In Memoriam: The Reverend Dr. John E. Mehl

Posted on by Shadyside Presbyterian Church

June 18, 1936 – April 25, 2021

Please remember in prayer the family and friends of the Reverend Dr. John E. Mehl, who passed from this life into the Church Triumphant on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at the age of eighty-four.

A retired member of Pittsburgh Presbytery, the Reverend Dr. John E. Mehl worked with several local congregations during his ministry, including ours, and directed the Doctor of Ministry Program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary from 1985 until 2001.

Rev. Dr. John Mehl and Dr. Margaret Ross Mehl
Rev. Dr. John Mehl and Dr. Margaret Ross Mehl

John and his wife, Dr. Margaret A. Ross Mehl, have had a long association with Shadyside Presbyterian Church (SPC). Peggy has been a member of our church family for more than fifty-three years and also has been singing with the Chancel Choir for fifty-eight years. The Reverend Dr. Mehl served on the ministerial staff of SPC on two separate occasions: once as a Parish Associate from January 2002 through June 2004, and again as Interim Associate Pastor for Parish Life in 2008. Throughout these years of faithful service, he ministered to the needs of the congregation through preaching; leading adult Christian education studies; and assisting in congregational care, including visiting homebound and hospitalized members. A wise, gentle, and compassionate pastor, he walked alongside SPC through several leadership transitions, and we are grateful to have enjoyed our fellowship with him as a friend and member of our extended church family.

In addition to his work with the seminary and with churches in the Pittsburgh Presbytery, the Reverend Dr. Mehl taught undergraduate courses at Washington and Lee University and for nine years was the editor of the Kerygma Bible Study Program and the Thesis Cassette Study Program. A graduate of Dartmouth College, John also earned degrees from Pittsburgh and Union Theological Seminaries, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Please join us in giving thanks to God for John’s life of faith, which he lived in dedicated service to Christ. Please especially remember Peggy and the Mehl family as they entrust this wonderful man to God’s eternal care. An obituary is available online; you may read it by following this link.

Arrangements

A memorial service will occur on Saturday, May 22, at 2:00 p.m. at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 799 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania 15228. Family and friends will be received on Friday, May 21, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Laughlin Cremation and Funeral Tributes, 222 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania 15216.