Ministry
The Community’s public ministry takes many forms. In addition to our principal work of prayer, we are actively engaged in ministry in and to our local community, to and with our Companions, and to the broader Church.
Our local ministry includes:
Participating in programs to support anti-drug, anti-crime, and domestic violence initiatives in
Aliquippa and Western Pennsylvania
Supplying chaplaincies for the City Council, the local police and fire departments, and the
FBI in Western Pennsylvania
Providing affordable, quality housing to low-income families
We are available to:
Direct quiet days and weekends
Lead retreats for congregations, vestries, and choirs
Speak to adult education forums
Although less tangible than other expressions of ministry, we are aware of
the fruits of what we have come to call our 'ministry of presence.' Aliquippa, bereft after the
fall of the steel industry, has been viewed as a place of discouragement and fear. Neighbors
counseled us not to put plants on our porches, as they would be stolen. Pizza delivery cars
would not deliver in our neighborhood, and some contractors were reluctant to work on our
property.
Some years after Celebration's move to Aliquippa, hanging baskets and potted plants now
decorate porches throughout the neighborhood. Many homeowners, encouraged by the beauty of
our renovated row houses are improving their own homes, and finding contractors ready to serve.
The friendship lights in our windows, once the only visible sign of warmth on Franklin Avenue
in winter, are now joined by other holiday lights. Discouragement and fear are being replaced
by peace and hope.
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