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Member Spotlights at Community Presbyterian Church |
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Member Spotlights at Community Presbyterian Church |
Pete Candreva
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What is your name? Pete Candreva
Where were you born? North Allegheny School District in what was once farm country but is now called Fair Hill Farms
Where do you live now? Emsworth
Tell us about your family: I’m the last of 5 siblings. In order from oldest: Anne-Marie, she is a computer scientist working with Carnegie Libraries in charge of the electronic data for the library systems of Allegheny Co.; next is Mike, he is the chief mechanic in the largest ford dealership in Arizona, he is married to Donna and they have two kids, Mac and Angie; next is Phil, he is a commander in the Navy and is married to Ilene, they have 3 kids, Chris, Andy, and an adopted Romanian boy named Liviu, and next is Terri, she is an English teacher and Special Ed. Curriculum Director for a Maryland County school district, she is married to Adam. My mom and dad live in Wexford. I am married to Vanessa, who is the Interim Vocal Director.
Do you have any
pets? No pets right now, used to have a 29- and 10-gallon fish
tank but they don’t fit in the apartment we have now. When
we get a house we plan on getting a Samoyed puppy and a Malamute
puppy. Ideally I would love to raise a wolf pup, but Pennsylvania
has laws against that (smile).
How long have you been a church member? About 7 years, Vanessa
about 11 years
What committees are you on (or were you ever on) and/or what offices do you hold or have you ever held (deacon/elder)? I have been a mentor for confirmands, two years in a row. Also, I have filled in teaching Adult Sunday school on occasion. Currently, and for the past several years I have been working trying to keep our sound system in the church sounding decently. That is the toughest task, since some of the components are from the 1970’s.
What is your favorite thing about CPCBA? I love the way that the members rise up to any challenge to help or to fill a need or want that the church may have.
What are your favorite church activities to participate in? I like to help out where my abilities can be used. I do also enjoy the bible studies and book studies that we have had.
What has been your biggest spiritual influence? For the past 8 years I have been getting together with several men, once a week, reading the Bible for 2 hours and praying for an hour. These men have been the single most spiritual influence in my life. We started doing this to reflect the ministry Christ taught us in his example. While yes, Christ had 12 disciples; he had an "inner circle", so to speak, in James, John, and Peter.
Do you have a favorite bible passage? To say any one passage is a favorite would be doing a grave injustice to the other God-breathed words of Scripture. However, one that has great meaning to me, in its simplistic way that it sums up the gospel is from Hebrews 10:9-10 "… then He added, ‘Lo, I have come to do thy will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all." RSV I really like this because it shows one, the supreme sacrifice of Jesus; two, that He abolished the Law so that we shall not be condemned anymore by it; and three, that He has, by His sacrifice and through the work of the Holy Spirit sanctified us (a continual process through which our lives are made progressively more like the image of Christ)
Do you have a favorite prayer? In a word no, not that I don’t appreciate the formal prayers taught to us from a young age, but I believe that when I pray that I need to be humbled before God, and speak from the heart, asking for His will to be known, for the strength needed to do His will, and the compassion to carry out His will appropriately.
How about a
favorite hymn? ~Tongue in cheek~ anything sung by my wife
What is your educational background (where did you go to college
if applicable, what are your degree(s)? Right after high
school I went to Grove City College (this is where I met most of
the men I read with weekly that I mentioned above). I wasn’t
mature enough at that point in my life and failed out of college.
I went into the military for a couple of years 1990-1991. I met
Vanessa in 1994, married in 1996, and we both decided it would be
best for me to go back to college. In 1997 I started at CCAC and
then transferred to Pitt, where I earned my B.S. in Physics two
years later in 1999. I am also more than half way through a M.S.
in Science Education.
What do you do for a living and/or what have you done in the past? Currently I am certified to teach Physics, and have done so the past two years in the Pittsburgh Public School District. This year I am the entire science department at a very small, all-boys, Orthodox Jewish day school called the Mesivta of Allegheny Co. It is located in White Oak. I have also spent approximately 7 years in the jewelry business: selling, office management, and designing. If anyone wants to see my work, look at my wife’s wedding ring and band. As mentioned earlier, I was in the military (Air Force) for almost two years and was stationed at Elmendorf AFB, in Anchorage, AK.
What are your hobbies? I love electronics, which plays its part in two ways: first, I love building computers for my use, and secondly, I love sound equipment. This two-part love works itself well, in that I have built computers for my wife to compose music on. I am also currently working on upgrading the sound system in the church with a few other people. I also love to read. I don’t read fiction, my book shelves contain either science related material, theological material, or books on how science and religion can both exist harmoniously. I also have a 1975 Honda motorcycle that I am working on to be ready to ride this summer… I can’t wait.
What are some of your favorite movies? I really don’t get into movies too much. I look for a solid theme/plot, and good acting no matter what genre the film may be. Unfortunately, not too many movies have these traits. However, recently I did see I am Sam, with my wife. We both thought that Sean Penn did a wonderful job in such a difficult role.
How about songs/groups/musicians? Being married to a musician, my tastes have become eclectic. I could be listening in my car anything from Thelonious Monk to Van Halen to Barry Manilow to Frank Sinatra to Duke Ellington to any of the current heavy metal bands out now. I have to make a plug here also for a Christian artist: Michael Card. This man plays from so deep from his heart that any man, woman, or child would love his music.
What are your
favorite TV shows? Like with movies, I really don’t get
too into TV… however anything on the History Channel, the
Discovery Channel, or National Geographic is good. I also like
Nova, but I like any good comedy or any good cop show now and
then as well.
What is the last book that you read? Darwin’s Black
Box, written by Michael Behe. It is a book written by
a biochemist (also a Christian) who discusses different
evolutionary theories from both a scientific and Christian
standpoint.
What book(s) are your favorites (maybe you can read them over and
over)? When I was a teenager I read the Hobbit and the Lord of
the Rings trilogy about 11 times… but as you can see from my
current reading list, these our books that I read and then
reference later… not necessarily read over and over.
Do you have a favorite quote or poem? I like the one by Shel
Silverstein entitled My Beard. It goes:
My beard grows
to my toes
I never wear no clothes
I wraps my hair
Around my bare
And down the road I goes
Also, two of my favorite quotes, both from the same author are:
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
"I want to know the mind of God, the rest are details."
Challenge to the church: who is the author of those two quotes?
What is your favorite place where you have vacationed or visited? This is a no-brainer… Cabo San Lucas, which is located on the Baja of California peninsula of Mexico at its very southern tip. This is where my wife and I vacationed.
What other
community groups/activities are you involved in or have been
involved in the past? I am also part of the Community Theatre
Players. I am working on what will be my third play with them. I
do lighting and sound work for them, but the players have been
kind of hinting about getting me up on stage. I’m not sure
if I will do that in the near future or not yet.
Thanks Pete for allowing us to get to know you better! If you see Pete, let him know you enjoyed reading about him! If you would like to volunteer yourself for a spotlight, please e-mail me at houser@nb.net, or call me at 412-732-9599.
Thanks, Susan
Houser
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