‘A Christmas miracle:’ Living Hope Church gets a new home just in time for the holidays

By STACY WOLFORD
swolford@yourmvi.com

Living Hope Church gave its congregation a very special Christmas gift this year: a new home.
The church will celebrate its first holiday Christmas Eve candlelight service at 6:30 tonight at the former First Presbyterian Church of Boston after holding its first official service there a few weekends ago.
For Pastor Dan Bach and his wife, Wendy, the whirlwind journey that led them into the new site for their non-denominational church was a true “Christmas miracle.”
The Bachs had been renting space for three years in a storefront at a small retail/office plaza off of Smithfield Street in the Boston section of Elizabeth Township. The couple had their eyes on the vacant First Presbyterian Church of Boston located across the street. The quaint brick church at 5824 Smithfield St. dates back to 1895. It closed a few years ago after a Presbyterian church merger and was put on the real estate market.
“We kept looking into the status of the building, but the price was just too high for us,” Pastor Dan said.
The couple, who returned to the area and moved to White Oak a few years ago after serving in several Wesleyan churches over the years, held onto their faith and continued hosting services in the one-room storefront.
Then the coronavirus pandemic hit in March and changed everything.
“We just didn’t have the space to grow, then we had to worry about spacing everyone out safely,” Pastor Dan said.
In the meantime, Elizabeth Township Commissioner and businessman Rich Algeri, who owns Rich’s Parkside Den and The Betsy Shoppe in Boston, was giving serious thought to purchasing the church. The church is located in Elizabeth Township’s Ward 5, which Algeri represents.
“I honestly didn’t want to see this church turn into an abandoned building or a drug house,” Algeri said. “It’s located in my ward and I really wanted to see it stay used as a church.”
One of Rich’s employees and dear friends, Lori DiMarco of Port Vue, a parishioner of Living Hope Church, mentioned to him they were in need of a new space for services. Lori, a youth minister, said she attended a service at Living Hope Church to watch her niece and nephew sing and was moved.
“I came and just felt the spirit, it was amazing,” said Lori, who then began attending services regularly.
She knew the Bachs were looking for a new home and she was also in need of a new space for her youth group. She was the minister of a youth group for 17 years at the former St. Mark Roman Catholic Church in Port Vue.
After some negotiating and delays due to COVID-19, Rich bought the church and surprised Lori with the news one night after work.
“He (Rich), said, ‘Guess what, I bought the church, now you guys have somewhere to go,’” said Lori. “I was ecstatic. I called Wendy the next morning, the four of us met, and here we are.”
Rich said he was finally able to close on the building in November and didn’t waste any time welcoming the Bachs and the Living Hope Church congregation into the church.
“The gods definitely all lined up and I’m happy we can see this church still serving the community for something good,” Rich said.
Lori said seeing Living Hope Church grow is a bright spot in a time of uncertainty.
“With so many churches closing, and to see one open, it just brings hope,” Lori said. “It helps the community because you know a church brings good. This church does for everybody; they are just so generous. If something or someone is in need, they are the first one to jump and say, ‘How can we help you?’ It’s such a giving church.”
For the Bachs, giving hope is what their mission is all about.
“Our purpose, we feel, is to help people face the challenges of everyday life with hope; that they learn to meet all of their challenges with hope and not despair. We want people to know their situation may not be perfect, but God is,” Pastor Dan said.
Wendy said that while they are a non-denominational church, they also respect the deep traditions of many faithful in the area.
“This area has a heavy Catholic tradition, so you have to respect those traditions and balance that with a little bit of non traditional. We try to blend in modern technology while staying true to the word the whole time,” Wendy said.
The new church also provides space for a nursery to encourage families with children to attend services.
As the couple prepares for tonight’s first Christmas Eve service in their new home, they are overwhelmed with joy, love and gratitude.
“It’s definitely God’s hands that brought it all together for us,” Pastor Dan said.
His wife agreed.
“It’s absolutely a Christmas miracle.”
(Living Hope Church hosts services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays, with plans to offer more services, including a Bible study, after Jan. 1. For more information, call 412-295-5829.)

(Stacy Wolford is managing editor of the Mon Valley Independent.)