Senior Pastor Kim Gephardt, Springdale

Senior Pastor Kim Gephardt knows what it means to suffer in life. She also knows after years of enduring unthinkable events that freedom came when she accepted Christ into her life. Today she pastors a growing church with a ministry emphasis on helping hurting people. Safe Haven Ministry, the church’s name, tells the story. “We are about to double our space due to growth,” Pastor Kim said. The church is located in a storefront at 916 Pittsburgh Street in Springdale.

Pastor Kim’s heart is to help others. Even as a child in the midst of not knowing a safe home, being sent to an orphanage and eventually becoming a foster child, she knew there was an answer to her problems. Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Natrona Heights, she became aware of God and at one point was told she would be in the ministry. It was some years later in 1990, at one of the lowest points of her life, that she accepted Christ in her life. It was a close friend, arriving at the right time that led her to the Lord.

Pastor Kim later attended Bible School and after completing her studies her ministry began with home bible studies in 2005 in New Kensington. The attendance continued to grow and eventually led to founding the church. After a year they had out grown the home and were led to Springdale where the present church is. The church continued to grow by word of mouth and now they are enlarging the sanctuary by taking over the space next door.

Church services are held Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. There is an emphasis on a time of worship. Children’s Time precedes the main service starting at 6:30 p.m. A Bible Study is held every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Although the church is new, they have an outreach ministry to a local nursing home. Sunday services are held weekly and on Monday evenings a Bible Study is held for the nursing home residents. Pastor Kim told us that when they started the ministry only eight came, but today it has grown to 40 residents. She also offers counseling to the residents.

Tim O’Malley heads up the Men’s Ministry at Safe Haven. They meet the first Saturday of every month for prayer and a Bible Study. The church also supports another ministry team in Ohio that serves a county home. Pastor Kim indicated the church is open for those in need. Saturday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. is an open time for anyone to drop in at the church, which is located across the street from National City Bank. In addition to Pastor Kim, Charlene Blannon serves as Associate Pastor at Safe Haven Ministry.

The church’s mission statement says, “To bring healing, hope, and heart to all of God’s children.” Pastor Kim’s experience with personal suffering has helped her reach out to those who have been hurt in life. She believes in many ways God has used these personal tragedies to help her understand other’s needs and how to minister to them.

Before she reached the age of five, Pastor Kim suffered at the hands of a violent and dysfunctional family. As a young baby, she was severely beaten with a pistol that led to a number of eye operations. She ultimately loss an eye. She was burned on her body by cigarettes and was hung upside down. To make matters worse she became ill and suffered malnutrition. After being removed from her home and placed in a foster home, she was often mocked by classmates at school. After graduating and returning to Pittsburgh she was struck by a vehicle and was hospitalized in a comma, suffering a severe head injury and nearly dieing. It is hard to believe anything worse could happen, but it did. A few years later she was assaulted leading to rejection, a sense of betrayal, anger and judgment that drove her to an attempted suicide.

It was at this point of nearly taking her own life that her friend interceded and brought her to a relationship with Christ. That very night she went to church and found salvation and freedom. “I felt the warmth of Christ for the first time and a release from the pain . . . and a cleansing from the shame and guilt.” Pastor Kim went on to say that she, “. . . cried tears of freedom and that night Jesus Christ gave me the gift of life, a life with Him.”

Today, she says that all her past suffering, experiences and discovering Christ has prepared her to reach and help hurting people by ministering God’s forgiveness, grace, mercy and compassion to them. Pastor Kim invites you to come as you are and be part of Safe Haven Ministry. Telephone 724-274-4582 or e-mail pastor_kim@netscape.com.