Our Session (Board of Active Elders):
Rev. John Van Meerbeke, Pastor
Pastor Van Meerbeke has been the Pastor at Living Hope since 1999. He has a degree in English from the University of Delaware and is also a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Before coming to Living Hope he was the Pastor of Merrimack Valley Community Church in North Andover, Massachusetts. John and his wife Barb have three grown sons and a growing number of grandchildren.
Rev. Shane M. Bennett, Assoc. Pastor & Moderator
Pastor Bennett was born and raised in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and has been a Pastor at Living Hope since 2022. He graduated from Baptist Bible College in 2008 and graduated from Westminster Seminary California in 2013. Before coming to Living Hope, he was pastor at Faith OPC in Fawn Grove, Pa. and was later the church planting pastor for Reformation OPC in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Shane enjoys the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing and will eat almost any wild game meat. Shane and his wife Rachelle have 4 children at home.
Rev. John W. Mallin
The Rev. John W. Mallin is a pastoral counselor. He has been an augmenting member of the session of Living Hope since 1996 and served as part-time interim pastor of Living Hope from January 1997 to April of 1999. He also served as part-time interim pastor of Redeemer OPC in Carlisle, Pennsylvania from May 2004 through October of 2006. Prior to December of 1991, when he began working as a counselor, he pastored churches in Maine and upstate New York for 11 years. Prior to that, he taught high school English in Middleburg, Pennsylvania, for seven years after which he attended Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is married, with four adult children and five grandchildren.
Mr. Johnny Johnsson, Ruling Elder, Clerk of Session
Mr. Johnsson was born and raised in Maryland and has been an elder at Living Hope since 2019. Prior to that he was involved in a PCA church in Maryland for 40 years, having been ordained as a ruling elder in 1996. He has a B.S. (Mining Engineering) from Virginia Tech (1985), an MBA, and worked in the stone quarry industry for 40 years. Married since 1989, he and his wife Dawn have three grown children and some grandchildren. Johnny enjoys mining history, outdoor activities like paddling and hiking, and travel.
Mr. Timothy Shatzer, Ruling Elder
Dr. Chris Wetzel, Ruling Elder
Mr. Robert McKeen, Ruling Elder
Mr. McKeen was raised in Balto Co., Maryland, having been born in Chicago in 1943, adopted as an infant, and moved to Baltimore in 1947 where his father was in charge of station operations for the B&O Railroad. He has been married to Debbie, his high school sweetheart, for 60 years and has two daughters and seven grandchildren. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with BSE degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering and an MAS (technical MBA). Debbie graduated magna cum laude with a BFA from the Maryland Institute of Art. Bob worked over 55 years in manufacturing operations associated with military and commercial components for microelectronics, weapons systems, avionics, radar, and fuel systems. Debbie and he were members of PCA and OPC churches in Md., NY, Fla., and now Living Hope. He is active in teaching, Bible studies, music ministry and leadership and is an active supporter of Gordon College and Westminster Seminary.
Our Deacons:
Mr. David Craine, Treasurer
Mr. Thomas Johnston
Tom has been a member of Living Hope Presbyterian Church since 1983. Having served as a trustee and elder, he currently is a deacon. Tom is retired from a career in agriculture, having worked in natural resource conservation, farming, and construction sales. He is enjoying retirement on his farm along the Mason-Dixon Line with his wife Mindy, where they raised four children and enjoy visits from their 13 grandchildren.
Mr. Douglas Forbeck
Our Staff:
Rebecca Brown, Administrative Assistant
Rebecca Brown began administrative work at Living Hope in 2018 and has been the administrative assistant since 2022. She enjoys doing the bulletin and cajoling the copier to behave. She lives with her twin sister, dog, and two cats.
Tracy Wetzel, Ministry Coordinator
In her role at Living Hope as Ministry Coordinator, Tracy works with the pastors and session to coordinate, lead, and plan the ministries at LHPC. She is also the committee chair of the Children's Ministry Committee.