Lehman installed pastor Salem Ridge Mennonite

PASTOR GALEN LEHMAN

On June 4, Galen Lehman was installed as the new pastor at Salem Ridge Mennonite Church, 441 Pensinger Road.

Born in Chambersburg, Lehman is from a family of eight. He grew up on a poultry farm in Chambersburg. He attended local schools and after graduation married Jeannie (Wadel) from Shippensburg in 1964. They have two daughters: Katrina, and author and high school teacher in Myramar (formerly Burma) and Twila, a registered nurse at Lancaster General Hospital, and married Randy Gerlach. The Lehmans have two grandchildren, Austin and Amber Gerlach.

Pastor Lehman was ordained in the Mennonite Church in 1969. He moved to Corning, N.Y. following Agnes Flood through the Mennonite Disaster Service. He started a new church in that area which is presently Corning Mennonite Fellowship.

Returning to his "roots" in 1980, he started a new Mennonite Church in Shippensburg in 1984 with contemporary worship. The church met in a bank community room, moving musical instruments in every service. A new facility was built in 1987 and an addition in 1997. He was the pastor there for 20 years.

Pastor Lehman has studied at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Team Work Ministries, Dove Fellowship and the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions.

He has been the interim pastor at Salem Ridge since June 2005 and was installed as the full-time pastor in June 2006.