About

Let Me Introduce Myself!

I started out in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood of Akron, Ohio where I later served as pastor for eight years. I grew up in the Highland Square area of Akron graduating from Firestone High School where I enjoyed being in plays and “going through the chairs” in DeMolay. I earned a B.A. in Business Adminstration and Religion where I made time for the Adelphikos fraternity and Bette Lynn Speegle. We married and now have two adult children, Rachel and Robert Ramsey, born in the eighties. Recent information and photos are on my Facebook page and Flickr photo stream.

Work History

After graduating with a Business Administration degree from Grove City College in Pennsylvania, I spent 3 years earning my Master’s of Divinity degree at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky. While there I worked for PragmaTech Computers, was a chaplain at a prison and a hospital, and a student pastor at two churches.

After seminary graduation, I was pastor at First Presbyterian Church (now Community Presbyterian Church) in Rochester, Indiana for 10 years. During that time I was a charter member and President of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, president of Kiwanis, moderator of Synod School committee, moderator of the Geneva Center Committee and Recording  Clerk of the Presbytery of Wabash Valley.

I was pastor at Ottawa Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Ohio for nearly six years. During that time I was the chaplain and firefighter for the Ottawa Fire Department and moderator of the Committee on Congregations which administered grants and scholarships from a $200,000.00 investment fund.

In 1999, I took a break from the full time ministry and started full-time computer work at SSI Consulting Group in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, (SSI is now named Exelos). I worked on system design, installation and administration of computers workstations and networks, designing web sites, and commercial and custom programming. While there I was Parish Associate at Westminster Presbyterian Church and a frequent guest preacher in the churches of the  Presbytery.

From September 2001-October 2002, I was interim pastor of Delmont Presbyterian Church in Delmont, Pennsylvania. My service ended when the congregation elected an installed pastor after a year long search.

From February 2003-May 2004, I served as interim pastor of Latrobe Presbyterian Church in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  There I was head of staff and stay with the church through transitions of staff and the majority of their search for the next installed pastor.

From June 2004-August 2005, I was back in the computer field working in Computer Connections as a sales engineer. Working with networking, desktop computers, media centers, telephone systems, training, and repairs. 

From September 2004 through May 2005 I was part-time interim pastor (25% of full time) at Derry Presbyterian Church in Derry, PA. I led worship and help them find a way to provide pastoral leadership for the next chapter in their life together. We were able to intercede in a lawsuit over a will involving another church in a way that earned us a heartfelt thank-you and an apology from the other denomination for our settlement suggestion which was accepted. We reactivated the bell choir for special Christmas and Easter services. We moved toward tearing down the old manse which opened up more options for parking and pastoral housing.

From September 2005 through April 2013 I was the senior pastor of Goodyear Heights Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio. Working with others, I retired mortgage ahead of schedule, replaced roofs, building windows and parking lots, updated the sanctuary with multi-media capabilities without impacting traditional architecture, started a new worship community, served as President of Downtown Akron Kiwanis, created a contemporary service connecting media and spiritual disciplines, added new services for All Saints Day, Election Eve, Easter Sonrise and Christmas Day, started joint programs and mission outreach with daycare, gained television and newspaper recognition for our hospitality to our Muslim neighbors, redeemed underutilized space to increase rental income by $20,000 yearly, hosted outdoor walk in movies, park festivals, porch prayer team and a community drama troupe for at-risk teens, journeyed with a colleague Dr. Chuck Sandstrom from coma to Director of Outreach (video interview ), and worked with prison ministry programs

After 30 years of married life in the midwest, in May of 2013, I followed my wife to Carson City, Nevada. for something new under the sun. Carson City is the capitol and “elbow” of Nevada that jabs California in the area where my daughter, Rachel, lives. For two years I had fun, learned much and taught some as a Geek Squad Advance Repair Agent at Best Buy in Carson City (the wizard fixing computers behind the curtain). While I was there our Geek Squad went from the mid 700s out of 1,000 to the Number 1 rank among all the Geek Squads in the nation.

I currently volunteer for lunch, coffee, a stipend and credit at their computer outlet store at the computer recycling, non-profit Computer Corps in Carson City. I keep the Presbytery of Nevada website up to date and help them with their group mailings with mailchimp. I have preached in Carson City, Virginia City, South Lake Tahoe, Elko, Gardnerville, Lee Vining, and Truckee. Sunday mornings I’m usually enjoying worship at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Carson City.

People place too much emphasis on their careers.
I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude.

- Phil Conners, Groundhog Day, 1983

My Interests

My time on the Ottawa Fire Department was a special 3 years and I am still interested in firefighting and the volunteers that protect life and property.

I was involved with the PresbyNet (EcuNet) computer conferencing community for a dozen years, moderating the good, clean, religious, humor group called EcuLaugh. 

I am interested in communication in all forms. I have made radio shows in two states, led classes on newsletters and web communication, reached out to youth, edited the Presbytery newsletter, written for the Mission Yearbook of Prayer, run commentary on General Assemblies, and led worship using live web chat and instant messages. Video clips have been featured in my sermons and I’ve based Bible studies around significant movies.