Patience and Persistence Pay Off in Pittsburgh

An update from Eric Baldwin, Planter of River City Church in Pittsburgh

In the past nine months, Eric Baldwin and his wife, Leah, have built key connections with government officials in the Borough of Swissvale, a small neighborhood minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, where they live with their toddler, Elliot. Over 15 adults have joined the core launch team for River City Church, including a worship leader. And Eric’s had several conversations with people about his faith. Considering he and Leah knew all of two people when they moved to the area, those are reasons to celebrate!

Even so, launching River City Church isn’t what Eric would call “easy.” But then, easy isn’t what Eric and Leah were expecting. In fact, quite the opposite is true. “We could have started a church in Chicago,” says Eric, “where we are well connected.” But the numbers drew him to Pittsburgh, where only 5% of the people are evangelical Christians. Those numbers keep Eric pushing forward, even when obstacles bar the way.

The persistence is paying off. “I’ve had lunch with the mayor,” he says, “but it took six months of phone calls to get that date on her calendar.” Today, she’s fully supportive of River City Church and its goals, as is the fire chief, who’s helping Eric locate a vacant building for River City Church to call home.

“People wonder why we’re starting a church in a city filled with churches,” says Eric. “I tell them that the city may be filled with churches, but those churches are far from full.” In fact, most of the people where he volunteers his time don’t go to church at all. Whether he’s serving on the economic development advisory committee of his borough, picking up trash on community clean-up days, or handing out water at the local farmer’s market, Eric is making a name for himself as the pastor of the region. “It just takes time to meet people and earn their trust,” says Eric, “but we’re here to stay.”

To learn more about how you can support River City Church, visit https://fecministries.org/river-city-church/.