History

Early in January 1998, seven families gathered with the dream of starting a new church. Over the next seven weeks, the crowd grew as the fledgling church met in the banquet facilities of the Sheraton North in Warrendale and the Chadwick in Wexford. In March of 1998, New Community Church began holding services at Marshall Middle School; and almost seven years later, on December 12, 2004, we moved into our own facility on a 26-acre plot of land at the corner of Route 910 and Pearce Mill Road in Pine Township.

Today, we have two services (9 and 11 a.m.) each Sunday. Over 500 people gather on the weekends to grow in their relationship with God. After the service, people stay to connect over coffee at the Community Cafe. Children are growing spiritually in Kids’ Kingdom, and teens are finding direction in the turbulent years of middle and high school in Student Ministries. Our future continues to fill us with excitement and hope as God uses New Community Church to touch and change lives.

Join us on the adventure of knowing God more and finding a community of people with whom to do life's journey!

Our Statement of Faith

GOD
We believe that there is one God and only one God. God exists eternally in three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three persons of the trinity each equally possess all the attributes of God. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and all the things therein, thus manifesting His power, wisdom and goodness. By His sovereign power He continues to sustain His creation. By His providence He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
(Deut. 6:4; Mt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 8:6; Jn. 1:18; Acts 5:3,4; Gen. 1:1; Eph. 1:11)

THE BIBLE
The sole basis of our belief is the Bible, which is composed of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe the Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen people who wrote under the inspiration of God. Scripture thus at one and the same time speaks with the authority of God and reflects the backgrounds, style and vocabularies of the human authors. We hold that the Scriptures are without error in the original manuscripts. We believe the Bible to be the unique, full and final authority in any matter related to God, His work in the world, and how people are to know Him and live.
(2 Tim. 3:16)

SALVATION
The central message of the Bible is that God desires that people come into fellowship with Himself. Originally created to have that fellowship with God, humanity defied God, choosing to go their own independent way, and thus became guilty before God and corrupted in their nature. This has rendered people unable to please God. The fall of humanity occurred at the beginning of human history; and all individuals since have suffered the consequences of the fall and are in need of God’s saving grace. The salvation of people is, then, wholly a work of God’s free grace, not the result, in whole or in part, of human works or goodness, and that salvation must be personally appropriated by repentance and faith. When God has begun a saving work in the heart of any person He gives assurance in His Word that He will carry that saving work to completion.
(Gen. 3; Rom. 8:6-8; Eph. 2:1-3; Eph. 2:8, 9; Phil. 1:6)

JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the eternally begotten Son of God. He is the second person of the trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by a miraculous conception and virgin birth. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and voluntarily atoned for people’s sins by dying on the cross as their substitute, thus satisfying divine justice and accomplishing salvation for all who trust in Him alone. The death of Jesus clears us from the guilt we bear. The perfect life of Jesus is offered to God in place of the imperfect life we would offer. Jesus rose from the dead in a glorified body. He then ascended into heaven where He sat down at the right hand of the Father, where He, the only Mediator between God and people, continually makes intercession for His own. He will come again to earth, personally and visibly, to consummate history.
(Jn. 1:14; Mt. 5:17; 1 Pet. 2:34; 1 Jn. 2:2; Acts 1:12; 1 Tim 2:5; Acts 15:20)

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
As believers submit to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, they make progress toward a life of holiness and obedience to God’s standards of behavior. The Holy Spirit was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to apply Christ’s work of salvation to people. He enlightens the minds of sinners, awakens in them a recognition of their need of a Savior and regenerates them, giving them the desire to repent and believe. At the point of salvation He permanently indwells every believer to become the source of assurance, strength and wisdom, and uniquely endows each believer with gifts for building up of the body. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Bible. His power and control are appropriated by faith, making it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of God.
(2 Th. 2:13; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:7; 1 Cor. 2:14; Gal. 5:22)

HUMAN DESTINY
At death, the destiny of each person is sealed. For all humanity, there will be a resurrection of the body into the spiritual world, and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Those who have not come to trust in Christ will be separated from God into eternal condemnation. God’s judgment will reveal His justice in consigning them to perpetuate in eternal retribution due to their own rejection of God. Those who have come to trust in Christ alone for salvation will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.
(Mt. 25:31-46; Rev. 20:15; Mt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12)

