Before joining Southminster, Frank served as the Director of Family Ministries and Contemporary Worship at Northmont United Presbyterian Church in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. His primary responsibilities involved directing the Christian Education program and coordinating the Sunday night contemporary worship service. While at Northmont, Frank helped to create a vital drama ministry, began a weekly spirituality and prayer small group, re-invented several existing children’s programs, and created and led the discussion-based Foundations adult Sunday school class aimed at bringing adults up to speed in the areas of theology, church history, Bible, and the essentials of the faith so that all the decisions of their daily lives can be informed by their faith

Frank holds degrees in music composition and mass communications, as well as a certificate in sound recording from the Eastman School of Music. Frank is currently working on both a graduate degree and completing a graduate certificate program in Spiritual Formation at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Frank has served 7 previous churches as a Christian Educator, Minister of Music, and as Director of an After-School Arts Program. A playwright and composer, Frank wrote an original musical which ran for 4 seasons in Nashville, Tennessee. Frank has sung with Pittsburgh Opera Theatre and his compositions have been performed in a number of colleges and churches.

Frank is married to Teresa Lockhart Stricklen, his high school sweetheart. Teresa is an assistant professor of homiletics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Teresa is also an ordained Presbyterian minister. Should she ever have a spare moment, Teresa loves gardening and working on her Victorian home in Friendship.

Teresa and Frank have two talented daughters. Laura, age 17, is a senior Musical Theater Major at the Pittsburgh High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA ) She loves working with children and will be choosing a university this fall where she will combine child psychology with religious studies. Juliana, age 14, is a freshman Vocal Performance Major at CAPA High School. She helped to create a new Social Justice Club at her school last year and raised awareness and money to help end the genocide in Darfur. She was also a counselor at a Peace Camp this summer.

Frank loves the arts and continues to participate in things musical and dramatic but his passion is spirituality and helping others to have an informed faith so that they can walk more closely with God. He writes a blog on things spiritual which may be found at http://reformed-spirituality.blogspot.com.

Page last updated:03/31/08