The people God has called to serve Zion
A group of faithful people committed to worship, teaching, and serving the Carrick community together.
“Zion was launched on Christmas Eve of 1991 and has been a beacon of light in the greater Pittsburgh area.”
Pastor Dan Cramer grew up in Pittsburgh before attending bible college to pursue the Lord’s call to ministry in his life. He traveled to Scotland for an intensive with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) called Summer of Service, where he met his wife, Charlene.
They stayed in Great Britain to plant their first Church in Scotland and, eventually, a second church in England. Coming back to Pittsburgh in 1985, Dan and Charlene now pastor their third church – Zion Christian Church in Carrick – launched on Christmas Eve in 1991 at the Howard Johnson’s Hotel.
“They’ve established three churches in three different countries — three lights guiding people to safety.”
Charlene was called to ministry as a teenager, when God gave her a vision of herself in a boat on a stormy sea, leaving lights along the coastline to help guide people to safety. Charlene and her husband, Dan, have left “three lights” during their time in ministry: they’ve established three churches in three different countries and helped others to establish even more.
Charlene leads the Women’s Ministry and Prayer Ministry at Zion. She’s a talented Bible teacher, a comforting counselor, and a strong prayer leader – with a sympathetic heart for the hurting and an encourager to many.
Ed Freidenberger has a deep sense of the holy presence of God and leads our church in worship every Sunday. Voted Pittsburgh’s Best Pianist twice, Ed is passionate about guiding others into a personal, transformative connection with the Lord through music and song.
Pastor Tom Duke leads the Wednesday night Bible Study and often instructs and encourages the congregation on Sundays with a sermon. You can usually find him greeting everyone with a warm smile at the beginning of service — his love for Scripture and for people is evident from the moment you walk in.
With over 50 years of dance training and years as a professional dance instructor, Janet trained in tap, ballet, jazz, and lyrical throughout Pittsburgh. Her focus is now expressive worship dance — training with Dancing for Him Ministries includes expressive signing through dance, billow cloth, streamers, and more.
She leads weekly youth dance classes and hopes every student gains confidence, grace, discipline, and a deeper connection to their faith through movement and performance.
Josiah is 22 years old and originally from Texas. About three years ago the Lord brought him to Pittsburgh for a Discipleship Training School — and afterward He called Josiah to stay and serve as a full-time missionary. Now in his second year of full-time missions, Josiah leads the Alpha Youth Program at Zion.
He has been a blessing to the youth, growing in skills such as preparation and time management while faithfully serving others. He’s excited to see God use this ministry to impact students’ lives and looks forward to watching their relationships with Him continue to grow.
We’d love to hear from you. Reach out and our team will be glad to help.
