April 1, 2015 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Peeved about potholes? PennDOT says call

PennDOT issued a reminder to motorists on Wednesday, April 1, that it wants to know about the location of particularly problematic potholes on state roads.

Craters in Delaware County can be reported by calling 610-566-0972. Complaints about Chester County’s axle-eaters should be directed to 484-340-3200. Reports can also be made online at www.dot.state.pa.us by clicking on “submit feedback” on the lower left-hand side of the page.

“Extreme temperature changes and precipitation this past winter has caused a severe outbreak of potholes on older surfaces,” said PennDOT Acting District Executive Christine Reilly in a press release. “We encourage citizens to report pothole locations to our toll-free number or online, so crews can repair them as quickly as possible.”

As weather permits, PennDOT crews are working daily to repair potholes on state highways throughout the five-county Philadelphia region. Crews have placed 4,000 tons of patching material on state roads in the region since Dec. 1, 2014, the release said.

A pothole develops when water seeps below the road through small cracks in the pavement surface. As the water repeatedly freezes and thaws due to temperature fluctuations, a cavity forms below the surface and larger cracks develop, which destroys the strength of the pavement.

When reporting a pothole, citizens are asked to be as specific as possible when providing pothole locations or other maintenance concerns such as deer removal or signing issues. For state routes, citizens must report the county, municipality, street name and route number, or the state route (SR) number that can be found on small black‑and‑white signs posted along state roadways. Citizens should also provide a description of any familiar landmarks that will help PennDOT locate the problem area.

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Police provide sobering news on DUI perils

Police

When the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) teamed up with officers from 23 municipalities last weekend for a DUI training and enforcement initiative in Chester County, the numbers exceeded expectations.

During eight overnight hours on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28, police stopped 928 vehicles. More than 13 percent of the drivers – 124 – were arrested for driving under the influence; drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol impaired 26 of them, a state police press release said.

Forty-four drivers received speeding citations, 10 were cited for seatbelt violations, and nine were flagged for underage drinking. Officers gave out 358 traffic citations, issued 807 warnings, and made 29 criminal arrests, the release said.

In addition, police seized three illegal guns as well as heroin, crack cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, illegally possessed prescription pills and $4,200 in cash, according to the release.

Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said that the initiative, an example of “outstanding law enforcement cooperation,” provided “sobering numbers” about the amount of impaired drivers on area roadways.

“We are very pleased with the results,” said Trooper Samantha Minnucci, a spokesperson for the Avondale barracks. “All of the hard work this past weekend is shown in the results.”

Minnucci said the program, which is called “Operation Nighthawk,” has been used throughout the state for the past 13 years. It combines classroom instruction in DUI enforcement and motivational workshops with actual DUI roving patrols in an effort to curb drunken-driving. Minnucci called this year’s effort “the most successful in PSP history.”

The 2015 initiative was dedicated to Trooper Kenton E. Iwaniec, a 24-year-old recent graduate of the Police Academy who had just finished a shift at the Avondale barracks on March 27, 2008, when he became a DUI fatality. Iwaniec was returning home to Lancaster when a woman with a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit slammed into his Hyundai Elantra head-on.

On Saturday, March 28, Iwaniec’s parents, Ken and Debby Iwaniec, addressed the 127 state and local police officers who participated in the program. The couple has launched a tireless crusade to fight drunk-driving since their son’s death seven years ago

State police said the program has been successful in helping remove impaired drivers from the roads. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drunk drivers kill nearly 30 people each day in the U.S.; this amounts to one death every 51 minutes.

In Pennsylvania, drunk-driving fatalities – 368 in 2013 – represented nearly a third of all total traffic deaths, a 9.6 percent decrease from the previous year, according to statistics maintained by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

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Coroner’s Office IDs 2 plane crash fatalities

Local News

The Chester County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday, April 2, identified the two victims of a fatal plane crash in West Goshen Township on Sunday, March 29.

Joseph Deal, 64, of Drexel Hill, the owner of the Piper PA-28-140, was piloting the fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft. He was accompanied by Richard C. Poch, 67, of West Chester, a certified flight instructor. Patty Emmons, the public information officer for the Coroner’s Office, said both men died of “multiple injuries.”

