God at Work

“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  (Philippians 2:13)

As we embark on what promises to be a busy and exciting 2023 for Living Stones, with a new location set to open in February, we thought it would be good to pause, catch our collective breath, look back, and reflect on what was accomplished in 2022. We don’t have nearly enough space to list all the accomplishments here, but hope you’ll enjoy taking a look at some of the highlights. 

Food

In 2022, some 150 Living Stones volunteers worked together to serve more than 1,780 Sunday meals. If you add in the meals we served at My Monday Thing!, the total reaches more than 2,200 overall! Since our inception, we have served some 30,000 meals! And to think that when we began in 2012, seven volunteers, plus several more by year end, served just over 400 meals. Yes, God has blessed us and we have grown! It’s taking time to recover from the pandemic, but building relationships with our neighbors as they come to eat at our tables remains the heart and soul of who we are and what we do.



My Monday Thing!

What a success this program has been! After a pilot offering free haircuts late in 2021, we grew the program to include not only haircuts, but free clothing, crafts, breakfasts, lunches, snacks, fellowship, prayer, and chats with our Community Health Worker. We welcomed 435 neighbors in 2022, 308 of whom received haircuts. A 2021 – 2022 year-over-year comparison from August through December shows that to be an 83% increase in haircuts! 

In March, North Way Dormont provided us with a large room that we transformed into a cheerful clothing closet. Since it opened in April, we have served 432 neighbors on Sundays and Mondays, distributed some 1,500 articles of clothing, 421 blankets, numerous scarves and other miscellaneous items. Since North Way is currently our only location capable of housing a clothing closet, we continue to provide popup clothing events at our other locations.  

Healthcare

In January, we hired a part-time Community Health Worker (CHW), who closed 30 of 44 cases for our neighbors in 2022, 30% of which were medical, 20% housing repair, and 20% housing needs. The remaining 30% were related primarily to basic needs and dental. In addition to individual cases, our CHW does blood pressure screening, administers flu shots, and provides dietary and other healthy living advice. She also provides medical counsel, assistance, and referrals, and helps neighbors find sources of help for housing, utility, safety, financial, and many other problems.



Community Awareness

More and more people are becoming aware of Living Stones, even though publicity is not something we seek. On July 17, we were the lead article in the “Goodness” section of the Sunday edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We were also featured in several St. Clair Health press releases. And because of our association with Lisa Sylvester, WPXI news anchor, faithful Living Stones volunteer, and emcee for our fundraiser, we were the subject of a television spot she produced on gratitude.



Fundraising

As we seek to grow our ministry, we must also find ways to cover the growing expenses. To that end, we repeated our unique and highly successful 2021 fundraiser, Winner$ for Dinners, A Race Against Hunger. Thanks to the generosity of many individuals, organizations, and businesses, we raised more than $50,000 after expenses. A comparison with 2021 results shows that attendance grew by more than 40%, revenue was up by 8%, and the amount of money raised grew by 15%. For the first time in our history, we conducted an end-of-year giving campaign that netted over $17,000, and our participation in Give Big Pittsburgh brought in about $2,600, up from $1,800 in 2021. We also received $40,000 in grant money and will pursue additional sources in 2023. We are placing a much higher priority on this effort in 2023.

While we are proud of these accomplishments, as well as the others too numerous to mention here, we know that ultimately all the thanks and glory belong to God. This is His ministry, and His provision has been constant, generous, and undeniable. We cannot let Him down, so we will continue to prayerfully seek His will and guidance as we work to make Living Stones just what He wants it to be. And we will continue to depend on all those who faithfully support us in so many ways. It is with joy and deep gratitude that we look back on 2022, and with excitement and trust that we look forward to what God has in store for us in 2023!



Come to the Table

Second Sunday of every month

Brentwood Presbyterian Church

3725 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15227

Third Sunday of every month

North Way Christian Community Church

Corner of Espy Ave. & Potomac Ave.

Dormont, PA 15216

Across from Potomac Avenue T stop



Last Sunday of every month

Fairhaven United Methodist Church

2415 Saw Mill Run Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15234

Celebrating 10 years of being God's

hands and feet!

To support the work we do, simply scan a code below or make a check payable to

Grow Living Stones and mail it to

GROW Living Stones, PO Box 13077, Pittsburgh, PA 15243

Thank you!

GROW Living Stones fosters the cultivation of relationships with neighbors who join us for meals at Living Stones tables. As relationships develop and deepen, GROW Living Stones volunteers come alongside those individuals and families to assist them in navigating the challenges in their lives and encourage them to find hope in Christ as they learn to trust Him.

"Won't you be my neighbor?"

Fred Rogers