Johnny Angel & the Halos Concert Gift Drive

Holiday music is one of the best parts of this season, so we're bringing just that to you, this weekend, from some of Pittsburgh's best talent.

JOHNNY ANGEL & THE HALOS, Pete Hewlett, Bill Dell & Wee Jams, and Jana Snavely are GENEROUSLY donating their time and talent as part of a concert gift drive to support the Network of Hope's Give A Gift program.

Admission is FREE-we just ask that you bring a NEW, unwrapped gift (no stuffed animals, please) for infants, kids or teens. We particularly need gifts for older kids and teens.

Doors open at 5:15 PM. Enjoy the sounds of the season while helping a family in need.

Hope to see you there!

ON THE RADIO

NOH's Kate Gordon and Deana Leone will be guests on the John & Stephanie Show (101.5 FM) on Monday, November 26th at 4 PM. We'll be promoting Give-A-Gift and the upcoming Johnny Angel concert. Tune in to hear the latest!

Angel Food Boot Camp

Kate and I are at the Angel Food Boot Camp this week. After some severe trial & error, & error with our GPS system, we finally arrived and are ready to share about Network of Hope.

Angel Food is a ministry that allows anyone, from any income bracket to purchase groceries each month. Groceries are available in boxes of various items, worth approximately $60 for only $25 per box. Individuals may purchase any number of boxes they desire and the program also accepts food stamps as payment. It is often times a gateway for people with multiple needs.

Here are some notes from the sessions:

Steve Donaldson, from Rural Compassion
...the church needs to move beyond its "walls," physical and otherwise, to help people in fundamental, practical ways
...we need to participate in helping people become self reliant, yet interdependent, but NOT dependent
...we want people to become all that God has designed them to be and experience God's best for their lives.
...church is the spiritually based social architect for our communities.
..."The question, 'How big is my church?' should be replaced with, 'How big of an impact is our church making in our community?'" (Bishop Vaughn McLaughlin).

Great stuff! It's about being in RELATIONSHIP with those around us.

Help for Addiction

The Alliance Against Drugs and KDKA are sponsoring an
Open House Resource Fair titled "What Help Looks Like"
tomorrow, November 2nd from 8:30 am-1 pm
at Orchard Hill Church. The event is for adults only.


Bruce Edwards, Site Director for
the NOH Allison Park location,
will participate in the event.






Marty Griffin & "The Real Deal," from KDKA will broadcast
his show from the event, which will include a live discussion
with a panel of experts in the field of drug abuse and addiction.

Network of Hope currently offers Celebrate Recovery at our
Allison Park location on Wednesdays at 7 PM on the 2nd floor.
You can contact that location by calling 412-487-7220.

Quilting for Hope

A beautiful, hand-made quilt was raffled off at Fall Fest with the proceeds benefitting Network of Hope. Mike Kunkel (left) is the winner!

Thanks to the hard work and generosity of the APC Quilters, Joann Bouda, Heather Collins, Nancy Forsythe, Susan Gray, Beth Haubach, Teja Hough, Nancy Laser, Sally Lippert, Helen Marcellus, Anne Martinez & RuthAnn Sesti, for putting their personal touch into supporting NOH.

The APC Quilters meet on the 2nd & 4th Saturday of each month from 9 am-12 pm on the 2nd floor at Allison Park Church. New members are welcomed. Contact Beth 412-492-8696 or Nancy 724-443-3507.

Change of Seasons

This is a great time of year; I couldn't imagine living without it. Crisp, colorful leaves, bright sunshine on cool days, apple cider, a favorite sweater..... We've been fortunate to have unseasonably warm weather this month, but I caught myself the other day wishing for the change of seasons to hurry! (you have my permission to remind me of this when I'm stomping the January slush off of my shoes). Looks like we're on our way as the beautiful foliage is making its transition known.

Join us in the celebration this weekend:
FallFest
Saturday, Oct 27th
11am-4pm on the campus of Allison Park Church (APC)
2326 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, 15101

Admission is FREE and there will be plenty of activity for all ages: craft show, giant inflatables, pumpkin painting, train ride, food and MORE! The APC Quilters will be raffling off a hand-made quilt to benefit NOH programs.

We're asking everyone who attends to bring a non-perishable food item to help stock the NOH Food Bank for the holidays.

For more information, contact Bruce Edwards at 412-487-7220 or see our website at NetworkofHope.org

AngelFood Ministries

Deana and I have the exciting opportunity to speak at an AngelFood Ministries http://www.angelfoodministries.org/ bootcamp on November 6 & 7. What is AngelFood? It's the new way to do Food Ministries. Instead of giving food away for free, this organization has devised a way to distribute food through local churches in a co-op sort of way. Everyone pays $25/month and receives over $65 in quality food. Churches love this ministry. AngelFood has over 4,000 churches distributing food to their communities.

We were asked to speak because of what we are doing here in Pittsburgh through Network of Hope. The main topic of interest is the Life Management System (LMS). Many AngelFood churches are now reaching hurting people and they have no way of effectively ministering to them. That is where the LMS comes in. It is specifically created to surround individuals with multiple needs with the support they need, all by using your local church & community volunteers.

It's so cool to be a part of a ministry that other churches are looking to replicate!!