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Where have you been? and what
have you been doing? - - - family, school, career, pastimes, good
times, etc.
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November 15, 2021
Dear Friends,
Not may of you know that the guy who was most unlikely to become a
Christian Minister is one. In fact, I have been an installed minister
in two churches. One for four years and one for ten years. I have
spent 26 years doing Interim/Transitional ministry. Paula and I have
done live talk radio. God has taken us to a great deal of adventures
from Israel to Western Colorado. Below is a brief biography.
The Reverend Stephen P. “Gutty” Gutridge
Eastmoor High School Class of 1966, 1970 B.S.c. University of
Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky,
1982, M.Div. Palmer Theological Seminary, Wayne, Pennsylvania.
The Reverend Gutridge became a Christian as a young adult in college.
The pastor at the
Hurstbourne Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky ended every service
with an Altar Call. God’s love and
grace were so compelling that Gutty finally surrendered to the Master
in the spring of 1969. Soon after he wed Paula Ray and they have been
happily married since. After graduation from college he went to work
in industrial sales and was transferred to the branch office in
Villanova, Pennsylvania in September 1970.
Christ became an increasingly more important part of his life. August
1978, he left the business world to
prepare for full-time pastoral ministry. He attended Eastern Baptist
Theological Seminary and graduated
with a Master of Divinity Degree in 1981. During his seminary
training he served as a youth pastor in
several congregations. 1982 he was installed as the pastor, First
Presbyterian Church, Chester,
Pennsylvania. He served there until 1985 when he and Paula founded,
Living Christ Ministries. Living
Christ Ministries was the parent ministry for their very successful
live phone-in radio program, “Curious
About Christ”, that aired one hour daily on WZZD, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. March 1996 the Lord
called him to a ten-year installed pastorate in Kennett Square,
Pennsylvania. Gutty has a very infectious
enthusiasm for Jesus Christ and His Church. He was thrilled to serve
Presbyterians for Renewal in 2006-
2007. He believes in the Christ centered renewal of individuals that
then renew churches and churches that renew denominations. Pastor
Gutty has served eight congregations as an Interim/Transitional
Pastor over
an eighteen-year period. Pastor Gutty has always had a heart for
people that do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He has been
trained at the, Billy Graham School of Evangelism, and other church
growth and evangelism courses and seminars. During the years he has
led hundreds of people to faith in Christ one on one and many more
through his preaching. He is an experienced conference and retreat
speaker as well as a successful local church pastor and a radio talk
show co-host. He and Paula have two grown sons; Charlie, married to
Mary Elizabeth, “M.E.” and Steve. Charlie and M.E. blessed them with
their first grandchild, James, in August 2000 and their first
granddaughter, Summer Raye, in September 2002. Their children are
committed Christians and all currently serve or have served in some
type of ministry. They enjoy two dogs
and in the past loved and cared for four horses.
He has spent his career sharing the life changing power of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, making
disciples and training leaders. He enjoys a fruitful
Interim/Transitional Pastoral Ministry at Glade Run
Church, Valencia, Pennsylvania. Gutty is always looking for ways to
be relevant to an ever-changing
culture without forgetting the needs of the established church
membership. He says often, “Let’s continue to be creative in shaping
effective ministry without forgetting who brought us to the dance.”
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