Poch was a flight instructor with TAS Flight School, a Cessna Pilot Center at Brandywine Airport, according to online records. He was also listed as a 30-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served a stint as a space shuttle mission controller with NASA.

National Transportation Safety Board Senior Air Safety Investigator Tim Monville described the flight as a “check ride” or “flight review.” Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, licensed pilots periodically undergo a proficiency test, accompanied by a certified flight instructor, Monville said.

He said a witness described seeing the flight take off about 1:30 p.m. from Brandywine Airport in West Goshen Township, hearing the plane’s engine sputter, recover, sputter again, and then bank left before disappearing. He said his agency is working with the West Goshen Township Police Department and the FAA to determine the cause of the crash.

Gleason described the crash site off of the 1000 block of Saunders Lane as primarily industrial, approximately a half-mile from the airport. He said his officers could not get near the scene until firefighters extinguished the fiery wreckage.

Monville said he expected a preliminary report to be released next week. The follow-up analysis report would likely take between nine and 12 months, he said.

John S. Kassab, manager of the Brandywine Airport, said that while he could not comment on the specifics of the accident during the investigation, the airport maintains an excellent safety record. According to the NTSB Aviation Accident Database, which dates back to 1982, only one other fatality occurred at Brandywine and that was in 2005.

Kassab said the airport, which handled more than 40,000 flights last year, serves many of the businesses around the Route 202 corridor, along with medical rescue and transfer flights, chartered flights, law enforcement activities, pipe and power line patrol, air freight and personal use. The airport provides the same services as the Philadelphia airport, minus the international flights, he said.

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Around Town April 2

Along the Ford

Lenape-Bridge_1JF1697 — Around Town April 2

• The Route 52 Bridge, also known as the Lenape Bridge, spanning the Brandywine Creek between Pocopson and Birmingham Townships is closed for resurfacing. According to PennDOT, the closure will run through Friday, April 3. (See photo)

• The Chadds Ford Historical Society now has new hours. As of April 1, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.

• The Penn State Chester County Master Gardeners Hotline will be open starting April 1 for the 2015 gardening season. You can call the Penn State Extension Office at 610-696-3500 with your garden-related questions on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chester County Master Gardeners answer questions on a variety of topics including growing vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, native plants, invasive, turf grass, plant identification, pruning, trees, and insect and disease problems. Advice encourages the use of integrated pest management and environmentally sound practices. You can also email your questions and photos detailing your issues to Chestermg@hotmail.com.

• The Sanderson Museum opens a new exhibit on President Abraham Lincoln on Thursday, April 16. It runs through July 31. Sanderson President Sue Minarchi said the exhibit will focus on the assassination, but there are many other artifacts related to Lincoln and the Civil War on display.

• On Thursday, April 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Uptown! Entertainment Alliance will present vocalist Rhenda Fearrington as part of its Jazz Cocktail House series. Fearrington is true to her roots, which include performing on the international stage as a backup singer for Roberta Flack. She is also an educator, writer, columnist, and reviewer of the Philadelphia Jazz scene. Uptown’s casual, popular Jazz Cocktail Hours are held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ballroom at Westside, 430 Hannum Avenue in West Chester. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at www.uptownwestchester.org.

• Crozer-Keystone Health System will offer a comprehensive health-screening event on Saturday, April 25, from 8:15 to 11:30 a.m. at the Crozer Medical Plaza and Crozer-Keystone Cancer Center at Brinton Lake, 500 Evergreen Drive in Glen Mills. Registration is at 8:15 a.m. Screenings begin at 9 a.m. and include glucose/cholesterol (fasting required) checks, prostate screening and PSA, breast exams, sleep disorder screenings and more. To register, call Debra Simon, director of Healthline Services, at (610) 284-8158 or e-mail debra.simon@crozer.org For more information about Crozer Brinton Lake, visit www.crozeratthelake.org.

• The Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art want people to “Go with the Flow,” on Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. Learn about easy and practical methods to reduce erosion and improve the health and ecological functioning of the stream on your property. Join us as Dr. Melinda Daniels, Associate Scientist at Stroud Water Research Center, speaks about stream restoration. Daniels’ expertise includes river restoration, watershed management and stream ecosystem science. Her research topics include our impact on rivers, improving management and restoration of rivers, how people perceive river environments, and the process of communicating science to river managers and stakeholders. Free. Advanced registration required. Please call 610-388-8386 or send an email to loldsschmidt@brandywine.org. There will be wine and cheese at 6 p.m.

