May 20, 2022 |
Edward L. (Ted) Behr III grew up in Plainfield, NJ. Soon after high school, he joined the US Army, and started to experience parts of the world that would indelibly be a part of his life’s work, his Christian faith, and his sense of call to always be learning, teaching, and serving. Ted’s Army stint in Japan and Korea also provided him a GI Bill college education at Indiana University and led to his destiny meet-up with his beloved Dorothea.
By the time Ted and his family arrived at Wayne Presbyterian Church in 1971, Ted’s work with pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies had taken him, and sometimes his family, to Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, and Indonesia. We value Ted’s embrace and perspective of Christianity in parts of the world where Christianity is not the norm.
In his first 20 years at WPC Ted added his voice to the choir and the Wayne Oratorio Society; he served as a Deacon, an Elder, a frequent Adult Education teacher, Stewardship Chair, and Mission Committee Chair. He also served the Presbytery of Philadelphia on multiple committees including chair of Missional Ministry and was Newsletter editor.
And that was all before his retirement! Since then, he has been an adjunct instructor at Eastern College and at five Chinese universities. Most notably he has deepened his commitment to the Southwest Philadelphia community since the very start of WPC’s CityLights program. Ted has been one of the linchpins that has kept our involvement there creative and vital. For 26 years he singlehandedly revitalized the Southwest Globe Times and acted as publisher, reporter, and editor.
From Donna Henry at Southwest Community Development Corporation: “Ted has been a dear friend and an invaluable member of Southwest CDC beginning in the late-1990's when he supported the growing housing counseling program and the operations of the Southwest Globe Times. Because of the Globe, Ted established many relationships with block captains, community organizations, churches, and businesses. He devoted many Saturdays bouncing from one community event to another so he could write stories about each. Even through the pandemic, he kept in touch with the community and continued writing stories. “
Ted’s “faith-in-action” service is so often outside the walls of our church; at the same time, he is always learning and teaching within his own congregation, going all the way back to teaching Sunday School in his early overseas years. He has been instrumental in establishing the Thursday morning Men’s Ministry at WPC Currently Ted is a Bible study leader at the Wednesday Morning Men’s Bible Study , and at his White Horse Village residential community. Seven decades of Christian teaching!
Ted has said that the precept to love God and to love others sets his priorities, and he is blessed to be able to still do so. Truly, his being blessed has been a blessing to so many.
