Deacons

[ Bios ]

Amber Bahler

How you have seen God at work in your life in the past 6 months to a year?

God has been developing my skills with regard to prayer and discernment, both in my life and in the ministries I’ve been involved in.  I am learning to embrace my limits by saying “yes” to that which is life-giving and “no” to that which is not.

What gifts, abilities and passions has God given you to assist you in being an elder or deacons?

I’ve led the prayer team for the past year or so and have a passion to see the Open Door become a community that better prays, discerns, and acts.  In my time at the Open Door I have often experienced God’s love in the practical service of others and I desire for others to experience that as well.

What dreams and visions do you have for our church to grow in Christ and his mission in the coming year?

I long for the Open Door to be a place where people are loved well by others and experience God for themselves. I also desire that each individual know who they are- their gifts, calling, strengths, weaknesses and brokenness, and who God is calling them to be.

Out of that, I believe, our love for others-our family, the Open Door, and the wider community- will flow freely.

What do you anticipate needing from the larger congregation to support and encourage you in your ministry as a deacon or elder?

Pray that I will act with discernment and say “no” in order to say “yes” to my calling.  I love feedback- let me know what is life-giving to you and what is not working.

Rachel Eanes

I have been a Pittsburgh resident since 2008. My husband Nate, four-year old son Donovan, and I live in the East End and have found Pittsburgh to be a great city. I have a background in social work, primarily working with children in foster care. I am currently focusing my time and attention on my family and church involvements.

Since 2009, we have attended Open Door and recently became covenant partners with the church. I am excited to serve in the capacity of deacon here. I am passionate about seeing people’s lives transformed by the awesome work of God. I have felt called to minister to this church in a variety of ways, through praying, meeting with people for coffee to listen, encourage, rejoice (and even sometimes cry), studying the Bible with a great group of women, and serving on the Mission Committee.

I deeply desire to see our church grow in its love for God and one another, excel in prayer, to find healing in our brokenness and to be ministers of healing to the broken all around us. I would like our church to be known as a generous church, one who puts love into action, and as a place of hospitality and connectedness.

Kylie Prymus

I moved to Pittsburgh in 2009 in large part to invest myself in the community at the Open Door. My wife and I live in Morningside and are privileged to be able to live Christ’s message by investing in our neighborhood and the people there. I work as a barista in Squirrel Hill and in my free time am passionate about cooking, reading, practicing yoga, and playing and designing board games.

My biggest desire for our church is to see it grow as a community that knows, lives life with, and helps one another. We are all called to serve in whatever way we can, and I hope members of our congregation know that each and every one of us has gifts that can be used to meet the needs of another. I believe that it is only through faith that we can trust one another enough to be truly called a community.

Quinn Reil

How you have seen God at work in your life in the past 6 months to a year?

I recently wrote in my journal an entry on the expensive nature of grace and how I never realized how much it costs the giver of grace. It helped me to understand that I don’t deserve the grace He gives me, but that He does it anyways, at great cost to Himself, because He loves me. I’m started to understand that my timing is not His, and His care for me is not related to whether or not things go the way I think they ought.

What gifts, abilities and passions has God given you to assist you in being a deacon?

One of my gifts is for administration. I’m organized and extremely task-oriented. I’m also involved with the work at Garfield Farm and serve on the advisory board. When I moved to Pittsburgh five years ago, I was involved in campus ministry, and I continue to be encouraged by volunteering my time with the New Life ministry at CMU. Sitting with some of the girls and talking with them about their plans, difficulties, and hopes continues to be one of the most rewarding parts of the experience, especially when I watch student after student go out into the world to live out their faith.

What dreams and visions do you have for our church to grow in Christ and his mission in the coming year?

I’ve seen two changes over the past year or so, and I’m looking forward to seeing more growth in these areas – first, an increasing willingness of people to admit areas of vulnerability and asking for the support of the community. In our culture, and in my own life, we often think we have to pretend like everything is fine when it’s really not. I think DNA groups are a great way to create a space for admitting when you need discipline, or nurturing, or accountability, and helps provide the framework for people to step up in supporting friends in need. Second, I’ve begun to notice a focus on prayer and I’m looking forward to where that pursuit of God’s heart will lead us.

What do you anticipate needing from the larger congregation to support and encourage you in your ministry as a deacon?

I tend to be a “do-er”. Show me a problem and I’ll figure out a way to work at it until it’s solved. While this might be an admirable trait in our culture, and perhaps even appropriate in some circumstances, it also means that I have a tendency to approach a situation without considering how God might want me to approach it. I need to learn to be patient and follow His leading rather than running too far ahead on my own.

Sandy Shelly

Coming soon…

Kyle Yeversky

How you have seen God at work in your life in the past 6 months to a year?

The past year has seen a lot of changes in my life, with God present in all of them!  This spring I was baptized at Open Door and accepted into the PULSE program (after first being waitlisted – sometimes God likes to teach us about trusting in Him while He’s answering our prayers!).  This summer I got engaged to the love of my life, took part in my best friend’s wedding, and gathered with family to celebrate the life of my grandfather, who passed away in February.  This fall I started PULSE, which has already had a tremendous impact on the way I view my role in the body of Christ.  Throughout this time, I feel that God has been building up restlessness in me – a sense that things need to change, both within me and in the city in which I live, and a longing to see that change happen.

What gifts, abilities and passions has God given you to assist you in being an elder or deacon?

God gave me a voice, and I believe He meant for me to use it!  I love to talk, whether it’s getting to know people during and after church or having serious, in-depth discussion about matters of faith, politics, social issues, or whatever else.  God has given me a passion for dialogue, something I think is monumentally important at a time when the Church is as fragmented as it is today.

I also love to sing, and I am very interested in getting involved with Open Door’s music ministry.  Worship through music is one of the ways I feel closest to God, and that’s something I’d love to be able to share with the community.

What dreams and visions do you have for our church to grow in Christ and his mission in the coming year?

It’s been so exciting for me to be involved in the discussion on racial reconciliation that Open Door is having right now.  I just moved to Stanton Ave when I started PULSE, and for the first time I’m really starting to wrestle with issues of racial separation and what it would look like to overcome that as a church.  I already feel that we’re taking some great steps in that direction, and I love having worship with folks from Valley View.  I think if we as Open Door are focusing on racial reconciliation as a primary goal for our community, there is a lot we can learn from them.

What do you anticipate needing from the larger congregation to support and encourage you in your ministry as a deacon or elder?

Prayer, and plenty of it.  I’m really excited to have been nominated to be a deacon, and I want to make sure I’m able to invest myself wholeheartedly into that role.  There are, however, plenty of other things that demand my time and attention (PULSE, planning a wedding, applying to grad school, eventually getting married and going back to school) and I don’t want to get overwhelmed.  So mostly what I will need is prayer for the effective management of my time and for my continuing sanity in an increasingly busy life.

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts!  I crave conversation, and I always want to hear other people’s ideas and viewpoints.  I think dialogue is one of the key components of healthy ministry, so it’s really important to me that I talk about things with other members of the Open Door community.