• Get involved in one of the largest tree-planting parties that Natural Lands Trust has ever hosted on April 25 from 9 a.m. to noon. The goal is to add more than 650 trees at the 1,263-acre ChesLen Preserve in Newlin Township. This large-scale tree planting is part of an important riparian buffer project in the southwest area of the preserve. Preserving riparian buffers (the land around waterways) is one of the best ways to protect and improve creek water quality. No experience is necessary; instruction, tools, and snacks will be provided. Suitable for ages 8 and up. The event is free, but pre-registration is required at https://www.natlands.org/event/volunteer-treevitalize-cheslen-2015-04/.

• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library has announced the addition of Art Needlepoint to its exclusive Winterthur Licensed Products Program. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Art Needlepoint produces intricately designed needlepoint canvases for every taste and skill level. Winterthur’s founder, Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969) loved textiles for their colors, patterns, and textures and purchased many for the museum. Art Needlepoint’s first collection for Winterthur includes nearly 50 designs, which can be purchased online at www.artneedlepoint.com or www.winterthurstore.org.

Join Chester County Futures on Tuesday, May 12, at noon for its annual Women’s Empowerment Luncheon. The keynote speaker will be Dom Streater, a native Philadelphia fashion designer and winner of Project Runway Season 12. The fundraiser will be held at People’s Light and Theatre Company in Malvern. To register, visit http://ccfutures.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=1130665#sthash.OCxfmQxh.dpuf

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Photo of the Week: In Kilter

Photo of the Week

in kilter_1JF1669_HDR — Photo of the Week: In Kilter

The front of the blanket makes a horse seem as if it’s wearing a kilt or a very short mini dress.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

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Adopt-a-Pet: Milo

Home and Leisure

Meet Milo.

I am a three year old, white and gray calico spayed female. I was surrendered to the shelter on Jan. 17. I love people but am selective over sharing my space with another cat. The stress of cage living has led to some facial hair loss and I hope it returns when someone chooses me as a forever friend.

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Police Log April 2: Thefts, accidents, DUIs, drug possession

Police

• A 19-year-old from Brookhaven is accused of stealing from the Target store in Concord Township. According to police, Ahjee Garrett stole $816 worth of female clothing and jewelry from the store on March 25.

• According to a state police report, someone stole $800 in cash from a car parked in the State Farm parking lot on March 25.

• 46-year-old Coatesville resident John Henry Daniels was arrested on retail theft charges on March 13. A police report said Daniels was arrested after employees at the East Marlborough Walmart observed him removing items from the store without paying for them.

• One person reportedly received a minor injury after her car was struck by another on Brandywine Drive in Chadds Ford Township on March 26. According to police, Allen E. Eagles Jr., 55, of Reading, was turning left out of a parking lot when he hit the other vehicle.

• K-G-Jan Pillai, 79, of West Grove was charged with careless driving and was one of two people injured in a traffic accident at the Walmart in East Marlborough Township on March 17. According to police, Pillai was attempting to park his vehicle when he overshot the parking stall, mounted the divider between rows, crossed a 2-foot wide divider and hit another vehicle. He then, police said, shifted into reverse, completed a crescent-shaped turn, crossed onto the sidewalk and hit the front of the Walmart entrance. Both vehicles were disabled and the wall had noticeable damage. A trashcan was also destroyed. Pillai was transported to Jennersville Hospital. An occupant in the other vehicle was also injured, but there was no transport.

• Anne W. Kamau, 23, of Upper Darby, was arrested for DUI at 2:01 a.m. on March 26, according to police. The traffic stop was made on Route 1 at Route 82.

• State police also arrested Scott Douglas Riale, 51, of Landenberg, for DUI on March 24. The traffic stop was made 10:29 a.m. on northbound Route 52 in Kennett Township.

• Police said Christopher J. Wooten Jr., 23, of West Chester, was cited for following too closely following a March 25 accident in Concord Township. The report said Wooten became distracted and couldn’t stop in time before hitting another vehicle in front of his on Concord Road at 7:51 a.m. Wooten hit the car in front, police said, and that car hit another.

