In October of 2013, Josh and Becky Tancordo began to develop an awareness of what they believed to be a tremendous need for the gospel in the Pittsburgh area. According to research, only 5-7% of Pittsburghers affiliated as evangelical (or gospel-believing) Christians. This led Josh and Becky to pray, visit the city, and finally move to Pittsburgh in order to start a gospel-teaching and Bible-believing church.
After moving to the city in August of 2014, Josh and Becky began meeting for a Bible study in their home on Tuesday evenings. Initially, this Bible study consisted of just the two of them and one other lady. Before long, however, more people began to come. After about a year, the group needed additional space, so they started using another church’s building on Sunday evenings. At this point, it was still just a Bible study. Yet, as the group continued to meet, more people who were interested in starting a church began to attend.
Then finally, in October of 2016, fourteen people from the Bible study officially covenanted together as members of Redeeming Grace Church. They moved their meeting time to Sunday morning and began renting a building. A church had been born!
Throughout the next year and a half, attendance and membership continued to grow. Because of this, the church moved from their rented building into a local elementary school in June of 2018. According to Josh, “This is yet another example of God providing exactly what we needed at exactly the right time.” In addition, when the church lost its meeting location at the school during the COVID-19 pandemic, it found another suitable venue at a local hotel, where it continued to meet for another year and a half.
However, in Josh’s words, “The best was yet to come.” A member of Redeeming Grace had a connection to another church in the area that had come upon hard times and was about to close. One thing led to another, and the pastor of that other church agreed to sell their church building and three-acre property to Redeeming Grace for less than the average price of a house in the area! Although the building needed a lot of repairs, Josh believes it was yet another example of God’s extraordinary provision.
Josh concludes, “Since moving into our new home, God has continued to bless our church and use us for his Kingdom in this area. Numerous people have come to faith, and numerous lives have been changed.”
More information about Redeeming Grace is available at: https://goo.gl/maps/u7VrwgT9PxFtYNkU8
Redeeming Grace Church
7189 Baptist Road
Bethel Park, PA 15102
(412) 525-2243
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