Leadership

Elders

Rev. Matt Franchetti (Pastor)

Matt is a Philadelphia native, and partisan of all Philly sports teams. He is a graduate of Penn State (2005, Political Science), and Westminster Theological Seminary (2010). Matt is a deli-man by trade, and spent nearly 20 years in the food service industry (and other odd jobs) before entering the ministry in 2019. His passions include: bacon, beer, geography, politics and history.

Matt and his wife, Georgia (also a Philly native) have been married since 2005 and have six kids: Grace, Alyssa, Jacob, Jemimah, Evangeline and Gwendolyn. 

Rev. David Green (Assistant Pastor)

David grew up on a dairy farm in western Maryland. He was born into a Christian home in Hagerstown, and can’t remember a time he didn’t believe in the Bible. His dad was a part-time pastor, and his mom raised him on Bible stories. After studying genetics at Johns Hopkins, David felt called to go into full-time ministry. Since then, he has spent more than 30 years in campus ministry, first with InterVarsity, then with Reformed University Fellowship. He spent the majority of those years supervising other campus ministers. He attended Westminster Theological Seminary, and was ordained in the PCA in 1999. David became an assistant pastor at LVPC in March of 2021.

David and his wife Ruth have been in the Lehigh Valley since 1986, and have been at LVPC since the early 90’s. They live in Bethlehem (Ruth’s hometown), where they raised their five (now grown) sons: Daniel, Peter, Christopher, Stephen, and Benjamin. David continues to channel his inner farmer by gardening, and probably boasts the most impressive crops of any yard in Bethlehem. He also keeps busy with travel, his clarinet, and undertaking various home projects.

John Harley

In 1981 John and Patrizia Harley along with their daughter Kristina became charter members of
the Lehigh Valley Presbyterian Church. Upon becoming a particular church in 1982 John was
elected to the session and served as clerk of session for over 40 years.
John was raised in Venezuela where his parents were serving as missionaries on the Orinoco
River. Patrizia is Italian born and spent her formative years between Italy and Venezuela. Both are perfectly fluent in Spanish although Patrizia is one leg up being also fluent in her native Italian.

Throughout the years, Elder Harley has served as a moderator of the Philadelphia Presbytery, as well as serving on several presbytery committees (including Mission to North America and the Ordination Committees). At the General Assembly level, Elder Harley has served on the Board of Covenant College, the Theological Examining Committee, and the Nominating Committee. He also served on the original provisional session of Church Without Walls, and on a borrowed session for a church in Villanova.

Elder Harley and his wife have five children and seven grandchildren, one having gone to be with the Lord.

Ken George

Ken has attended LVPC since 1989. During that time he has taught adult Sunday School, served on the Christian Education Committee, and enjoyed many years teaching the Westminster Catechism to high school students. Ken and his wife, Denise, have four children, Mike, Andy, Sam, and Katie. Ken works in Information Technology at Air Products. He enjoys all types of sports, and in recent years has taken a particular shine to disc golf. He also enjoys reading and spending time with his family.

Deacons

Joe Michener (Chairman)

Joe and his wife, Kristina, were born and raised in Allentown. Joe graduated from Covenant College in 2003 with a Bachelors in English, and from New York University in 2006 with a Masters in Journalism. Joe has been involved in vocational support services for more than 19 years, and has spent the last 9 years managing multiple programs that help people with disabilities obtain and maintain employment. In 2011, the Lord blessed Joe and Kristina with their daughter, Elia Grey, and in 2014, their second daughter, Lyla Elise.

Phillip Hansell

Phillip has been a member at LVPC for over 30 years, and has served as a deacon for over 25 of them. He grew up in the rural suburbs west of Philadelphia, but moved to the Lehigh Valley in 1990 when he married his wife, Patricia (an Allentown native). Phillip has spent 30 years as a physician assistant. He’s also a handyman, doing lots of projects at home, especially small engine and appliance repairs. He also enjoys motorcycling and fishing up in Canada. Phil and Pat have four adult children: three sons and a daughter.

Chuck MacDonald

Chuck is originally from Boston, but moved to Bethlehem in 1985. He’s been trying to shake the Boston accent ever since. He came to faith while in college, and spent most of his career as a pharmacist and small business owner right in Bethlehem. He enjoys music of all kinds, reading and writing. He and his wife, Karen, have raised a small army of 8 children: Andrew, Michael, Paul, Stephen, David, Ruth, Rachel and Abby. They currently have 11 grandkids.

David MacDonald

David is a Bethlehem native, raised in a large homeschooling family. After spending many years in retail, he now provides social services for people with special needs. He is an artist, as well as an appreciator of the arts, including literature and music. He also has a rather extensive (and eclectic) film collection. He has been at LVPC since he was a teenager, and was ordained as a deacon in 2022.

Jed Harley

Jed was born and raised in Allentown, and has been at LVPC his whole life. He is a professional photographer and works in the advertising industry. He serves as LVPC’s videographer, and has been a deacon since 2022.

Jason Hansell

Jason was raised at LVPC, and has lived in the Lehigh Valley his entire life. He works in the plumbing industry, and doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He was ordained as a deacon in 2022. Jason and his wife Ivy live in Emmaus.

%d bloggers like this: