Betsy Rodewalk

Father C. Bradley Wilson (Father Brad), Rector of Fox Chapel Episcopal Church for the past eight years, says the telltale sign of a healthy church is the number of people at worship on Sunday. He’s not referring to membership numbers, but attendance – attendance of those dedicated people who express their faith at worship each week. Though the church boasts a significant membership (including 200 who have joined in the years Father Brad has presided), it is the several hundred attendees of the services – three Sunday services and the new Saturday evening service who tell the story of the church’s growth and progress. Fox Chapel Episcopal Church places emphasis on maturity by offering a four-year program covering the Old and New Testament, theology, Church History, and Liturgy. They also offer another program, Stephen’s Ministry that trains members to serve as lay ministers within the church on a one-to-one basis. The church also has many ongoing activities and small groups for members. A few of these include one for young mothers that focuses on pastoral care between the women; Koinia women meet at homes and the church for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship; and Daughters of The King, founded at the same time as the Boy Scouts, is dedicated to prayer and ministering to the Senior Pastor. The men also meet for Bible study every week. The number of activities and groups in this active church are too many to list here, but there is something for everyone. Three days a week the church clergy and some laypeople meet for prayer over specific issues. Father Brad sees this as a vital component of church life and says that having open prayer for needs and the mission of the church is part of their ministry.

Music, along with liturgy and preaching, is at the very heart of Fox Chapel’s Episcopal Church weekly worship. The church has an accomplished adult and children’s choir; the adult choir has traveled to Europe. Involvement of the congregation in worship is a strong tradition and members assist in worship and its preparation in many ways. The Altar Guild helps prepare the church for all services, young people serve as acolytes, and others serve as ushers, provide scriptural readings, and assist in distributing communion. Father Brad says Fox Chapel Episcopal Church also is a mentoring church working with pastors and churches to help them grow. Currently they are partnered with St. Andrews Episcopal Church in New Kensington working with its Vicar, Linda Manuel. Partnering embraces all aspects of working with a church including financial investment. They previously worked with St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kittanning for several years. Father Brad believes mentoring is a very important part of ministry for young and new pastors. He said that seminary doesn’t prepare them for everything. The congregation is comprised of well-educated area professionals that are active Episcopalians. Father Brad said that although many are wealthy, the nature of man is the same and, “We need God all the time. He’s a way of life.” He went on to say, “Money seems to be a solution, but the real solution is our need for healing and having God in our life.”

Father C. Bradley Wilson

There is a strong and active youth group at the church as well. Joel Tassie, Minister of Youth, oversees the junior and senior groups on a full-time basis. Thanks to its evangelistic approach, many of the kids attending are not even members of Fox Chapel Episcopal Church. The youth group spent time at a South Dakota Indian Reservation, built two houses in Mexico, visited the ghetto in Philadelphia, and are possibly going to West Virginia next summer for a short tem mission project. These urban and rural service projects are only aspect of the busy group’s involvement.

The church supports many outreach programs, short- and long-term including helping refugee families, providing food and shelter to the hungry and homeless, creating summer programs for disadvantaged young people, and sponsoring special ministries to the area college communities. Other efforts focus on victims of racism, illiteracy, alcoholism, and other special needs. A particularly interesting outreach ministry is to Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, a church made up of homeless people in Pittsburgh. Adults and youth go and cook for the members there. Father Brad came to the church from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Uniontown. He is in his eighth year as Rector and has been invited to teach the Ethics course at the diocese seminary in Ambridge, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. Fox Chapel Episcopal Church is located on 630 Squaw Run Road East in Fox Chapel. There are three Holy Eucharist services on Sunday at 8, 9, and 11:15 am. There is a contemporary service on Saturday at 5:30 pm, soon to incorporate an Anglican African service. There is also a 10 am Holy Eucharist on Tuesdays. Sunday School classes for Pre-school to Kindergarten are at 9 am and Sunday School and Adult Round Table Hour is at 10:15 am. Call the church at 412-963-8938 for further information or visit their web site at www.fcec.us.

To watch the video, go to http://www.alle-kiskitoday.com/webcasts/1387