Generosity makes Pitcairn’s community Christmas party a success

Pitcairn’s Borough Park Building was the site of the inaugural community Christmas party on Dec. 9. The free event was open to the public and included a spaghetti dinner and cookies, Christmas carols, crafts and games for kids, and information about community resources.

“The borough allowed us to have this space for free. They said, pick a day, and we did,” said Lindsay Parks, coordinator at Christian Life Church in Trafford. “Almost everything here was from donations,” Parks added, coming from Bell-View Foods in Penn Borough, Crumbl Cookies in North Fayette and Giant Eagle, as well as monetary gifts from anonymous donors.

Christian Life Church, the Well Corporation of Pennsylvania, Rehoboth House of Prayer for All Nations and Pitcairn Assembly of God collaborated to host the Christmas party. The goal was to bring the community together and spread the word of God.

“It was a pleasure working with all of these churches,” said the Rev. Bob Morgan, pastor of Pitcairn Assembly of God and a volunteer firefighter in the borough. “Everyone is happy, and we had a great turnout.”

Gordon Israelson, with Murrysville Alliance Church, attended in order to provide information on veterans’ services and resources. Israelson attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the Army.

Among the resources available are Shepherd’s Heart in downtown Pittsburgh, which provides meals, clothing and shuttle buses for homeless vets, and the PA Hero Walk, which raises funds to supply veterans with vehicles and money for rent or utilities.

The Rev. Richard Rochkind, outreach specialist with Adult Teen Challenge, was also in attendance. Both Rochkind and a student at the campus spoke at the event. The program provides faith-based treatment for those who are ready to begin their journey from addiction to recovery.

Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s East Allegheny Family Center provided games and crafts for children. The center, located in Wilmerding, offers free family programming to expectant parents and families with children from birth to kindergarten.

A prayer table was set up to free Bibles, and a volunteer with the Pitcairn Assembly of God was available to pray with anyone in need of spiritual guidance.

Pastor Abraham Simon, founder of Rehoboth House of Prayer for All Nations, attended the event with his family.

“There are a lot of broken people out there. Church is not about being in a building, but getting out of the building and getting the message of the gospel to the people,” Abraham said. “There is a deeper meaning and purpose to life, and that is to give hope.”

Simon stressed that many children are drawn to the message of hope, maybe because they are hurting or they don’t have a good foundation at home.

The Well Corporation, a street ministry and outreach program, had several members in attendance, including David Lersch and Don Perlinger, CEO and president, respectively. In addition to spiritual services, the organization provides furniture for those in need.

“We have a large storage unit,” said Lersch. “We take all of our donations there.”

Whenever someone is in need, the Well Corporation finds a way to deliver furniture, Perlinger added.

Unfortunately, the Pitcairn Food Pantry closed indefinitely in September due to increased food costs and the overhead expense of maintaining the Broadway Building, which housed the pantry. In the spirit of giving and generosity, all leftover food from the Christmas party was taken to the food bank in McKeesport.