glorify Christ, and to live as a community of believers reflecting God’s future Kingdom here on earth.
The local church is called to be a localized expression of the universal church. The local church is a community of believers joined together to worship Jesus, grow together in faith, and continue Christ’s mission on earth. We believe that every believer is given spiritual gifts for the purpose of glorifying Christ in the world and building up of the church.
Our Future Hope:
We believe that all those who have placed their faith in Christ will go to be with Him upon their death, awaiting the future resurrection and judgment. We believe in the final physical resurrection of all people, the final judgment, and the establishment of the new heavens and earth. All who belong to Christ will ultimately spend eternity in God’s kingdom which will be established on earth. All those who refuse God’s free offer of salvation will ultimately spend eternity separated from God cast out from His kingdom in hell.
Distinctives:
Baptism: As a church we practice believers baptism by submersion. We do not hold mode of baptism as an essential of the faith, nor essential for fellowship and participation within the church. But as a church we practice the baptism of professing believers by submersion as a physical sign of a spiritual reality that has occurred within the believer.
Church leadership: As a church we hold a plural elder leadership structure. We believe that Jesus is the head and chief shepherd of the church. We also believe that Jesus, by His sovereign will, has gifted and called some men to function as elders within the church to grant oversight to the church for the purpose of defending sound doctrine, exercising church discipline if necessary, and for the equipping of the saints for ministry and maturity in Christ.
Currently our Sunday service is less formal in nature. Our time togther consists of the reading of scripture, prayer led by a church member, a sermon, communion, and a time for fellowship. As a newly forming church our Sunday service is very simple, focusing on building a strong foundation by growing in our understanding of God's Word and forming a sense of community as we prepare to establish the Church God desires.
The vision for worship at E3 is to create a service that Glorifies Christ through deep and engaging biblical preaching, a skillful and thoughtful use of the arts and media, and innovative music.
If you would like to know more about our vision for worship at E3 please check out the "Vision for Worship" section on the "About E3" page.
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( Link to seromons)
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In this series we will be looking at the centrality and true nature of the Gospel, as we walk through the book of Galatians.
In this Advent searies we will look at some of the things that have appeared because of the Advent of our messiah.
1. "Advent: The appearing of Hope": First sermon in our advent series. In this sermon we will look at the hope that has come with the appearing of the messiah.
(Advent: The appearing of Hope .mp3)
2. "Advent: The appearing of rejoicing": Second sermon in our advent series. In this sermon we will look at how rejoicing has come with the news of the comming of the messiah.
(Advent: The appearing of rejoicing .mp3)
3. "Advent: The appearing of light": Final sermon in our advent series. In this sermon we look at the imagery of light coming into the darkness.
(Advent: The appearing of light .mp3)
In this series we will be walking through Ephesians 4 as we look at E3's Gameplan.
1. "Game Plan pt.1": Part 1 of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3.
(Game plan pt.1 .mp3)
2. "Game Plan pt.2": Part 2 of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3.
(Game plan pt.2 .mp3)
3. "Game Plan pt.3": Part 3 of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3.
(Game plan pt.3 .mp3)
4. "Game Plan pt.4": Part 4 of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3.
(Game plan pt.4 .mp3)
5. "Game Plan pt.5": Part 5 of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3.
(Game plan pt.5 .mp3)
6. "Game Plan pt.6": Part 6 of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3.
(Game plan pt.6 .mp3)
7. "Game Plan: Environments": A brief description given at the end of our service describing the ministry environments E3 will be implimenting to execute out game plan.
(Game plan: Environments .mp3)
8. "Game Plan: Pt. 7": Final part of our look at Ephesians 4 and the game plan of E3. (Due to a technical problem the final part of this sermon was lost)
(Game plan: Pt.7 .mp3)
1. "True Grace pt.1": Introductory message looking at the context of 1st century Galatia and the importance of building upon a right understanding of the Gospel.
(True Grace pt.1 .mp3)
2. "True Grace pt.2": In this message we walk through Galatians 1:10- 2:2 as we look at the source of the Gospel.
(Tue Grace pt.2 .mp3)
Based on Colosians 1, this series will focus on the Goal of E3.
1. "Goal Pt. 1": Part 1 of our look at the Goal of E3.
(Goal pt.1 .mp3)
2. "Goal Pt. 2": Part 2 of our look at the goal of E3.
(Goal pt.2 .mp3)
3. "Goal Pt. 3": Part 3 of our look at the goal of E3.
