January 22 Today in OPC History

On January 22, 1958, Arthur J. Steltzer, Jr., was ordained by the Church of the Open Door, in Philadelphia, the city where he was born in 1930. Having earned a B.D. from Faith Seminary and a Th.M. from Westminster Seminary, Steltzer set off for Nigeria where he served with Sudan Interior Mission.

In 1968, he was received by the Philadelphia Presbytery of the OPC, beginning a distinguished career with the Committee on Foreign Missions that included service in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Egypt. While in Eritrea, he conducted the funeral of Anna Strikwerda, a missionary nurse who was captured and killed by the Eritrean Liberation Front. Steltzer also served in OP congregations in Kirkwood, PA and Wilmington, DE. After four years with Middle East Reformed Fellowship in Cyprus, Steltzer accepted the call to serve as organizing pastor for Fellowship OPC in Lake Worth, FL from 1992 until his retirement in 1998.

Mr. Stelzer died and went to be with the Lord in glory on February 2, 2000.

Picture: Arthur and Barbara Steltzer