At Pittsburgh Seminary, we seek to participate in God’s ongoing mission in the world by seeing and getting to know people as our neighbors. Challenged by Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan and inspired by Mr. Fred Rogers ’62, who sang, “I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you!”, I am writing this blog to introduce you to some of my neighbors, whom I want you to know. They are students in our Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) Program, for which I am honored to serve as the director. They work with diverse populations, whom they have come to see as neighbors and care for lovingly. I hope by the end of this series, you will get to know our Doctor of Ministry students, their ministries, as well as see those whom they serve as siblings in Christ, as neighbors near and far.
I’d like to introduce you to my neighbor The Rev. Dr. Andrew Taylor-Troutman. Andrew is the senior pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church in North Carolina. He is the author of This is The Day, a slender book with a long subtitle (seriously, look it up!). In May 2024, he graduated with his Doctor of Ministry degree in Public Theology and Creative Writing.
— The Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnston, director of the Doctor of Ministry program
Glossary of Neighbors of Our Church
Alcoholics Anonymous: neighbors who are strong because they admit they are weak and brave because they take a “fearless moral inventory” of their past. See also FOB (Friend of Bill); GUS (Grand Universal Spirit).
Black Baptists: neighboring congregation that is the oldest Christian church in our county; recently invited our church to attend the 172nd anniversary that “was a Holy Ghost party, and a Holy Ghost party don’t stop!”
Cardinalis cardinalis: red-suited avian neighbors, not Roman Catholic officials, who began to thrive when Homo sapiens in neighborhood began a native plant project.
Dogs (you didn’t think I could keep up the double letters through the entire alphabet, did you?): our church maintains a half-mile trail through the surrounding woods, which is canine-friendly and attracts dozens of friendly canines and their people.
El Vínculo Hispano: our county’s “advocacy, leadership development, and direct services organization serving Hispanic immigrants and their families.” Our church hosted a celebration for graduating high school seniors from their Orgullo Latinx Pride Youth Program.
Food Pantries: Jesus said, “You give them something to eat,” and these employees and volunteers answered. See Mark 6:37; see also Heroes. See also Fire Station, our neighbors up the street where we take leftovers from our weekly church suppers.
Garden Angels: 1. a group in our church who maintains the Remembrance Garden around the columbarium. 2. a community group that takes care of yard work for neighbors who have been hospitalized or are experiencing ongoing health issues.
Hummingbirds: neighbors maintain feeders as well as plants for these “flying jewels” (Joyas voladoras), who, in turn, have inspired many hearts. See Doyle, Brian.
In-Focus Photography: a group of camera-happy neighbors who meet weekly at our church and display photographs from around the world for all to see.
Juneteenth Celebration: a yearly celebration of Black joy at the emancipation from slavery and ongoing commitment to equity and justice. See Party Don’t Stop.
Ukirk: this kirk is a weekly ministry for students at local university; provides free meal, fellowship, program, music, and more. See Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4.
Little Libraries: tiny boxes made to look like houses with swinging doors that are scattered throughout our community; anyone is free to open and take a book or give a book.
Markets: particularly farmers, but also pottery and crafts, often with live music performances and games for children and children at heart.
Newman Center: Roman Catholic neighbors at local university; host vigils open to public following mass murder at schools and colleges.
Open Mics: neighbors perform at coffeeshops, breweries, or libraries on their guitars, dulcimers, or harmonicas; they sing or recite poems. There is always applause at the end for the performer, for it’s a brave thing to step up to a live mic.
Public Schools: See Heroes; Mark 10:13–16
Quakers: leaders of local interfaith coalitions for reproductive justice and against the death penalty; they stand shoulder-to-shoulder at protests without the need to make long-winded speeches.
Rich: for heartfelt definition, see Matthew 6:21.
Sirens: an all-female choir that gives a concert at Christmastime in our sanctuary to benefit a local domestic violence shelter. See also Fire Station.
Trailer Park: neighbors off the beaten path; site of our after-school tutoring program. See Rich.
Unitarian Universalists: the pastor accepts apologies from Presbyterians regarding the egregious execution of Michael Servetus in John Calvin’s Geneva.
Vultures: head of organic cleanup crew; when perched in trees or atop sanctuary, flock is known as a committee, a term loved by their Presbyterian neighbors.
Watershed, Haw River: “May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.” See Rilke, Rainer Marie
FedEx: delivery workers who eat lunch at one of our church’s picnic tables or in the shade of the trees.
YoungLife and other evangelical groups: neighbors with different theologies, yet partners in service projects. See Food Pantries.
Zen Buddhists: hold several meditation retreats a year that are open to our larger community, free of charge. “Buddhism teaches us how to be good neighbors, and then it encourages us to expand our neighborhood to include all sentient beings.” See Amen, may it be so.
The Rev. Dr. Andrew Taylor-Troutman ’24 is the author of This Is the Day, a slender book with a long subtitle (seriously, look it up). He is the senior pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and a graduate of the Doctor of Ministry in Public Theology and Creative Writing.
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