Rev. Evan Wildhack is Bethlehem’s 29th installed pastor. Here are some things to know about him:
- Born in the country of Panama (technically has dual citizenship)
- Both parents are Presbyterian ministers and younger sister recently graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary. Including Evan, his immediate family has a combined 7 theological degrees from 4 different seminaries (4 MDivs, 1 ThM, 1 DMin, 1 MAPT).
- Baptized as an infant at a Presbytery meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia; some can say he was pre-destined to be a minister.
- Spent the majority of childhood in St. Petersburg, FL; grew up attending Maximo Presbyterian Church where both parents served as co-pastors
- Went to college at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA where he studied music and minored in Christian Education
- Spent a year right after college participating in a discernment program affiliated with Pittsburgh Seminary called World Christian Discipleship
- Went to Pittsburgh Seminary and developed a strong interest/passion in worship leadership/planning and congregational song; graduated in 2017
- Served as a Theological Student Advisory Delegate at the 2016 General Assembly in Portland; served on the Way Forward Committee.
- After seminary, served as a Pastoral Resident for 13 months at First PC in Muscatine, IA.
- Is a current member of the Committee on Preparation for Ministry in the Presbytery of the James; also participated in the Community of Ministry and Worship, a cohort of pastors who have been out of seminary for 8 years or less.
- Favorite sports teams are the Tampa Bay Rays for baseball and the Pittsburgh Steelers for football. Not a huge fan of other sports.
- Self-professed sci-fi nerd; Star Trek, Stargate, Star Wars fan; also loves all the superhero shows on The CW.
- Served on planning team for the 2009 Montreat Youth Conferences and also a fan of the New Wilmington Mission Conference.
- Been on mission trips to Haiti (2014) and Vietnam (2017) and did a Habitat spring break trip to Mt. Airy, NC, during college.
- ISTJ on the Myers Briggs scale
- Plays the flute and piano and sings tenor
His ministry passions include, but aren’t limited to, worship leadership and planning, preaching, music/congregational song, teaching and working with young adults, and providing pastoral care to all ages.