THE CHURCH
When a person becomes a follower of Christ they become part of the body of Christ, the Church. There is one true church universal, which is comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Believers are instructed by Scripture to gather together for the purpose of worship, prayer, and teaching of the Bible and observance of the two ordinances established by Jesus Christ: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The church follows its biblical mandate when it teaches the truth of the Bible, properly observes the ordinances and administers church discipline to erring members.
(Eph. 5:27; Acts 2:42; Mt. 28:19; Lk. 22:19)

MARRIAGE
God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female, and these two, distinct, complimentary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Because God has ordained marriage and defined it as the covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself, NCC will only recognize marriages between a biological man and a biological woman.*
(Gen. 2:24)

*Subsequently, the pastors and staff of NCC shall only participate in weddings and solemnize marriages between one man and one woman. The facilities and property of NCC shall only host weddings between one man and one woman.

SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
(Ps. 139)

BAPTISM | COVENANT MEMBERSHIP | CHILD DEDICATION

MESSAGES | PLAN A VISIT

Our Leadership Team

The staff and leadership here at New Community Church is comprised of men and women who love, care, and pray for the people in the church and community. If you have any questions for any of our staff, feel free to reach out and e-mail them or call our church office at (724) 935-0909 to speak with them.

Adam Jackley - Senior Pastor circleemail circlefacebook circletwitterbird circlelinkedin

Adam joined the staff of NCC in 2010. Before his arrival, he spent four and a half years (2002-2006) in student ministry in Wexford, PA. Adam graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Public Health - Natural Sciences in 2002. In 2009, he completed his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and in 2019 received his Doctor of Ministry from the Talbot School of Theology. Adam and his wife, Katie, have a daughter, Selah, and two sons, Judah and Micah. Adam loves spending time with his family, enjoys exercising, and starts too many sentences with “In this book I’m reading …"
Joel Friend - Pastor of Discipleship circleemail circlefacebook circletwitterbird

Joel has served at NCC since October 2008. He graduated from Geneva College where he studied Youth Ministry and Sociology. He has served in our Student Ministries for the past 13 years until his recent call to become Pastor of Discipleship. Joel loves Pittsburgh sports, music, and learning. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Amber, reside in Cranberry Township with their children, Noah and Avelyn.
Matthew Mason - Worship Pastor circleemail circlefacebook circleinstagram circletwitterbird

A California native, Matthew was called to Pittsburgh in 2009 as an urban missionary with Urban Impact Foundation. Though he was raised singing gospel music, both his musical training (at California Baptist University) and experience have provided him with a diverse musical background. Matthew has been blessed to work with Disney, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, American Opera Company, and more recently, the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. He has had extensive experience singing for national contemporary Christian gospel recording artists including Steve Green, Norman Hutchins, and Zacardi Cortez, as well as being a singer/songwriter in his own right. His greatest fulfillment is in leading worship. Matt began leading worship part-time at NCC in 2013 and was hired full-time as Worship Pastor in 2018. He is currently attending Fuller Theological Seminary, pursuing a Master of Arts in Intercultural studies degree. Matt is married to Zuli, and they have two sons, Ezra and Elisha.
Julie Stewart - Director of Connection circleemail

Julie has attended NCC since 2013 and recently joined the staff to work with Vicki Carlson on the connection team. She is excited to help both new and current members connect with one another through new member events, small groups and serving opportunities. Julie and her husband Andrew live in Mars and have two sons, Loen and Wade. She enjoys exercising, golf and being active with her family.
Jess Krahe - Connection Coordinator circleemail

Jess has attended NCC with her family since 2017. Prior to joining the staff in 2024, Jess stayed home with her children for 11 years and was involved in various ministries at NCC. She enjoys welcoming newcomers to the church and helping people connect. Jess works alongside Julie Stewart to accomplish this through new member events, serving teams, and small groups. Jess is married to Joe, and they have four children: Paige, Joey, Cole, and Idrissa. She enjoys being active, being outside, and spending time with her family and friends.
Marianne Smith - Director of Children's Ministries circleemail

