Articles for tag: Hazelwood Christian Church

August 22, 2019

SPOTLIGHT: Hazelwood Christian Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.

By Michael C. Mack A 212 percent attendance growth rate over one year gets your attention. Hazelwood Christian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, grew from 32 to 100 in 2018, and it turns out technology is a significant reason for that growth. Hazelwood’s building sits in an older, heavily Catholic neighborhood of urban Pittsburgh, an area that is on the rebound in business and population growth. Senior minister Ed Gratton came to the church in 2016 after they had gone through a split that dropped attendance to 15. “On a good Sunday we had 20,” said Gratton with a chuckle. But

May 14, 2019

Christian Standard

News & Updates

Ranson Closing Out 40-Year Career at Hazelwood Christian

By Jim Nieman Back on May 20, 1979, during his first Sunday as senior minister with Hazelwood Christian Church in Clayton, Ind., Steve Ranson had no idea it would be his first of 2,000-plus Sundays there. He was unaware the church had had 31 ministers since its founding in 1910—a span of 69 years. That’s a new minister every two-plus years. “It wasn’t trending well,” Ranson deadpanned. But things worked out, though Ranson now confesses that, early on, he was occasionally at a loss for topics to preach about. “It wasn’t like it is today, with the Internet and so

September 19, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Missions and Outreach in a Rural Setting

By Emily Drayne Growing up in a small town, it was easy to look beyond the borders of my community and dream of big cities and far-off places. I never considered my town to be a mission field. Missionaries who came to talk and put up displays at our church were always from a foreign country; I never thought of reaching out to people of my hometown to talk about Christ. But, in reality, there are many outreach opportunities specifically beneficial for rural churches. Here are some ideas for how rural churches can engage in outreach. Look Around You

March 30, 2008

Christian Standard

Prayer Worship & Prayer

A Simple Prayer

By Jim Herbst A few years ago it was the beginning of what I now call “the human hunting season” in our neighborhood. As temperatures rise in the spring, criminal activity and turf battles also heat up. The warm spring nights are pierced with gunfire. I lay in bed during this annual cycle with tears at our church”s inability to make much of a difference. I learned a simple and often repeated prayer: “Help!” I”ve prayed that prayer in bed, in daily devotions, with fasting, on my knees, flat on my face, driving, on the church”s balcony, on the church”s

September 4, 2005

Jim Herbst

Church Life

God and Little Old Ladies

Senior saints carry long stories of prayer, hospitality, and perseverance. Jim Herbst reflects on how overlooked faithfulness in Pittsburgh strengthened his ministry and reminded him that God’s slow work is relentless.