First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh

Bethel AME Church, founded in 1808, was once a thriving congregation and center of learning and social activism. As part of the Lower Hill redevelopment project of the 1950’s, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh seized the church by eminent domain and demolished it. Since then, the more the congregation learned about the situation – that is, the value of the property versus the compensation they received, and the fact that a neighboring white church wasn’t torn down – the more they understood the demolition as an act of racism. Now Bethel members are seeking reparations under the leadership of Pastor Dale Snyder. They are challenging the city, the redevelopers of the Lower Hill and local white faith communities to acknowledge how they have participated in, or proted from, racist systems and to compensate Bethel for its losses. The First Unitarian Church is honored to Share the Plate in February with Bethel AME Church, and to welcome Martha Moore to tell you more about the church and the Bethel AME exhibit opening in the Undercroft Gallery today after the service. PUBLICSOURCE, April 14, 2021 www.publicsource.org/bethel-ame-black-church-history/

The event begins at 2:30 PM with a community sing for college students and adult choristers. Come join your voice in singing well-known South African favorites like “Siyahamba” and “Shosholoza”; hear stories from the artists; and be ready for a few surprises. The community sing will be followed by featured performance by Thula Sizwe offering traditional and original songs, drumming, and traditional Zulu dance. Open to the public! Learn more. 

The Social Events Committee would like to thank everyone who made our 1st Annual Chili Cook-off a big success! About 55 people sampled a wide range of delicious chili flavors and styles. Using a very Unitarian process in which all attendees voted, we collectively chose the best of the best. And the winners were…. 1st place: Phil Pienkos (Sweet Meat Chili) 2nd place: Raeann Olander (Chili Con Carne) 3rd place: Tony Rutigliano (Vegetarian/Beyond Beef Chili) Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone who participated. We look forward to doing it again next year! The Social Events Committee