Pittsburgh’s ‘passport program’ encourages Episcopalians to visit diocese’s churches

[Episcopal News Service] The Southwestern Pennsylvania Diocese of Pittsburgh has launched a “passport program” encouraging Episcopalians to attend worship services in different Episcopal churches diocesan-wide.

The initiative’s goal is to foster fellowship, one of Pittsburgh Bishop Ketlen A. Solak’s three diocesan priorities alongside growth and communications.

“We are called to be in fellowship with God and with each other. Paul talks about that in his letters, and it’s also in Psalm 133, which says, ‘How good and pleasant it is when brethren live together in unity.’ That unity comes from a warm fellowship that’s already begun,” Solak told Episcopal News Service.

Solak established three separate committees to address the priorities. Kathy Baird, a diocesan lay leader, chairs the fellowship committee. Baird told ENS that her visit to some Anglican churches in Canada who were participating in a passport program inspired her to propose a similar program at home. As a lay person, she said she thinks it’s beneficial to observe and compare how different priests interpret the Gospel while they preach.

“To me, as a person in the pews, it’s very interesting to hear the different perspectives and interpretations of Scripture in the sermons. …What did Jesus mean by saying this? I think it’s good to hear how people interpret God’s word in different places,” Baird said. “If your church is a high church, maybe you get to see a low church or vice versa. You can also see the different missions that other churches have and maybe add something similar to your church.”

Now through Pittsburgh’s Nov. 15 diocesan convention, Episcopalians can go online and print and fold a pocket-sized passport booklet, or obtain them from their parish. After attending a Sunday or midweek worship service, concert or community event at one of the diocese’s 32 churches, participants can introduce themselves to clergy as a “passport traveler” to get their booklets signed.

Participants are encouraged to go with a friend, attend different types of services and write reflections on what they’ve experienced. They’re also encouraged to take a selfie with clergy or parishioners and share photos with the diocese at life@episcopalpgh.org or on social media using the hashtag #DiocesePassport2025. The photos will be shared during the diocesan convention. During the convention the diocese also will reveal how many parishioners from each congregation by percentage participated.

The diocese recommends those who are attending a worship service at home to introduce themselves to visitors and offer bulletins and other informational resources about their church and ministries.

The Rev. Brandon Cooper, assistant rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh’s North Hills neighborhood and priest-in-charge of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kittanning, serves on the fellowship committee with Baird. He told ENS that the passport program will be a “great opportunity” for people to learn about new ministries that they can implement at home.

“It’s good to see how things are done differently and catered to each congregation’s unique environment,” Cooper said. “We hope that this program will get people in the diocese to realize that they are not just members of one parish, but of a diocese, and to see themselves as members of a wider church.”

Cooper, Baird and Solak all said they think churches in the diocese’s rural areas will especially benefit from the passport program as more people from the urban areas become aware of them. The awareness, they say, could especially help churches that need extra fundraising to support their ministries or infrastructure.

“The Diocese of Pittsburgh is very diverse because, on one hand, the city of Pittsburgh is a very urban city, but outside of the city, you have lots of small churches in rural areas that are far apart from each other,” Baird said. “I don’t think a lot of people in the city know what’s really out there even though we’re part of the same church family.”

Cooper said, “It’s important to have connection and not feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere by yourself.”

The passport program is one of several programs the Diocese of Pittsburgh is implementing to foster fellowship. For example, St. Michael’s of the Valley Episcopal Church in Rector and St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church in Somerset this year formed an official chapter of Holy Hikes in the diocese – Holy Hikes of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The hikes include Scripture readings and a worship service with Eucharist. The churches have been hosting monthly hikes since June and will continue until October.

Solak said she hopes the fellowships formed during the passport program will lead to lifelong friendships outside of diocesan events.

“I would love for people to get to know others from another parish by name, so the next time they see each other – perhaps at a larger diocesan event – there’s already that sense of recognition, connection and warmth,” Solak said. “And, I hope, those connections continue beyond church.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.