Leadership

Bob is the senior pastor of Bethany Church. I am passionate about seeing people come to know Christ and grow in their relationship with him. I received my BA from Houghton College and a MDiv. from Trinity School for Ministry, and I am currently working on a Doctor of Ministries at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

I have been married for almost ten years to my wife Becky and we have four kids, Robbie, Andy, Ellie, and Lucy. I like to spend time with my family, working on our house, reading, and hiking. When we go into Pittsburgh we love eating Thai food at Lulu Noodles.

Good day, my name is Jon D’Angelo and I am the current Youth Pastor at Bethany Presbyterian Church.  I am a husband to the most incredible woman, Ashley D’Angelo (current children’s ministry director at Bethany) and father to three beautiful children (Tobiah (4), Ezekiel (2), and Briella (1)).  I am originally from Beaver County (Midland, PA) but when Ashley and I got married (08/14) we moved to Ohio until this past October of 2020 when we made the move to Mercer.  I am currently enrolled at Ohio Christian University completing my Bachelors in Leadership and Ministry with a biblical studies focus.  I am aiming to graduate in February or March of 2022. I was raised in church all through high school, and while I strayed during my college years I can see, looking back, how God used all the events of those years to help bring me back to alignment with Him and being devoted to living my life for Him.  I was a 3-sport athlete in high school (baseball, basketball, football), played football at Marietta College in Marietta, OH for 2 years, and went on to play 4 years of professional arena football.  I have coached at both the junior high and high school levels (basketball and football).

Teaching, leading, and coaching are passions of mine and  Youth Ministry is so fulfilling in those ways.  Youth ministry is without a doubt my passion and I love being able to share knowledge and wisdom to the next generation to help them navigate these important years ahead of them!  I’ve also had the incredible opportunity to launch a Young Adult Ministry here at Bethany.  This group is for 18-30yr old and the purpose is to form a tight knit community where we don’t pressure people into faith, we can help educate and empower them and hopefully over time see them profess a faith built on God, the rock as their foundation.

Born and raised in Youngstown, OH, I graduated from Boardman High School and then studied at Westminster College with a dual degree in Elementary Education and Christian Education. I taught sixth grade science and social studies for six years at Springfield Local Intermediate School in New Middletown, OH, coaching a wide variety of sports for both boys and girls. Answering a call to the ministry, I attended Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, serving as a youth pastor throughout my years in seminary. Over the course of my 32 years in pastoral ministry, I have served churches in New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, most recently serving as the pastor of Center Church, EPC in Grove City for 12 ½ years.

Along with my wife Cindy, son Josh, and Miniature Australian Shepherd Belle, I live in Grove City. I enjoy gardening, reading, exercise, music, and drawing. Belle and I compete in disc dog competitions and occasionally perform shows for schools or churches like Bethany. I am blessed to serve as the part-time Visitation Pastor at Bethany Church, and it is my joy and privilege to share the compassion and love of Christ with those who are sick, homebound, grieving the loss of a loved one, or may have other pastoral needs.

³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.   When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
 – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Here is a little bit about me, my name is Ashley D’Angelo (maiden name is Ricciardi). I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers. I have 5 nephews and 2 nieces. I am 27 years old. I have been married to Jonathan D’Angelo since August 8, 2014. We have three amazing children; Tobiah, Ezekiel, and Briella. I graduated high school in 2012 and graduated college in 2016. I was in the Ohio Army National Guard from 2012-2020. I have a passion for kids and kid’s ministry, I love teaching them about Jesus and watching them learn about how amazing He is. I love being involved in youth ministry, which I get the honor of doing with my husband. It is the most amazing thing watching teens “get it,” really “get it.”

Josiah Forton is the worship leader and technical assistant at Bethany Church. He and his wife, Emily, have two children, Lillian and Noelle. When they have time together as a family they love to be outdoors, exploring new places and going on family road trips. Emily is a soon-to-be registered nurse, and Lillian and Noelle are skilled masters at having fun. Josiah is a Geneva College graduate, where he studied music and business, as well as a graduate of the Contemporary Music Center in Nashville, where he worked in music production. He is a self-admitted, unashamed coffee-snob who enjoys the process of making coffee just as much as he enjoys drinking it. Couple his home-roasted, home-brewed cup of coffee with a broken-in armchair, a fireplace, and a good book, and Josiah is in his happy place. Josiah is passionate about music, and more specifically, he is passionate about the utilization of music for the glory of God and the edification of the Church. He feels privileged to be given the opportunity to contribute in this way at Bethany.