• Police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that happened outside the Wawa parking lot on Route 1 at Brinton Lake Road shortly after noon on March 23. A report said both cars were heading in the same direction when the one in the left lane sideswiped the other car, hitting the drivers’ side door.

• Another hit-and-run accident happened on March 25 at the intersection of Routes 1 and 202 in Chadds Ford Township. Police said both vehicles were traveling north on Route 1. The driver in the left turn lane hit, and broke off, the drivers’ side-view mirror of the other vehicle in the parallel adjacent lane at 2:25 p.m.

• Sheirra Marie Sherman, 21, of Wilmington, was arrested for DUI and drug possession early in the morning of March 28, according to police. A report said Sherman was observed committing traffic violations on Route 202 at State Line Road at 1:34 a.m. Following an investigation, it was determined she was driving under the influence and in possession of drugs.

• On Friday, March 20, at 11:56 p.m., a New Garden Township officer observed a vehicle commit several traffic violations on Gap Newport Pike, police said. After a traffic stop was conducted in the 1000 block of Newark Road, police said the driver, Scott Standish, 21, of Kennett Square, was arrested for DUI after failing field sobriety tests.

• At 1:27 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, Kennett Square Police received the report of a stolen 1997 silver Honda Civic bearing PA registration JSV2413. Police said the vehicle had been parked in the 100 block of South Willow Street. Police were later notified that New Castle County Police had recovered the Honda, now missing the tires and radio, in the area of Barley Mill Road and Mt. Cuba Road in Delaware. Kennett Square Police said the investigation is continuing.

• Charges of DUI and drug possession were pending against John Luke McGeehan, 23, of Thornton. Police said McGeehan was stopped for traffic violations at 12:22 a.m. on March 17. Troopers at the scene determined the suspect to be driving under the influence of narcotics.

• George Warren Jones, 27, of Glen Mills, was charged with DUI following a traffic stop on Cheyney Road in Concord Township at 9:53 p.m. on March 16, according to a police report.

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Mind Matters: Recent relevant research in psychology

Health

While many psychologists are clinicians working directly with people, others perform the research that informs the clinician’s perspective.

Amy Novotny, writing in the April, 2015, “APA Monitor,” a monthly professional newsletter, gleans research articles for nuggets of quick information. Here are just a few examples of ongoing research.

It was reported in “Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law,” that a University of Kansas study found that many universities may undercount sexual assaults on campus. Studying the data from 31 large universities and colleges, scientists discovered that reporting of sexual assaults differed widely depending on whether the U.S. Department of Education was auditing for federal crime reporting requirements or not. When audited, the reporting of sexual assaults increased by 44 percent. Post-audit, the reported number of sexual assaults fell to pre-audit levels. This may indicate that academic institutions are more likely to accurately report sexual assaults when “under federal scrutiny.”

On a more positive note, a study was conducted with elementary school children that found a school-based mindfulness program might help students regulate stress and perform better in math. The interdisciplinary study was executed by the University of British Columbia. Researchers explored the efficacy of the program “MindUP™” which incorporates breathing techniques with mindfulness practices and movement exercises. The young participants in the program fared better, not only at math but also at regulating stress, were observed as being more optimistic, helpful, and better liked by peers than were the children who were taught caring for others without the mindfulness schema.

Not only teaching mindfulness, but also teaching assertiveness can be effective tools of self-care for young people. According to studies done by psychologists at Southern Methodist University, teen girls reported less sexual victimization after virtual reality assertiveness training. The program trains girls how to resist unwanted sexual advances, by modeling this in a virtual environment.

Want to remember more? Close your eyes. Researchers at the University of Surrey asked participants of their study to watch a video of a person entering a location to steal some items. Some time later, half of the participants were asked to recall the incident’s details with their eyes closed, the other half were to do so with eyes open. Results? Those that answered with eyes closed had better recall than those with eyes open. This sounds like something we could all test on our own. “Oh, where did I put my keys? Maybe if I close my eyes, I’ll remember better.” Think I’ll try it out.