Marianne grew up in Massachusetts and relocated to PA in 2001. After a corporate career in Accounting, she had two sons, TJ and Joey, who are now almost adults! In her spare time, Marianne homeschools her youngest son and she enjoys hiking, kayaking, all things beach-related and watching both her boys play soccer. She is engaged to her fiance, Michael and they are working on their wedding plans and building a new home! Marianne has had the privilege of being on staff in NCC's Children's Ministry since 2007. She has a passion for helping families bring their children up to be disciples who will make disciples. And also a passion for finding any occasion to throw an ice cream sundae party!
Jen Haas - Associate Director of Children's Ministries circleemail

Jen joined the NCC family in 2011 and then was overjoyed to be called to serve on staff in 2024. In the past she has had the opportunity to utilize her Early Childhood and Elementary Education degrees to serve God and kids in roles such as an Elementary School teacher, a homeschool Bible teacher, NCC Children’s ministry volunteer, mom and foster mom. Through each of these roles Jen furthered her strong passion to come alongside both children and families and help them grow closer to one another and closer to God. Outside of work Jen would most likely be found enjoying time with her family. Together with her husband, Matt, they are blessed with two wonderful daughters, Kate and Evelynn, and two very opinionated pets.
Michelle Rice - Director of Women's Ministry circleemail

Michelle has attended NCC since 2010, but joined the staff in 2022. She is a graduate of Grove City College, where she majored in English Education. She taught middle school, high school, and college English before being called to lead NCC's women's ministry. She is blessed to have the opportunity to help women discover their purpose and make a difference for the kingdom of God. She likes to read, write, and exercise. Her husband, David, works at Passavant Hospital, and their boys, Ben and Jason are teenagers who attend Eden Christian Academy.
Sophia Roll - Associate Director of Student Ministries circleemail

Sophia joined the staff in February 2020 to work in Student Ministries. She has a Psychology degree from the University of Pittsburgh and extensive youth and children's ministry experience from multiple North Hills churches and parachurch ministries. Sophia has been active in church ministry since her high school years and has a passion for relational ministry and discipleship. She loves to lead worship in Student Ministries and is often found pouring into the lives of our young women. She enjoys reading and listening to music. One of her favorite books is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer.
Lee Haney - Associate Director of Student Ministries circleemail

Lee joined the staff in February 2022. He graduated from Thiel College where studied Religion. He has spent many years serving in student ministries as well as ministering to college students with the Coalition for Christian Outreach. Lee is married to Ashley and they have two daughters, Alivia and Aliza.
Mary Ann Diel - Assistant Music Director circleemail

Mary Ann grew up in a musical family and began playing jazz piano at a young age. After deciding to major in music, she attended The University of Miami in Florida as a jazz vocal and piano performance major. As a young adult, she became involved with worship music and performed with several Christian bands. Mary Ann has also been blessed to perform with jazz greats like Grover Washington Jr., James Moody, Nathan Davis, and Clark Terry. She also enjoys big band and jazz vocal arranging and has had her arrangements recorded and performed internationally. Mary Ann began attending NCC in 2016 when she and her husband moved to Gibsonia. She is now serving as a part-time Assistant Music Director at NCC. Mary Ann is married to Marty, and they have four children: Connor, Mackenzie, Luke, and Dylan.
Elaine Heitzer - Administrative Assistant to Worship Pastor circleemail circlefacebook

Elaine grew up in Saxonburg and has always loved living there. She has been involved in worship ministry for over 15 years and has a passion for pointing people to Christ. With a BS in Art Education and a love for painting, she enjoys helping to bring beauty to our worship spaces. Elaine joined NCC in 2009 and has been on staff since 2010. Elaine is one of our worship leaders and is married to Mike, who runs sound for our services. She has a son Chris and a daughter-in-law Vanessa. She enjoys motorcycle riding with Mike, attending Christian music festivals and concerts, flower gardening, singing and laughing.
Natalie Goodman - Children's Ministries Volunteer Coordinator circleemail

Natalie joined the NCC staff in 2019. She earned her B.S. in Secondary Education, English and Mathematics. Her love for the Children's Ministry grew from her time as a volunteer and watching firsthand the positive impact it had on her own children. Natalie enjoys hiking and biking with her family, homesteading, and quiet evenings reading.
Nate McClain - Director of Media and Video Productions circleemail

