Brian Bolt

"...I wasn't used to doing things right..." - Brian Bolt

Brian Bolt is a pastor from the Pittsburgh City Outreach. This is a ministry that stems from Alison Park, an A/G church. His ministry is thriving, souls are being saved, and God is doing a great work in the inner city of Pittsburgh.

It all sounds good, but Brian's life was not always this great. From a young age, he experimented with drugs and alcohol. By the time he was twenty, he was addicted to heroin. His addiction brought him to a point of desperation - he was out of money, out of work, and out of a home. These circumstances led him into a life of drug trafficking. Soon enough, he was living a hopeless existence. He was living only to get his next fix.

One night, at the age of 23, he got into a scuffle at a bar. One man put a gun to Brian's head and shot him in the head. At that moment, Brian was actually happy to die. That night, the EMT told him he would not make it to the hospital, and encouraged Brian to pray a short prayer. 71 days later, Brian was ready to leave the hospital.

His life did not change immediately after that. Through a series of events, he ended up at a discipleship home. From there, he went to Master's Commission, and from there, he became involved in Alison Park Church.

Today, he pastors a church and works to plant churches in the area. The churches are meeting the needs in the area, as well as encouraging people to be the best they can be. His testimony is incredible! I think he is a great asset to the inner city because he can relate with so many of the needs present there.

Personally, I appreciate this ministry because of the great need of inner cities. There is so much need in the inner cities. It is somewhat easier to go to a foreign country on a missions trip than it is to bring the gospel to the inner cities. At least in a foreign country, you can leave after two weeks. I think inner city ministry is especially difficult, because it forces us Americans to realize that there are so many unreached people right here in our own backyard.

The harvest really is plentiful, right here in America.