A Pittsburgh native, spoken-word artist, and former Baptist pastor with more than 20 years of ministry experience, as well as significant passion for serving minority populations, now-Episcopal priest Eric McIntosh ’12 was invited to develop a grassroots renewal ministry at St. James Episcopal Church in Penn Hills, Pa. His focus on evangelism led him to create “servant evangelism projects” aimed at reducing Episcopalians’ anxiety around sharing their faith with others. “Our ministry is from the community and for the community,” says Eric, who in 2013 received a generous ECF mission grant for “Reviving Cultural and Ministry Needs of the Penn Hills Area.”

Eric saw—and sees!—the largely minority community surrounding St. James as a ripe mission field. “The church is uniquely located where Christ-centered ministry can have great impact for the Kingdom of God and positive change for the community,” he notes. Toward that goal, Eric led the church to develop the mission of “Becoming, in Jesus Christ, a beloved community of refuge and reconciliation, offering a safe place to heal and be reconciled with others and God; of recovery and restoration, offering a place to discover the empowerment of salvation and to gain stronger faith, hope, and wellness; and of revival and renewal, offering in Christ eternal and abundant life that can be experienced today.”

Eric serves on the commission on Race and Reconciliation and on the Commission on Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. He has also served on the Spiritual Leaders Caucus and the Gun Violence Task Force of the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN), an ecumenical group engaging local government, congregations of people from a variety of faiths, local police, and the community to address social justice issues as well as the gun violence problem that plagues Pittsburgh's inner city communities.

A Pittsburgh native, spoken-word artist, and former Baptist pastor with more than 20 years of ministry experience, as well as significant passion for serving minority populations, now-Episcopal priest Eric McIntosh ’12 was invited to develop a grassroots renewal ministry at St. James Episcopal Church in Penn Hills, Pa. His focus on evangelism led him to create “servant evangelism projects” aimed at reducing Episcopalians’ anxiety around sharing their faith with others. “Our ministry is from the community and for the community,” says Eric, who in 2013 received a generous ECF mission grant for “Reviving Cultural and Ministry Needs of the Penn Hills Area.”

Eric saw—and sees!—the largely minority community surrounding St. James as a ripe mission field. “The church is uniquely located where Christ-centered ministry can have great impact for the Kingdom of God and positive change for the community,” he notes. Toward that goal, Eric led the church to develop the mission of “Becoming, in Jesus Christ, a beloved community of refuge and reconciliation, offering a safe place to heal and be reconciled with others and God; of recovery and restoration, offering a place to discover the empowerment of salvation and to gain stronger faith, hope, and wellness; and of revival and renewal, offering in Christ eternal and abundant life that can be experienced today.”

Eric serves on the commission on Race and Reconciliation and on the Commission on Ministry for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. He has also served on the Spiritual Leaders Caucus and the Gun Violence Task Force of the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN), an ecumenical group engaging local government, congregations of people from a variety of faiths, local police, and the community to address social justice issues as well as the gun violence problem that plagues Pittsburgh's inner city communities.