Pittsburgh New Church will celebrate and honor the participants from all over Pittsburgh who took part in a faith journey that began September 17th, in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh. ‘The Journey Program’ concentrated on the validity and power of faith through common elements found in the Ten Commandments. At this event, people will witness how lives have changed since the start of that program. Their Journey started in September and is now approaching closure November 19th. Everyone is welcome to attend this exciting and life-changing celebration, even if they did not participate from the beginning of the program.

Sixty-seven men and women in Pittsburgh joined over 1,000 people around the country working to strengthen their personal spiritual walks, build healthier relationships and ultimately lead more purposeful lives. This celebration is a culmination of a ten week program that re-examined the Ten Commandments, its relevancy for the 21st century and how these Commandments show up in different faith traditions and in life. Participation in this program has been open to people of all faith walks.

People who participated in this program are saying it changed their lives. One participant new to the congregation happily described the impact one week as “earth shattering”. Another participant, Gillian, of Edgewood, PA, described how the program made her a better mother. Speaking about an incident in which one of her children knocked over a grocery cart, she said, “In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to let it go. I would have lectured on and on about it the whole way home. This time, though, because of the program, I was able to remain at peace. I handled it calmly and quickly, and then moved on with life. For me, that’s a huge deal.”

The Journey program educates and encourages individuals, couples and families to have healthier relationships, to resolve conflict, find greater personal fulfillment, and ultimately lead happier lives through applying a unique perspective on the Ten Commandments.

The Journey program is a great opportunity for personal growth and to build friendships and connections with people in Pittsburgh. This celebration is not just for participants at the Pittsburgh New Church, but also for affiliated congregations elsewhere in Pennsylvania (Sarver, Philadelphia, Ivyland) and across the country (Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Tucson and Phoenix) who joined in this effort.

The celebration on November 19th marks the end of the program, but not the end of the journey for participants, says Assistant to the Pastor, Rev. Mac Frazier. “Spiritual journeys never really end, of course. I think we’ve all learned new ideas and practices that will continue to help us for the rest of our lives.” He also says that participants have formed new friendships through the Journey program. “That’s part of the strength of programs like this. If you couple powerful ideas with real-life skills, and do that in a loving community, then you end up not just with tools for life, but a support group that is always there to help you use them.”

Like this post for Del.icio.us?