Nate joined the NCC staff in 2022. He majored in Broadcasting and Digital Media at Cedarville University where he became a leading member of the daily chapel and sports production as well as the student-run radio station. He started working at NCC as his first full time job and now helps lead NCC's Sunday morning production, manages IT and socials, and is responsible for all video creation. He loves nothing more than being able to tell a good story.
Ernie Kuhs - Facilities Manager circleemail

Ernie started attending NCC in 2012 and was married at NCC in 2013 by Mark Bolton. Ernie attended Rosedale Technical Institute and was self-employed as a general contractor for 14 years before he started working at NCC. Ernie is a jack-of-all-trades and brings his training and skills to improving the church's facility and keeping the church a welcoming place to our members. Combined, Ernie and his wife, Carrie, have five children: Emily, Grace, Ernie, Ian, and Stephen. Ernie enjoys hunting, shooting, fishing, boating, hiking, and spending time with family.
Gitti Hajduk - Business Manager circleemail

As one of the founding families of New Community, Frank and Gitti have been involved in various ministries since the church's beginning. They are both presently serving on the Elder Board. Frank has obtained his MBA, CPA and is employed by PNC Bank as Senior Vice President of Risk Management. He uses his accounting skills in the role of CFO for the church. Gitti is onsite to perform the daily tasks of receiving the offering, accounts payable, and all other related business functions. They have three children: Mandy, Eric, and Alex; and four grandchildren: Hailey, Ava, Sophie, and Anneliese.
Andrea Werth - Director of Communications/Office Manager circleemail

Andrea joined the NCC staff in 2017 and now manages all marketing and communications. Additionally, she oversees the day-to-day running of the office, support staff, and the Care Team.
She coordinates special events such as the baptisms, child dedications, weddings, and memorial services. She and her husband Justin reside in Harmony with their two daughters, Finley and Devyn, and son, Sully.

Our Board of Elders

The scriptures clearly teach that the roles of Elders in a local assembly of believers involve both shepherding and governance and that primary emphasis is to be placed on the shepherding role. The first century church established the precedent for an Elder focus on shepherding while delegating the organizational needs of the community to others:

“In those days when the number of disciples was increasing the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the Word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.’”
- Acts 6:1-4

Having defined the mission, purposes and values of New Community Church, the current and future Board of Elders will focus on

defining ends or results which are aligned with the mission, purposes and values and will delegate the determination of the means to

those ends to the Senior Pastor.

Erin Blechman

Erin, and her family, joined NCC in the fall of 1998 and she has been active ever since. She has served in Kids’ Kingdom, Family Time, KidZone, Student Ministries, Women’s Ministry and more. Erin and her husband, Bill, have also served as Small Group Leaders. Erin’s passion is to see marriages and families thrive and believes that Jesus is the key. She has served as an Elder since 2007. Erin and Bill are parents to Max and Sam.
Frank Hajduk

Serving presently as Chief Financial Officer at NCC, Frank has had a heart for this ministry since the beginning in March of 1998. He has also been an elder since then and has had other responsibilities as a small group leader. He uses his gifts as a member of the Stewardship Committee on the Elder Board.
Gitti Hajduk

Gitti and her husband Frank, a founding family, serve as the Business Managers of NCC. She has been an elder since 1998 and has used her talents on the Stewardship Committee. In addition to those responsibilities, she has served as a small group leader.
Adam Jackley

Adam joined the staff of NCC in 2010. Before his arrival, he spent four and a half years (2002-2006) in student ministry in Wexford, PA. Adam graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Public Health - Natural Sciences in 2002. In 2009, he completed his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and in 2019 received his Doctor of Ministry from the Talbot School of Theology. Adam and his wife, Katie, have a daughter, Selah, and two sons, Judah and Micah. Adam loves spending time with his family, enjoys exercising, and starts too many sentences with “In this book I’m reading …"
Aron Martino