(Goal pt.3 .mp3)
4. "Goal Pt. 4": Part 4 of our look at the goal of E3.
(Goal pt.4 .mp3)
5. "Goal Pt. 5": Part 5 of our look at the goal of E3.
(Goal pt.5 .mp3)
6. "Goal Pt. 6": Final sermon in our look at the goal of E3.
(Goal pt.6 .mp3)
Series based on Jesus' response to the scribes and pharisees in Luke 15.
1. "Return: Missing the mark": Intro sermon. Looking at the context and background of the 3 parables of Jesus in Luke 15.
(Sorry! Sermon not avaliable)
2. "Return: The players pt.1 (reckless)": Looking at the younger son in the parable of the 2 sons.
(Players pt.1 (reckless) .mp3)
3. "Return: The players pt.2 (religion)": Looking at the older son in the parable of the 2 sons.
(Players pt.2 (religion) .mp3)
4. "Return: The players pt.3 (redemptive)": Looking at the father in the parable of the 2 sons.
(Players pt.3 (redemptive).mp3)
5. "Return: Sin": Look at what we learn about the nature of sin from Jesus' parable.
(Return: Sin .mp3)
6. "Return: Repent": Look at what we learn about the nature of repentance from Jesus' parable.
(Return: Repent .mp3)
7. "Return: Feast": Final sermon in series in which we look at the imagery of the feast found in scripture.
(Return: Feast .mp3)
1. "Perfect Love": by Chase Campbell. The source, best example, and implication of God's perfect love, found within 1John.
(Perfect love .mp3)
2."Faulty Expectations": by Dallas Swoager. A look at how faulty perceptions of the person and purposes of God as well as the coming of the Messiah are dealt with in scripture. We also look at faulty expectations of the Christian faith that are being fostered in our culture, and how they can cause doubt for both the believer and the sceptic.
(Faulty Expectations .mp3)
3. "Worldview & Story": by David J. In this sermon David looks at how our view of the world must be shaped by God's story and how our story is to be shaped by His story.
(Worldview & Story .mp3)
4. "Steadfast Love of God": by Dallas Swoager. In this sermon Dallas looks at the faithfulness of God.
(Steadfast love of God .mp3)
5. "Life & death": by David J. In this sermon David looks at how the scriptures define life and death.
(Life & death .mp3)
Based on the analogy of the vine given by Jesus in John 15.
1. "Abide: Attached" How does one become attached to the vine.
(Sorry! Sermon not available)
2. "Abide: Source" The Holy Spirit as our source of life to produce fruit.
(Abide Source.mp3)
3. "Abide: Cut pt. 1" The work of the Father as vinedresser.
(Abide Cut Pt.1 .mp3)
4. "Abide: Cut pt. 2" The work of the Father as vinedresser.
(Abide: Cut pt.2 .mp3)
5. "Abide: Remain" Call given to every believer.
6. "Abide: Joy" The product of abiding "true and lasting Joy".
(Abide:Joy pt.1 .mp3)
Phone: (412) 325-4304
Email: info_eastendecclesia.org
In 2004, I graduated from Grove City College with a degree in Christian Theology and married my amazing wife, Coleen. My wife was already working in Stafford, VA (suburb of D.C.) as a high school math teacher. So, Stafford is where we started our lives together. Coleen taught until our first son was born, while I ministered to students and young adults. While living in northern Virginia, we had a growing desire to move back home to the Pittsburgh area. While we spent many months praying and seeking what God had in store for our family, I began to feel a growing burden to move back to Pittsburgh to establish a new church. God had placed a vision and passion in my heart to establish a diverse church in Pittsburgh's East End. The church would reach those who are seeking answers to life's biggest questions, those who have rejected Christianity and church, and those who know that there is something more to life but do not know what it is or where to find it. My desire was to reach those who, in many ways, were like I was before I encountered the Gospel.
During the fall of 2008, Coleen and I moved our family back to Pittsburgh to begin establishing East End Ecclesia (E3). Over the following year and a half, the vision and mission of E3 has been refined and clarified, but the calling still remains: to equip a body of believers to engage and influence the culture of our city, to establish a church that engages the issues, doubts, and questions held by so many living in our city, and to see this city that we so dearly love encounter Jesus as He truly is.
Founding Elder/ Preaching Pastor
Born January 12, 1982 in Greensburg, PA.
Married to Coleen Phillips on July 10, 2004.
Children:
Judah - born 7/7/07
Malachi - born 11/2/09
