My name is Elija Bombeck. I was born and raised in Hermitage PA, where my parents still reside. My father is the director of the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce, and my mother is a retired 5th grade teacher from the Hermitage School District. I was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, but my family changed to Covenant Presbyterian Church in Sharon where everyone except me remains. To be honest, my résumé is quite odd at first glance as God has taken me on a wild ride to get to my call to ministry. After graduating from Hickory High School in 2014, I attended Grove City College to study Chemistry in preparation for Medical School. I was miserable and felt very unfulfilled. When I graduated in 2018, I obtained my EMT license and took a year off to study for my MCATs while becoming more disillusioned with my career choice and more involved with my Church.

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In the midst of this, I finally understood my call to ministry and attended Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 2019 to go into the Army as a chaplain. During the summer between my third and fourth year 2022, I worked a night shift at the front desk of a hotel where I met my now wife, Leah. She lived there due to a house fire. It was awesome to see God beautifully work in our lives through such tragic circumstances. She works at Taylor Winfield in Youngstown as a Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager. We married in August of 2025.

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Upon graduation from Seminary, I was in a pickle with the Army. They require two years of experience post seminary, but I did not want to deceive a church into working there full time with intentions of leaving shortly thereafter. To mediate this tension, Bob Stauffer recommended a role as a Transitional Pastor for two years and then going into the military. God then took Leah and I to Mountville Presbyterian Church in Portersville PA. Through our time there, we both discerned that we do not feel called to full time military service and instead love ministry in the local church. I still plan to serve as a reserve chaplain in the future but am dedicated to God’s Church for our lives’ ministry. My time as a Transition Pastor at Mountville concludes this July and Leah and I plan to plant permanent roots closer to home and serve God and the Community to which he calls us.