Aron has attended NCC since the grand opening of the building in 2004. Aron has been involved in family ministries like Kids Kingdom, AWANA, Family Time, and KidZone. He has grown spiritually in small groups and discipleship triads. Aron and his family have a heart for adoption and missions and have led one of the Agros mission teams to Nicaragua. Locally Aron serves the homeless at Hot Metal Bridge ministry and serves as an Usher Leader and Student Ministry leader at NCC. Aron is married to Jenn and has three daughters Kyra, Ryann, and Leah.
Gary Proie

Gary's passion for ministry lies in service-based missions at a local and global level. Having been an active member of NCC since 2000, Gary has served in a variety of places in the church from Kids' Kingdom to the Missions Team, where he served as leader for seven years. He became an elder in 2015. He is a champion for Urban Impact Foundation, where he volunteers much of his time helping wherever he is needed.
Betsy Sicher

Betsy’s passion is for missions, both local and international, and she has participated in various trips as well as helped organize many local mission projects, including Compassion Day and Love Your Neighbor events. Betsy serves on the Mission Team and is a mentor in the Women’s Ministries mentoring program. She became an elder in 2017. She, her husband John, and three children have been active at NCC for over 15 years.
Rebecca Harper

Having attended NCC since 2011, Rebecca has consistently served in Kids’ Kingdom, AWANA & Kidzone, as well as taught in multiple other ministries. She has a passion for making disciples of Jesus both in community & through individual mentoring. Outside of the church, she runs a neighborhood Bible study. Rebecca has been an elder since January of 2022. She is married to Zach and they enjoy raising Luke, Benjamin & Meghan.
Bill Peduzzi

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Mark Milliken

Mark has been an active member of NCC since 2002. Mark has a passion for serving local ministries with his construction background and has been participating in and leading various mission trips with NCC for many years including the trips to Appalachia. Throughout his time at NCC, Mark has been involved in many ministries including Kids Kingdom, AWANA, Thrive, tech team, and small group ministry. Mark has participated in a number of discipleship and CLC groups. Mark and his wife, Erin, have three children. He has been an elder since 2022.
Matthew Mason

A California native, Matthew was called to Pittsburgh in 2009 as an urban missionary with Urban Impact Foundation. Though he was raised singing gospel music, both his musical training (at California Baptist University) and experience have provided him with a diverse musical background. Matthew has been blessed to work with Disney, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, American Opera Company, and more recently, the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. He has had extensive experience singing for national contemporary Christian gospel recording artists including Steve Green, Norman Hutchins, and Zacardi Cortez, as well as being a singer/songwriter in his own right. His greatest fulfillment is in leading worship. Matt began leading worship part-time at NCC in 2013 and was hired full-time as Worship Pastor in 2018. He is currently attending Fuller Theological Seminary, pursuing a Master of Arts in Intercultural studies degree. Matt is married to Zuli, and they have two sons, Ezra and Elisha.
Joel Friend

Joel has served at NCC since October 2008. He graduated from Geneva College where he studied Youth Ministry and Sociology. He has served in our Student Ministries for the past 13 years until his recent call to become Pastor of Discipleship. Joel loves Pittsburgh sports, music, and learning. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Amber, reside in Cranberry Township with their children, Noah and Avelyn.
Craig Polard

Craig is a fourth generation "Pittsburgher" that grew up in the church. He and his family have been attending NCC regularly since about 2010 when his son began participating in NCC youth ministries. Craig is married to his high school sweetheart and best friend, Kelley. They have 2 children, Brandon & Kylie, and live in Pine Township. Craig has a heart for both the local church as well as several other para-church ministries. He has served NCC in a variety of ways including welcome/parking team, manly camp & father/daughter night planning teams, youth ministry volunteer, mens ministry leader, small group leader. The Polard family also regularly volunteers and supports several other wonderful Christian organizations including Light of Life, Urban Impact, Pine Valley, Young Life, Eden Christian Academy, Pittsburgh Kids Foundation, The Family Wins and others. Craig is excited to be serving NCC as a new Elder in 2024!
Sam Anderson

Sam has been an active member of NCC since 2006. He has enjoyed serving in a variety of areas including Kids Kingdom & Thrive, mission trips to Appalachia, small group ministry, discipleship groups and now as an Elder in 2024. Outside of NCC, he enjoys working with Pine Valley Bible, Light of Life and More Grace Outreach. Sam and his wife Katie have two children.