Another matter of memory was studied recently by researchers at Dartmouth University. These scientists looked at sixth-graders in four different demographics: low-income rural, low-income urban, high-income rural, and high-income urban. All the students completed various verbal and visuospatial tests. It was found that the students from low-income areas, whether urban or rural, displayed working memory deficits compared to the high-income populations. One of the contributing factors for poor performance could be increased stress.

Another study to note here is that done by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada. Surveying thousands of employed adults, researchers found that people would avoid disclosing a mental health condition, fearing how it would affect their employment and career. People also worried that with such disclosure they would lose friends or would suffer the negative consequences they had observed occurring to others who did such disclosure. Yet, on the other hand, at least half of the respondents reported that they would want to help a colleague with a mental health issue.

This finding certainly is relevant to the recent tragedy of the German air crash in Switzerland, where the co-pilot appears to have intentionally killed himself and all those on board. All the facts are not available, but it is reported that this young man had depressive and suicidal ideation in the past. That he should not have been in a position of responsibility with that flight is clear. We don’t know why he concealed his mental and physical health from authorities that would have grounded him—temporarily!

But we also don’t want to stigmatize all the many individuals who seek professional help and disclose their difficulties with great courage. When we feel safe enough to ask for help, we are all a little safer.

* Kayta Curzie Gajdos holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is in private practice in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. She welcomes comments at MindMatters@DrGajdos.com or 610-388-2888. Past columns are posted to www.drgajdos.com.

About Kayta Gajdos

Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.

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Applied Belief: It’s not about Jesus; it’s about you

Religion Today

It has always been about you. As billions of people around the world celebrate Passover and Easter this week, I am reminded that this Holiest of Weeks is all about you. Yes, to be sure, the main focus is on Jesus who came to live out his powerful message of love and in these final days to die and then, to rise. Yet everything that Jesus did he did for you. From the beginning of time God had you on his mind.

Think about this. God, who is omniscient, all knowing, knew that Adam and Eve would disobey him and sin and cause the fall of all things. Their sin opened up the door for evil. Yet knowing this, God still decided to create Adam and Eve. Why? Because God desired to love us, to love us more than himself. This selfish act defines God, climaxing in Jesus’ actions during a week like this one.

Today we celebrate Maundy Thursday, which is the day Jesus sat down to eat his last meal with his disciples. He tells his disciples “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:15-16) This statement captures again the selflessness of Jesus. He eagerly desired to spend as much time with his disciples as possible. In this moment it was not about him; it was about them.

Jesus then does the unthinkable. The Gospel of John records that “The evening meal was in progress. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:1-5)

Notice again that instead of celebrating that his time was up and he would return to the Father, he begins to wash his disciples’ feet. No rabbi, no leader, no person of any significance would ever dare wash someone else’s feet. Yet this was not foreign for Jesus because since the beginning of time, everything God had done had been done for us. God who created us wanted to serve us. And still today, He loves us and wants to serve us.

Tomorrow, on Good Friday, we remember the crucifixion. In Jesus’ greatest moment of pain and agony he utters a few last phrases. And of these phrases the majority is not about him but others. Having been crucified and yet with the power to curse his murderers he says “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

In his deep anguish he still has time to listen to the criminal hanging beside him and says to him “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Seeing his earthly mother Mary and the disciple John, whom he loved, he thinks not of his own death and departure but of his mother’s care. He says “Dear Woman, here is your son!” and to the disciple “Here is your mother!” (John 19:26-27)

Finally as the hour arrived where the human body of Jesus could hold on no longer he cries out in a loud voice saying “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

God forsakes his own son on the cross in order to receive and accept us. You see, it has never been about God. It has never been about Jesus. It has always been about you. God created the world for us to enjoy. He created us to demonstrate his love for us. He sent his son Jesus to live for us, to serve us and ultimately to die for you and for me.

Whether you celebrate Easter or not, you must admit that there is no other true story like this. No other God like this God. Jesus “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6-8)

All of this because it has always been about you and it still is.

Therefore this Easter focus on the selflessness of Jesus by living a servant’s life by doing “nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-5)

About Rev. Marcos O. Almonte

Rev. Marcos O. Almonte is senior pastor at Brandywine Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church west of Philadelphia. Pastor Marcos is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary with more than 10 years working with families with an expertise in theology, trauma and addictions. Pastor Marcos and his wife Mary have three children, Carmen, Joseph, and Lincoln.

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