Mo's West Park Diner Closed and Good Riddance

 Mo's West Park Diner, 719 Broadway, has reportedly closed for good. Couldn't happen to a nicer establishment.

In 2021, during the brief interregnum between pandemic lockdowns, I happened by the storefront and noticed it was open. Mask on, I walked in. The cook behind the counter asked if I had phoned in an order. No, I wanted to place an order. He told me I had to phone in the order. I started to do so on my phone, but he proceeded to start screaming at me that there was no indoor dining and I had to order outside the establishment. This quickly elevated into shouting; her practically chased me out of the restaurant.

Of course, I never phoned in the order. I would never have such as asshole prepare my food.

What a crying shame; not surprised at all. Karmic justice!

Two Historic Videos of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

 Below are links to two YouTube videos of the beloved (and soon closing) Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in McKees Rocks. The first I created today by running through the sanctuary while Jeff Kirk of Gerrero-Kirk Classic Organ Inc. played some music he had just prerecorded as well as performed live. The second video is of historic confirmation photographs I scanned and assembled into a PowerPoint which has been run for the past few weeks prior to Sunday morning church services.

Confirmation Photos from Mt. Calvary and St. John's Lutheran Churches

 Below are a small number of the confirmation photos from Mt. Calvary and St. John's Lutheran churches, which later combined to form Good Shepherd. There are also a few odd photos that the photography studio glued to the backs of other photos as extra support (guess which ones!).

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Content is ™ and © Donald E. Simpson 2021, all rights reserved.

Perseverance

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.—I Peter 4:12-13.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.—Matthew 5:11-12.

For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.—I Peter 3:17.

A Message from Pastor Ecola

Rev. Leander J. Ecola is a former pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church McKees Rocks, who served from 1986 to 1991. He recently sent me message of support, encouragement, and prayer in response to an email and the posting of my report on the struggles of the church he may have left behind, but has not forgotten.

A “Synod Takeover” of Good Shepherd

From the 2020 Diary of a Church Council Member:

In November 2019, the pastor and council president of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church McKees Rocks met with the synod bishop for two hours to discuss the future of the church. The following month, they reported back to the council that a “synod takeover” of the church could be imminent, in which case the council would be replaced and the synod would determine the fate of the congregation, the church building, Mt. Calvary Cemetery, and other assets. This dire warning was repeated at other council meetings.[1]

Three Christmas Trees and a Jewish Cemetery

These are photographs I took in December 2020 and January 2021 in McKees Rocks. I helped Bob Dudek set up the white-light Christmas trees in the sanctuary of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, and they were decorated with new replacement ornaments created by my brother Glenn and Creative Hands before the resurgence of the pandemic made rendered worshiping in person impossible. As a result, few people got to see these trees in person.