Pittsburgh Presbytery - Mission Agencies

The Open Door

12 Stratmore Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
412-921-6153

MISSION

The Open Door ministry exists to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to neighborhood young people through intentional relationships with caring adults in an environment of safety and fun.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

Friday Night Recreation
What?   Sports, table games, board games, computer games, arts &              crafts, and food
Who?    Grades K-5 from 6-8 pm, grades 6-12 from 8-10 pm
When?  Fridays beginning Sept. 15th

Basketball
What?   Instruction and open games
Who?    Grades 6-8 Tuesdays from 7-8:30 pm
When?  Beginning September 18th

Soccer
What?   Learning fundamentals and scrimmaging
Who?    Grades 1-6 from 4-5:15 pm, grades 7-12 from 5:15-6:30 pm
When?  Mondays beginning September 18th

One-on-One Tutoring -- additional registration required
What?   Additional instruction and help in Reading, Math, or both
Who?    Grades 1-6
When?  Call for times

Family Fun Night -- parents are required to attend with their children
What? Games, movies, crafts, cooking and more
Who?   Grades 1-5 and parents
When? Third Tuesday of each month at 7 pm beginning Oct. 17th

Kids Klub -- additional registration required
What?   Learning about God through singing, crafts, games, & Bible              lessons, and dinner
Who?    Grades K-5
When?  Wednesdays from 2:45-6:30 pm & Runs for 6 weeks beginning              February 26th.
Where? First UP Church of Crafton Heights and The Open Door

Cross-Trainers Summer Day Camp
Cross-Trainers is a free six-week day camp for fifty children ages 6-13. Each week the kids participate in worship, arts and crafts, Bible lessons, recreation, and a field trip. The staff is comprised of caring and committed young adults from the community who develop meaningful relationships with the kids in a mentoring capacity.

HISTORY

The Open Door, founded in 1987, is a youth outreach that is located in Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood of Crafton Heights. We have a direct and dynamic connection to the First United Presbyterian Church of Crafton Heights and are a validated Mission Agency. The Open Door is also supported through our growing partnerships with local schools, businesses, churches, the City of Pittsburgh, charitable foundations and individual donors. To accomplish our mission, we rely heavily on our growing base of community volunteers. The Open Door is more that just a building. It is a fun and safe place for kids to hang out on a Friday night. It is a place to improve athletic ability. It is a place to share a good meal. It is a place to meet new friends. It is a place where kids meet caring adults who teach them about God. It is a place for volunteers to their gratitude to God through service. It is a helping hand when times are tough. It is the relationships that develop between the kids and the volunteers. It is a place where God’s Love is made manifest. It is the heart of the neighborhood. In other words, it is a ministry that offers the hop found only in Jesus Christ to the kids and families of the surrounding community.

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Adam Robinson, Executive Director; Colleen Lane, Academic Facilitator; Steve Lignos, Program Coordinator; Season Ciechanowski, Program Coordinator

OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONGREGRATIONAL OR INDIVIDUAL INVOLVEMENT

Volunteer - All of our programs and special events depend primarily on volunteers. They allow us to fulfill our mission through their dedication and talent. We always welcome new volunteers who are willing to lend their time to this life-changing ministry. We can find a place for you no matter what your gifts are. There are various ways to put your talents to use in our community through crafts, sports, computer skills, cooking and more. There are also “behind the scenes” opportunities such as maintenance work and administrative tasks that are critical to our ministry.

Work Camps - Each year The Open Door hosts a number of work camps from different churches around the country. These volunteers either help us with improvements to our facility or work directly with our children depending upon the type of experience they are seeking. We welcome both church youth groups and adult groups.

Giving - We depend on financial support to maintain our current programming, but also to grow in ministering to the West End community. We encourage an annual pledge, but all donations are welcome. Over 80 cents of every dollar you donate goes directly to our programming. Please make checks payable to "The Open Door."

VISIT US ON THE WEB

www.opendoorpgh.org