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John's Bio
John was born in 1946 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but his earliest memories are of a small home in Dayton, Ohio, where he lived with an older sister and younger brother and sister. The summer that John turned seven, his parents divorced and his mom moved them back to Pittsburgh where her parents lived. And so Pittsburgh became the area where John grew up.
The Presbyterian presence in Western Pennsylvania is quite strong, and John’s maternal grandparents considered church to be a central part of one’s life. John recalls that his neighborhood stood in the shadow of a Presbyterian church and most of his grade school class was in the Sunday School, and the elders of the congregation seemed to be the town fathers. Influential childhood experiences included summer church camps, singing in an Episcopalian boys’ choir, and living in a relatively enclave community of faith. It was during high school that John got involved in the youth ministry called Young Life and through contacts with his older sister began to listen to messages of faith designed to meet the needs of young people. At this point in his life, John learned of the personality of Jesus and was drawn into small group fellowship.
Attendance at Grove City College re-constructed some aspects of the enclave community of his childhood, and John spent his summers involved in a full-time youth ministry in an inner-city project. It was the demands of these two worlds, plus the nation’s turmoil in the late 60s, which convinced him to learn more about the Christian faith if he was to live out his convictions. Seminary became the place where he could find connections between the pressing issues that surrounded his world, and the themes that were continually emerging from the central resources of the church. In seminary, John learned of a process for finding substantial answers to life’s problems, the conceptual framework that enabled him to express his faith in a demanding world. “The Reformed Presbyterian Faith …and the (beauty of the) New Testament language and thought…has the capacity to give life and meaning…providing not only the content for our faith but also patterns for how to live out this faith.”
Through John’s various pastorates, he continues to learn about the ministry God has called him to and how sharing his faith with others helps those around him. Many of his congregations were coal-mining communities, and he learned that there were Biblical themes that provided both insight and answers for people who were immersed in this culture. He also worked towards renewal and growth in his churches. Again, John used Biblical themes that guided his ministry approach around God’s provision for human needs.
John has served in a variety of positions in various Presbyteries: Evangelism and Church Growth, Camps and Conferences, Congregation Support, Missions and Stewardship, and for a number of years, Preparation for Ministry. He has helped out in educational expressions, women’s issues, special events, church camps, retreats, and served as Assistant Clerk. He also organized a social gathering of Presbyterian pastors and worked for many years as Spiritual Director in the Great Banquet, a Presbyterian retreat similar to the Emmaus Walk.
John is happily married to his wife, Penny. She is currently serving as Elementary Principal of Penn View Christian School in Souderton, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. She previously held the position of Assistant Professor of Education at Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio. They have three children. Daughter, Beth, is married to Phil Lehman, and has three children, including a boy/girl set of twins. They live in Blacksburg, Virginia, where Phil is a graduate student. Daughter, Megan, is married to Scott Fraser, who founded a small software company called FMG Technology. They, too, have three children, including identical twin girls. They live in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, also near Philadelphia. And newlywed Son, Joel, and his wife, Janeen, live in Springfield, Ohio. They are currently working as caretakers of twin boys!
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